Suzuka 8 Hours: Andrea Locatelli is chasing Valentino Rossi—here's why he can do it

At the end of the first day of pre-event testing in race week for the 2026 Suzuka 8 Hours, Yamaha Factory Racing Team tops the timesheets ahead of BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team and Honda HRC.

Good news for Italian motorcycling, considering that for the second year in a row with the Yamaha R1 #21, alongside Katsuyuki Nakasuga (in his final 8 Hours appearance) and Jack Miller (straight from MotoGP), Andrea Locatelli will be racing. After setting the fastest lap in the race in 2025, “Loka” has a real chance to rewrite Italian history in the motorcycling “race of races.”

With the 2026 edition, across 47 runnings there have been 46 different Italian riders at the start, and the number 46 par excellence is the only one to have won it. Valentino Rossi in 2001, aboard the Honda VTR 1000SPW in CABIN Honda colors and teamed with Colin Edwards, produced a phenomenal feat, reclaiming the race lead on three separate occasions. The final Safety Car period helped the Doctor secure the top spot (while also slowing the VTR of Tohru Ukawa and Daijiro Kato), but in terms of individual performance Rossi absolutely earned the victory. The first and only by an Italian rider at the 8 Hours.

Valentino Rossi, together with Niccolò Canepa (2nd in 2024) and Andrea Locatelli himself (2nd last year), are the only three riders from our Bel Paese to stand on the podium at the premier two-wheeled Endurance event. In this instance, “Loka” will have a concrete chance to fill a quarter-century gap, even if Yamaha Factory does not start as the favorite.

Despite today’s benchmark, Yamaha is chasing Honda HRC. More competitive on race pace, faster in pit stops for refueling and tire changes, and crucially able to save even a couple of laps per stint in terms of fuel range. Last year Honda HRC won with one fewer stop than Yamaha, albeit with several mitigating factors that Iwata has addressed for this edition. Like it or not, as always at Suzuka the 8 Hours writes its own story year after year, with Andrea Locatelli in the race to write history.