Guide to the Suzuka 8 Hours: the Italians, the favorites, the strategies, and how to watch it on TV

Now in its 47th edition, the Suzuka 8 Hours is the motorcycle “race of races.” It’s the contest of honor and pride for the four Japanese manufacturers (all present with factory teams), with the possibility this year of seeing a European manufacturer (specifically BMW Motorrad) aim for a podium never before achieved.

A total of 50 teams will line up for the event, representing 6 different manufacturers (Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, BMW, and Aprilia), 3 tire companies (Bridgestone, Dunlop, and Pirelli), with 19 nationalities at the start among teams and riders—the latter totaling 150 entrants across multiple generations (18 the youngest, 61 the oldest).

Speaking of the Italians, there will be 5 of our flag bearers. In his second consecutive appearance, Andrea Locatelli with Yamaha Factory Racing Team has legitimate credentials to aim for a victory that Italy has been missing for 25 years (the first and only one with Valentino Rossi in 2001). Fresh off the podiums at Le Mans and Spa, Christian Gamarino will again race with the Kawasaki Webike TRICKSTAR team, Akashi’s official outfit in the category. It’s also an 8 Hours debut for Alessandro Delbianco with the #99 Yamaha R1 of ELF Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99, while the Superstock class will see Italian colors defended by Kevin Manfredi (Dafy Kaedear RAC41 Honda) and Gabriele Giannini (Wojcik Racing Team Honda). Absent, however, will be the (very Italian) Honda No Limits and REVO-M2 Aprilia teams: as this is an optional round on the calendar and with the worst result drop allowed by the regulations, only 5 Stock teams have decided to undertake the costly (in every sense) trip to the Land of the Rising Sun.

For overall victory, yet another showdown looms between Honda HRC #30 (Takumi Takahashi, Jonathan Rea, Somkiat Chantra) and Yamaha Factory Racing Team #21 (Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Jack Miller, Andrea Locatelli). Last year Honda achieved its 31st win at an event defined by speed and strategy: better fuel management (7 stops versus Yamaha’s 8, with an average of 2 extra laps per stint), quicker pit stops (on average 3 seconds faster), and a relentless pace. On paper, it should be the same again, but everything could be upended on Sunday by the arrival of rain. Weather forecasts point to a potentially all-wet 2026 edition, which would be the first since 1997.

Moreover, the choice of July 5 makes the 47th edition the earliest ever on the calendar, avoiding a period when temperatures (see last year) soar to 37° with a frightening humidity rate. To help teams and riders, two days of testing (Tuesday and Wednesday) have been granted during race week, with the weekend officially starting on Friday with qualifying, which will determine the 10 teams admitted to Saturday’s Top 10 Trial. Two riders selected by each of the 10 best teams from qualifying will tackle a time-attack lap, a kind of old-school Superpole set to start at 7:15 AM Italy time. On Sunday at 11:30 AM local time (4:30 AM in Italy) the Suzuka 8 Hours will get underway.

For the eleventh consecutive edition, the Suzuka 8 Hours will be available live in full on television in Italy as well. On Eurosport 2 (available on DAZN and TIMVISION) the broadcast begins at 4:00 AM with a half-hour pre-race show, ahead of the 4:30 AM start. Full live coverage continues until 1:00 PM, with the checkered flag at 12:30 PM followed by the podium ceremony-show. Eurosport channels, with a subscription, are also available on HBO MAX (in all plans under the “Sport” section), discovery+ (within the “Entertainment + Sport” package), and Amazon Prime Video Channels (with the discovery+ offer).