The Honda HRC team will start from pole position in the 47th edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours, following the rain-induced cancellation of the Top 10 Trial. The inability to hold the session led the organizers of the famous endurance race to determine the starting order based on Friday’s qualifying results. It was the crew of Jonathan Rea, Takumi Takahashi, and Somkiat Chantra that secured first place. Thanks to a combined time of 2’04”738, calculated as the average of the 2’04”422 set by the Northern Irishman and the 2’05”055 posted by the Japanese rider, they edged out their rivals from the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team by 75 thousandths of a second.
Despite the cancellation of the Top 10 Trial, the Honda HRC trio managed to complete their race preparations by taking part, along with all the other teams, in the 45-minute second free practice session. Takahashi was the first to take to the track on the #30 CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, which was then handed over to Rea and Chantra. It was Takumi himself who set the benchmark for the team with a time of 2’06”267, which earned Honda HRC second place in the session, 173 thousandths behind the #37 BMW.
Commenting on the day and speaking about his expectations for the race, Takahashi said: "Today the rain finally came, and tomorrow's forecast is still quite uncertain, so we don't really know what to expect. If I could choose, I'd rather it was around 35°C! Anyway, I trust my team and teammates completely; they're both incredible riders. All we have to do is give it our best, avoid making even the smallest mistakes, and make it to the finish after eight hours. That's the key factor. Right now, it's clear that many teams are fast, and not just the factory teams. Having said that, I don't think there's anyone who has raced at Suzuka more than I have, so I have confidence in my experience. I also trust I've been able to pass that on to the team. Since Wednesday we've continued to improve step by step, and everyone has been riding well without any real issues. So I'm not particularly worried. If we can simply perform to the best of our ability and get everything out of ourselves, then I believe the result will follow."
A key factor in securing pole position, Rea added: "I was really happy with my lap time yesterday. It wasn't easy to put that lap together because of the traffic, so I'm pleased with what we achieved. Of course, it's a shame we couldn't do the Top 10 Trial because I really like the format of going out for one flying lap. But with the conditions, cancelling it was the right decision because it wouldn't have been fair for everyone. To be honest, I was quite nervous about going out in those conditions anyway. We'll take yesterday's result, but tomorrow is what really matters. Our competitors are very strong and we have a lot of respect for them because they have so much experience of all the different situations endurance racing can throw at you. If you imagine us as the Mr. Men, we have Mr. Talent (Somkiat), Mr. Calm (Takumi) and Mr. Old (myself!). If we can put all those qualities together, I'm sure we'll have a really good package for the race. Every time I check the weather forecast it has changed, so there's not much point trying to predict it. Personally, I'd rather have either a completely wet race or a completely dry one. These constantly changing conditions turn everything into a bit of a lottery, but whatever happens, I think we're well prepared and ready to do a good job."
Chantra is also confident. "For me, this will be my first Suzuka 8 Hours with this line-up, so I'm really looking forward to it. Watching yesterday's qualifying, I was impressed by just how competitive everyone was. The lap times were incredibly fast and the gaps were very small, which really showed how close the competition is. At the same time, it also made me feel that our team is strong. Tomorrow is what really matters. It's a long race, but we have a very good package. Our tyres are working well, the bike is fast and the team is strong, so I'm not worried. Now we just have to stay focused and do our best."