On May 12th and 13th, the official test for the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) "Coca-Cola" Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race (Round 3 of the FIM EWC) was held at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture. Following last year's collaboration, Kaedear Racing Team Yokohama once again partnered with the prestigious French team "RAC41" to compete in the SST class under the team name "Dafy-Kaedear-Rac41-Honda." We participated in the official test in Group B. As this year's Suzuka 8 Hours is being held about a month earlier than usual, this was the only official test conducted beforehand. Thanks to it being early May, we were blessed with perfect, mild conditions in terms of both air and track temperature.
The first day followed a schedule of three sessions for each group, starting with Group A at 9:30 AM, followed by a joint A/B night session. This time, RAC41 Team Manager Julien returned for the first time in a year, and Dafy-Kaedear-Rac41-Honda regular rider Diego made his first-ever visit to Japan. Because Diego is competing full-time in the French Championship, he arrived on a very tight schedule, marking his first face-to-face meeting with the members of Kaedear Racing Team Yokohama. Despite it being his first time riding both the machine and Suzuka Circuit, he demonstrated remarkable adaptability and continued to improve his lap times. Meanwhile, Takeshi Ishizuka had a difficult start; shortly after the first session began, he experienced trouble with the control system and shifter, preventing him from completing consistent laps. Although the mechanical issues on Ishizuka's side were resolved for the second session, Diego then took a fall at the 130R high-speed corner. Fortunately, he was not seriously injured and the bike damage was minimal, but it made for a tough first day that didn't go according to our planned schedule.
On the second day, the A and B group running orders were swapped, with each group having two long sessions of 80 and 90 minutes respectively. Although we couldn't complete all our planned test items due to a series of red flags caused by other teams' crashes, both of our bikes remained upright throughout the day. Ishizuka set a new personal best in the 2:07 range, and we successfully completed time attacks and fuel economy tests, making for a productive day. In the first session of the second day (Session 5) especially, thanks to good track conditions, we clocked a team-best time of "2:07.902." Having completely shaken off the troubles of the first day, we showcased the high potential to join the lead battle again this year. Across all sessions over the two days, we concluded the official test in 26th place overall out of 79 entries, and 2nd in the SST class.
Through this test, we were able to solidify the bike's base setup, and the newly introduced parts functioned as expected. Our adjustments to the new track surface and tires went well, and things are coming together in a very positive direction overall. The actual Suzuka 8 Hours race will be held from Friday, July 3rd to Sunday, July 5th. This year marks our second season as a team, and Suzuka will be our stage for redemption. The fact that we proved we can compete on equal footing with the top teams in this test has further boosted our morale. We will spend the remaining month and a half before the main event preparing as much as possible, so please continue to support us!
■ Comments from Team Manager Julien ■
For me, this test was truly excellent. I am very satisfied with the work we did on the bike, and Kaedear Racing Team Yokohama is a truly professional and high-performing group. Our partnership is simply the best, and I want to express my sincere praise for the work done so far. Takeshi (Ishizuka) always shows great speed at Suzuka, and Diego, despite the severe fatigue from his long journey, mastered the course in no time at all. I can't wait for the actual race. We are currently preparing for the Spa 8 Hours (held before Suzuka). I have tremendous faith in our riders and our bike, and I look forward to achieving great results at Spa as well.
■ Comments from Takeshi Ishizuka ■
The two-day 8 Hours test went well, and we were able to reaffirm that we have the strength to compete. It's been a year since the members of Kaedear Racing Team Yokohama gathered, and I am happy to work with such an easy-going and comfortable group, which really boosts my motivation. The bike is well-prepared, and our pace is good. Diego, who was riding at Suzuka for the first time, mastered the course quickly, which I think created a good flow heading into the race. First, we will secure a solid result at the next race in Spa before taking on Suzuka in July!
■ Comments from Diego Poncet ■
This test was very positive, and I am personally very satisfied! Thanks to the great work done by everyone at Kaedear Racing Team Yokohama to get the bike in top shape, we were able to run in the best possible conditions. I am really looking forward to the actual race to see what we can achieve. But before that, we have to bring back a good result from Spa (the 8 Hours endurance race)!😉
