The much-hyped “SuperPole” style Top Ten Qualifying for the 47th running of the Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours round of the FIM World Endurance Championship failed to take place Saturday, with late arriving drizzle causing action to be halted early in the afternoon to the disappointment of fans.
Instead, qualifying times from the first three Friday sessions established the grid, with the much-vaunted HRC Honda trio of Takumi Takahashi, Jonny Rea, and new recruit Somkiat Chantra earning the top spot on tomorrow’s in-line Lemans start grid.
“I was really happy with our lap times yesterday; it was difficult to manage traffic,” explained two-time 8 Hour victor Rea, age 39. “I was looking forward to a clear track in the Top Ten session, but obviously nervous about the conditions. So, it was most fair to use our existing times to set the order.”
“As you’d expect, all the teams are fast.” started Takahashi through an interpreter. “At this track, I am certainly the most experienced. We’re here to do the best we can, and the results will follow.”
Honda are on a four-year win streak at their home track, but only the confident Takahashi was part of last year’s winning efforts. Much of the fifty-bike field is made up of Hondas and crewed by technicians who work locally for the manufacturer.
Second best was the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, with Mark Reiterberger, Steven Odendaal, and Michale Van der Mark at the controls. Van der Mark sat beside former Tenkate Honda teammate Rea at the presser and couldn’t resist taking a shot at the popular Irishman.
“Yesterday we were very good, but maybe we made some small mistakes,” started Van der Mark. “We were not quick enough to beat the old guy sitting beside me! All of the top teams have good pace, and the weather might be the decider.”
Yamaha have made a big deal of aiming to win at Suzuka for the first time since 2018, and their return with a factory team on the way to second overall last year. The rider line up of MotoGP ace Andrea Locatelli and Yamaha living legend Katsuyuki Nakasuga was retained for 2026, and they were about half a second behind the Honda pace setter.
Miller claimed to attending Australian journalists that he would bridge that gap today, but he didn’t get the chance.
Sunday’s forecasts suggest wet conditions for at least some of the event, which begins at 11:30 am local time.
Elf Marc VDS KM99 netted third, with former Grand prix racer Randy de Puniet, Florian Marino and Alessandro Delbianco sharing rider duties.
“We made a good job,” de Puniet stated of their Friday qualifying efforts. “We all pushed hard and worked to stay focused – that will be so important. I was really looking forward to a push lap.”
Prior to the cancellation of the shoot out to set the grid, a brief 40-minute session saw most of the teams put most of their riders on the circuit, even though it was drizzling and most were on slick rubber. Bridgestone CSBK National Superbike Champ Ben Young rode six laps, including a brief stop as the rain intensified, before giving the saddle to teammates Genki Nakajima and Maiku “Mikey” Watanuki.
“We don’t know the riding order just yet; it will depend on the weather,” indicated Young after the session. “They said if it rained, I should come in, and then we started switching riders. Mikey did a 2:10 in the drizzle, so that was pretty strong.”
“With the weather the central focus,” Young confirmed that “there isn’t too much we can do – practice our stops, be ready. It will be interesting to see our strategy, especially if it rains. Do you put the slowest guy out first, and not loose so much time early? What is the expected pace and fuel if the conditions are changing? What will the life of the tires be; how much longer will our stint last?”
With the EWC an open spec series in terms of tires, there is a selection of manufacturers represented at the front, but as Young professes, “I think here, this track, their experience, you’re better off with the Bridgestones, period. No matter the conditions. We have a tech who comes and check our tires after every session.”
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