Honda announces its official factory team for Suzuka 8 Hours

Bruno Gomes

June 13, 2019

For the 42^nd Suzuka 8 Hours race, Honda decides to form a special factory team. The Red Bull Honda will race the CBR1000RRW.

The FIM World Endurance Championship is at its end. The Suzuka 8 Hours race will be held at the end of July. This iconic endurance race has been dominated by Yamaha and its factory team. But this year Honda wants to take the victory home at its own track.

To get the win Honda will be racing with many teams. Some, like the FCC TSR Honda or the Honda Endurance Racing team, are regulars of the championship. But for this special event, Honda will feature a special team named Red Bull Honda.

Honda Racing Corporation will be in charge of team management. This is the same structure that races at the All Japan Road Race Championship in the JSB1000 class.

The factory Red Bull Honda team will get three riders: Takumi Takahashi – rider at JSB1000 -, Ryuichi Kiyonari – rider for Moriwaki Althea Honda at WSBK. The latest addition to the team is Stefan Bradl, HRC MotoGP test rider.

The bike that they’ll ride is a special version of the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2. Honda Racing Corporation developed the CBR1000RRW especially for the Suzuka 8 Hours race, and with such experienced riders, the team believes they can fight for the win.