Davey Todd reflects on 'brutal' audition after winning chance to compete in Suzuka 8 Hours race
Davey Todd pulled no punches when quizzed on the audition shootout he won to earn his debut at the iconic Suzuka 8 Hours race in Japan, admitting the process was “brutal”.
The Isle of Man TT winner and British Superbike rider was pitted against Spanish Superbike Championship rider Ivo Lopez in the official test on Wednesday.
A place in the AutoRace Ube Racing Team alongside Loris Baz and Naomichi Uramato on the No.76 BMW M1000RR was up for grabs for the legendary race in the Endurance World Championship.
The opportunity arose when Hannes Soomer was injured in an IDM Superbike race in July, leaving a seat available in the BMW-backed Japanese squad.
“Obviously the team is running BMWs out here, so when Hannes got injured the team spoke to BMW and BMW put my name forward for the seat,” Todd told the FIM EWC channel.
“So, fortunately, I got the call-up. But there was me and Ivo Lopez from the Spanish Championship.
“He got the call-up as well directly from the team. It’s less than ideal, let’s say, but they wanted to bring us both out here to make sure they got the best rider for the job.
“It was a bit brutal to be turning up together, hanging out together, and then basically going whoever is better gets the seat.
“Fortunately for me anyway, I got the call-up, I got the seat after the test day on Wednesday.
“So, I’m just really stoked to get out there and experience my first endurance race – my first Suzuka.”
The 29-year-old says he is relishing the chance to race at the legendary circuit but admits he is putting pressure on himself to do the best possible job for the team.
“I am really looking forward to it,” Todd added.
“The team are looking to be on the podium, if not the top step of the podium.
“I don’t want to let them down. I want to do a good job.
“So, I’m just trying to stay focused. To be honest, usually I perform better under pressure, so I like it really.”
The AutoRace Ube Racing Team qualified second fastest on the first day of the event, only a tenth of a second down HRC Honda’s Takumi Takahashi and Johann Zarco.
The race is scheduled to begin at 03:30 BST on Sunday, ending at 11:30 BST.