The Yamaha Factory Racing Team trio of Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Jack Miller and Andrea Locatelli qualified fifth for Saturday’s Top 10 Trial at the 47th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours, while reigning FIM Endurance World Champions Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team with Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika and Leandro Mercado secured fourth, and Elf Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99’s Randy de Puniet, Florian Marino and Alessandro Delbianco qualified third as three Yamaha R1s finished inside the top five.
Pride in the factory team, mutual respect, and a passion for victory. The Yamaha Factory Racing Team’s three riders are united by these shared values and are finally set to take on the 47th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race, aiming for Yamaha’s ninth victory in the event.
3 July was the first day of on-track action in the official Suzuka 8 Hours race weekend. The day began at 8:30 a.m. with Free Practice as the Yamaha Factory Racing Team (YFRT) took to the track in the following order: Jack Miller, Andrea Locatelli, and Katsuyuki Nakasuga.
Halfway through the two-hour practice session, Miller led the timing sheets with a 2’05.419. Although he ultimately finished the session in fourth, all three riders posted consistent lap times in preparation for the race.
The first qualifying sessions, starting at noon, were separated into three 20-minute time trials, with riders wearing blue armbands, Rider Blue, yellow armbands, Rider Yellow, and red armbands, Rider Red, taking to the track in that order. For YFRT, Nakasuga was Rider Blue, Miller was Rider Yellow, and Locatelli was Rider Red.
Nakasuga, who was mostly focused on fine-tuning his setup, posted a 2’05.984 in the first qualifying session to be ninth among the Blue riders, and a time of 2’06.256 in the second session to place 14th. Although he qualified 12th overall for the Blue riders on the day, he prioritised race preparation over qualifying, steadily refining his setup.
Miller, Rider Yellow, struggled with the newly resurfaced track but still set a 2’05.422 in the first session to place third. In the second session, he clocked a 2’05.616 to finish fifth, making him fifth overall for Rider Yellow qualifying.
Locatelli put in a spirited performance as Rider Red. In the first qualifying session, he posted a 2’05.436, placing him third; then, in the second session, he shaved more than 0.4 seconds off his lap time. With a 2’04.971, he was third overall in the Rider Red standings.
At the Suzuka 8 Hours, Friday’s combined qualifying order is determined by the average lap time of the two fastest riders from each team, with the top 10 teams advancing to Saturday’s Top 10 Trial, where the final grid positions will be decided. YFRT secured fifth place with an average lap time of 2’05.196, set by Miller and Locatelli, to qualify for the Top 10 Trial.
Held between sunset at 6:30 p.m. and complete darkness at 7:30 p.m., Night Practice saw YFRT top the timesheets with the fastest lap. The productive session allowed the team to make steady progress in optimising their package for the demanding night stints of the race.
The Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team continued their strong start to the Suzuka 8 Hours weekend by qualifying fourth overall on Friday, securing their place in Saturday’s Top 10 Trial as they look to defend their EWC championship lead.
Arriving in Japan as the reigning EWC champions and current series leaders, YART holds a 22-point advantage at the top of the standings after opening the season with victory at the 24 Heures Motos and finishing second at the 8 Hours of Spa Motos.
Qualifying at Suzuka follows a unique format: each rider takes part in two 20-minute sessions, split by rider group. The combined classification is decided by the average of the two fastest riders from each team, with the top 10 progressing to Saturday’s Top 10 Trial, where the final grid positions will be decided.
Conditions at Suzuka were hot and humid, although not as extreme as usual, and YART put together a strong, consistent qualifying performance across all three rider groups. Across the two qualifying sessions, Fritz, Hanika and Mercado all showed competitive pace on the #1 Yamaha R1, with the team working through the programme efficiently and ensuring their place inside the top 10.
Fritz endured a disrupted opening qualifying session after an electrical issue forced him to stop twice, but the team identified the problem quickly, and the German rider regained confidence in the afternoon. Despite encountering yellow flags and an oil flag on his best lap, he still produced a strong 2’05.150 to finish second in the combined Yellow rider classification.
Hanika also enjoyed a positive day after limiting his laps in the morning. The Czech rider built confidence in Q1 while using race tyres as part of the team’s strategy, before improving by a tenth in the afternoon despite higher track temperatures. His best lap of 2’05.189 placed him fifth in the combined Blue rider classification.
Mercado was also quick and consistent throughout the day, helping YART underline the strength of their three-rider line-up. Although the Argentinian was not completely satisfied with his second qualifying lap after struggling with chatter and not putting all of his sectors together on new tyres, he remained positive about the feeling with the bike and the team’s preparations for Saturday and Sunday.
Elf Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99 produced one of the standout performances of Friday qualifying on the #99 Yamaha R1, securing third overall and a place in Saturday’s Top 10 Trial with a 2’04.960 average. Delbianco delivered a superb 2’04.712 in the Red rider session, combining with Marino’s 2’05.208 from the Yellow rider sessions to give the Belgian-based squad an excellent third place in the combined classification.
With KM99 third on a 2’04.960 average, YART fourth on a 2’05.169 and YFRT fifth on a 2’05.196, three Yamaha teams finished inside the top five on Friday, underlining the strength of the R1 at Suzuka and setting up an exciting fight for the final grid positions in Saturday’s Top 10 Trial.
The three Yamaha teams continued their strong Friday form in Night Practice, with YFRT topping the session thanks to a 2’04.973. KM99 ended the evening second after posting a 2’05.434, while YART completed valuable running under the lights on the #1 Bridgestone-shod Yamaha R1 and finished tenth with a 2’07.250.
Saturday’s action begins with Free Practice before the Top 10 Trial takes place at 14:15 local time, with the Suzuka 8 Hours getting underway at 11:30 on Sunday.
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