Suzuka, Japan – July 5, 2026
The 2026 Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours once again underlined Bridgestone’s strength at one of the world’s most demanding endurance races. In a rain-hit edition of the Japanese classic, Honda HRC claimed victory for the fifth consecutive year, while the entire top 13 finished on Bridgestone tyres.
With Bridgestone supporting several Japanese teams exclusively for Suzuka, in addition to its permanent FIM Endurance World Championship teams, the race became another powerful showcase of performance, durability and consistency in some of the toughest conditions of the season.
All Eyes on Suzuka: Rain, Pressure and Prestige
The Suzuka 8 Hours is one of the most iconic races on the FIM EWC calendar. It is a race where factory prestige, local knowledge and endurance strategy all come together on one of the most technical circuits in the world.
This year, rain added another layer of complexity. The Top 10 Trial was cancelled due to wet conditions, leaving the starting grid to be decided by qualifying times. Honda HRC started from pole ahead of BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, Elf Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99, YART Yamaha Official EWC Team and Yamaha Factory Racing Team.
When the race began, the wet track immediately reshuffled the order. Gregg Black grabbed the holeshot for Yoshimura SERT Motul, while Naomichi Uramoto put AutoRace Ube Racing Team into the lead within the opening laps. From the very beginning, Suzuka became a race of nerve, precision and tyre confidence.
Podium Power: Victory for Honda HRC, History for BMW
At the front, Honda HRC once again proved unbeatable. Takumi Takahashi, Jonathan Rea and Somkiat Chantra guided the #30 Honda to victory after 188 laps, with the race finishing behind the safety car as heavy rain returned late on.
For Takahashi, it was a record-extending eighth Suzuka 8 Hours victory and his fifth consecutive win at the event. Honda also claimed its fifth straight Suzuka win and 32nd overall victory in the race. “The conditions were complicated and I’d like to thank all my teammates,” said Takahashi. “Somkiat did not race today, but he helped a lot, so it is a win of the three of us together. A great team effort. I would also like to thank the team for the pit stops: the tyre changes, everything went so smoothly.”
Yamaha Factory Racing Team secured second place with Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Jack Miller and Andrea Locatelli after a strong and measured race in difficult conditions. “The Suzuka 8 Hours looks like a crazy race,” said Locatelli. “Last year it was really hot, this year completely under the rain, and eight hours in the rain gets quite complicated. In the end I think we did an amazing job.”
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team completed the podium, giving BMW its first-ever podium finish at the Suzuka 8 Hours and the first podium for a European manufacturer in the event’s history. Markus Reiterberger, Steven Odendaal and Michael van der Mark delivered a composed race after a difficult opening lap, recovering from 15th place to finish third. “It’s just nice to finish on the podium with my team, with BMW,” said van der Mark. “We’ve been working really hard all winter, and since the day we arrived here all three of us have been very fast. It’s a nice present for the whole team and for BMW to be on the podium at Suzuka.”
Bridgestone-Supported Teams Deliver Strong Results
Behind the podium, YART Yamaha Official EWC Team finished fourth after another consistent points-scoring performance. The reigning world champions kept themselves in the fight throughout a race shaped by rain, safety cars and changing track conditions.
AutoRace Ube Racing Team was one of the standout stories of the weekend. After losing Hannes Soomer to injury during testing, the team called in Christophe Ponsson as a late replacement alongside Naomichi Uramoto and Sylvain Guintoli. Uramoto was exceptional in the wet, leading during the opening hour and posting the fastest lap of the race at the halfway mark. The team eventually finished fifth, less than two seconds behind YART after a 10-second stop-and-go penalty.
Yoshimura SERT Motul crossed the line in sixth after a hard-fought race. The Suzuki squad had shown early promise when Gregg Black took the holeshot, but a penalty for an incorrect refuelling procedure cost valuable ground. Despite that setback, the team brought home important championship points.
Kawasaki Webike Trickstar brought its ZX-10RR home in 13th place after a challenging Suzuka 8 Hours run in difficult conditions. While the result fell short of the team’s ambitions, KWT once again showed its determination, saying: “It was a challenging race, but we never gave up and fought together until the very end of the 8 hours.”
F.C.C. TSR Honda France had shown promise before the race, qualifying sixth and moving five places higher than in 2025. However, their race became complicated in the first half after the #5 Honda stopped between turns 14 and 15. The team recovered but could not return to the front, eventually finishing 26th overall.
Elf Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99 also endured a tough race after a strong qualifying performance. Starting third, the Belgian Yamaha squad had shown impressive speed, but an early crash for Florian Marino caused heavy damage and forced a long repair stop. The team returned to the race and finished 30th overall.
A Tyre That Endures
Suzuka remains one of the toughest tests in motorcycle endurance racing. Its technical layout, unpredictable weather and intense pressure demand tyres that can deliver lap after lap, in both wet and drying conditions.
For Bridgestone, the 2026 Suzuka 8 Hours was another demonstration of racing as a true development laboratory. From factory teams to permanent EWC contenders and Japan-based squads supported especially for Suzuka, Bridgestone tyres helped riders push through one of the most difficult races of the season.
As the championship moves toward the final round, Bridgestone-supported teams remain firmly in the fight, carrying momentum from another standout performance on home soil.
