Jonathan Rea 'ready to do a good job' as Honda HRC secure pole for Suzuka 8-Hours race in Japan after weather wipes out Top 10 Trial
Jonathan Rea and Honda HRC will start Sunday’s 47th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8-Hours Race in Japan from position after the Top10 Trial on Saturday was cancelled because of adverse weather.
The starting order for the prestigious Endurance World Championship race will be based on positions from Friday’s qualifying, when Honda HRC topped the time sheets with a combined qualifying time of 2’04.738 based on six-time World Superbike champion Rea’s best lap of 2’04.422 and Takumi Takahashi’s 2’05.055.
A 45-minute free practice did go ahead earlier in the day before heavy rain forced the cancellation of the unique Top 10 Trial.
The Honda HRC line-up for Sunday’s race also includes World Superbike rider Somkiat Chantra, who was drafted into the team as a replacement for injured MotoGP rider Johann Zarco.
Ulsterman Rea is attempting to win the famous race for the third time.
The 39-year-old, who is a test rider for Honda after retiring from full-time racing at the end of last season, became the first British rider to win the Suzuka 8-Hours in 2012 as part of the FCC TSR Honda squad. He claimed a second win as a Kawasaki rider in 2019 alongside Leon Haslam and Toprak Razgatlioglu.
“I was really happy with my lap time yesterday,” said Rea, following confirmation of Honda HRC’s pole position.
“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.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, which is scheduled to begin at 03:30 BST, Rea acknowledged the high level of opposition.
“Our competitors are very strong and we have a lot of respect for them because they have so much experience of all the different situations endurance racing can throw at you,” added the Northern Ireland rider.
“If you imagine us as the Mr. Men, we have Mr. Talent (Chantra), Mr. Calm (Takahashi) and Mr. Old (Rea)!
“If we can put all those qualities together, I'm sure we'll have a really good package for the race.
“Every time I check the weather forecast it has changed, so there's not much point trying to predict it. Personally, I'd rather have either a completely wet race or a completely dry one.
“These constantly changing conditions turn everything into a bit of a lottery, but whatever happens, I think we're well prepared and ready to do a good job.”