Johnny Rea has targeted a podium finish in the Suzuka 8 Hours as he bids to do Honda proud in one of the most important races of the year for the Japanese manufacturer.
Rea will partner Yukio Takahashi on one of two factory-backed DREAM Honda CBR1000RR machines, the World Supersport rider leading a healthy British contingent in the blue riband endurance event.
Rea, who comes to Japan on the back of his maiden WSS victory at Brno, also considers this an important race for his career, not least because his team-mates on the other Honda bike will be World Superbike pairing
Carlos Checa and
Ryuichi Kiyonari.
Interestingly though, Rea and Takahashi will compete with Dunlop tyres, where as Checa and Kiyonari make use of
Bridgestone rubber. Nonetheless, Rea believes he has found the bike's sweet spot on the Dunlops and is confident of translating that pace into a podium finish.
"Testing for the race has been going pretty well so far. I managed to go as quick as I realistically could in the early stages of testing and then I went on from there and finished fifth in the 300km race.
“We did another test recently and Dunlop brought a new front tyre that steers a lot better and that helped a lot. The 2008 bike is a lot better than the bike from last year. The chassis turns faster than last year's bike and there is not only more top end, but more torque, so you don't have to rev it so hard. The riding position is better for me as well because there is a bit more space to move around on the bike.
“When we tested with my favourite front and favourite rear tyre we were as quick as Kiyo-san, so I hope my team-mate and I can go at the same pace as each other. Then we can aim for a podium finish. It's a race that means a lot to me simply because it's a race that means a lot to Honda.
“You ask anyone outside of Europe and some are not sure what the 8-Hour race is, but ask anyone in Japan and it is the biggest thing you can imagine. So I want to do well out there to please Honda."
