- Location: Suzuka Circuit
- Event Date: July 19, 2024 (Friday) 〜 July 21, 2024 (Sunday)
The 2024 FIM Endurance World Championship EWC is the Suzuka 8 Hours, Japan’s summer festival of road racing. Although it is usually held in the last week of July, to avoid conflicts with the Olympics held in Paris, this year’s final race is scheduled for July 21, one week earlier than usual.
The Suzuka Circuit, known as one of the world’s most technical courses, measures 5,821 meters in length. The course layout is diverse, featuring rhythmic sections in the first half, high-speed corners, and an ultra-low-speed chicane. Additionally, due to the scorching summer heat in recent years, the environment becomes hot and humid, putting significant strain on the machines and riders during the relatively short 8-hour endurance race.
On July 17 (Wednesday), a special test session called the “Test Session” is scheduled, where teams participating in the Suzuka 8 Hours will run. The overall fastest time recorded in the five sessions was 2’06.119 by the #30 Team HRC with Japan Post (Ho,BS), the Honda factory team that has been winning since 2022-23. The second place was secured by #2 DUCATI Team KAGAYAMA (Du,BS) with a time of 2’06.724, followed by #12 Yoshimura SERT Motul (Su,BS) in third with a time of 2’06.812, meaning the top three teams recorded times in the 2 minute 6 seconds range.
On July 18 (Thursday), there were no running sessions scheduled, and the entire day was dedicated to the official vehicle inspections and checking of rider equipment for each team.
From July 19 (Friday), the official schedule for the Suzuka 8 Hours begins. It starts with 2 hours of free practice at 8:30, followed by two 20-minute qualifying sessions for each rider in the afternoon, and a night session from 18:30 to prepare for night racing.
As the free practice session begins, there is a bit of cloud cover, but temperatures rise over time; during the early stages of the session, #1 Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team (Ya,BS) sets a time in the 2 minute 6 seconds range and takes the lead. After about an hour of running, #12 Yoshimura SERT Motul and #30 Team HRC with Japan Post swap places at the top as the session comes to an end.
[First Qualifying]
Riders are grouped according to the color of the armbands they wear, with blue, yellow, and red in order; each rider has a 20-minute qualifying session. Before the start of qualifying, the temperature is 33 degrees, and the track temperature exceeds 50℃.
The qualifying session for the blue arm band rider starts at 12:05. As each rider enters their second lap and timing begins, several riders fall during their third lap at the hairpin. The qualifying session is red-flagged and interrupted about five minutes after it starts. After a few minutes, the session resumes, and the first rider to record a time in the 2 minute 5 seconds range is N. Kanepa from #1 Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team, standing at the top with a time of 2’05.741. However, as the session nears its end, #2 DUCATI Team KAGAYAMA (Du,BS) and Mizuno surpass that time, finishing with 2’05.615 and taking first place. #12 Yoshimura SERT Motul (Su,BS) achieved third place with a time of 2’06.079.
In the first qualifying session for the yellow armband rider, a red flag was issued just five minutes in, causing an interruption. After the restart, J. Zarco from #30 Team HRC with Japan Post achieves first place with a time of 2’06.084. However, last year’s EWC champion team, #1 Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team’s M. Fritz, marks 2’05.252 and takes the top spot as the qualifying session concludes with #17 Astemo Honda Dream SI Racing (Ho,BS) and Handa in third with a time of 2’06.743.
During the run of the third red armband rider, the temperature reached 35℃, and the track temperature soared to 56°C, creating a challenging environment for the tires. In these conditions, the first rider to record a time in the 2 minute 5 seconds range was Kunitaka from #73 SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda (Ho,BS) with a time of 2’05.942, maintaining the top position until the latter session. Naoko from #30 Team HRC with Japan Post also recorded a time of 2’05.980, breaking into the 5 seconds range, but K. Hanika from #1 Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team managed to set the best time at 2’05.192, securing the top position. Only these three riders recorded times in the 5 seconds range as the qualifying ends.
The EWC qualifying results are determined by the average time of the fastest two riders from each team. At the conclusion of the first qualifying session, the provisional top spot was taken by #1 Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team, followed by #73 SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda in second and #30 Team HRC with Japan Post in third.
[Second Qualifying]
The second qualifying session begins before 16:00 when the temperature and track temperature have not yet cooled. Teams with three riders can use a total of seven tires, leading to different strategies among teams regarding how many tires to use in the first qualifying session and how many new tires are left.
In the second qualifying of the first blue armband rider, similar to the first session, #2 DUCATI Team KAGAYAMA’s Mizuno posted a time in the 2 minute 5 seconds range but failed to beat his previous qualifying time. A considerable improvement was made by #17 Astemo Honda Dream SI Racing’s Nosane, who marked 2’05.923, improving his time by approximately 1.7 seconds. The third position was claimed by Tsuda from #76 AutoRace Ube Racing Team (Su,BS) with a time of 2’06.911, however, he too could not improve his time.
In the following yellow armband rider session, several riders started improving their times early on. The fastest time was posted by #17 Astemo Honda Dream SI Racing’s Handa, with #76 AutoRace Ube Racing Team’s B. Bartus finishing second at 2’06.692, and both improved their times. J. Zarco from #30 Team HRC with Japan Post could not improve on his previous time and remained in third place.
In the final session for the red armband riders, H. Charlin from #2 DUCATI Team KAGAYAMA achieved significant improvement, producing a top time of 2’05.936. The second position was secured by D. Linfoot from #12 Yoshimura SERT Motul, who did not improve his time and finished at 2’06.402. The third place was held by Eno from #104 TOHO Racing (Ho,BS), who also managed to improve his time by around 1.8 seconds.
After the two qualifying sessions, the #1 Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team topped the overall qualifying results with the average time recorded by their two fastest riders. #2 DUCATI Team KAGAYAMA was in second and #30 Team HRC with Japan Post in third.
The top 10 teams from this qualifying will participate in the Top 10 Trial on July 20 (Saturday) at 15:30, where they will run one at a time, and the final grid will be determined based on their times.
[Top 10 Trial]
The Top 10 Trial is the only time attack qualifying for the overall fastest ten vehicles in EWC. Each team’s two riders will run one bike each, and the final grid will be determined in order of lap times.
A total of 20 riders will compete, with the fastest time recorded by M. Fritz from #1 Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team at 2’05.130.
Second place went to Mizuno from #2 DUCATI Team KAGAYAMA, just 0.118 seconds behind with a time of 2’05.248. Making its first appearance at Suzuka 8 Hours, the notable #30 Team HRC with Japan Post, J. Zarco, earned the third grid spot with a time of 2’05.531.
[Final Race]
On the day of the Suzuka 8 Hours race, the weather was clear from the morning, and the track temperature on the starting grid exceeded 50℃.
At 11:30, using the Le Mans style start, 46 riders rushed to their machines from the opposite side of the main straight to start the race. The first into the first corner was #37 BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM, followed by pole starter #1 Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team, #12 Yoshimura SERT Motul, and #30 Team HRC with Japan Post.
By the final chicane of the first lap, #1 YART Yamaha took the lead as they entered the second lap. During the early stages of the race, at the end of the 10th lap, a leading pack of four—including #1 YART Yamaha, #30 Team HRC with Japan Post, #2 DUCATI Team KAGAYAMA, and #73 SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda (Ho,BS)—formed. As lapped riders started appearing, the gap between this front group began to widen.
The first pit stops for the leading group began around 45 minutes after the start. #73 SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda (Ho,BS), which was running in fourth, and the #1 Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team in third made their pit stops. About 1-2 laps later, #2 DUCATI Team KAGAYAMA, #12 Yoshimura SERT Motul, and the leading #30 Team HRC with Japan Post also pitted.
The timing of the pit stops suggests a separate strategy between 7 pit stops with 8 stints and 8 pit stops with 9 stints, with the timing differing by 4-5 laps before the second round of pit work takes place. At the two-hour mark, #30 Team HRC with Japan Post was in the lead, with #1 Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team about 20 seconds behind in second, while #2 DUCATI Team KAGAYAMA was about a minute off the top spot.
As the race progressed, the gap between the second and first positions slightly widened but remained around 40 seconds as the top two continued to lap. As temperatures and track surface temperatures peaked around 15:00, some riders began to experience falls. In the BS pack, around 3 hours and 20 minutes into the race, #5 F.C.C. TSR Honda France’s J. Hook fell at the Degner Curve. However, the machine appeared to suffer minimal damage, as he returned to the race and continued without heading back to the pits.
At the halfway mark, after 4 hours, the top #30 Team HRC with Japan Post was being followed on the same lap by #1 Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team in second and #12 Yoshimura SERT Motul in third.
At the 5-hour mark, only HRC and YART were on the same lap, with a gap of about 40 seconds between them. More contention was seen in the battle for third place. As the race entered its later stages, this competition intensified, with #12 Yoshimura SERT Motul and #2 DUCATI Team KAGAYAMA engaging in close combat.
As the sun began to set, track temperatures finally decreased, yet still remained above 50℃; after 17:00, the top teams continued recording lap times in the 2 minute 7 seconds range.
With under two hours to go, #12 Yoshimura SERT Motul was given a pit lane penalty, allowing #2 DUCATI Team KAGAYAMA to rise to third place. Despite the top battle entering its final stages and time gaps remaining almost unchanged, it became a contest between #30 Team HRC with Japan Post and #1 Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team. The race was now under an hour remaining, and it became crucial for drivers to avoid mistakes.
As the surroundings grew darker, two riders vying for third place engaged in a sprint-like close battle. With around 30 minutes remaining, Yoshimura SERT climbed back up to third place, while DUCATI Team KAGAYAMA dropped to fourth. Heading towards the finish line, Atsumi of Yoshimura SERT recorded fast lap times while gradually distancing from his pursuers.
In a notable turn, a review was initiated for #30 Team HRC with Japan Post during their final pit stop, resulting in a 40-second penalty added to their race time with just 15 minutes left. The interval to #1 Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team stood at about 50 seconds in recorded time, translating to approximately a 10-second gap in the results.
While these two were separated by a small margin, Takahashi from #30 Team HRC with Japan Post held his position at the front, crossing the finish line first and securing Team HRC’s third consecutive victory at Suzuka 8 Hours. #1 Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team finished second, achieving their first podium at Suzuka 8 Hours as a team. Meanwhile, #12 Yoshimura SERT Motul crossed the finish line in third place, securing the last podium position.
As a result of this victory, the Bridgestone-supported team extended their winning record to 17 consecutive championships at Suzuka 8 Hours.
In the FIM EWC championship standings, where 4 rounds are contested annually, the #1 Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team earned 29 points to lead with a total of 116 points. #12 Yoshimura SERT Motul, who entered the Suzuka 8 Hours just one point behind, secured 22 points, totaling 110 points. The battle for the championship among Bridgestone-supported teams remains extremely close, with just a 6-point gap as they head to the final round in September for the Bol d’Or 24 Hours.