MotoGP | Zarco will contest the Suzuka 8 Hours with Honda

Far from being able to achieve good results in MotoGP, Johann Zarco will try to redeem himself at the Suzuka 8 Hours, scheduled for July 21st. Under contract with Honda, the Frenchman has confirmed that he will contest the test astride one of the bikes of the Japanese brand, which boasts two victories in the Endurance race and even a hat-trick in the last edition, on the track he owns.

“The fact of not being in front lowers the pressure more in MotoGP,” commented Zarco at the end of the Catalunya Grand Prix, which he finished in 16th position in Sunday’s race. “The energy of a weekend remains the same, but we will be able to play the Honda card to the best of our ability. The 8 Hours? It’s a race that I knew I would do one day, I’m happy to do it like this. I would really like to win.”

Having postponed the Kazakhstan Grand Prix (which could be rescheduled to the end of September instead of the Indian GP), freed up time in June, thus facilitating Zarco’s participation in the Endurance race: “First we need to do some tests , and now the calendar is favorable because there is no longer Kazakhstan in June. This allows us to have an extra week and go to Japan to train.”

Zarco had already tried to race with Suzuki in 2016, but had failed to reach the big S mark in MotoGP and the project had been put aside. In view of his debut in Endurance, he sees participation in the Suzuka 8 Hours as “a new experience and a great party”, a different driving experience from MotoGP: “I think that the performances are good, that we are concentrated, but that you are not out of your league as can happen in MotoGP.”

The last rider to contest the Suzuka 8 Hours while racing in MotoGP was Takaaki Nakagami in 2018, who finished second. Other riders who have participated in the event in the past include Casey Stoner and especially Valentino Rossi, who won in 2001 together with Colin Edwards. Pol Espargaró also won in 2017.