The Japanese manufacturer will field only one ZX10-RR, managed by Provec Racing, the official team in World SBK, in the first edition of the Japanese classic which takes place from 2019, following the COVID-19 pandemic.
On that occasion, Kawasaki obtained its first victory at the Suzuka 8 Hours since 1993 with Rea, Haslam and Toprak Razgatlioglu, although the latter did not participate and this was one of the steps that led to his transition to Yamaha.
Lowes is therefore ready for his first appearance at the Suzuka 8 Hours as a Kawasaki rider, after being announced in the lineup in both 2020 and 2021, when the two races were canceled due to the health emergency.
The British, however, has already imposed himself three times in the great Japanese classic, between 2016 and 2018, when he led Yamaha to success.
Haslam also boasts three wins at Suzuki, the first two accrued with the Honda HARC-Pro in 2013-2014, with a third Kawasaki triumph in 2019, when he was Rea’s teammate in World Superbike.
After two years as a factory Honda rider in the World Championship (which almost certainly would have also led him to Suzuka if the race had not been canceled), Haslam returned to Kawasaki in 2022 with a full program in British Superbike and a partial in the World Series with the Pedercini Team.
Despite his six SBK titles, Rea’s is the least present name in the race’s roll of honor: his only victory, other than that of 2019, came way back in 2012 with the Honda of the TSR team.
Kawasaki is likely to face fewer opponents this year than last time, as Yamaha has decided not to participate officially in the Suzuka 8 Hours this year.
Yamaha announced, before the canceled edition in 2020, that it would reduce its involvement and probably this year the team with the most chances will be the semi-official one that competes in the World Endurance full-time, or the YART.
The Suzuka 8 Hours will be held on 7 August and will be the third round of the World Endurance Championship, after the 24 Hours of Le Mans last April and the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps next month.
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