The
Suzuka
8 Hours M
OST OF THE GENERAL
public know the MotoGP
and to a lesser extent
World Superbikes. But
even in racing circles
many are unfamiliar with the Suzuka 8
Hours race.
Josh Brookes
tells us about
his experiences
running one of
the most intense
endurance races
on the planet
It first ran in 1978 with the promotor
looking to create the ultimate test of
man and machine. To that end the
event was purposely placed on Japans
hottest weekend of the year. In recent
years it has become a round of the FIM
Endurance World Championship and
for all the Japanese manufacturers, this
event is equal to or possibly in some
ways more significant than the MotoGP.
To generalise, for regular endurance
racing teams its considered the first
priority to make a bike that can last
the distance. This can mean sacrificing
speed, weight, comfort and handling in
order to make the bike easier to repair
if crashed and easier for the mechanics
at the pit stops.
For the Japanese factories, the Suzuka
event is not viewed like that; the bike is
as refined as any GP or WSBK machine
and ridden every lap of the 8 Hours like
46 | FreestyleXtreme.com
a sprint race. If that brings a problem
with reliability or pit-stop time, then
more technology, R&D, refinement
and budget is added until a solution
is found.
The top teams draft in the best riders
available, even taking them away
from their day-job commitments in
championships all the way up to and
including the MotoGP - all to get the
upper hand on the rival brands.
I first got the call-up for an audition (as
they put it) for a seat on the Factory
Honda in 2005. I had come from racing
production superbikes in Oz that look
like the bike in your local dealership.
When I walked into the pit and saw
these bikes - that looked like the Grand
Prix bikes in magazines - my jaw
dropped... I didn’t want to ride them, I
just wanted to stare at them!
I passed the first test with flying
colours: I was second-fastest in both
wet and dry conditions and also easily
passed the physical test. But I did lose
a mark because my riding style was not
so good with fuel economy.
I was invited back for the second