On lap 166, Zarco came into the pits and handed over to Takahashi. Honda HRC maintained a consistent pit strategy at one-hour intervals, and Takahashi rejoined the race still in the lead.
Shortly thereafter, debris from a crash at the hairpin led to the deployment of the safety car (SC) for course clearing. When the SC was withdrawn on lap 172, the gap between Takahashi and Katsuyuki Nakasuga of YAMAHA RACING TEAM (Yamaha) was 2.725 seconds, setting the stage for a potential head-to-head battle. However, Honda HRC continued to dominate and lead the race.
On lap 173, Takahashi led, followed by Nakasuga in second, Kunii in third, Gregg Black of YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL (Suzuki) in fourth, and Iwata in fifth as they passed the control tower. Takahashi lapped in the 2’12” range while Nakasuga was in the 2’14” range, widening the gap to 6.371 seconds. SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda then switched from Kunii to Abe.
On lap 175, Takahashi improved to a 2’07.017, while Nakasuga posted a 2’09.025. On lap 176, Takahashi set the fastest lap of the race with a 2’06.670, extending the lead to 10.350 seconds. On lap 177, He also recorded a lap in the 2’06” range and maintained the lead. Nakasuga then pitted and handed over to Andrea Locatelli (Yamaha), during which Takahashi pushed the lead to 25.556 seconds. On lap 178, the gap further widened to 1 minute 4 seconds.
Abe, running third, came under pressure from Black, who closed in to within 0.666 seconds. The two battled in the 2’08” range.
Takahashi maintained a strong pace in the 2’07” range, increasing the gap to Locatelli who was lapping in the 2’08” range. Abe held third while continuing a close fight. On lap 184, Team ATJ with docomo business swapped from Iwata to Kunimine.
On lap 190, Locatelli tried to chase down the race leader Takahashi by clocking in the 2’07” range, but Takahashi responded in kind, keeping the gap steady. Abe continued to hold on to third with a narrow margin.
On lap 192, YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL switched from Black to Dan Linfoot. After a crash at Turn 1 around 6:40 p.m., the safety car was deployed again.
On lap 197, Takahashi pitted and handed off to Zarco. However, due to overlap with a course vehicle recovering a crashed bike at Turn 1, Zarco was held at the pit exit and could only rejoin at the tail end of the safety car train alongside YAMAHA RACING TEAM.
The SC was withdrawn on lap 199. Locatelli of YAMAHA RACING TEAM now led, with Zarco trailing by 11.898 seconds. On lap 200, the control line was crossed in the order: Locatelli, Zarco, Linfoot, Abe, Uramoto of AutoRace Ube Racing Team (BMW), and Kunimine. SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda changed from Abe to Kunii, and YAMAHA RACING TEAM also swapped from Locatelli to Jack Miller, during which Zarco took back the lead. By then, he had built a 38.984-second gap over Miller in second.
Kunii, in 4th, chased Linfoot, who was in 3rd, with a gap of 4.197 seconds. Uramoto pitted for a rider change, and Kunimine moved up to 5th.
Zarco, Miller, Linfoot, and Kunii all circled the course — now shrouded in twilight — in the 2’08” range.
By lap 204, Zarco and Miller had picked up the pace into the 2’07” range. Linfoot was in the 2’09” range, and Kunii in the 2’08” range, closing the gap to 4.148 seconds as he aimed for a podium finish.
By lap 208, Zarco had pulled out a 30.712-second lead over Miller but continued to lap in the 2’07” range. Kunimine was overtaken by Michael van der Mark of the BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM (BMW) and dropped to sixth. Toward the end, Kunimine handed off to Suzuki, who brought the bike home for the checkered flag.
After completing 217 laps, Zarco crossed the finish line in first. Despite two safety car interventions, he showcased his strength and clinched his second Suzuka 8 Hours victory. Takahashi led the team throughout and extended his record to seven Suzuka 8 Hours wins. Despite fielding only two riders, Honda completed the race with seven pit stops successfully and secured their fourth consecutive win.
Among other Honda teams, SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda finished 4th, Team ATJ with docomo business 7th, and Honda Asia-Dream Racing with Astemo 10th.
Johann Zarco
30
Honda HRC
I share the same feelings as Takumi (Takahashi), and I’m thankful for his dedication. It led to a fantastic result. Racing with just two riders made recovery time difficult, and we struggled. Fortunately, the two safety car periods gave me some rest, which worked in my favor. I was also helped by the fact that Takumi took longer stints. It must’ve been tough for him too, but he’s a strong rider who never shows it, and thanks to him, the team stayed strong. Still, we’ve agreed not to do a two-rider setup again next year. The team also did a great job managing seven pit stops. Reaching the finish line at Suzuka 8 Hours, under the beautiful night sky, and crossing it first was amazing. I want to carry this momentum into MotoGP.
I share the same feelings as Takumi (Takahashi), and I’m thankful for his dedication. It led to a fantastic result. Racing with just two riders made recovery time difficult, and we struggled. Fortunately, the two safety car periods gave me some rest, which worked in my favor. I was also helped by the fact that Takumi took longer stints. It must’ve been tough for him too, but he’s a strong rider who never shows it, and thanks to him, the team stayed strong. Still, we’ve agreed not to do a two-rider setup again next year. The team also did a great job managing seven pit stops. Reaching the finish line at Suzuka 8 Hours, under the beautiful night sky, and crossing it first was amazing. I want to carry this momentum into MotoGP.