Honda Teams to Compete in 2016-2017 FIM Endurance World Championship Series Round 5, the 40th “Coca-Cola” Suzuka 8hours Endurance Race

TOKYO, Japan, June 22, 2017 - Honda announced an overview of its main teams to compete in 2016-2017 FIM^*1 Endurance World Championship (EWC) Series Round 5, The 40th “Coca-Cola” Suzuka 8hours Endurance Race (Suzuka 8 hours), to be held at the Suzuka circuit in Mie Prefecture, Japan, on Sunday, July 30.

For the 40th running of the Suzuka 8 hours race, a major milestone for the event, Honda will be racing its new CBR1000RR SP2 aiming to regain the title.

F.C.C. TSR Honda, participating in every EWC round this season, will aim to win this year’s final round, the Suzuka 8 hours, with Stefan Bradl, currently racing in the FIM Superbike World Championship, and Dominique Aegerter, current FIM MotoGP World Championship (MotoGP) Moto2 rider.

MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO. Honda will be aiming to claim its first victory in three years, with Japanese rider Takumi Takahashi, a three-time Suzuka 8 hours winner and currently competing in the JSB1000 class in the MFJ^*2 All-Japan Road Race Championship Series (JRR), and MotoGP Moto2 class rider Takaaki Nakagami. They will be joined by last year’s MotoGP Dutch TT winner Jack Miller, who will be competing at the Suzuka 8 hours for the first time.

In its 6th consecutive year at the event, Satu HATI. Honda Team Asia, Honda’s best performing team last year by finishing 8th, will challenge the top teams with FIM CEV Repsol European Championship Moto2 rider Dimas Ekky Pratama, and Asia Road Racing Championship riders Ratthapong Wilairot and Md Zaqhwan Zaidi.

Au & Teluru Kohara･RT will be represented by JRR JSB1000 class rider Kosuke Akiyoshi, FIM Supersport World Championship rider Hikari Okubo, and MotoGP Moto2 class rider Tetsuta Nagashima. Honda Dream Racing will be recruiting riders to join JRR JSB1000 class rider, Tatsuya Yamaguchi. MORIWAKI MOTUL RACING will be back to the Suzuka 8 hours race after a 9-year hiatus, aiming to win the event with Yuki Takahashi and Ryuichi Kiyonari, both currently racing in the JRR JSB1000 class.

Honda DREAM RT Sakurai Honda comes back to Suzuka after a one-year break, with JRR J-GP2 class rider Ryo Mizuno and British Superbike Championship rider Jason O’Halloran. Team SuP Dream Honda, the union of 16 Honda component suppliers, will be represented by a true veteran, four-time Suzuka 8 hours winner Shinichi Ito, joined by EWC riders Gregg Black and Josh Hook, to challenge the leaders.

• *1FIM: Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme
• *2MFJ: Motorcycle Federation of Japan

Stefan Bradl

“I’m extremely honored to be a part of the F.C.C. TSR Honda team that’s racing in EWC. I’m also excited to be racing in the Suzuka 8 hours on its 40th anniversary. I think there will be different challenges setting up the new CBR1000RR SP2 with the team for endurance racing compared to what I’m accustomed to, but our goal is big, we’re aiming to win.”

Dominique Aegerter

“I’m glad to be racing in the Suzuka 8 hours with the F.C.C. TSR Honda team again. I had an unexpected fall last year, but managed to finish the race thanks to the team’s efforts in fixing the bike. This year is once again going to be tough, but I’m looking forward to racing at this year’s Suzuka 8 hours because we have a great team, and a brand new CBR1000RR SP2. We’ll be aiming for the podium again, and I’ll be giving it everything I’ve got.”

Takumi Takahashi

“I’m thrilled to race again this year in the Suzuka 8 hours as a Honda rider with MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO. Honda, the ultimate team. We have a brand new CBR1000RR SP2, and great riders with Takaaki [Nakagami] and Jack [Miller]. The past two Suzuka 8 hours races were a bit unfortunate, but with this team, we’ll aim to take the title back.”

Takaaki Nakagami

“I’ve been away from the Suzuka 8 hours for a while, but I’m honored to be able to race in its 40th anniversary, a major milestone for the event. I’ll be using all my experience to set the bike up with the MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO. Honda, and we’ll do our best in the race. It will undoubtedly be a very competitive, tough race, but we have a strong team, so we’ll be aiming to win.”

Jack Miller

“I’m excited to be racing for the first time at the Suzuka 8 hours race with a highly competitive Honda team, MuSASHi HARC-PRO. Honda. Endurance races are different to other road races, and this will be a great opportunity for me. I’ll be aiming for the top of the podium, battling a tough race, along with a very talented, competitive team.”

Main Honda Teams to Compete at 2016-2017 Suzuka 8 hours Race

• * Honda teams as of June 22. Riders are subject to change.

* Teams listed in order of bike number.