Suzuka 8 Hours champion steps in for WSBK wildcard at Jerez
Honda welcome two-time winner of Suzuka 8 Hours to WSBK finale
Tetsuta Nagashima will race for Honda as a wildcard at this weekend’s World Superbike Championship finale.
It will be the Japanese rider’s second WSBK outing, after he stepped in to replace the injured Iker Lecuona in Australia two years ago.
Nagashima returns this weekend in Jerez aiming to maximise his knowledge of the track, built from his Moto2 career and testing.
“I’m really looking forward to competing in the final round of the WorldSBK Championship at Jerez,” Nagashima said.
“I’ve been carrying out WorldSBK testing for a while now, and in 2022, I took part in my first and only race weekend in Australia, where the results weren’t bad.
“I’m curious to see how the bike performs now and what we can achieve.
“I hope to gain a better understanding of the bike and identify the differences with respect to two years ago. I can’t wait to be back in action.”
Nagashima won his first Moto2 race in 2020 before becoming an official Honda test rider.
Two years ago, he won the Suzuka 8 Hours alongside Takumi Takahashi and Lecuona.
In 2023 he won motorcycle racing’s most famous endurance race for a second time, alongside Takahashi and Xavi Vierge.
He now races full-time in the All Japan Championship but brings his knowledge of the CBR1000RR-R to the final WSBK round of the year.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
