| It was YART’s first time back at Suzuka since their stunning second-place finish at the circuit last season, but for O’Halloran, who replaced the retired Niccolò Canepa in the team for 2025, it was his first time riding the track for a few years. The Australian rider was also not at 100% with two broken bones in his right foot caused by a crash during the 8 Hours of Spa Motos. While O’Halloran focused on getting back up to speed at the circuit, Fritz and Hanika worked on improving the grip and feeling with the front of the YART R1 on corner entry, which they struggled with during last year’s race. They finished Wednesday in sixth overall after setting a 2:06.611, before also breaking the 2:07 barrier on Thursday with a 2:06.913, which saw them finish the day in ninth, with their time from the opening day good enough to see them 11th on the combined timesheets. The Elf Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99 squad of Florian Marino, Randy de Puniet, and Jérémy Guarnoni, who finished an impressive tenth at last year’s race, were also at the test, ending Wednesday in 23rd overall with a 2:08.036, before improving on the second day to a 2:07.224 to finish in 18th on the overall combined timesheets. YRT will be back in action for a private two-day test at the track on July 3-4, before the teams return for the 46th edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours, which takes place on August 1-3. Katsuyuki Nakasuga – P8 – 2:06.522
Yamaha Racing Team
“It was great for us as riders, and for the team too, to test in conditions similar to the race. The team worked a lot on pit work. At these tests, it’s always hard to decide on tires, but this time we were lucky because the track temperature went up to 63 degrees on the first day, which is normally what it gets to in the actual race, so we’ve been able to mostly make our decision. We could also decide on our EWC gear ratios and the bike’s base setup, so we can have the bike ready to ride when Jack and Loka get here for the test on July 3rd and 4th. Our lap times were in the ‘07s, and when it was cooler, in the ‘06s. Over the past two days, our rivals have been setting fast times no matter the track temperature, so it feels like they’re a bit ahead of us, but our average times are similar. Also, right now we’re riding without taking risks, so all that’s left to do is for the three of us to ride together and work on our average pace. For me, though, this is my first 8 Hours in six years, so I had to adjust my body to it, and I really felt that gap over the two days here.” Wataru Yoshikawa
Yamaha Racing Team – Team Manager
“The conditions were similar to what the race will be, we were able to re-work our setup. We also worked a bit on the fueling strategy, making progress towards our setup for the race. Jack and Loka are only able to do one test before the race, so we don’t have time to adjust the bike to their exact requirements, but I think at this test we were able to put together a solid base that everyone can be happy with, and that was all thanks to the hard work Nakasuga and Minamimoto put in here at the test. At the same time, we also saw firsthand how strong our rivals are. The level of the top teams here at the 8 Hours has improved compared to six years ago. Up against that, it makes me feel like we need to make zero mistakes, and to fight with our full strength. That goes for the riders, but also the bikes, teams, and with our pit work. We’ll have a private test on July 3rd and 4th, and because each rider is coming from a different category of racing, first I want to have them ride the R1 we’ve been working on with Nakasuga, so they can get used to the track and the bike. Then we’ll focus on raising the average level of all three riders as a team.” Marvin Fritz – P11 – 2:06.611
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“It was a good test. It was very hot, just like last year’s race. This meant conditions were difficult, but we tried many things to allow us to find a good base setup to start the race week with. All three of us were fast, not just over one lap, but also on longer stints, although we didn’t try a qualifying run; instead, we just concentrated on our race pace. We struggled a bit with the front-end grip last year, so we found some solutions for this, and now we will go and analyse all of the data to help us learn even more. Overall, we feel really good. Thank you to the entire team, Yamaha, and Bridgestone. We can’t wait for the race week!” Karel Hanika – P11 – 2:06.611
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“The test went well. It was the hottest conditions we have had here for testing, and they were very similar to last year’s race, which was good for us to dial in our setup. We tried a few things, as the bike is a bit different from last year. We tried many different setups. Sometimes we made steps forward, sometimes we made slight steps back, so we used the test to try as many things as possible. Overall, it was good. I think our pace with the race tyre from all three riders was really good. We didn’t try any qualifying simulations; we just focused on the race setup and are happy with the work done. Thanks to the team, Yamaha, and Bridgestone for their hard work, and we can’t wait to return to Suzuka for the race!” Jason O’Halloran – P11 – 2:06.611
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“Overall, it was a positive two days. We got to test many things and found a good base, but we still have a little to do. I think we collected enough data and information to enable us to go away and build an even better package for the race. Last year, the team secured second here, and already all three of us are setting very similar lap times, which is encouraging. I have no reference from last year, but Karel and Marvin have been great in setting up the bike, although we still have some things to work on. We have a good plan for the race week and are confident we will be stronger than during the test. It has been a bit tough for me with a couple of broken bones in my right foot from the crash at Spa, but now I have six weeks to let that heal and get myself back to 100%. Thanks to the team, Yamaha, and Bridgestone for everything over these two days. I am already looking forward to the race.” Mandy Kainz
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team – Team Manager
“It was a positive test. We tried many different things; some were improvements, and some were not, but we made big steps forward and collected a lot of data to allow us to go away and make even further refinements. All three riders were on almost identical pace, and the fact that we finished in P11 without trying a qualifying simulation shows we have good race pace, which is impressive, especially considering Jason is not at 100% yet. The whole team worked hard during these two days, in extremely tough conditions, but they are similar to what we should experience in the race, so it was a good rehearsal. Thank you to Yamaha and Bridgestone for their support during the test, now we need to work hard over the next few weeks to ensure we arrive with the best package possible for the race.” |
