Experience the 8 Hours ｜ Want to Know! Want to Go! Suzuka 8 Hours!

EXPERIENCE

Experience the 8-hour Endurance Race

Experience the 8-Hour Endurance Race!
Behind the Race&Inside the Race Pit
Want to Take a Look!

AMBASSADOR

8-Hour Endurance Young Ambassador

Taisei
Ichika
Leon
Minori

TEAM FRONTIER Director. After retiring as a former World Championship Rider, he has been active as a TV broadcast commentator and motorcycle racing program commentator.

Director Noboru Ueda (NOBBY)
Professional racer, active mainly in the All Japan Road Race Championship (MFJ).
First participated in the Suzuka 8 Hours in 2018.

Driver Sosuke Mihara
A motorcycle enthusiast who watched the full Suzuka 8 Hours last year as well.
This time, I participated as a guide at Suzuka Circuit.

Koharu Kuroe
Insider of Suzuka Circuit
Suzuka 8 Hours Event Producer

SUZUKA CIRCUIT
Mr. Yoshioka

Racing is all about the amazing people who ride motorcycles, right?
The four ambassadors, who had that impression, entered the pit area, which is usually off-limits.
Behind the scenes of the race, what did you see and what did you feel?

EXPERIENCE 01

Behind the Race, Feel the Pit Heat

The guides were Director Ueda of TEAM FRONTIER and Rider Sosuke Mihara.
The "8 Hours Tryout" held on this day was a serious one-shot battle for the right to participate in the Suzuka 8 Hours.
TEAM FRONTIER successfully passed in 5th place and has decided to participate in the 8-hour endurance race again this year.
The pit area immediately after the race is still buzzing with excitement. It is truly the "base of battle."
This is the motorcycle maintenance area, where during the race, all tasks such as tire changes, Rider changes, and refueling are performed in seconds.
"Tire changes about every hour," "Refueling work completed in just 7 seconds," "The eyes of the team manager requiring decisions by the second"
――And here, the preparations and decisions to support machines running at approximately 300 km/h are accumulated.
There were many such "invisible battles" behind the scenes of the race.

In the 8-hour race, tire changes, Rider swaps, and refueling are performed as a set approximately every hour. Both front and rear tires also need to be replaced about every hour. To complete these tasks in just a few seconds, the machines themselves are equipped with features optimized for pit work. Thanks to specialized tools and design, what unfolds each time the machine returns to the pit is truly an "all-out battle measured in seconds."

An unmissable part of pit work is "refueling." 24 liters of fuel are rapidly poured into the bike from a special large tank.
Supporters, assistants, and operators. Three people working together, giving their all in just 7 to 8 seconds. This hard and delicate task, more challenging than it looks, is truly a momentary team effort.

The "Camelbak" worn inside the racing suit. It is a "backpack water bottle" that allows you to drink water while running, with a hose that extends inside the helmet. Considering the harshness of running in that suit in the middle of summer, it is an indispensable piece of equipment.
Inside the pit where the four people stepped in for the first time, it was filled with countless ingenious ideas to fight the midsummer 8-hour race.

EXPERIENCE 02

Finally mounting the dream machine

The motorcycle that actually raced on the track.
The chance to ride the "real thing" has come to the first four people.
Just watching it up close was already impressive, but when I actually sat on it,
the narrow field of vision, the stiff posture, the feel of the seat... everything was beyond my expectations.
It was an experience that conveyed the greatness of running through the whole body.

Director Noboru Ueda（NOBBY）: Racing isn’t just about being fast. Temperature, tire wear, opponents’ moves…
You have to “feel” and judge everything. The bike runs, but it’s human senses and strategy that decide the outcome.

There is something I realized for the first time when I sat on a motorcycle.
Just maintaining that posture is tougher than you can imagine.
The field of view is narrower than expected, the steps are high, and the seat is hard.
Just by "riding," you can already feel your senses sharpened.
◈ But that is precisely why the Rider's running form is so convincing.
The sound of cutting through the wind, the sensation of tires slipping, and the unity with the motorcycle.
Grasping them solely with your own senses,
and taking on an 8-hour race――.
I could feel a little of its greatness through my body.

EXPERIENCE 03

Not just watching.
"Piercing Sound" Race Watching

The moment a motorcycle speeds right in front of you, the air trembles. The engine sound is not just "noise"; it’s more like a "shock." When watching up close, you can’t hear the voice of the person next to you at all. It’s not just your ears—your whole body shakes from the roaring sound, and you can’t help but hold your breath. This is a real race. Maybe this is what it means not just to "watch" but to "immerse yourself in" it.

How was your experience
at the race venue?

Taisei

I used to think that only the Rider stood out in races, but I realized that the whole team fights together. The passion they put into every single second is incredible, and even refueling involves strategy... I became really interested in those behind-the-scenes aspects.

Minori

Although only one person is running, I was deeply moved to hear that many people are involved and supporting that person. Even with something as simple as changing tires, everyone works together to do it as quickly and safely as possible.

Leon

They are incredibly particular about even the smallest details, and I realized this is a world where everyone has to be fully committed. I felt what it means to carry the hopes of many people and fight, and it made me want to learn more about the 8-hour endurance race—I even feel like going to watch it tomorrow!

Ichika

Tire changes, maintenance, managing the Rider's condition... I realized that the race is something created by the entire team. The preparations and strategies before running are filled with the passion of so many people, and I truly felt that the 8-hour endurance race is a "race where everyone fights together."

Next, plan your own way to enjoy the 8 Hours more deeply!
Watching the race, gourmet food, supporting your favorites... With the theme "It would be great if this existed,"
our ambassadors are fully imagining the 8-hour endurance race!
How would you enjoy it?