Van der Mark and Stoner together at the Suzuka 8 Hours

The reigning Supersport World Champion, now a Pata Honda Superbike rider, Michael van der Mark will once again be at the start of the Suzuka 8 Hours, a historic race that has always been considered an important showcase for the Japanese manufacturers involved in motorcycling.

The event is part of the Endurance World Championship and the young Dutch rider will once again be part of the MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO team, with which he won the title in the last two editions.
Together with the confirmed van der Mark and Takahashi, the third rider will surprisingly be the two-time MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner, fresh from his renewal as HRC test rider.

“The Suzuka 8 Hours is a special event for fans and especially for Japanese enthusiasts” – he commented van der mark – “Not many pilots have the honor of taking part, although many want it. It's an important event for Honda too, so I'm proud to be able to race again on the MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO team's CBR1000RR, this time even with Casey as a teammate! The testing and race program are difficult to combine with World Superbike, but I really like racing in Suzuka so I will find a way to do everything. The bike is very different from the one I normally use but it is very nice to ride and it won't be a problem to adapt. The last two editions have been incredible and it would be nice to get the hat-trick this year.”