Honda press release from Suzuka 8 Hours

Team HRC with Japan Post takes third consecutive victory in the Suzuka 8 Hours, marking Honda’s 30th victory in the Suzuka 8 Hours

A total of 46 teams were on the grid for Round 3 of the 2024 FIM Endurance World Championship, ready to compete at one of motorsport’s most iconic circuits. Nineteen of them are Honda-powered, with five teams finishing in the top ten.

Team HRC with Japan Post takes third consecutive victory in the Suzuka 8 Hours, marking Honda’s 30th victory in the Suzuka 8 Hours

Team HRC with Japan Post took victory at the 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance with Takumi Takahashi, Teppei Nagoe and French MotoGP rider Johann Zarco. With this victory Team HRC took its third consecutive victory at the Suzuka 8 Hours and it marks Honda’s 30th victory at the Japanese round.

During the morning warm-up, Team HRC from Japan Post set the fastest time with a lap of 2:06.336.

SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda posted the third best lap time with 2:08.648, closely followed by FCC TSR Honda France in fourth with 2:08.652.

The race started at 11.30am (local time) in exceptionally hot and humid conditions, with a temperature of 37ºC.

Team HRC with Japan Post started in 3rd place on the grid with Takumi Takahashi. The experienced Japanese rider made an excellent start and after a thrilling battle at the front, Takahashi, who was in third place, moved up to second place on lap 10 and managed to take the lead of the race at the 130R corner with his best lap time of 2:07.378.

Back in the pits at the end of his stint, Takahashi handed the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP to French MotoGP rider Johann Zarco, who still took to the track in first place.

Zarco improved his time to 2:07 and, with a comfortable riding position, opened up a gap of 20.808 seconds. Thanks to the Frenchman’s strong pace, when Tappei Nagoe took over his stint, Team HRC with Japan Post still had a lap advantage after two hours of racing.

Halfway through the race, Team HRC from Japan Post continued to control the race with a lead of 1:21.322 over the second team.

Entering the final quarter of the 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours race, Team HRC with Japan Post remained in the lead. With very consistent lap times and fastest pit stops, the #30 Honda still maintained a lead of 36.813.

Although Team HRC of Japan Post was given a 40-second penalty for a pit stop violation, the Japanese team had a sufficient lead to cross the finish line first and take the victory.


It was not an easy weekend for FCC TSR Honda France. The team used the race to get used to their 2024-spec bike, which they were using in competition for the first time. They finished the Suzuka 8 Hours in 34th place.

FCC TSR Honda France started the 8-hour race from eighth on the grid with Josh Hook. When the Australian pitted to hand over the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP to Mike Di Meglio, the Frenchman rejoined the race in tenth place.

With Hook in ninth place after three and a half hours, he crashed at Turn 9. Fortunately, the Australian was able to rejoin the race in fourteenth place, completing his stint while the team focused on the remaining four hours.

However, entering the final quarter of the race, Techer, while running in 15th place, was forced to stop in the pits due to engine damage from the previous crash. After more than 10 minutes of teamwork in the pits, the #5 Honda rejoined the race in 25th place.

Unfortunately, with 1h30 to go, the Honda #5 crashed again, this time of Di Meglio, forcing him to pit again to repair the engine.

Following this result, the FCC TSR Honda France team now looks forward to the Bol d’Or, the final of the 2024 FIM EWC Championship, which will be held at the Paul Ricard circuit from 13 to 15 September and will do everything it can to fight for victory.

Honda Dream RT SAKURAI HONDA finished with a strong performance in sixth place, followed by TOHO Racing. Another Honda team, SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda finished in the top ten of the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race.

The other Honda-powered regular FIM EWC team, Tati Team Beringer Racing, with Hugo Clere, Randy Krummenacher and Coren Perolari, started the race from 31st on the grid and finished in a remarkable 15th place, securing valuable championship points.

In Superstock, National Motos Honda FMA finished fifth in its category. It was the French team’s first appearance at the Japanese round with the Suchet brothers and Guillaume Raymond.

The French team fought for fourth place and the podium positions, but with 2 hours and 30 minutes left in the race, the #55 Honda had to pit with overheating problems.

Thanks to great teamwork and the Fireblade’s unerring reliability, National Motos Honda FMA were able to rejoin the race and finished in fifth place. This result extends their lead in the FIM Endurance World Cup standings to 108 points.

Takumi Takahashi 30
Team HRC with Japan Post

I feel completely relieved and honestly exhausted. I am very happy to have won my sixth Suzuka 8 Hours and for Honda their 30th victory. I really have to thank my teammates, they are two fantastic riders, we were all able to achieve our goal together.

Johann Zarco 30
Team HRC with Japan Post

I feel good because when you achieve this goal and you win, it is a big relief. I feel happy, proud and it gives a lot of satisfaction. I am very impressed with Takumi’s pace and his control of the race. I am so happy with the progress Teppei made from the test to the race. The three riders were needed for this win because with the heat we all had to control the energy.

Teppei Nagoe 30
Team HRC with Japan Post

Last year I finished second and I wanted to win one day, but I didn’t think it would happen a year later. Then I got the chance to race for HRC, which I always dreamed of, and with my teammates we took Honda’s third consecutive win and 30th overall. The view from the podium was the most beautiful I have ever seen. As a rider I know I still have skills to improve. I will work hard and use this win as motivation to be able to stand on the podium more often on my own.

Josh Hook 5
FCC TSR Honda France

It was a very tough weekend. Because we missed the private tests, we had a lot of things to try and we didn’t have enough time. I’m sorry for the team that worked so hard. Everyone gave their best and unfortunately the result is not there. Now we have to analyze how we can come back stronger for the Bol d’Or.

Mike Di Meglio 5
FCC TSR Honda France

It was a very difficult race for us. We knew it was going to be very hot and that had a big impact on the bike performance. The tires worked well, but we had no acceleration or power. I didn’t want to take any risks and I’m sorry I made a mistake when I didn’t push hard. It cost us some time, but we were already far behind. It was the first race with this bike and we still have a lot of points to improve. We’re going to work hard to prepare for the Bol d’Or.

Alan Techer5
FCC TSR Honda France

A difficult race and a difficult season. We changed the bike just before the race. So we had a lot of new things to deal with and there is still a lot of work ahead of us. The goal is to fight for the victory at the Bol d’Or to end the season on a positive note.