Yamaha star Katsuyuki Nakasuga, MotoGP talent Jack Miller and up-and-comer Andrea Locatelli crowned their return to the Suzuka 8 Hours with a breathtaking podium finish. After a tight battle for victory, the trio finished in second place, just 34 seconds behind the winners, in a test of endurance and skill under extreme conditions.
But the fate of the Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team (Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika, Jason O'Halloran) was brutal as it was forced to retire despite running at podium pace. However, the team retains the leadership of the 2025 World Endurance Championship by a single point. "A disappointment, but the title will be decided at the Bol d'Or," commented Niccolò Canepa, Road Racing Manager Yamaha Europe.
Canepa extolled Locatelli's performance, "Loca, making his Suzuka debut, pulverized the lap record in practice (later beaten, ed.) and set the fastest lap in the race. Miller was flawless, Nakasuga a rock. 34 seconds after 8 hours? Pure class." The factory team, absent from 2019, demonstrated Yamaha's return of investment in top-level endurance racing.
Ninth place and satisfaction for Elf Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99 (Marino, de Puniet, Guarnoni): starting 18th, they ran a perfect race, moving up nine positions and excelling among the Dunlop teams.
With YART fighting for the EWC title and Yamaha in the running for the Superstock and Production championships, Canepa declared: "At the Bol d'Or we are aiming for a hat trick. It will be an epic showdown." The appointment will be in France for a classic finale of the championship.