Honda on alert ahead of the Suzuka 8 Hours: without Johann Zarco, it's a big problem

Following the serious crash at the second start of the Barcelona MotoGP race, Johann Zarco will be forced into a lengthy layoff. Timelines are still to be defined, but given the extent of the injury, it’s unlikely he’ll be back on his Honda RC213V before the summer break. It’s a heavy blow for MotoGP looking ahead to 2027 as well (he will logically miss the June test with the 850cc and Pirellis at Brno) and, in the immediate term, for Honda’s plans for the Suzuka 8 Hours.

Johann Zarco has been part of the Honda HRC factory team in the last two editions of the “race of races,” winning on both occasions. This year, teamed up with Takumi Takahashi and Jonathan Rea, he was aiming for a personal hat-trick and the team’s fifth consecutive triumph, a goal that will inevitably have to be postponed.

The two-time Moto2 World Champion will therefore have to miss the Suzuka 8 Hours scheduled for July 5, with the Honda HRC lineup for now consisting only of Takahashi and Rea. Racing with two riders is possible, but it’s not exactly advisable. Zarco knows this well: together with Takahashi, he won last year with a two-rider lineup due to the injuries of Luca Marini (KO in a private test at Suzuka), Iker Lecuona (ruled out at Balaton Park in WorldSBK), and the last-minute withdrawal of Xavi Vierge due to a visa issue, which forced him to rush back to Spain after a day of testing in race week.

You can run the Suzuka 8 Hours with two riders—but also not. Takumi Takahashi, the record holder for wins at the 8 Hours, was quite clear last year. You can do it once, but the risks are around every corner. One small setback for either rider and the race is as good as over. For this reason, Honda HRC will have to identify a replacement—of sufficient caliber to face the fierce Yamaha opposition, which will field the trio of Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Andrea Locatelli, and Jack Miller. Two riders who have also been seen recently in WorldSBK—Somkiat Chantra (lapping in the 2'06") and Yuki Kunii—recently tested the Bridgestone-shod #30 CBR1000RR-R with Honda HRC at Suzuka. The latter knows the Bridgestones, but he’s already committed to the SDG HARC-PRO team, where he will join Keito Abe and Teppei Nagoe. He would be the right profile, but his contract and sponsorship obligations should require him to race the #73 Fireblade. Subject to HRC’s say-so...