In 2024, Johann Zarco made his debut in the legendary Suzuka 8 Hours – one of the most prestigious endurance races in the world – and the result could not have been better.
The Frenchman, teaming up with Takumi Takahashi and Teppei Nagoe for Honda Team HRC, secured victory. He became the first rider from his country to win the event since Dominique Sarron in 1989 and the first active MotoGP rider to do so since Pol Espargaró in 2016.
This triumph was a bright spot in a challenging year for Honda, both in MotoGP and the World Superbike Championship. But will Zarco return to Suzuka in the future?
At the Honda Racing Season Finale, the rider expressed openness to the idea, saying: ‘The 8 Hours was a good experience. We’ll see if we can do it for 2025, and we will try to organize it, because it’s a nice place to race’.