Jonathan Rea puts Honda on top in Suzuka 8 Hours qualifying

Jonathan Rea led the defending HRC team to the top of Friday’s qualifying sessions for the 2026 Suzuka 8 Hours.

The six-time WorldSBK champion, a Suzuka winner for Honda (2012) and Kawasaki (2019), set the pace with a 2m 4.422s lap.

However, the Suzuka qualifying system is split into three sessions, one for each rider, with the best lap by two riders in each team averaged for the final classification.

Rea’s flyer was backed up by 2m 5.055s by Takumi Takahashi, who won last year’s event alongside Johann Zarco, giving HRC the best average of 2m 4.7638s.

LCR Honda's 2025 MotoGP rider Somkiat Chantra, now competing in WorldSBK and called up to replace the injured Zarco, set a 2m 5.465s.

HRC’s average edged out the BMW team of Markus Reiterberger, Steven Odendaal and Michael Van Der Mark by just 0.075s heading into Saturday’s Top 10 Trial, which will decide pole position.

Former MotoGP rider Randy de Puniet is part of the Elf Marc VDS team that claimed third overall, ahead of Yamaha’s full-time YART endurance team.

Jack Miller's factory Yamaha team in 5th

Jack Miller, Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Andrea Locatelli were fifth quickest for the Yamaha Factory Racing Team entry.

WorldSBK’s Locatelli set the team’s best lap of 2m 4.971s, followed by Miller on a 2m 5.422s for an average of 2m 5.196s.

That put the #21 machine, runner-up in last year’s event, 0.458s behind the leading HRC average.

Former Moto3 race winner John McPhee is part of the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team in sixth.

Miller is the only current MotoGP rider in this year's event after Zarco was forced out by his Catalunya injuries.

Yamaha hasn’t won the 8 Hours since its 2018 factory entry of Nakasuga, Alex Lowes and van der Mark.

Friday’s track action ends with a night practice.

A 45-minute free practice session will be held on Saturday before the Superpole-style Top 10 Trial starts at 14:15 local time.

The race then starts at 11:30 on Sunday.