FIM EWC 2026

Round Three – Suzuka 8 Hours
Suzuka Circuit, Japan

Top Ten Shootout Cancelled

There will be no Top 10 Trial at this year’s Suzuka 8 Hours, with Saturday rain forcing the cancellation of the single-lap shootout that traditionally settles the front of the grid.

That means the starting order for Sunday’s 47th FIM Endurance World Championship “Coca-Cola” Suzuka 8 Hours has reverted to Friday’s qualifying classification, which was decided by the average of each team’s two fastest rider times.

Honda HRC therefore starts from pole position after topping Friday qualifying with a 2m04.738 average, built around Jonathan Rea’s 2m04.422 and Takumi Takahashi’s 2m05.055 aboard the #30 Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.

BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team will line up second, only 0.075-second behind Honda HRC, with Michael van der Mark, Markus Reiterberger and Steven Odendaal heading the second row of the front group.

Elf Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99 starts third, ahead of YART Yamaha Official EWC Team in fourth and Yamaha Factory Racing Team in fifth. That puts three Yamaha squads inside the top five, with Jack Miller’s factory Yamaha entry to start from the middle of that lead pack alongside Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Andrea Locatelli.

F.C.C. TSR Honda France, Astemo Pro Honda SI Racing, Yoshimura SERT Motul, AutoRace Ube Racing Team and SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda complete the top ten, but none of them got the chance to improve their positions in the planned Top 10 Trial.

Honda had been second in Saturday’s Free Practice 2, with Takahashi’s 2m06.267 leaving the #30 squad 0.173-second behind the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team in cooler, overcast conditions. However, the arrival of rain before the Top 10 Trial changed the shape of the afternoon and left Friday’s times to decide the grid.

For the Australians, Miller is the best placed on the grid with Yamaha Factory Racing Team in fifth. Max Stauffer will start 18th with Marumae Team Kodama Yamaha after helping the team to a 2m06.576 qualifying average, while Varis Fleming’s Team Sugai Racing Japan Honda will start 45th.

The Suzuka 8 Hours is scheduled to start at 1130 local time on Sunday, with the weather still a major unknown over the eight-hour distance.

Jonathan Rea

“I was really happy with my lap time yesterday. It wasn’t easy to put that lap together because of the traffic, so I’m pleased with what we achieved. Of course, it’s a shame we couldn’t do the Top 10 Trial because I really like the format of going out for one flying lap. But with the conditions, cancelling it was the right decision because it wouldn’t have been fair for everyone. To be honest, I was quite nervous about going out in those conditions anyway. We’ll take yesterday’s result, but tomorrow is what really matters.”

Takumi Takahashi

“Today the rain finally came, and tomorrow’s forecast is still quite uncertain, so we don’t really know what to expect. If I could choose, I’d rather it was around 35°C! Anyway, I trust my team and teammates completely; they’re both incredible riders. All we have to do is give it our best, avoid making even the smallest mistakes, and make it to the finish after eight hours. That’s the key factor.”

Michael van der Mark – BMW

“Yesterday was good; we did a nice lap together. I made some small mistakes and unfortunately not quick enough to beat this old guy next to me. Other than that, I’m very happy with P2 on the grid. It’s a shame we couldn’t do the Top 10 Trial because I really like it. Anyway, tomorrow is more important but all three of us have a very good pace so I’m looking forward to the rest.”

Suzuka 8 Hours 2026 Provisional Starting Grid

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