Davey Todd Joins AutoRace Ube Racing Team for 2025 Suzuka 8 Hours

Isle of Man TT winner Davey Todd secures final seat on BMW M1000RR after head-to-head test at Suzuka.

Subscribe to our Telegram channel for instant updates!

The AutoRace Ube Racing Team has confirmed that three-time Isle of Man TT winner Davey Todd will complete its rider line-up for the 2025 Suzuka 8 Hours, following a competitive test session at the Japanese circuit on Wednesday.

Todd was in contention for the vacant seat left by Hannes Soomer, who was ruled out due to injuries sustained in an IDM Superbike crash earlier this month. He went head-to-head with Spanish Superbike rider Ivo Lopez for the coveted spot, ultimately impressing the team enough to secure the ride.

The British road racing star, who added a Superbike victory to his TT record this year, will join former MotoGP rider Loris Baz and Naomichi Uramoto on the team’s BMW M1000RR for the endurance classic.

In a statement, the AutoRace Ube Racing Team said: “Due to the absence of Hannes Soomer (Estonia), who was scheduled to participate, we have invited two riders, Ivo Lopes (Portugal) and Davey Todd (UK). They auditioned for the team during a test run held at Suzuka on Wednesday 30 July. After the test session, we decided that Davey Todd will be racing with us from Friday Qualifying Practice. As you can imagine, we are in a difficult situation, but we will remain united as a team and fight to deliver a podium finish at the Suzuka 8 Hours. We appreciate your support.”

During Wednesday’s test, the No.76 AutoRace Ube Racing entry clocked the ninth-fastest time overall with a best lap of 2m07.158s. The factory Honda HRC No.30 team of Johann Zarco, Xavi Vierge and Takumi Takahashi topped the session with a 2m05.645s, followed closely by the factory Yamaha No.21 trio of Jack Miller, Andrea Locatelli and Katsuyuki Nakasuga.

The 46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race kicks off with official sessions from Friday, August 1, with Todd now aiming to help deliver a strong result for the team in Japan’s premier endurance motorcycle event.