Honda HRC wins fourth consecutive Suzuka 8 Hours, marking Honda’s 31st victory in the race
Performance, strategy, readiness to face the unexpected, and teamwork. By putting all this into play, Honda HRC team today secured its fourth consecutive victory, and Honda’s 31st, in extreme conditions.
On Sunday, 3 August, a field of 55 teams lined up on the grid for Round 3 of the 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship, set to battle in the iconic 46th Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race (Suzuka 8 Hours) at the legendary 5.821 km Suzuka Circuit.
The race got underway at 11:30 am (local time) under extremely hot conditions, with a temperature which rise up to 37ºC.
Honda HRC started from Pole Position with Takumi Takahashi. The Japanese rider made a strong start, taking the lead, but lost it during the first lap when he was passed by #73 Yuki Kunii (SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda). Takumi closely followed fellow Honda rider maintaining the gap between two to six tenths of a second. On lap 14 Takahashi overtook Kunii and regained the race lead.
Back in the pits at the end of his stint on lap 27, Takahashi handed over the Honda CBR1000RR-R SP to teammate Johann Zarco, who rejoined the track in first place with an advantage of around 13 seconds over #21 Andrea Locatelli (YAMAHA RACING TEAM) in second, and about 18 seconds over #73 Keito Abe in third.
Zarco controlled the advantage before handing the bike back to Takahashi on lap 55, one hour and 59 minutes into the race. Takahashi also pushed on with a strong pace, continuing to keep a gap of around 12 seconds over second place. The Honda HRC team’s third pit stop, perfectly executed on lap 83, saw Takumi come in as the last of the front runners — a strategy that would ultimately prove decisive. Zarco then took over right at the start of the fourth hour, holding a 29‑second advantage over #21 Katsuyuki Nakasuga.
Zarco steadily increased his advantage at the front, so that when he swapped places again with his teammate on lap 111 at the halfway point of the race and almost exactly at the four‑hour mark, the Honda HRC team continued to control the lead with a gap of over 40 seconds over their closest rival, always team #21.
Managing the physical effort of the long time on track and short breaks, Takahashi and Zarco completed their fifth and sixth stints respectively, with an advantage that fluctuated between 20 and 30 seconds. But some more thrill for the Honda HRC team was just around the corner.
After most of the race ran without safety cars, the seventh stint brought two interruptions. The first came shortly after Takahashi returned to the track on lap 139, still leading ahead of Nakasuga. However, this had no impact on the running order. Then, just before Takumi entered the pit lane for the team’s seventh and final stop, another safety car was deployed. Following a lightning-fast tyre change and refuelling — with the Honda HRC crew once again excelling, performing the fastest pit stops in this edition as well — Zarco had to wait for the safety car to complete its lap before rejoining the track, slotting in behind Locatelli with a gap of around 15 seconds. About half an hour from the end of the race, however, Zarco regained the lead after Locatelli pitted for his team’s final swap.
By the completion of lap 217, Zarco sealed what was his second Suzuka 8 Hours victory, the seventh for Takumi Takahashi — the most successful rider in the event’s history — and the 31st for Honda HRC.
Team Manager Teruaki Matsubara commented: “It’s truly fantastic, we are very happy. First of all, I want to thank our two riders because they worked incredibly hard and did a truly remarkable job in extreme conditions. I’m also very grateful to everyone in the team, who took such great care of the riders — it was a real demonstration of teamwork. Once again, our pit stops were the fastest and that also made a real difference. All our preparation clearly paid off today. It wasn’t easy, but in the end, everything came together. It’s been a truly enjoyable and rewarding experience.”
FULL RESULTS AND RACE STATS, COURTESY OF EWC
NOTE TO EDITORS: More pictures will be uploaded in the coming hours
Takumi Takahashi 30
Q. Takumi, how can you describe today’s incredible achievement?
A. With just the two of us racing in these extreme weather conditions — something I don’t think I had ever experienced before — I knew it would be extremely tough, and it really was. By the final stint, our physical condition was clearly worn out, but we both pushed ourselves to give everything until the very end. In my last stint, I managed to set some strong laps, also in the 2’06 range, but, aware of the strong charge coming from behind, I switched my focus to maintaining the pace and bringing the bike back safely. Johann really gave everything in the final part. For that, and for his incredible effort, I’m truly grateful.Q. You are the rider with most wins at Suzuka. How does that feel, what kind of emotions do you have?
A. Well, last year I had already taken this record, and now of course I’m happy I was able to add another victory on top of that. But, honestly more than anything, I’m glad for the way we achieved this win. Of course, both me and Johann are now extremely tired, but we made it to the checkered flag without any issues, and that’s what matters most. I think that in the end it was really tough for him, but I could see the true fighting spirit of a MotoGP rider, and that was great to witness. Finally, of course, I also want to say a big thank you to the whole team for their incredible effort, and to all the fans for their constant support.
Johann Zarco 30
Q. How was your second Suzuka 8 Hours and second win in a row?
A. The Suzuka 8 Hours is a race I enjoy a lot, and being on the best bike, one that is a pleasure to ride, is absolutely great. At the same time, today was so, so hard, in incredibly tough conditions. I was able to keep control on track, as I expected, but recovering between stints was much harder than I thought it would be. Then, in the last hour, a safety car came out and added a few extra laps to Takumi’s final stint, which gave me a little more time to recover. When it was the moment for me to go out, another safety car was out and it helped me slowly get back into rhythm, so finally, everything worked out really well. Huge shoutout and thanks to Takumi, who was incredibly strong — in every stint, no matter the heat, he showed no weaknesses. That’s a huge advantage for the team. Our plan was also very good, and making only seven stops made the difference.Q. In the end, how was it to complete that final night stint, with the grandstands packed and Suzuka’s characteristic lights all around?
A. It really was beautiful. Last year Takumi did the final stint, but this time we stuck to the original plan, which was for me to do it. It felt great, and once the temperature dropped a little, it became more manageable on the bike. And of course, when you have a gap to manage — I had about thirty seconds in the last half hour — it gives you a bit of security. I even started to take in all the colors, and the grandstand along the straight was really stunning. In other sections, the track was very dark, and even though I wanted to go faster than 2’09, it really wasn’t possible. But there was no need anyway, so I just enjoyed riding all the way to the finish line.
Location Information
SUZUKA 8HOURS ESSENTIAL* Name: SUZUKA CIRCUIT Location: 7992 Ino-Cho, Suzuka-shi, Mie-ken 510-0295, Japan Track length: 5.821 kilometres Race distance: 8 hours Official website Suzuka Circuit Suzuka Circuit Operated by Honda-owned Mobilityland, Suzuka features a unique figure-of-eight layout and presents a considerable challenge for riders thanks to its wide variety of corners.… read more.
7992 Inoucho, Suzuka, Mie, Japan - View in Google Maps
Records
| Suzuka 8 Hours POLE POSITION RECORD | 2'04.290s Honda HRC - Johann Zarco - Honda CBR1000RR-R SP (2025) |
| Suzuka 8 Hours RACE RECORD | 2'06.604s YAMAHA RACING TEAM - Andrea Locatelli - Yamaha YZF-R1 (2025) |
