Jack Miller “getting more and more comfortable” as Suzuka 8 Hours testing continues

Jack Miller and Andrea Locatelli each took part in their first pre-event test for the 2025 Suzuka 8 Hours this week on 3–4 July, with both Europe-based Yamaha Racing Team riders drawing positive conclusions.

For Miller and Locatelli, the two-day test was their first taste of the endurance-specification Yamaha R1.

Miller was returning to the Suzuka track for the first time since he raced there during his time as a Honda MotoGP rider in 2017, and the Australian was pleased with his initial impression of the bike.

“It was nice to be back here in Suzuka, especially with the R1 – it's a lot of fun,” said Jack Miller at the end of the two-day test.

“The long run with Loka [Andrea Locatelli] went well today; I think we did a good job together. The pace is good, the speed is okay, and I think that during the race weekend we will find a bit of extra margin when we need it – which is normal. Overall, working with the R1 feels good.

Miller added that he’s still building comfort with the Suzuka track.

“I'm getting more and more comfortable with the Suzuka Circuit,” he said.

“It's a long track, and there are many areas where you can make a mistake. Trying to put a perfect lap together is very difficult, so today was about becoming comfortable with your marks and getting ready for the Suzuka 8 Hours."

Locatelli: “Happy with the confidence we have”

Andrea Locatelli also gave positive indications after the two-day test, feeling content with the confidence he has on the endurance-spec R1.

“We did a lot of work today, and we're really happy with the confidence we have on the bike,” he said.

“Overall, it was much better than the first day – but that's normal. On day one, we needed to get to know the bike, the track, and a million things around this bike.

“It was a good day two.

“I'm looking forward to the race weekend. We'll have more time there to keep improving, get more feeling with the bike, gain more experience with the Bridgestone tires, and then I think we'll really be able to enjoy the race.”

Locatelli added that he is still uncertain where he and Yamaha stack up versus the other manufacturers and teams.

“Today I was on track with Jack [Miller], and I rode alone too,” he said.

“We still don't know exactly where we stand when there are other competitors out there. We'll need to check during the race weekend, but the team said the lap times today weren't too bad.

“They were consistent, with no mistakes – and that's the main thing in an endurance race.

“I think, for my first time here in Suzuka, we did a great job, and I'm pretty happy with the job I did too.

“Of course, I'm also looking forward to going back and continuing my WorldSBK championship, but I already can't wait to come back here again for the real Suzuka 8 Hours race weekend."

Nakasuga “relieved” by base setup acceptance

Yamaha veteran and four-time Suzuka 8 Hours winner Katsuyuki Nakasuga had tested the R1 in the official test a few days before the private test that Locatelli and Miller rode at.

The Japanese rider said he was “relieved” to see that the base setup he and Soichiro Minamimoto had developed was appreciated by the Europe-based riders.

“I think over the two day test here Jack [Miller] and Loka [Andrea Locatelli] got to grips with the bike,” he said.

“I'm relieved to see that the base setup we put together in the June test is working well. Because this is an endurance race, we have to share the same bike, so there are some things we all had to adapt to.

“But I think they both understood this well and improved their performance every time they went out. I couldn't ride today, but together we confirmed our tire choices.

“Overall, I think it was a very good test. During the actual race weekend it will be different, though, because there will be different track conditions and we'll have traffic on track.

“I'm sure we can raise our performance even higher once we're back for the race weekend, but I'd like to do that in a calm way.

“Even at our present level, I think we can compete against our rivals. But if we can improve our communication a little bit more we can definitely aim for the top step of the podium.”