        We first spoke about the creation of the Kagayama-Ducati team back in October, when news of the rider - Ryo Mizuno &ndash; and the JSB1000 and Suzuka 8 Hours events in which it would compete, first broke. On Thursday 15 February, Yukio Kagayama and Ryo Mizuno came together with the President of the Motorcycle Federation of Japan at the Italian Embassy to official baptise the former rider&rsquo;s Ducati-backed team. Together with Ducati Corse, Kagayama and Mizuno set out with the aim of winning the JSB1000 series and being competitive at Suzuka, a race in which Ducati has never particularly stood out in the past.       

The former SBK rider's team, which competes in JSB1000 and in the Suzuka 8 Hours, is officially baptised at the Italian Embassy in Tokyo

EWC: the Kagayama-Ducati Italy adventure begins in Japan

        While Ducati has been doing well in World Endurance (dominating the Bol d&rsquo;Or until it had a technical problem) after a couple of years&rsquo; experience with the ERC Endurance team, the Borgo Panigale bikes have never had a good relationship with the Suzuka 8 Hours, neither officially nor with privateer outfits. During the Ducati celebrations in Piazza Maggiore, Bologna, Pecco Bagnaia launched an appeal, asking if he might compete in the Suzuka 8 Hours together with Alvaro Bautista. A more than worthy line-up with which to tackle a race that is increasingly dominated by the Japanese constructors. Official entry and results  Ducati has participated in the Suzuka 8 Hours in an official capacity only twice. In 1984, it entered with two teams comprising Oliviero Cruciani/Mario Sakamoto and Walter Villa/Carlo Perugini. Only the first team completed the race, finishing thirteenth. In 1991 two more pairings took part, managed by Sagawa Kyubin and with Marco Lucchinelli as team manager. The Tardozzi/Mertens duo retired after 26 laps, Falappa/Roche after 36 laps.  The TOHO Racing team scores the best result  To date, the best result by a Ducati on Japanese soil was in 2011, when the TOHO Racing team&rsquo;s 1098R placed tenth with an all-Japanese line-up comprising Tatsuya Yamaguchi, Hiromichi Kunikawa and Ken Eguchi. Appearances by the Banner and De&rsquo;Light teams proved decidedly less fortunate. Both should have competed in the 2019 Suzuka 8 Hours, as privateer outfits with the new V4R, but the EWC regulation at that time blocked the project due to the bike&rsquo;s price cap. The De&rsquo;Light team was eventually able to compete in this year&rsquo;s edition but its V4R never reached the finish line, forced to retire after 155 laps. No ERC team  The 2022 edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours featured just five EWC teams among the total of 45 teams. The most notable absence was that of the ERC Endurance Ducati squad, the team of reference for Borgo Panigale in the EWC. Why did they decide against competing in such an important race? For two reasons it seems &ndash; a waning championship and transportation costs that have tripled since 2019. A new chapter?  Following Bagnaia&rsquo;s request made on Thursday in Bologna, might Ducati seize the moment and create a dream team for the Japanese classic? Bearing in mind that, in 2023, the race will clash with the British MotoGP round&hellip;       

The Borgo Panigale bikes have never done well in the Japanese classic, despite the riders and technical staff sent to Japan

Ducati and the Suzuki 8h, not a good relationship

        As anticipated a few weeks ago, the endurance calendar has undergone an important change in terms of the Suzuka 8 Hours. The prestigious Japanese race will no longer run in late July, as originally planned, but on 4-6 August 2023. Pushing it back by one week means that it will no longer clash with the Superbike round at Most, which means that riders in the production-derived championship will be able to take part in the race. CAE Discovery Sports Events promoter, Fran&ccedil;ois Ribeiro, has worked with his partners at the F&eacute;d&eacute;ration Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and with event promoter Mobilityland in Japan to finalise the new date. &nbsp; Fran&ccedil;ois Ribeiro: "Vital that the top riders are present at the Suzuka race"  The Discovery Sports Events promoter is pleased with the date change and explains the importance of allowing Superbike riders to compete in one of the most highly-anticipated events of the year: &ldquo;The Suzuka 8 Hours is a celebration of Japan&rsquo;s vastly successful motorcycle industry. Therefore, it&rsquo;s vital that the top riders, teams and manufacturers are able to be present for this famous event at a truly iconic venue. We thank our friends at FIM and Mobilityland for their collective efforts to finalise the new date of 4-6 August 2023.&rdquo; &nbsp; The 2023 calendar  The 24 Heures Motos will open the 2023 EWC season at Le Mans on 13-16 April and will be folllowed by the second edition of the 24H SPA WC Motos, on 16-19 June. The Suzuka round will then play out on 4-6 August. The Bol d'Or event at the Paul Ricard circuit in France will again round out the calendar, the EWC season finale taking place on 14-17 September.        

The FIM EWC has confirmed the date change for the prestigious Japanese race, which will no longer run in July

EWC: it’s official, the Suzuka 8 Hours will run on 6 August

After several fretful days, Gino Rea&rsquo;s family has finally issued a statement as to the British rider&rsquo;s condition following a serious accident at the Suzuka 8 Hours.  The statement from Rea&rsquo;s family   The update was published on Rea&rsquo;s own social media channels: &ldquo;We couldn&rsquo;t make a post earlier this is due to the Japanese culture as they do not release any news to media without the direct contact with the family first&quot;, the post reads. &quot;We arrived in Japan on 8th August at 8 pm with many thanks to the EWC, FIM, Suzuka Circuit, British Consulate and TSR racing team for all the help in arranging emergency visas for us&rdquo;.  &ldquo;At 2.30pm we had the opportunity to see Gino so we now have confirmation from the doctor about his condition&rdquo;, continues Gino&rsquo;s family. &ldquo;Gino was admitted to the intensive care unit on Saturday 6th August following an accident in Free Practice 2. He was concussed and sustained serious head injuries, he also has injuries to his left clavicle. He is still under sedation to reduce swelling on his brain and to control his temperature, he is due for another CT scan on Wednesday for a re-evaluation of his condition&rdquo;.  Message of thanks   The family thanks all those involved in helping Gino: &quot;Thank you for the excellent work from the Suzuka medics, helicopter crew and the hospital staff. Gino is very strong minded, lives life to the full and gives 100% to any situation. With him being so fit and healthy it will help him to a Speedy-G recovery. Thanks for all the support and messages. We will keep you updated as soon as we have any new information&rdquo;.  Don&rsquo;t give up, Gino.  Translated by Heather Watson  EWC, Aoki retires at 51: &ldquo;I felt like a rider until the very end&rdquo; 

An update as to the condition of the rider who was involved in an accident during the Suzuka 8 Hours

EWC, Rea&rsquo;s family: &ldquo;Gino has serious head injuries, but he&rsquo;s a fighter&rdquo;

As the 2022 Suzuka 8 Hours drew to an end, won by a dominant factory HRC team, so too did the career of international rider Nobuatsu Aoki. The 51-year old former world championship rider competed in one last edition of the famous Japanese marathon, aboard the team Teramoto Suzuki GSX-R1000, before hanging up his helmet at the end of what was a very special weekend for him and his family.  &ldquo;Nobu&rdquo; was joined by brothers Takuma and Haruchika, who took part in the ceremony, carrying out interviews and parade laps in front of fans at the iconic Japanese circuit. The race concludely positively for Aoki who, together with team-mates Koji Teramoto and Kazma Tsuda, finished fourth among the stock entries, and eighteenth overall.  The difficulty in saying &lsquo;enough is enough&rsquo;   One of the most emotional and unforgettable moments of the 8 Hours was when Nobuatsu returned to the pits. Having just passed the six-hour mark, the Japanese rider completed his final stint, handing the Suzuki over to his team-mate and, once back in the garage, he was unable to hold back the tears.  A scene that confirms just how hard it is for a rider to conclude a long, high-level career in which the bikes and circuits have been an integral part of their life. An emotional Aoki commented: &ldquo;All I can do is thank all the fans and enthusiasts, Japanese and otherwise, who have always supported me around the world. I enjoyed this final race and felt like a rider right to the end, pushing hard even on my final stint, but now it&rsquo;s all over.&rdquo;  Translated by Heather Watson  MotoGP, 2023 pre-season test schedule: the dates 

It was an emotional Sunday for Nobuatsu, who hung up his helmet after the Suzuka 8 Hours, in front of brothers Takuma and Haruchika

EWC, Aoki retires at 51: &ldquo;I felt like a rider until the very end&rdquo;

        While the eyes of the world are on Spa Francorchamps for this weekend&rsquo;s 24 Hours, preparations are underway in Japan for the next World Endurance round, the legendary Suzuka 8 Hours, which returns this year after a two-year absence. And so it is that KRT, in the shape of Alex Lowes and Leon Haslam, two thirds of the team that will head out on track to defend its 2019 title, is currently out on track at the Suzuka circuit, working on the set-up of the ZX-10RR ahead of the classic Japanese race, scheduled to take place on 7 August. All as they await Jonathan Rea, the third member of the team that won the 2019 race, the squad not even having to field then Puccetti Racing rider, Toprak Razgatlioglu. Kawasaki&rsquo;s 8 Hour announcement  With a post on its Instagram page, KRT has announced the line-up with which it will defend its 2019 Suzuka 8 Hours win, or rather SBK factory riders Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes plus BSB rider Leon Haslam. The post reads: &ldquo;Kawasaki has confirmed that it will officially participate in the 2022 Suzuka 8 hours event. As a reigning champions, a full factory program is being put into place after two years without the event being held due to the worldwide Covid pandemic. The KRT riders, engineers and mechanics will support Japanese Kawasaki engineers and technicians ready to fight for success in the World&rsquo;s most challenging motorcycle endurance race&rdquo;.             Visualizza questo post su Instagram  Un post condiviso da Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK (@krt_worldsbk)      The KRT Suzuka test post  On its own Instagram page, the KRT team has published a post from Suzuki with this caption: &ldquo;We can't stop racing! Here we are in Suzuka, Japan. Working together with our Japanese Colleagues at KMC and Showa, Alex Lowes and Leon Haslam working to find the right set up for our ZX-10RR, for the most challenging race of the Year! 8 Hours Suzuka race is back, here we go!&rdquo;             Visualizza questo post su Instagram  Un post condiviso da Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK (@krt_worldsbk)      Translated by Heather Watson TT Supertwin, a change afoot for Hickman: he&rsquo;ll race with the Paton       

Alex Lowes and Leon Haslam are in Japan to work on the ZX-10RR ahead of the race on 7 August, as they await Jonathan Rea

EWC: Kawasaki prepares for the Suzuka 8 Hours

La quarantesima&nbsp;edizione della 8 Ore di Suzuka &egrave; stata degna della sua storia, cio&egrave; l&rsquo;ennesimo grande evento. Anzi, una corsa unica al mondo.&nbsp;Questa &egrave; la sola gara di livello iridato in cui si parla di piloti ma soprattutto di aziende. &Egrave; l&rsquo;unica gara in cui investono ben quattro costruttori di gomme (Bridgestone, Michelin, Dunlop, Pirelli) e dove si pu&ograve; correre con due misure di ruote (16,5 o 17 pollici); l&rsquo;elettronica &egrave; libera, i motori non sono punzonati e addirittura ne esiste uno da qualifica (pi&ugrave; potente) e uno da gara. La lotta tra le Case &egrave; feroce. Il fascino &egrave; altissimo, ancora di pi&ugrave; con l&rsquo;arrivo in notturna. Il clima di festa &egrave; indescrivibile.&nbsp;  Se le Case europee (che ora sono note di colore, pi&ugrave; che protagonisti) aderissero alla sfida delle quattro giapponesi (anzi cinque, c&rsquo;&egrave; anche la Moriwaki) e tutte schierassero le rispettive superstar alla guida del meglio della propria produzione, si creerebbe l&rsquo;evento motociclistico sportivo-commerciale pi&ugrave; importante a livello planetario. Offuscherebbe persino la MotoGP, e di sicuro Carmelo Ezpeleta lo invidia, alla Honda, un simile evento.&nbsp;  Non &egrave; chiaro se alle Case europee mancano le idee, il coraggio o i soldi. Ma la SBK in crisi e la MotoGP sempre pi&ugrave; imbrigliata, fanno desiderare qualcosa di nuovo. E magari si ricomincerebbe a parlare animatamente di &ldquo;race replica&rdquo;, cio&egrave; le supersportive il cui segmento di mercato non vive un periodo felice ma, in base a ci&ograve; che si vede a Suzuka, &egrave; presto per dichiararlo finito.&nbsp;&Egrave; solo un sogno di mezza estate? Pu&ograve; darsi, per&ograve; &egrave; un gran bel sogno.  Motosprint ha raccontato la 8 Ore di Suzuka come nessun altro, con uno speciale di 17 pagine, realizzato da ben tre inviati. Uno sforzo importante, necessario per spiegare tutti i retroscena di un evento che ha il valore di un Mondiale. La 8 Ore di Suzuka &egrave; solo una delle tante esclusive. Alcune riguardano la produzione di serie (la nuova BMW S 1000 RR e la storia del bicilindrico boxer che verr&agrave;, oltre a una inedita collaborazione tra Honda e Yamaha), altre la MotoGP: Gigi Dall&#39;Igna e Romano Albesiano fanno un&#39;analisi di mezza estate su Ducati e Aprilia. Tutto questo e tanto altro ancora (tra cui una lunga one to one con Franco Morbidelli e il The Test della Ducati 1299 Superleggera) &egrave; in edicola, sul numero 31 di Motosprint. 

Dallo&nbsp;speciale di 17 pagine sulla 8 Ore di Suzuka, una corsa unica al mondo,&nbsp;ai segreti delle future BMW, passando per le interviste a&nbsp;Gigi Dall&#39;Igna e Romano Albesiano.

Esclusive a non finire sul numero 31 di Motosprint!

Donne, pieghe estreme ed un grande spettacolo nel paddock

Il bello della 8 Ore di Suzuka

Quando i giapponesi decidono di fare a botte non usano mezze misure: alla tradizionale festa Honda di Suzuka, la 8 Ore di solito conquistata dalle moto dell'HRC, sono arrivati i guastafeste. Soprattutto uno, di nome Yamaha R1, che ha vinto. Anzi, stravinto.  La Honda ha perso in pista, ma soprattutto nel fair play. Se &egrave; vero, come dice Casey Stoner, che la caduta &egrave; stata causata da un problema tecnico (tipo... un corner by corner che perde la strada?) ha perso la Honda. Ed &egrave; strano che la pi&ugrave; grande Casa del mondo si comporti come nel 2003, quando, in seguito alle terrificante ferite riportate in un incidente causato da un problema al ride by wire della sua RC211V, mor&igrave; Daijiro Kato. La Honda neg&ograve;, un giornalista italiano (Enrico Borghi di Motosprint) scrisse il contrario (ovvero che c'era stato un problema tecnico) e non venne mai smentito.  A Casey &egrave; andata bene: due fratture, tanta rabbia e i commenti fuori luogo di qualche opinionista italiano. A Dajiro and&ograve; molto peggio. Restano la quasi nulla trasparenza della Honda su eventuali problemi tecnici, un tweet nel quale Stoner dichiara di avere avuto un problema tecnico e la dichiarazione della Honda, la quale afferma di non avere mai avuto problemi per tutto il weekend...  Marco Masetti

La dinamica della caduta di Casey &egrave; tutta chiarire. Guasto tecnico o errore di guida?

8 Ore di Suzuka: ha perso Stoner o la Honda?

Yamaha &egrave; tornata sul gradino pi&ugrave; alto del podio alla 8 Ore di Suzuka. Non accadeva dal lontano 1996, anno in cui Colin Edwards e Noriyuki Haga regalarono la vittoria alla Casa di Iwata. Il team ufficiale Yamaha ha dominato tutto il weekend, grazie a tre piloti che sono stati sempre determinati e velocissimi. Nonostante le difficili condizioni climatiche (a Suzuka il caldo non ha mai dato un attimo di tregua), la R1 numero 21 ha percorso ben 201 giri davanti a tutti.  Nell'ultimo turno di guida &egrave; stato Bradley Smith a portare la R1 al traguardo, dopo 8 ore, 29 secondi e 708 decimi di secondo di gara. "Ho avuto a disposizione una grande moto e ottimi compagni di squadra", ha dichiarato Smith. Che ha poi aggiunto: "Suzuka &egrave; una pista che mi volevo gustare. Quando mi hanno chiesto di guidare qui per otto ore di gara... ho subito detto s&igrave;, senza esitare! &Egrave; stata un'esperienza incredibile; mi sono divertito. Quando sono passato sotto la bandiera a scacchi... &egrave; stata una grande esperienza! Vorrei tornare alla 8 Ore di Suzuka anche il prossimo anno!".  A Nakasuga mancava la vittoria alla 8 Ore di Suzuka ed il commento a caldo di Katsuyuki spiega quello che ha provato: "&Egrave; stato un lungo cammino. Arrivare qui non &egrave; stato affatto facile. Sono emozionato. Pol e Bradley erano super competitivi. Eccezionali. E poi... La vista dalla cima del podio. Fantastico!".  Interessante il commento di Pol Espargar&oacute;, che ha spiegato cosa ha provato a correre in un ambiente completamente diverso rispetto a quello (la MotoGP) in cui lavora. "Non avevo mai avuto occasione di correre qui, dove tante leggende hanno vinto. Sono sempre stato nel mondiale prototipi, da quando avevo 15 anni. Stessa squadra, stesse piste, stesse persone. Questa &egrave; stata una buona occasione per provare qualcosa di diverso, insieme a degli ottimi compagni di squadra; Nakasuga-san da un lato e Bradly dall'altra. Vincere la 8 Ore di Suzuka &egrave; semplicemente fantastico".  Questa vittoria &egrave; arrivata nell'anno si celebrano i 60 anni della Yamaha. Non poteva esserci regalo migliore. Grazie al Team FCCTSR la Honda sale sul secondo gradino del podio. Terza (per il terzo anno di fila) al squadra Kagayama con la Suzuki GSX-R 1000.  Akira NIshimura

Dopo la pole position, la vittoria. Non accadeva dal 1996. I commenti di Pol Espargar&oacute;, Katsuyuki Nakasuga e Bradley Smith

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