The 40th Suzuka 8 Hours Motorcycle Race

The 40th Suzuka 8 Hours was historic in many ways. Apart from it being a milestone event it also saw Yamaha crowned as winners for a third consecutive year. The Yamaha Factory Racing Team had an incident free race and there was a sense of inevitability to their success for much of the race. Having broken the circuit record in the Top Ten Shootout they also smashed the lap record during the race. It was a victory that owed as much to consistency as their blistering speed. The HARC Honda team was their main competition for the race but an early crash for Takkaki Nakagami and a puncture later in the race ruled the 634 machine out of contention.

Unable to get back to podium contention the HARC team were able to find company with the Yoshimura Suzuki squad. The crack outfit set the second fastest time in The Shootout but their race was effectively over in less time than a qualifying lap. A crash on the opening lap saw them forced to pit for repairs and as a result they played catch up for the remainder of the race. It was a disappointing outing for the new GSXR-1000 but their speed will give them hope for the future.

For Yamaha the future is now. They are the team to beat at the biggest race of the year for any Japanese manufacturer. With their trio of rirders-Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark-all having said in the immediate aftermath that they would love to defend their crown in 2018. Sometimes meeting expectations can be difficult when you are expected to win. Lap records and flawless execution will however quieten even the harshest of critics. Crucially it also wins support from the upper echelons of the Japanese manufacturer's boardroom.