Jonathan Rea “nervous” about Suzuka 8 Hours conditions before cancellation

Jonathan Rea was “nervous” about conditions for the Top 10 Trial at the 2026 Suzuka 8 Hours, which was ultimately cancelled.

Rain arrived on Saturday at Suzuka, ultimately prompting the cancellation of the Top 10 Trial and forcing the grid order for Sunday’s race to be determined by the lap times from Friday’s qualifying session.

That leaves Rea and Honda HRC – for which Rea is sharing the factory Fireblade with Takumi Takahashi and Somkiat Chantra – on pole position ahead of the factory BMW EWC team and Marc VDS KM99 Yamaha.

“I was really happy with my lap time yesterday,” said Jonathan Rea after the cancellation of the Top 10 Trial.

“It wasn't easy to put that lap together because of the traffic, so I'm pleased with what we achieved. 

“Of course, it's a shame we couldn't do the Top 10 Trial because I really like the format of going out for one flying lap. But with the conditions, cancelling it was the right decision because it wouldn't have been fair for everyone. 

“To be honest, I was quite nervous about going out in those conditions anyway. 

“We'll take yesterday's result, but tomorrow is what really matters. 

“Our competitors are very strong and we have a lot of respect for them because they have so much experience of all the different situations endurance racing can throw at you. 

“If you imagine us as the Mr. Men, we have Mr. Talent [Chantra], Mr. Calm [Takahashi], and Mr. Old [Rea]. If we can put all those qualities together, I'm sure we'll have a really good package for the race. 

“Every time I check the weather forecast it has changed, so there's not much point trying to predict it. 

“Personally, I'd rather have either a completely wet race or a completely dry one. 

“These constantly changing conditions turn everything into a bit of a lottery, but whatever happens, I think we're well prepared and ready to do a good job.”

Takahashi concurred somewhat with Rea about conditions, although the seven-time winner was in preference of specifically hot and dry conditions rather than one extreme or the other.

“Today the rain finally came,” he said, “and tomorrow's forecast is still quite uncertain, so we don't really know what to expect. 

“If I could choose, I'd rather it was around 35C! 

“Anyway, I trust my team and team-mates completely; they're both incredible riders. 

“All we have to do is give it our best, avoid making even the smallest mistakes, and make it to the finish after eight hours. That's the key factor. 

“Right now, it's clear that many teams are fast, and not just the factory teams. Having said that, I don't think there's anyone who has raced at Suzuka more than I have, so I have confidence in my experience. I also trust I've been able to pass that on to the team. 

“Since Wednesday we've continued to improve step-by-step, and everyone has been riding well without any real issues. So I'm not particularly worried. 

“If we can simply perform to the best of our ability and get everything out of ourselves, then I believe the result will follow.”