Suzuka 8 Hours: Jonathan Rea on top in Q1, but Ale Delbianco is superb

Without MotoGP and Superbike, this weekend we’ll be on the edge of our seats for the Suzuka 8 Hours, the third round of the Endurance World Championship and above all an all-out battle on one of the most spectacular tracks in the world.

In endurance racing, tests and qualifying matter relatively little, as does the starting grid. In the 8 Hours the pace is flat-out from start to finish, but it’s not just about outright performance—there are also many other factors. Fuel consumption, for example, where in recent years Honda HRC has played the lion’s share compared to its most serious rival, Yamaha Factory. Lap times also seem to favor the crew of the world’s most important brand.

In Endurance, teams are made up of two or three riders and are identified by wristbands: blue, yellow, and red. They all take turns on track, and at the end of the three-session carousel the outright fastest was Jonathan Rea, who pushed the Honda HRC to a 2'04"583, an already astonishing pace. The most successful rider in Superbike history is proving by far the quickest in the official Honda trio: Takumi Takahashi clocked a 2'05"055 while Somkiat Chantra, standing in for the injured Johann Zarco, stopped at 2'05"763. And then we wonder why Honda is struggling in the World Championship...

And how are things at Yamaha? On the Factory YZF-R1, Jack Miller lapped in 2'05"229, versus Andrea Locatelli’s 2'05"436. Among those openly aiming for the podium—and for precious World Championship points—is BMW Motorrad, arriving at Suzuka with maximum factory firepower. On the M1000RR, the fastest on Friday morning was Markus Reiterberger, quicker than Michael van der Mark (2'05"380) and South African Steve Odendaal (2'05"597).

Stealing the spotlight in this first slice of qualifying is Alessandro Delbianco, who produced a fantastic 2'05"493 with the Marc VDS/KM99 Yamaha R1. If things continue like this, this squad could be one of the dark horses of the 8 Hours because Florian Marino performed at a very high level, 2'05"229, while former MotoGP rider Randy de Puniet stopped at 2'06"792.

Qualifying will conclude with the three final sessions late in the morning Italian time. In Endurance, the starting grid is set based on the average time of the two fastest riders from each team. At Suzuka, the top ten crews face off in the Top 10 Trial, a true old-school Superpole, with a single timed lap per rider. The 8 Hours starts on Sunday, July 5 at 04:30 CET time.

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