The 47th Suzuka 8 Hours delivered plenty of drama today, Sunday the 5th of July. Despite highly changeable weather and a race disrupted by multiple incidents, Yoshimura SERT Motul crossed the finish line in sixth place, keeping its 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship title challenge very much alive.
This year’s Suzuka 8 Hours proved to be a demanding race for all 50 qualified teams. Rain arrived before the warm-up session and the race got underway under threatening skies. Starting from eighth on the grid, Gregg Black made an outstanding launch onboard the #12 Suzuki GSX-R1000R to claim the holeshot on the still-soaking circuit. Remaining composed in the treacherous conditions, the Yoshimura SERT Motul rider kept the Suzuki firmly among the front-runners until the first safety car neutralised the race.
Just minutes after the team’s opening pit stop, a second safety car intervention dominated much of the second hour following a series of crashes. These successive interventions severely limited the opportunities to close the gap to the leaders, with every re-start coming at an unfavourable moment for the team.
Yoshimura SERT Motul also suffered a setback when it was handed a 10-second stop-and-go penalty following a refuelling procedure infringement. True to its fighting spirit, the team refused to give up and had climbed back to sixth place by half race distance, a position it defended all the way to the chequered flag. Heavy rain returned later in the race, bringing another safety car into play during the closing stages. Both the riders and the technical crew delivered a faultless performance from that point onwards. The final slowing down of the race froze the order just as the #12 Suzuki was in a position to challenge for a top-five finish. After 186 laps of an action-packed and incident-filled race, Yoshimura SERT Motul took the chequered flag in sixth place.
With 84 points, Yoshimura SERT Motul now sits third in the provisional championship standings ahead of the final round, where plenty of points will still be on offer. The 2026 FIM EWC season finale will take place in France at Circuit Paul Ricard during the 89th Bol d’Or, from the 17th to the 20th of September.
Yohei Kato – Team Director
“I’m naturally disappointed with today’s result. After the promising pace we showed during the pre-event tests, we believed we had the potential to fight for the podium, and possibly even for victory. Unfortunately, things didn’t come together as we had hoped throughout the week. Despite the strong performance of the new GSX-R1000R, the commitment of our riders and the excellent work of the entire team, a combination of incidents and difficult conditions prevented us from achieving the result we were aiming for.
“We will carefully analyse everything we learned this weekend and use that experience to come back stronger at the Bol d’Or. I would like to thank all our team members and our supporters for their continued commitment and encouragement.”
Damien Saulnier – Team Manager
“It has been a difficult week, so naturally there’s some disappointment with the final result. We had several crashes during practice, then a race made even more complicated by the weather, the stop-and-go penalty and, above all, the safety car interventions. On two occasions, the safety cars came out between us and the race leaders, costing us half a lap each time and significantly reducing our chances of getting back into contention. Winning probably wasn’t realistic, but I genuinely believe a podium finish was within our reach.
“That said, we’ve come away with valuable championship points and the title fight is far from over. We’ll analyse everything from this race to prepare for the Bol d’Or in the best possible way, with the clear objective of fighting for the championship once again.
“I’d also like to thank the entire team for their outstanding work. The mechanics did an incredible job throughout the week repairing the bikes after the crashes, while the riders never stopped pushing. Everyone gave their absolute best, and weekends like this remind you just how strong this team really is. We all wanted to shine at Suzuka, such a special race for the Yoshimura family. This time fortune wasn’t on our side, but we’ll come back stronger.”
Gregg Black – rider
“Finishing sixth is obviously disappointing because we were convinced we had the pace to fight our way forward from eighth on the grid. I made a really strong start and we quickly showed that our race pace was competitive despite extremely tricky conditions, with a damp track, several oil-related interruptions and constantly changing weather.
“The team managed the race well and we were consistently among the fastest bikes on track. Unfortunately, the stop-and-go penalty, a few seconds lost in the pits and several badly timed safety car interruptions ruined our chances of closing in on the podium. I honestly believe we still had the pace to gain another one or two positions before the finish.
“Despite the frustration, we’ve scored important championship points. I’d like to thank the whole team for their fantastic work throughout the week, as well as my teammates for their commitment. Our new GSX-R1000R has shown genuine potential and provides a very encouraging foundation for the rest of the season. Luck wasn’t on our side this time, but I’m convinced our moment will come at the Bol d’Or.”
Dan Linfoot – rider
“Today’s race was a difficult one, with very wet conditions right from the start. Our pace wasn’t bad and we were competitive at times. The bike felt really good whenever the track began to dry, but I struggled a little more when the rain increased. Finishing sixth is obviously not the result we were aiming for. After finishing on the podium here in previous years, our expectations were much higher. On my side, I gave everything I had, completing several double stints and maintaining a solid pace throughout the race. We’ll analyse where we were missing performance in the wet, take the positives from this weekend and shift our focus to the Bol d’Or. The championship is still open, and we’ll do everything we can to finish the season on a high.”
Cocoro Atsumi – rider
“Today’s race was difficult, with wet conditions throughout the entire eight hours. We also had to serve a stop-and-go penalty, which made our race even more challenging. Despite that, none of the riders made any major mistakes and we all pushed hard until the finish. I focused on improving my riding in the wet. Lap after lap, I gained confidence and was able to improve my pace, eventually setting consistent 2’18 lap times. That gives me a lot more confidence in these conditions for the future. Finishing sixth is not what we expected from this race, but that’s racing. We’ll learn from this weekend, stay positive and come back determined to fight for a stronger result for the next race.”
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