Timed qualifying and night sessions for 2022 Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race (Suzuka 8 Hours) on Friday, August 5.

Free practice sessions for the Suzuka 4 Hours held on the previous day were marred by intermittent showers, which lingered into Friday morning as the two-hour free practice session for the Suzuka 8 Hours commenced at 8:10am. From 12:10pm, team riders were designated as blue, yellow and red riders for two separate 20-minute qualifying sessions each. In the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC), starting grid positions are determined by the average best lap of each team’s three riders. Two riders from the top ten teams then proceed to the Top 10 Trial to be held on August 6 to determine the final starting grid.

In the morning’s free practice session, Team HRC (Tetsuta Nagashima / Takumi Takahashi / Iker Lecuona) led the field as Tetsuta Nagashima set the fastest lap time of 2 min 5.823 s, which went unchallenged. Third fastest was ♯73 SDG Honda Racing (Teppei Nagoe / Naomichi Uramoto / Ikuhiro Enokido) with 2 min 6.838 s. In the 2 min 7 s range, ♯5 F.C.C. TSR Honda France (Josh Hook / Gino Rea / Mike Di Meglio) was sixth-fastest, ♯17 Astemo Honda Dream SI Racing (Kosuke Sakumoto / Kazuma Watanabe / Taiga Hada) was seventh, and ♯72 Honda Dream RT SAKURAI HONDA (Sodo Hamahara / Daijiro Hiura / Yuki Kunii) was eighth. One second slower, ♯9 Murayama.Honda Dream.RT was tenth-fastest with 2 min 8.130 s.

Weather improved by midday, when the skies were much brighter. The track was mostly dry by the time Blue riders were up for their first qualifying session. Nagashima (#33) clocked 2 min 6.659 s on his second lap, followed by an extremely fast 2 min 4.942 s, faster than the lap record of 2 min 5.1682 s set by Jonathan Rea in 2018.

As the first Yellow riders qualifying session began, the sun was shining. Takahashi (#33) went through the pit road, timing his entry into the track for his hot lap. Takahashi’s 2 min 7.238 s placed him fifth, and on the fourth lap, he improved by nearly a second to 2 min 6.494 s. The top 3 remained the same, while Hiura (#72) improved his position to sixth with a 2 min 7.204 s lap. Rea (#5) was one place behind with 2 min 7.204 s.

Rain began to fall as the Red riders prepared for their first qualifying session. Lecuona (#33) returned to the pits. Later in the session, the sun shone as the showers continued, and riders began to return to the track with seven minutes remaining. In the end, De Meglio (#5) was the fastest rider with 2 min 10.556 s.

Rain had stopped by the time the second Red riders qualifying session began. As the track nearly dried up, the rain started again. ♯104 TOHO Racing (Ryuichi Kiyonari / Takuma Kunimine / Hiromichi Kunikawa) rider Kunimine set the fastest time of 2 min 11.831 s. Lecuona (#33) set a lap time of 2 min 15.174 before returning to the pits. Overall, Di Meglio (#5) was the fastest, Kunimine (#104) was third, Lecuona (#33) was seventh, and Kunii (#72) was ninth.

The results of the averaged best laps from the Blue, Yellow and Red rider sessions were in: #33 Team HRC was the fastest. ♯17 Astemo Honda Dream SI Racing was fourth, ♯5 F.C.C. TSR Honda France fifth, ♯72 Honda Dream RT SAKURAI HONDA seventh, ♯73 SDG Honda Racing eighth, and ♯25 Honda Sofukai Suzuka Racing ninth. These teams progress to tomorrow’s Top 10 trial.

In the Top 10 Trial, two riders from each team have timed hot laps, determining the top ten places on the starting grid. Eleventh onwards are unchanged from today’s Qualifying results. #88 Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA (Md Zaqhwan Bin Zaidi / Gerry Salim / Helmi Bin Azman) will start the race from 16th grid.

The night session was held under heavy rain. ♯5 F.C.C. TSR Honda France was seventh-fastest, ♯17 Astemo Honda Dream SI Racing was ninth, ♯73 SDG Honda Racing  11th, ♯33 Team HRC  13th, and ♯25 Honda Sofukai Suzuka Racing 14th.

Overall Qualifying Classification (average of the 2 bests times)

Pos. No. Team Rider Blue Rider Yellow Rider Red Bike Best Rider Blue Best Rider Yellow Best Rider Red (WET) B. Lap
1 33 Team HRC NAGASHIMA Tetsuta * TAKAHASHI Takumi LECUONA Iker Honda 2:04.942 2:06.494 2:15.174 2:05.718
2 7 YART – Yamaha Official Team EWC FRITZ Marvin * CANEPA Niccolò HANIKA Karel Yamaha 2:06.138 2:05.863 2:20.643 2:06.001
3 10 Kawasaki Racing Team Suzuka 8H HASLAM Leon * LOWES Alex REA Jonathan Kawasaki 2:06.409 2:06.204 2:14.892 2:06.307
4 17 Astemo Honda Dream SI Racing SAKUMOTO Kosuke * WATANABE Kazuma HADA Taiga Honda 2:06.393 2:06.801 2:28.197 2:06.597
5 5 F.C.C. TSR Honda France HOOK Josh * REA Gino DI MEGLIO Mike Honda 2:06.740 2:07.326 2:10.556 2:07.033
6 37 BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM REITERBERGER Markus * MYKHALCHYK Illya GUARNONI Jérémy BMW 2:06.963 2:07.191 2:18.659 2:07.077
7 72 Honda Dream RT SAKURAI HONDA HAMAHARA Sodo * HIURA Daijiro KUNII Yuki Honda 2:07.274 2:07.204 2:16.922 2:07.239
8 73 SDG Honda Racing NAGOE Teppei * ENOKIDO Ikuhiro URAMOTO Naomichi Honda 2:06.733 2:07.840 2:17.614 2:07.287
9 25 Honda Sofukai Suzuka Racing Team KAMEI Yudai * TADOKORO Jun SUGIYAMA Yuki Honda 2:06.829 2:08.360 2:23.274 2:07.595
10 2 EVA RT 01 Webike TRICKSTAR OKUBO Hikari * SANO Yuto NIGON Erwan Kawasaki 2:07.602 2:07.675 2:21.153 2:07.639
11 806 NCXX RACING with RIDERS CLUB ITO Yuki * MINAMIMOTO Soichiro ITE Shota Yamaha 2:08.995 2:08.258 2:14.031 2:08.627
12 11 WEBIKE SRC KAWASAKI FRANCE DE PUNIET Randy * MASSON Etienne MARINO Florian Kawasaki 2:08.135 2:09.133 2:17.412 2:08.634
13 95 S-PULSE DREAM RACING – ITEC OGATA Hideyuki * COCORO Atsumi TSUDA Takuya Suzuki 2:08.524 2:08.796 2:28.677 2:08.660
14 64 Kawasaki Plaza Racing Team IWATO Ryosuke * OKAYA Yuta KIYOSUE Naoki Kawasaki 2:07.364 2:10.287 2:29.475 2:08.826
15 50 TEAM KODAMA KODAMA Yuuta * NAGAO Kenji NAGAO Kengo Yamaha 2:08.806 2:09.182 2:10.964 2:08.994
16 88 Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA ZAIDI Muhammad Zaqhwan * SALIM Gerry AZMAN Muhammad Helmi Honda 2:08.739 2:09.324 2:18.519 2:09.032
17 85 TONE RT SYNCEDGE 4413 BMW HOSHINO Tomoya * ISHIZUKA Takeshi NAKATOMI Shinichi BMW 2:10.318 2:08.231 2:19.913 2:09.275
18 40 Team ATJ with JAPAN POST TAKAHASHI Yuki * ITO Kazuki KOYAMA Tomoyoshi Honda 2:08.518 2:10.221 2:21.445 2:09.370
19 104 TOHO Racing KIYONARI Ryuichi * KUNIKAWA Hiromichi KUNIMINE Takuma Honda 2:08.311 2:10.461 2:11.631 2:09.386
20 9 Murayama. Honda Dream. RT AKIYOSHI Kosuke * DEGUCHI Osamu KONNO Yoshihiro Honda 2:08.292 2:10.880 2:23.046 2:09.586
21 3 KRP SANYOKOGYO&RS-ITOH YANAGAWA Akira * MATSUZAKI Katsuya HASEGAWA Sho Kawasaki 2:09.188 2:10.006 2:18.207 2:09.597
22 1 Yoshimura SERT Motul GUINTOLI Sylvain * BLACK Gregg WATANABE Kazuki Suzuki 2:07.363 2:12.432 2:09.898
23 44 SANMEI Team TARO PLUSONE SEKIGUCHI Taro * OKUDA Kyosuke SATO Taiki BMW 2:10.083 2:10.914 2:19.470 2:10.499
24 74 AKENO SPEED.YAMAHA DATE Yuta * ABE Maiki SUGAWARA Riku Yamaha 2:09.351 2:11.839 2:18.916 2:10.595
25 70 OGURA CLUTCH ORC with RIDE IN TAKEDA Yuichi * YOKOYAMA Shota SAKAMOTO Takashi Yamaha 2:10.893 2:12.278 2:25.839 2:11.586
26 52 TERAMOTO@J-TRIP Racing TERAMOTO Koji * AOKI Nobuatsu TSUDA Kazuma Suzuki 2:10.996 2:12.451 2:34.000 2:11.724
27 15 TEAM HANSHIN  RIDING SCHOOL NAKAMURA Shuichiro * NAKAMURA Tatsuya WATANABE Kazuki Kawasaki 2:11.334 2:12.213 2:27.388 2:11.774
28 54 GOSHI Racing KUROGI Reitoku * TAJIRI Yuto YASUDA Takashi Honda 2:13.623 2:10.803 2:18.166 2:12.213
29 42 Shinshu activation project Team NAGANO SAKURAYAMA Shigenori * HIGASHIMURA Isami OKAMURA Mitsunori BMW 2:12.464 2:12.348 2:20.275 2:12.406
30 82 Team BIZENSEIKI Kirimoto Techno Works YAMANAKA Masaki * NAKAMOTO Gun NAGAHATA Daijirou Kawasaki 2:11.716 2:13.306 2:25.699 2:12.511
31 89 CLUB NEXT & Honda Dream TAKASAKI KATAHIRA Ryosuke * YOSHIHIRO Hikaru OHNUKI Kimihiko Honda 2:11.662 2:13.825 2:25.868 2:12.744
32 60 Honda Hamamatsu ESCARGOT RT NAKAJIMA Genki * HANE Takumi SAKAI Takatsugu Honda 2:12.724 2:12.886 2:12.805
33 112 Honda Soyukai Tochigi Racing & Dream RT KATO Takafumi * HONDA Keiichi MIZUSAWA Shotaro Honda 2:11.208 2:14.514 2:27.696 2:12.861
34 27 TransMapRacing with ACE CAFE OOISHI Masahiko * HIRANO Luna KAJIYAMA Toshiki Suzuki 2:12.148 2:13.753 2:30.123 2:12.951
35 78 Honda Blue Helmets MSC Kumamoto & Asaka MORI Kensuke * OKADA Hiromasa KOBAYASHI Hiroaki Honda 2:12.262 2:14.143 2:31.424 2:13.203
36 69 Auto Race UBE KEN RACING YIC SHINJO Masahiro * KABETANI Yuya KAWAGUCHI Atsushi Kawasaki 2:11.823 2:15.093 2:19.407 2:13.458
37 31 Hamamatsu Team TITAN TAKEDA Kazuma * YASHIRO Genya MURASE Takeru Suzuki 2:13.525 2:13.584 2:28.276 2:13.555
38 51 T.MOTOKIDS TAKADA I.W. NAC FUKUYAMA Kyota * NAKAJIMA Hinata NISHINAKA Tsuna Yamaha 2:14.147 2:13.277 2:17.735 2:13.712
39 61 Team  de”LIGHT OKUDA Takaya * HASEGAWA Shudai KATAOKA Homare Ducati 2:13.591 2:13.972 2:21.575 2:13.782
40 99 ADVANCE MC & FOC CLAYMORE EDGE with DOGHOUSE MANABE Masahiro * IWATANI Keita SAMURA Eisuke Suzuki 2:13.885 2:13.971 2:34.079 2:13.928
41 41 IRF with AZURLANE MIYAKOSHI Takeshi * KAWANA Kent NISUIMURA Kazuyuki Yamaha 2:14.732 2:13.390 2:26.773 2:14.061
42 34 Honda Ryokuyoukai Kumamoto Racing YOSHIDA Mitsuhiro * KITAORI Makoto WADA Ruka Honda 2:13.139 2:15.612 2:16.843 2:14.376
43 38 K’sWORKS RACING ADACHI Masaki * YAMAUCHI Yoshinori NAKAI Tsunekazu Yamaha 2:15.815 2:15.816 2:21.507 2:15.816
44 71 Team MATSUNAGA KDC & YSP NAGOYA KITA MATSUNAGA Osamu * ARAKAWA Masahiko KUNO Mitsuhiro Yamaha 2:14.310 2:17.584 2:26.274 2:15.947
45 45 YSS Mercury with TKm TAJIMA Kiyotsugu * YAMAGIWA Koshi KIMURA Tomohiro Kawasaki 2:17.799 2:17.483 2:21.933 2:17.641
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

POLE POSITION RECORD 2'04.934s Team HRC - Tetsuta Nagashima - Honda CBR1000RR-R SP (2022)
RACE RECORD 2'06.805s Kawasaki Racing Team - Jonathan Rea - Kawasaki ZX10RR  (2019)