Yamaha targets MotoGP, WorldSBK stars for Suzuka 8 Hours return
Yamaha set to call up MotoGP, World Superbike riders for this year's factory Suzuka 8 Hours return.
Yamaha has confirmed its return to the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race with a full factory team in 2025, as part of the Japanese manufacturer’s 70th anniversary celebrations.
The announcement was made in Tokyo alongside the unveiling of a retro-inspired white and red livery.
Four-time Suzuka 8 Hours winner Katsuyuki Nakasuga was named as the first rider in the three-man squad, with the remaining two seats set to be filled by Yamaha’s top talent from MotoGP and World Superbike.
That means Yamaha has a deep pool of riders to choose from, including former MotoGP world champion Fabio Quartararo, grand prix winners Alex Rins, Jack Miller, and Miguel Oliveira, as well as six-time World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea, Andrea Locatelli, Remy Gardner, and Dominique Aegerter.
Among the MotoGP contingent, new Pramac signing Jack Miller has the most Superbike race experience from several end-of-season outings in the Australian SBK championship on a Ducati.
Yamaha’s factory team most recently won the Suzuka 8 Hours in 2018, when Nakasuga shared victory with Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark.
Since then, rival manufacturers have dominated, with Kawasaki taking the 2019 victory - a team that included Rea - before HRC secured a hat-trick of wins in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
LCR Honda MotoGP star Johann Zarco was part of HRC’s winning team on his Suzuka debut last year.
The last time Yamaha hired full-time MotoGP riders for a Suzuka assault it brought instant success.
Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith won alongside Nakasuga in 2015, with Espargaro returning to defend the factory's 8 Hours crown with Nakasuga and Alex Lowes the following year.
When is the 2025 Suzuka 8 Hours?
The 46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours takes place from August 1-3, 2025, as round three of the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC).
The timing coincides with MotoGP’s summer break, making it possible for grand prix stars to join the gruelling endurance event, in sweltering heat, without clashing with their world championship commitments.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
