As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship begins its summer break at the start of August, some riders from the paddock will keep busy by travelling to Japan for the historic Suzuka 8 Hours. Both Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) and teammate Xavi Vierge will represent Honda at their home race with Lecuona looking to make it two wins in a row in Japan, while Vierge will debut at the iconic event.

Lecuona competed in the 2022 edition of the race on the CBR1000RR-R FIREBLADE SP and he will do so again this year as he goes in search of back-to-back Suzuka victories. The 23-year-old has had a busy campaign so far with five WorldSBK rounds under his belt as well as two MotoGP™ outings for the Repsol Honda Team and the Suzuka race adds yet another event to Lecuona’s calendar as he searches for more glory in Japan.

Victory in the eight-hour race in 2023 would mean Lecuona joins Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) as a current WorldSBK rider who won back-to-back races with Honda after he won the classic event in 2013 and 2014. The Dutchman also won two consecutive Suzuka 8 Hours in 2017 and 2018 with Yamaha, while Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) took a hat-trick of wins in Japan between 2016 and 2018 including two alongside van der Mark.

Discussing his return to the Japanese circuit, Lecuona said: “I’m very happy to be able to fight in Suzuka 8 Hours as Team HRC again this year. I was able to win last year, but I understood that it was not an easy race. This year, my teammates will be Takumi Takahashi and Xavi Vierge, and I’m looking forward to running with them now. We will do our best with the team and staff and aim for the top of the podium.”

Lecuona will be joined by his WorldSBK teammate for this year’s race as the 26-year-old makes his debut in the endurance battle. The 26-year-old will aim to repeat his teammate’s debut success and claim a win in his first Suzuka 8 Hours race. Vierge recently ventured out to Suzuka as part of Honda’s testing programme ahead of the race as he prepares for his debut in the classic endurance race.

Vierge said: “This time, I will participate in Suzuka 8 Hours for the first time from Team HRC. I am very happy to be able to participate as a rider on the same stage where many riders have made history so far. Iker Lekuona is also a teammate in WorldSBK, and Takumi Takahashi is a great rider with a lot of past race experience. I believe that if the three riders work together, we can win the race.”

Lecuona and Vierge will race alongside Takumi Takahashi who now races in the Japanese Superbike championship after a year in the British Superbike championship. Prior to a switch to domestic championships, Takahashi competed in WorldSBK in 2020, as well as part-time campaigns in 2017 and 2019, recording a best finish of tenth in Race 2 at Portimao in 2017. However, he has enjoyed tremendous success at the Suzuka 8 Hours and a victory in 2023 would put him on five wins overall.

Watch more incredible WorldSBK action throughout 2023 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com