A typhoon is heading towards Suzuka, but as the paddock battened down the hatches, the winds of change had already set in.

Jonathan Rea’s pole position for Kawasaki ended three year’s of Yamaha topping the times. The three-time WorldSBK champion will be out to do the same during tomorrow’s race.

Kawasaki hasn’t won the biggest race of the year since 1993 – their sole success with Scott Russell and Aaron Slight at the helm – but they may not have a better opportunity than tomorrow.

Yamaha is against the ropes, with Katsuyuki Nakasuga possibly forced to sit out the race. The Japanese rider crashed in practice, and if he misses out, the last-minute change in strategy could be the difference between winning and losing.

Wataru Yoshikawa, project leader for Yamaha, explained the crash.

“Nakasuga had his line blocked by a slower machine, and that likely led to his fall in the free practice. He went out again afterwards, but that was just to see how he was feeling physically, and we made the decision to err on the side of caution and have Alex and Michael ride in the Top 10 Trial.”

“We now have to re-examine our scheduling and strategy. The typhoon could effect the first part of the race, so the potential, skillset, and experience of our riders will be key.”

The Top Ten shootout was also hit by the weather, and it morphed into a 40-minute free for all, rather than the scheduled one shot qualifying.

This also played against Yamaha, but it’s hard to see how they could have challenged the gauntlet laid down by Rea. A new qualifying lap record and an important psychological victory were the rewards for Kawasaki.

“It’s nice to be in pole position for tomorrow,” said Rea. “It gives us the best opportunity to get a good start, and get some clear road at the beginning.”

The Northern Irishman has been quietly confident throughout the week, and now he’s starting to exploit that confidence. He looks to have carried his form, and mindset, from WorldSBK to the Endurance paddock.

“I’m really excited to be here at Suzuka, but even more than that, I’m excited in the team we have. One of the stipulations I had for doing this race was that Pere and some of the team would be involved. He’s done a great job getting the bike ready for us, and we’re working really well.”

There’s still plenty of work to be done for Rea and Kawasaki though. Qualifying is one thing and the race quite another. Yamaha might be wounded after today, but they’re not beaten.

Qualifying was always going to be difficult for the team after they elected to sit Nakasuga. The Japanese rider always finds some performance in crunch times at the 8-Hours, and with the bike developed around him, it left the team with a choice; keep everything the same for qualifying or make some changes to the bike for Michael van der Mark.

The team elected to let the Dutchman be more comfortable on the R1. Earlier in the day Van der Mark had said “with the body position on this bike I can’t feel comfortable. If you’re not comfortable you can’t set a fast time, but I can be very consistent with this bike in the race.”

Making a change to the riding position helped Van der Mark set his fastest ever time at Suzuka, Lowes also went faster than he had in previous years, but it wasn’t enough to fight Rea for pole. Yamaha had to settle for third position on the grid.

“I think that we might have been a bit better if it was the Top Ten Shootout rather than a 40 minute qualifying session. I enjoy the one lap session because you can’t make any mistakes and it’s fun.”

“It wasn’t a perfect day for us, but we did well. We’ve not had any wet weather testing this week, but we’re not in a bad position. We’ll be as positive as we can be and get through the 8 Hours as fast as we can.”

For Van der Mark the goal is the race and making sure Yamaha claims a fourth win in a row.

“We made some changes to the bike for qualifying, to make me more comfortable. I was happy with my lap because I felt good with it. This was my first time with new tires this week, and I’m happy with the lap.”

“It’s my best lap at Suzuka, so I’m happy with that, but the race is the most important thing. Our pace is consistent and fast.”

Between the Kawasaki and Yamaha is the Number 33 of Red Bull Honda.

PJ Jacobsen didn’t suit up for qualifying, but the American will be in action tomorrow, presumably for two stints. Honda is the dark horse for the race. If it rains, they could spring a surprise because while the speed has been slightly slower than the favorites, they are experienced and consistent.

Fourth on the grid is the MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO Honda, just 0.007s slower than the Yamaha and 0.05s slower than the factory Honda effort.

It was a very impressive performance by the #634 squad, and with Dominque Aegerther they have a rider who has mounted the rostrum each of the last two years.

Yoshimura Suzuki were cursing a race crash 12 months ago, and in qualifying they suffered an early crash for Takuya Tsuda that ruled them out of contention for the remaineder of the session.

Bradley Ray spoke after the session saying that the team need to find performance in the second half of the stints, but that changes made for today’s practice session have certainly helped them.

“2m 06.was the absolute limit and there was nothing left in the tank after that,” said Ray after qualifying. “With a new tire the bike doesn’t feel too bad, but after 10 or 12 laps, we start to get issues, which makes it difficult to push on.”

“I think the pace on the used tire isn’t too far off the others, but the Kawasaki and Yamaha are a step ahead of everyone. I think we can run a similar pace to Honda.”

Photo: © 2018 Steve English – All Rights Reserved

Our Suzuka 8-Hours coverage is made possible by our A&R Pro members. If you like reading this unique race coverage on Asphalt & Rubber, you should consider supporting this content by signing up for A&R Pro.

It is a race unlike any other, and it has a circuit unlike any other to match. The Suzuka 8-Hours is the biggest race of the year for Japanese manufacturers, and it is held on one of the longest laps of the year.

With lap times of over two minutes, it is very easy for time to burn during a session, and it is very easy to left rueing any mistakes you make.

The Japanese venue is one of the most technical on the planet. It is a lap of contrasts, with the sweeping corners of the opening half, followed by a hairpin and chicanes in the second half of the lap.

Getting it right takes time and any mistake is heavily punished on the stop watch.

“The track is quite tough here at Suzuka because it’s such a long lap,” said two-time winner Alex Lowes. “It’s actually a lap of two halves in a lot of ways. Each corner leads into the next on the opening half of the lap, and if you make a mistake it impacts the following couple of corners.”

“It’s very technical in that opening section. The middle of the lap is more stop-and-start, with a first gear hairpin and a chicane where you need to be very precise. It’s difficult to find the braking marker into the final chicane as well.”

“The bike setup is quite difficult because you have two very contrasting halves of the lap.”

The lap begins with the riders coming across the line and steaming into Turn 1. It’s ever tightening, and very easy to run in too quick. A mistake here, particularly in the Top 10 Shootout, is incredibly costly; the lap time is ruined before it’s even began.

From the exit of the opening corner of the lap, you’re straight into the Suzuka Snake. The next section of corners, all the way to Dunlop, need to be taken as smoothly as possible. They link together, and if you’re offline at any point, it’s impossible to set a fast time.

“I’m really excited to be back racing at Suzuka because it’s so much fun to ride,” said Jonathan Rea. “It’s probably my favorite track in the world. It’s a great layout that’s fun to ride, and it’s also a bit of a fitness test!”

“When you finish this, race it’s one of the best feelings in the world. I won it in 2012, and it was the best race win of my career.”

Rea will be battling for Kawasaki, as the WorldSBK champion tries to right a wrong; it’s been 25 years since a green machine won at the 8-Hours.

Having a bike that can change direction quickly will be crucial for Rea to have any chance this weekend, because it’s a key to going fast at Suzuka.

The run between Turns 3 and 4 illustrates this perfectly. Riders can try and hold a shallow line for Turn 3, which is the key to this section of the track.

Keeping a minimum input and not scrubbing speed on the change of direction, riders will enter Turn 3 in second gear and hug the kerb as closely as possible on the exit, to be in the right place for Turn 4, and the following pair of bends, before the run up the hill towards the Dunlop Curve.

These four corners are all linked together, and being off-line is punished heavily by the clock.

The clock isn’t the only punisher at Suzuka. The conditions play a huge role too, and the pressure that riders are under is immense. The physical demands are huge, but the mental toll builds up also.

Being a factory rider brings expectations of success. The 8-Hours is a huge race, and even for European riders they understand the history of Suzuka.

“I love the 8-Hours,” said Lowes. “It’s such a big event, and back in Europe it’s got a big fan base too. It’s been a great honor for me to race for Yamaha, and to win it the last two years.”

“The biggest change between riding at Suzuka, and a normal race in WorldSBK, is that you’re working with your teammates, and trying to make sure that every little detail is covered. The heat and humidity are something to deal with, and the stints in the race are just over an hour.”

“Being patient is key and the biggest factor in success is that you need to be consistent. The bike is heavier, there’s extra features on the bike because it’s an endurance race, but in terms of the feeling on the bike it’s very similar.”

The opening half of the lap culminates with the never-ending Dunlop Corner. This right-hander sees riders slide all the way through before the entry to the Degner Curves.

The first of these right-handers has a sizeable compression on the entry, and it’s very easy to run in too hot and have to take to the gravel trap.

Named after Ernst Degner, the East German defector who sold the secrets of the two-stroke to Suzuki in exchange for passage to the West and a 1962 world championship, these are both fast and bring an end to the opening half of the lap.

Exiting under the bridge riders will use as much kerb as possible and try and put as much weight over the front as possible, to control the wheelie, before braking heavily into the first gear hairpin.

The bike moves under braking, but being smooth is crucial because this is a corner where it is very easy to lose a lot of time.

“Suzuka isn’t comparable to anything else we do,” surmised Leon Camier, prior to withdrawing from this year’s event with injury.

“The track and conditions are so physical, and I remember the first time I went I was in such a bad way during my first stint; I thought my head was going to explode! I don’t know what’s tougher between the physical side and the mental side of racing at Suzuka.”

The hairpin leads into a chicane before riders get to tackle the Spoon Curve. This long left-hander is one of the best on the circuit, and one that riders all know is crucial. Being on the left side of the rubber for what seems like an age, it’s very easy to wear out a tire.

In endurance racing, it can be better to be below the limit in corners like this to ensure tire life for the full lap. Patience is a virtue, but it also pays off in this corner.

Once through Spoon, riders are on to the back straight, but staring at the 130R. While slower than in the past, it’s still a fearsome fourth gear corner. The end of the lap sees riders hurtle towards the Triangle Chicane.

Hooking back to first gear, the bike will slide on the entry to one of the best overtaking opportunities on the lap. Flip flopping from right to left to right again, riders will be sliding through the final corner, and start looking out for their pitboards for their next lap of Suzuka.

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Jonathan Rea grabbed the headlines on Friday in Japan, with an unofficial lap record at the Suzuka 8-Hours, which put the Kawasaki Team Green ZX-10RR on a pole-position start.

The Northern Irishman was nine tenths of a second faster than Pol Espargaro’s 2016 pole lap, and Rea’s time was made all the more impressive by the fact that he, like the majority of front-runners, didn’t opt to use a qualifying tire.

The FIM Endurance World Championship regulations allow teams to use 14 sets of tires throughout the Suzuka weekend, and with eight tires allocated for the race, and two qualifying tires, it means that for the opening two days the front-runners focus on race pace with used tyres.

Though of note, Rea set his fastest time in the second qualifying session, with a fresh tire.

The three-time world champion was as fast as expected, but his performance shows the focus that Kawasaki has placed on Suzuka.

With Pere Riba, Rea’s WorldSBK crew chief, leading the effort, the team has turned their bike upside down compared to last year. With an all-new bike, the Team Green squad are looking for a change of fortunes by adding to the manufacturer’s sole Suzuka success.

For Rea the weekend couldn’t have started better, and he’s excited by how the weekend has progress.

“For me it wasn’t that important to set the time, but it was nice surprise,” said Rea. “I didn’t expect us to go that fast.”

“With a qualifying tire, the previous record being 2m06s, so I thought a middle 2m05s would be a good lap, but to set this time today, in qualifying practice, was mad. It was a pretty good lap though, I didn’t make too many mistakes.”

“It’s a long lap, 2m05s, so there is a lot to do and a lot of corners. I didn’t make too many mistakes, and then I found a slower guy at Spoon, and I kind of compromised my line just a little bit, but I knew I got sector three nailed, so I could afford not to be too aggressive there.”

“It worked so that was nice. I initially though it was 2m 06.1s because it is a digital dash so I thought one of the lines had gone missing!”

While Rea assessed the pace as “mad”, it was clear that Kawasaki is expecting to challenge this weekend.

Riba’s confidence in Rea is unshakeable and with the man he calls “the best Superbike rider in the world” Kawasaki could be placed to turn the formbook upside down.

Standing on the podium for the last two years was a solid achievement, but now their sights are set higher.

Yamaha has a target on their back heading into the Shootout (the Top 10 qualifiers will have a final qualifying session on Saturday), and while the Number 21 squad has been keen to pay their respects to Kawasaki throughout the build-up to this weekend, they feel that they didn’t show their true pace in qualifying.

A combination of the tire regulations, traffic and red flags put paid to their efforts.

“It was a good day for us, but Friday is always different at Suzuka,” said Alex Lowes. “We have six qualifying sessions with all the different riders, so it’s tough and there was a lot of traffic out there.”

“I didn’t get a clear lap. We used the second qualifying session to try something for the race, and we got some quite good information on that. In the night session, I was quite strong plus the pit stops have been good so it has been a positive day.”

“We all spend the tests, practice and qualifying worrying about your lap times and how fast you can go but it is not a sprint race; it is about being consistently fast with all three riders for the eight hours.”

“That’s the aim for Sunday. We knew that some other guys would be fast this year, and we know how good the Kawasaki bike is with good riders on it. It is no different to World Superbike. So we know that we need to improve on last year, and I believe we have improved and I also feel stronger.”

Teammate Michael van der Mark echoed those thoughts.

“With the regulations you need to have a good plan before the qualifying sessions,” said the Dutchman. “Our plan was for Nagasuga-san and Alex to use new tires, and I’d be on used tires.”

“It was still good though to improve my best laptime in that session, but it’s a struggle here for me with my body position. The handlebars are difficult and when I try and set a fast lap time, I don’t feel comfortable on the bike, but it’s fine for setting consistent pace.”

“We knew that we had to prepare for the race and that’s been our focus. Our race pace, for all three of us, is very good and possibly even stronger than last year.”

Behind the leading duo is the Red Bull Honda squad, featuring PJ Jacobsen. The outfit are over 1.5s slower than Rea, but just under one second off the pace when the riders’ times are combined.

“I’m looking forward to the race,” said Jacobsen after completing 20 laps during the opening practice session of the day. “I’m really excited to be racing for the factory HRC team. It’s very hot at the moment here, so it’ll be a brutal race and it’s going to be a fast race too.”

“The Kawasaki with Johnny Rea is very fast, the Yamaha’s with Alex and Mickey are quick, Yoshimura have Bradley Ray and Sylvain Guintoli so it’s going to be tough! For me the tyres are quite different here compared to WorldSBK and I’ve always felt quite confident here.”

The Yoshimura Suzuki was a surprise package last year, and the speed of their three riders is very similar with Bradley Ray having adapted to the Suzuka specification machine very quickly.

Further down the order American Moto2 rider Joe Roberts had a strong day on the Kagayama Suzuki, and was able to set close to the pace of the top ten riders.

Friday Qualifying Results for the Suzuka 8-Hours:

Photos: © 2018 Steve English – All Rights Reserved

Our Suzuka 8-Hours coverage is made possible by our A&R Pro members. If you like reading this unique race coverage on Asphalt & Rubber, you should consider supporting this content by signing up for A&R Pro.