Three MotoGP races and the Suzuka 8 Hours in 4 weeks: Johann Zarco's non-stop summer

Are 22 rounds on the MotoGP calendar too many? Maybe so, but the ever-keen Johann Zarco, not one to miss out on anything, has added the Suzuka 8 Hours to his personal schedule of commitments. In fact, between June and July the current LCR Honda rider in the top class will always be in the saddle, alternating between the Honda RC213V and CBR 1000RR-R, between Michelin and Bridgestone tires, from short Sprint Races to the most prestigious motorcycle Endurance race on the planet.

Since joining the ranks of Honda riders with a contract signed directly with HRC through the end of 2027, every year the two-time Moto2 World Champion has also penciled in the Suzuka 8 Hours. He won it in 2024, and won it again last year, even racing with only Takumi Takahashi as his teammate. As the saying goes, good things come in threes, so the Frenchman will tackle the “race of races” again this year, though he’ll have to fit it into an exceptionally busy calendar.

While in the previous two years the Suzuka 8 Hours took place in the heart of the MotoGP summer break, this year the 47th edition has been moved up to July 5. The idea is to help the fans, literally, by placing the event in a period with lower temperatures compared to the 36°C reached in 2025 (not to mention the humidity). The Suzuka 8 Hours thus lands between two MotoGP Grands Prix: Assen and Sachsenring. Not a problem for Johann Zarco and, apparently, for Jack Miller, who in recent months has again offered his availability to race with Yamaha Factory.

What’s certain for now is Johann Zarco’s presence once more with Honda HRC, gearing up for four straight weekends on the go. On June 20-21 he’ll race at Brno (with Post-GP Tests with Pirellis and the 850cc on Monday), on June 27-28 at Assen, then he’ll fly to Japan to contest the 8 Hours on July 5. The following week he’ll be back on the CASTROL Honda LCR RC213V at the Sachsenring for the last Grand Prix before the summer break, the final stop of a month-long tour de force.

Zarco will join Takumi Takahashi on the factory HRC CBR 1000RR-R, with the third rider yet to be announced. On paper, Jonathan Rea, although in recent tests at Suzuka the manufacturer also put Yuki Kunii on track and, pre-Assen injury, Somkiat Chantra. One thing’s for sure: it will be a high-level rider lineup, with Honda eager to win “its” race for the fifth year in a row and, not least, to beat Yamaha Factory.