Full Resolve to Go For the Win

This interview started out with some reservations on Katsuyuki Nakasuga's part.

"When I heard 'Our number one rider will be Katsuyuki Nakasuga,' I was thinking that it's been six years since 2019, I'm already in my 40s, and that the 8 Hours keeps getting harder every year it becomes more like a sprint race, taking a bigger toll on riders. If I'm riding as part of the factory team, of course I'm there to win it, but at this age I also feel like I'm declining. I've been pushing back against that trend, and I'm managing to perform somehow, but I wondered whether I could shoulder all the responsibility and deliver a solid performance over eight hours of racing. It's true I did have a moment of hesitation."

"So when I received the offer, I couldn't just say, 'Okay, let's do this!' without considering everything involved. Big things are expected of me as a factory Yamaha rider, and it was because of those expectations that I received this offer. In the end, I felt that I had to live up to that, and that's why I responded with strong determination: 'I'll do it.' That was my first reaction.

"If I were younger, my response would have been more like, 'Oh yeah, bring it on!' But I've won the 8 Hours before, so I know it's a race where you have to be at your absolute best to win. That's what made me stop and think."

In the 2019 Suzuka 8 Hours race, where he was aiming for a fifth consecutive win, Nakasuga, who had been running in second, finished his final stint totally exhausted, telling the team when he got off the bike, "I was really at my limit. I'm sorry." He recalled that weekend six years ago. "If it were just a normal race, that would be fine, but since we were aiming to win, I was supposed to be the one to close the gap. But I couldn't do it on that stint. I think those words came out of my frustration. Everyone was working hard in the pits, and we were all fighting together, so nobody could afford to let up. That's endurance racing. It's not easy. It's brutal."

His words were sincere, but there was one more sincere thought. "In the end, I'm glad I was able to enter this year."

"At this point, I'm just determined to do it. I've made up my mind. So, I'm going to prepare thoroughly and tackle it head-on. I'm super motivated to work with the team, Jack and Loka to achieve our big goal."

Nakasuga says he does not pay special attention to Yamaha Motor's 70th anniversary and 70 years of racing activity. He has had a long career as a rider, and because these kinds of milestones have come around many times during it, he sees them all as stepping stones. "As a rider, what I have to do every year is basically the same, so to be honest, I don't feel like I have to do anything special just because it's a milestone. That's natural. Actually, if I dwelled on it, I wouldn't be able to get results. No matter what kind of special milestone or year it is, I give my all every time. So, my mindset of 'Let's do this' doesn't change." For Nakasuga, "It's all about winning. For the team, for the fans, for Yamaha, for my family. If you win, everything comes together."

And then there's the matter of his teammates. This year's lineup once again features big names from MotoGP and WorldSBK, but all the riders are well aware of the roles that manager Wataru Yoshikawa expects them to play. "We really have the top riders from each category on this team. We as riders tend to be self-centered, only focused on what we're doing, so the best way to figure out the roles is with our lap times. That creates some harmony, but it can also be like 'I'm faster than you, so you should adjust to suit me' and the balance gets thrown off. So there can be a rivalry like that."

The word "rivalry" is interesting. "As a rider, I'm always competing. I don't say it out loud, but I'm thinking about winning or losing. When I was riding for YART, I was so obsessed with being 'the best' that some years, I made mistakes. Of our riders, I have the most experience at Suzuka and I know it well. We have a limited number of tires to test with, so I want to give them good opportunities to get used to the bike and get into a rhythm. I want to do my part to motivate them."

When it comes to strong teammates, Nakasuga says, "It's a learning experience for me to see how they ride the R1. I want to make sure I learn something from that. It's a great opportunity." This is part of Nakasuga's nature as a rider and teammate.

Talking to Nakasuga, the 8 Hours is always a topic. We won't go into every detail he shared here, but one memorable excerpt is this. "In 2015, the year the factory team made a comeback and we won, that was my first 8 Hours win, and I still clearly remember the view from the podium. I rode the next year, the year after, and the year after that, but that view from the podium in 2015 is the one that left the biggest impression. 2015 was tough. I was so worried. I rode a lot in the first stint--maybe 28 laps. Everyone was surprised, but I conserved a lot of fuel. We had to ride where we couldn't open the throttle, but we did exactly what we had to do in that race. That's why it's the most memorable one--everything just clicked."

Based on these experiences, Nakasuga feels that the 8 Hours is a race of perseverance above all else. "We have to tough it out through the fuel consumption limits, the heat, the tires, the settings, and the riding position. We have to work hard with the pit stops and make no mistakes for eight hours. That's what it takes to win, so it's amazing. But I still don't like it!" he says with a grin.

And now, the Suzuka 8 Hours is finally upon us. When asked how he wants this year's race to go, he said, "We're coming back as a factory team after six years, and with so many people expecting big things from us, I feel very determined. We'll prepare well, and since we took 2nd in 2019, this time we'll try to beat that with a win by working together as a team and with the support of our fans. We'll show our racing spirit through our riding right up to the checkered flag." He gave a similar answer to what he usually does in All Japan.

And then he says casually, as if the initial reservations he spoke about were a lie. "I'm not doing anything special. I already push myself hard daily, so I don't do anything different. I just keep doing what I normally do, and I'm in a state where I can take on the 8 Hours as usual. As I've gotten older, I've actually increased the amount of training I do, but that's what you have to do as a professional."

Katsuyuki Nakasuga, the seasoned veteran, is always reliable. He'll surely be standing on the top step of the Suzuka 8 Hours podium at the end of the race in 2025.