For the 42nd 8-hour race in Suzuka, Honda decides to form a special works team. The Red Bull Honda will drive the CBR1000RRW.
The FIM World Endurance Championship is over. The 8-hour race in Suzuka takes place at the end of July. This legendary endurance race was dominated by Yamaha and its factory team. But this year Honda wants to take home the win on its own track.
To get the win, Honda will be racing with many teams. Some, like the FCC TSR Honda or the Honda Endurance Racing Team, are regulars of the championship. But for this special event, Honda will introduce a special team called Red Bull Honda.
Honda Racing Corporation will be responsible for team management. This is the same structure as the All Japan Road Race Championship in the JSB1000 class.
The Red Bull Honda factory team will have three drivers: Takumi Takahashi – driver for JSB1000 -, Ryuichi Kiyonari – driver for Moriwaki Althea Honda at WSBK. The latest addition to the team is Stefan Bradl, HRC MotoGP test rider.
The bike they will be riding is a special version of the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2. Honda Racing Corporation designed the CBR1000RRW specifically for the Suzuka 8-hour race. With such experienced drivers, the team believes they can fight for victory.