HONDA’S BOLD BID TO WIN SUZUKA
MotoGP and WSB stars called in to knock Yamaha off top spot
Honda are leaving no stone unturned as it bids to turn its troubled new Fireblade into a winner at the prestigious Suzuka 8-Hour endurance showcase. MotoGP rider Jack Miller and World Superbike racer Stefan Bradl will head Honda’s all-star line-up. Still the single most prestigious race on the calendar for the Japanese manufacturers, this year’s race at the circuit built and owned by Honda will see serious factory teams go head to head in 40°C heat. While the Japanese Big Four are all taking Suzuka incredibly seriously, it’s Honda who have pulled out all the stops to assemble not one but two factory teams to challenge for the win, with a host of fast satellite squads also ready to make up the numbers as they attempt to regain some of the glory of the new Blade after disastrous racing results elsewhere. The Musashi RT Harc-Pro Honda go into this year’s battle as Honda’s top team with Takahashi joined by Moto2 regular Takaaki Nakagami and Marc VDS rider Miller. The Aussie hotshot admits Honda didn’t have to twist his arm to join the fray. “We’ve been having talks since the start of the year, and it’s something that I first asked to do two years ago. It’s a race that I’ve always really wanted to do, and this year we’ve finally got the opportunity – I didn’t even have to ask. They came straight to me in Qatar! It’s a big opportunity for me and I look forward to the challenge. It’s going to mean a long, hot summer for me but it’s going to be good!” And while Miller might be a rookie to production bike racing, Stefan Bradl comes with half a WSB season under his belt. He says that despite their poor start to the season in WSB, he expects to be right at the front. Riding for the second factory Honda squad of FCC TSR alongside Swiss Moto2 racer Dominique Aegerter and former MotoGP factory rider Randy de Puniet, Bradl says that the difference between the Suzuka bike and his regular mount is night and day. “The bike is a lot better than what I have in WSB. It reminds me of the LCR Honda I rode for three years. The dashboard is just like the RC213V, and from the handlebars it looks almost identical. “It feels more accessible, userfriendly and more mobile than my WSB. bike I know if Honda in Japan would take on our superbike project it would not be as tough as it has been. Honda already know how to do it.”