Suzuka 8 Hours as it happened | Honda favourites to reclaim prestigious title

YELLOW FLAG - A big crash at Turn 1 involving the #25 Sofukai Suzuka Honda of Jun Tadokoro.

It has travelled a long way at high-speed into the barriers, with the Honda vaulting them altogether.

The team ran as high as sixth at around the turn of the hour having qualified eighth but it is the third of six Hondas that started inside the top ten to retire in spectacular fashion.

Massive crash for bike #25 - Rider OK!#Suzuka8hours#FIMEWCpic.twitter.com/pcXMKGs7WN

— FIM EWC (@FIM_EWC) August 7, 2022

It should be noted that two of those top five teams - SERT and FCC TSR - are competing today with just two riders.

- Hook and di Meglio are without Gino Rea after his horrifying crash yesterday

- SERT Suzuki planned to run regular racers Xavier Simeon and Sylvain Guintoli with Kazuki Watanabe, who is running third in the JSB1000 domestic series at the moment.

However, COVID struck Simeon, then Guintoli withdrew with a hand injury. It means Gregg Black - who was supposed to be the rider coach here - now finds himself as on the bike once again

This is the first EWC event since Suzuki announced its surprise withdrawal from a series it won in 2020 and 2021... it's also currently leading the 2022 standings. 

In short, it hasn't been the grandest build up for the SERT Suzuki team but its running well in fourth, about a minute off the lead

Here's a rider familiar to us Brits... three-time BSB Champion Ryuichi Kiyonari, this year on the privateer Toho Honda.

A regular on the big factory Honda and on the podium in 2019, Kiyo is a 4x Suzuka 8 Hours winner, albeit back in 2005, 2008, 2010 and 2011. 

Right now though he is also on a charge having taken over the very orange 'Blade, passing the S-Pulse Suzuki for sixth place and top Japanese entry before catching the off-pace FCC TSR Honda of Mike Di Meglio for fifth.

Next up, SERT Suzuki, half-a-minute up the road in fourth...

Tetsuta Nagashima is humbling the great Jonathan Rea here, the Japanese rider pulling out a slender but meaningful couple of extra seconds on the HRC Honda to increase its lead to KRT by 15secs.

Of course, it should be noted Honda has thrown EVERYTHING at winning this 2022 Suzuka 8 Hours. The firm has been dominant in previous eras but its last win came in 2014 (with Leon Haslam as part of its team, no less).

Since the last event in 2019 though Honda has launched the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade, a moment it marked by returning to WorldSBK as a proper full factory entry. However, with that campaign not exactly popping right now and Yamaha still the force in JSB1000, Honda  - which has been on a major marketing push for this Fireblade - has clearly focused its primary efforts on this as the big one to get their own back.

It doesn't hurt that Honda owns Suzuka of course when it comes to finding the perfect set-up and cheap testing fees...

1h 15mins completed | 6hr 45mins to go

Nagashima is up to speed and holds a 14secs lead over Rea, with Fritz on the YART Yamaha in third and 27secs off the lead.

Suzuki SERT are 30secs down in fourth and FCC TSR Honda is 38secs down

Top Japanese entry is the S-Pulse Suzuki in sixth 48secs adrift of the lead, followed by Toho Honda (7th/59secs - pictured), Sofukai Honda (8th/1m 01s), BMW (9th/1m 07s) and top Superstock entrant NCXX Yamaha (10th/1m 11s)

Takumi Takahashi pits the leading HRC Honda, Leon Haslam on the KRT Kawasaki continues on into the lead.

Slick stop and out comes the star of the weekend so far, Tetsuta Nagashima. We have seen what he can do over a single lap, let's see what he can do over a race distance.

Don't forget this is his first Suzuka 8 Hours, first time at Suzuka and first race on a Superbike... no pressure, then...

Pit stop for the leading bike #33 - Team HRC. Tetsuta Nagashima now on the bike #Suzuka8hours#FIMEWCpic.twitter.com/QJ6TecFwlC

— FIM EWC (@FIM_EWC) August 7, 2022

YART, SERT and FCC TSR pit from third, fourth and fifth to change riders with Marvin Fritz, Kazuki Watanabe and Mike di Meglio taking over.

50mins completed | 7hr 10mins to go

Leon Haslam has no answer to Takahashi out front with the gap between them now around six seconds, with YART Canepa, SERT's Black and FCC TSR's Hook split by four seconds in third, fourth and fifth but 13/16/17secs back from the front.

Meanwhile, it's worth highlighting the leading Japanese domestic entry, which is currently the S-Pulse Suzuki team in sixth place thanks to a brilliant stint by Takuya Tsuda having started 13th. 

The BMW of Ilya Mikhalchik has slipped back to 13th, while SRC Kawasaki [pictured] - following its earlier spill - is back on track with Florian Marino, but three laps off the lead now

So, that crash on only Lap 2 of the Suzuka 8 Hours involving the SDG Honda and Astemo Honda running fourth and fifth... if you haven't seen it, here you go:

Big crash between bikes #17 and #73
Both riders are OK!
- Safety car -#Suzuka8hours#FIMEWCpic.twitter.com/jdPK09vRhv

— FIM EWC (@FIM_EWC) August 7, 2022

OUT: Astemo Honda, SDG Honda

Both ok
It was a big one!#Suzuka8hours#FIMEWCpic.twitter.com/CkKSxabJ4u

— FIM EWC (@FIM_EWC) August 7, 2022

Niccolo Canepa is not hanging around following his terrible start - something of an ongoing issue with the Yamaha this season for reasons it hasn't yet cured.

He has overtaken both Hook and Black to run in third position but it's seven seconds to Haslam in second and ten seconds to leader Takahashi, who is being a scolded cat out front.

Meanwhile, the SRC Kawasaki being ridden by Randy de Puniet has rolled into the pit-lane with technical issues...

35mins completed | 7hr 25mins to go

Takumi Takahashi has found his groove on the Honda having re-taken the lead, eking out his advantage at the front by just over a second from Leon Haslam on the KRT Kawasaki

Gregg Black's spectacular charge has faded as he runs the SERT Suzuki in third place and three seconds further back in a battle with early leader FCC TSR Honda's Josh Hook.

Niccolo Canepa has hauled the YART Yamaha into fifth place, nearly two seconds behind Hook. 

BMW and SRC Kawasaki with their Dunlop tyres - among a sea of Bridgestone shod bikes - are starting to drop form in 8th and 12th now

30mins completed | 7hr 30mins to go

Momentum swinging wildly between the front trio as Takahashi powers past Black into the fearsome 130R before pinching the lead from Haslam at Turn 1

HRC Honda, Kawasaki RT, Suzuki ERT, FCC TSR Honda, Toho Honda, BMW, Sakurai Honda, SRC Kawasaki, YART Yamaha, S-Pulse Suzuki is your Top 10 after half-an-hour

Take a bow GREGG BLACK

The SERT Suzuki - having started 22nd - pulls off three moves in three corners at the restart to storm into the lead of this race!

UPDATE: Leon Haslam is now in the lead having also picked off FCC Honda and HRC Honda... this is breathless stuff for an endurance race with 95% of the race to go!

20mins completed | 7hr 40mins to go

Still under Safety Car conditions as circuit workers try and re-inflate the barriers after getting a couple of Hondas all up in its junk.

The exit of the SDG and Astemo Hondas has left the Japanese home contingent rather depleted, while it's highest-placed runner - the TOHO Honda with Ryuichi Kiyonari among its trio - didn't even qualify in the Top 10.

In the meantime, the top six is filled with WorldSBK and EWC teams after SERT Suzuki and SRC Kawasaki stormed up the order early on. The only flop so far is YART after a slow getaway

We're going to call false start on a couple of riders there, but hey... what's a couple of milleseconds over an eight-hour race?

Replays show how lucky Naomichi Uramoto - who you may remember made a start in WorldSBK and BSB with Suzuki last year - was in his incident, with the fast skating Honda behind him smacking the rear-quarter of the bike, rather than the rider just to the left of the impact.

Then again, I'm sure he didn't enjoy his shock high-speed pirouette... especially with 7 hours and 57mins of the race still to run!

So a chance to catch our breaths and look at the leading order...

Takahashi took the lead in all the hubbub from Hook, with Haslam on the KRT Kawasaki tucked up behind them in third place.

Behind them, meanwhile, is the SERT Suzuki which has surged up from 22nd to fourth in just one and a half laps in the hands of Gregg Black.

By contrast, YART Yamaha's Niccolo Canepa has plummeted from third on the grid to 17th...

BMW is up to fifth with the SRC Kawasaki in sixth, followed by TOHO Honda, Sakurai Honda and Sofukai Honda

Terusuke Sakumoto is the culprit having lost his Astemo machine way ahead of the corner, before the errant Honda collects a hapless Naomichi Uramoto on the SDG bike...

The two entries had been the quickest domestic JSB1000 efforts but instead of challenging for a podium, it's an early bath after just four minutes

Josh Hook gives the beleagured FCC TSR Honda team a fantastic boost by leading the opening lap of the Suzuka 8 Hours... 

He has company though with Takahashi and Haslam - who have already swapped positions - crawling all over him. 

JOSH HOOK and FCC TSR Honda get the best getaway from fourth on the grid to take the early lead, chased by Takahashi and Haslam