Jack Miller: Suzuka 8 Hours Yamaha R1 felt “completely foreign” before final test

Yamaha MotoGP rider Jack Miller says time spent on the YZR-M1 makes the Suzuka 8 Hours YZF-R1 feel “completely foreign”.

Pramac Yamaha regular Miller tested the Suzuka-spec factory R1 at the end of May and in June, but with two MotoGP races having taken place since the previous test, the Australian rider said he had to re-adapt himself to the endurance bike during the final pre-event test at Suzuka on Tuesday, ahead of the race weekend on 1–3 August.

"It was nice to get back in the swing of things on the R1,” Jack Miller said.

“You think that you have become comfortable with it, but then you ride the M1 for a few weeks, and you come back to the R1, and it feels completely foreign again.

“But it was a positive day for us – all the boys are going very well, and I think that in general our pace is really good.

“The track was in decent condition.

“We are now getting used to riding with a lot of traffic on the track, but this is a part of Suzuka 8 Hours.

“Like I said, we're just getting used to everything again.”

Locatelli: Traffic “a good learning experience”

As mentioned by Miller, the final test was an opportunity to ride with much more traffic on-track.

Andrea Locatelli, who will be competing at Suzuka for the first time this weekend, it was an opportunity to learn how to ride in traffic before the race on Sunday.

“First day back in Japan, and I was quite happy riding the bike again – we did a good job today,” he said.

Unlike the test, we now also need to deal with the traffic on track, but this was a good learning experience and a good opportunity to prepare for the race.

“We also set a good lap time, so I'm quite happy with everything, and let's see.

“For the race weekend, I think we can be faster and fight for the win – we need to trust in this. We will see, but at the moment it looks like everything is working really well.

“We are quite happy, and all three of us are doing well. So, we try to keep going this way and enjoy this special summer in Suzuka.”

Nakasuga making up for lost time

Katsuyuki Nakasuga is targeting a fifth career Suzuka 8 Hours win this weekend, and his final test was spent making up for time he lost at the previous test due to a crash.

“We've finally entered race week,” he said.

“Today's riding session ran from 09:00–18:00, making for a long day at the track. In the hot conditions, we were able to ride consistently and gain valuable insight into how the bike performs in high temperatures.

“Just like the previous test, it turned out to be a very productive day.

“Personally, I had a crash during the previous test, which limited my time on the bike. That's why today, I focused on checking my physical condition and regaining a consistent riding rhythm throughout the day.

“Being able to confirm both was a significant step forward for me.

“The other two riders on the team were also riding very well, which gives me a strong sense of confidence.

“I'm committed to improving my base lap time even further and, together with the team, I want to give everything we've got to fight through race week.

“Ultimately, our goal is to achieve a strong result in the race and aim for the top as a united team. We'll continue preparing together to make that happen.”