Yamaha triumphs in the 39th Suzuka Eight Hours

The predictions on the eve had her as the favourite, and in a race like the Suzuka Eight Hours, which for the Japanese manufacturers is worth as much as a MotoGP, it is a responsibility that also brings with it a good dose of media pressure, to which must be added the inherent difficulties of the race.

Yamaha therefore demonstrates the competitiveness of its R1 by repeating last year's success, with local star Katsuyuki Nakasuga and MotoGP rider Pol Espargaro, with Alex Lowes completing the lineup and who had the honor of finishing under the checkered flag, late at night, in the evocative setting of fireworks.

Considering that here the four sisters, namely Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki historically bring vehicles of the highest caliber, top riders to accompany the Japanese samurai, even if this year the winning manufacturer lacked a worthy rival, given the undisputed supremacy demonstrated on the track.

If last year all the attention was on Casey Stoner, before technical failures and the scary accident prevented Honda from fully competing for victory, in this edition it was the turn of WorldSbk and former MotoGP rider Nicky Hayden to lead Team RT Harc-Pro: unfortunately, however, he too was left stranded by a technical problem.
Honda thus found itself fighting only for second place, with Micheal Van der Mark and Takumi Takahashi against the Kawasaki Green team of Haslam, Kazuma Watanabe and Akira Yanagawa, and the Yoshimura Suzuki Shell Advance team which fielded the 41-year-old Noriyuki Haga, still master in Suzuka, and Superbike rider Josh Brookes: in the end Kawasaki's Green team prevails ahead of Suzuki.
Worth noting is the unfortunate epilogue of the Honda team FCC TSR, with the CBR1000RR of Dominique Aegerter, Swiss Moto2 rider, caught on fire.

Four Italians also at the start: Niccolò Canepa, with Yamaha GMT94, Gianluca Vizziello, making his debut at Suzuka on the Kawasaki #8 Team Bolliger Switzerland, Emiliano Bellucci, on the Kawasaki #46 Flembbo Leader Team, and test rider Daniele Veghini with an Aprilia RSV4 of the Team Sugai Racing Japan.

Thus ends an Eight Hours of Suzuka which did not excite much and which leaves numerous questions for 2017: with Honda and Suzuki finally fielding the new CBR and GSX-R, while Yamaha will certainly aim for the third seal in a row.