Rea joins Kawasaki charge for Suzuka 8 Hours

Triple World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea will partner Leon Haslam and Kazuma Watanabe as the official Kawasaki Team Green entry for the 2018 Suzuka 8 Hours.

Last year ‘Team Green’ finished in second place at the iconic endurance race in Japan with Haslam, Watanabe and Azian Shah Kamaruzaman behind winners Alex Lowes, Michael van der Mark and Katsuyuki Nakasuga of the factory Yamaha squad who clinched victory for the third consecutive year.

Rea, a former Suzuka 8 Hours winner for Honda in 2012, will return to the endurance event alongside former teammate Halam and Watanabe for the factory Kawasaki squad as it hunts its first victory at the event since 1993 when Scott Russell and Aaron Slight guided the ZXR-7 to a dominant win.

“Suzuka is the biggest test for man and machine,” Rea said. “It’s like an emotional roller coaster during the race and I am very excited to go back this season.”

Haslam led the charge for Kawasaki last year and having narrowly missed out on victory he is eager to make amends this July.

“Suzuka is very challenging circuit and it really suits the characteristics of the bike itself,” Haslam said. “Being part of Team Green and riding the ZX-10RR is a dream come true.”

The 2018 Suzuka 8 Hours takes place on the weekend of July 28-29. This year’s World Superbike championship is set for three-month summer break between the Misano round (July 6-8) and the Portimao round (September 14-16).

Haslam faces a second straight dash to Japan in between British Superbike rounds with the Brands Hatch GP round on July 20-22 and the Thruxton round on August 3-5.