Test Completed with Overall Fastest Time of 2'05.670

On June 11-12, an official test was held in preparation for the Suzuka 8 Hours race on August 3. Riding for the Yamaha Racing Team were current JSB1000 competitor Katsuyuki Nakasuga and ST600 rider Soichiro Minamimoto.

This year's race will mark Yamaha's first factory entry since 2019. The team's base racebike is the YZF-R1, which has been continuously developed though JSB1000 competition. For endurance racing in the 8 Hours, special parts like a fuel tank, headlights and others are added to the bike. For this reason, the 8 Hours spec bike is different from the one used in 2019 and from the racebikes currently competing in JSB1000, so the team were busy making detailed setup adjustments.

The team itself has also made a transformation for the 8 Hours. While the JSB1000 staff form the core of the team, they are flanked by staff with past 8 Hours experience. At this test, the team took time to divide roles and confirm procedures for pit work and other movements in the box. It was an opportunity to identify issues that can only be understood in a situation similar to the actual race.

On June 11, day one of the test, the plan was to conduct four hours of testing, but the Yamaha Racing Team had to cancel their plans due to fully wet conditions on the track all day. For day two the weather was clear and the team rode in two sessions of one and a half hours each. They were able to complete the scheduled test items, albeit with some red flag interruptions.

In the morning session, because this was the first time for the new model R1 8 Hours spec racebike to lap Suzuka, Nakasuga focused on checking and confirming various aspects of the bike and tires, eventually setting a 2'07.210 to be 16th overall. In the afternoon session, as he continued to work through the team's testing menu, Nakasuga was consistently lapping in the 2'06-8 range, and towards the end of the session he upped his pace to set a 2'05.670 and top the timing sheets. The test ended successfully as the team were able to confirm the machine's current potential and see that there is still room for further improvement.

Following the Yamaha Racing Team were rivals Team HRC with Japan Post who set a 2'05.736, AutoRace Ube Racing Team with a 2'06.269, and Astemo Pro Honda SI Racing who set a 2'06.328.

The next test will be on June 18-19 where once again Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Soichiro Minamimoto will be riding. The Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team, who currently lead the EWC standings, will also take part.

#21 Yamaha Racing Team

Katsuyuki Nakasuga

"At this test the most important thing was for us to check the balance of the bike, as the R1 has winglets now and weighs more to meet 8 Hours race specifications. So, I did a shakedown run since it had also been a year since I've raced at Suzuka. Another goal was to check the feeling of the east course surface, since it's been resurfaced, and also work on tire selection.
It rained on the first day so we couldn't ride, but today we ran the bike in a base setup to check out its balance, then we looked at the spring rates, gear ratio, transmission, and other factors while we worked on refining everything. We narrowed down our tire choices, and we were able to confirm the basic items we needed to get through so we could move into the next part of the day.
Though we did set the fastest time, I did it while going through a variety of tire choices, so we don't need to focus on it too much at this point. That being said, it did show us that we could set a time like that with a certain tire. One of our major focuses was on putting together a bike that would let all three of us show our strengths, because without a bike that gives each of us motivation, we won't be able to win."

Team Manager Wataru Yoshikawa

"Because we've got a 6-year gap in our experience at the 8 Hours as a team, and of course some of the team and staff themselves have changed since 2019, we decided to confirm our overall movement style, including our pit work, in a situation close to the actual race. For that, it was a very good test as we could see some things we didn't expect and find some issues in how we work together in the pit box.
The new R1 with winglets made its debut on track at Suzuka, and because this is the 8 Hours spec bike, we confirmed various effects on track. Since we didn't have that much time, there are still some things we need to check on. Overall though, it was great to see that the new R1 has plenty of potential to run here at Suzuka, and we could see that based on our lap times. I think we've yet to fully refine the bike, so I feel like there's still room for us to improve. I'm looking forward making progress with the bike.
The forecast for the next test is for clear weather and air temperatures in the upper 30s and track temperatures in the 50s. That should give us the chance to put together an even better bike in time for the test at the beginning of July when we'll have all three riders here. We'll also work on any team issues we have, so we have a smooth-working system in place for the main event."