Jubilant Honda HRC rider Jonathan Rea 'couldn't ask for more' after third victory in legendary Suzuka 8-Hours race in Japan
Jonathan Rea says he “couldn’t ask for more” after the Northern Ireland rider and Honda HRC won the prestigious Coca-Cola Suzuka 8-Hours race in Japan on Sunday.
It was Rea’s third success in the iconic race, which is of huge importance to the sport’s Japanese manufacturers.
Six-time World Superbike champion Rea and team-mate Takumi Takahashi adapted to constantly changing conditions to come out on top in the Endurance World Championship race, which effectively ended 30 minutes early when the Safety Car was deployed because of heavy rain.
Honda HRC had an advantage of approximately 20 seconds over the Yamaha Factory Racing Team of Jack Miller, Andrea Locatelli and Katsuyuki Nakasuga.
The BMW Motorrad team of Michael van der Mark, Markus Reiterberger and Steven Odendaal completed the podium.
It was a special victory for Rea, who joined Honda as a development rider this year after calling time on his unprecedented World Superbike career in 2025.
The 39-year-old made history in 2012 when he became the first British rider to win the Suzuka 8-Hours race before adding a second success with Kawasaki in 2019.
Honda HRC World Superbike rider Somkiat Chantra was also part of the Suzuka effort alongside Rea and Takahashi, but the Thai rider – who was making his debut in the event – did not take part in the race, with Honda’s strategy utilising the experience of multiple winners Rea and Takahashi in the challenging conditions.
“I’m so, so happy with this win,” said a jubilant Rea.
“In these conditions you couldn't afford a single mistake with the changing weather and all the pressure, but the team did an incredible job and the bike was amazing.
“My team-mate was fantastic, so consistent, and I just did my job. It was a huge team effort, so thank you very much.
“Thanks to all the fans as well: race ended at 7:30 in the evening and the grandstands were still full, so it's really special to be back here. I'm incredibly grateful to HRC and Honda for this opportunity.”
Rea admitted his last few seasons in racing had been “tough mentally” when he struggled with injuries and was unable to challenge consistently at the front in World Superbikes following his move to Yamaha after a long and record-breaking association with Kawasaki.
“The last three or four seasons have been tough mentally, but this bike has been incredible,” Rea said.
“I'd almost forgotten what it feels like to overtake people on the straight! Thank you for reminding me that I'm still fast.
“Pole position, fastest lap and the race win. I couldn't ask for more. I'm just so grateful.”
Japanese rider Takahashi was celebrating a record eight victory in the race as Honda secured a fifth consecutive Suzuka 8-Hours crown and the manufacturer’s 32nd win in the endurance race overall.
“First of all, I'm really happy that we were able to finish the race safely, even though it was run entirely in wet conditions,” said Takahashi.
“Unfortunately, Chantra wasn't able to ride, but Johnny and I completed the race together, with Chantra supporting us throughout, and I'm very pleased with how everything went.
“Johnny did an incredible job today. He's a multiple world champion and his pace was both incredibly fast and very consistent. The whole team was fantastic as well.
“Every tyre change, every pit stop and every decision was executed perfectly, and they gave us a great bike. This victory belongs to everyone.”