Team SUZUKI CN CHALLENGE (CN CHALLENGE) fought through a rain-soaked and unpredictable Suzuka Circuit to secure a new team-best seventh place at the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship “Coca-Cola” Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race, the 47th edition of the event.

Held roughly a month earlier than usual this year, ahead of the end of Japan’s rainy season, the race unfolded under persistently unstable weather that tested every team on the grid. Although the rain had eased by the 11:30 a.m. start, the track remained wet, with standing water noticeably reduced from the previous day. Takuya Tsuda took the opening stint aboard the GSX-R1000R.

At the green light, all 50 machines charged into Turn 1, with positions shuffling throughout the opening lap. Tsuda crossed the control line in 13th place.

Trouble struck just 30 minutes into the race, when a crash at 130R, triggered by oil spilled onto the racing line, brought out the first Safety Car. As the field bunched up, CN CHALLENGE, running 10th at the time, saw the gap to the leaders close and the race effectively reset. Clearing the spilled oil took more than 30 minutes, during which rain began to fall again, setting up a tricky restart.

Just past the 1 hour 10 minute mark, Tsuda made the team’s first pit stop and handed over to Ryo Mizuno. Running on 100% sustainable fuel, CN CHALLENGE currently faces a fuel-consumption disadvantage compared with other teams, requiring earlier pit stops. However, the Safety Car period allowed the team to extend its opening stint.

Shortly afterward, a second incident at the S Curves brought out another Safety Car. This time, the timing did not favor CN CHALLENGE, with the Safety Car entering the track directly ahead of the team and opening a significant gap to the machines in front. It came at an unfortunate moment for Mizuno, who had been riding strongly and had already set the team’s best lap to that point.

Once racing resumed, Mizuno responded with an impressive charge, running at a pace faster than the leading group and rapidly reducing the gap ahead. Having closed in on the riders in front, he pitted around 2 hours and 40 minutes into the race. Rather than handing over to Étienne Masson as expected, the team opted to keep Mizuno on the bike for a double stint after refueling and changing tires.

Mizuno rewarded that decision with a strong and consistent pace. By the 3 hour 10 minute mark, CN CHALLENGE had moved up to sixth place. Despite the physical demands of a double stint, Mizuno continued to post lap times comparable to the front-runners while steadily closing the gap ahead.

At 3:17 p.m., CN CHALLENGE returned to the pits, with Mizuno handing the GSX-R1000R to Masson. At the halfway point of the race, after four hours, positions continued to fluctuate due to pit stop timing, but CN CHALLENGE was running seventh.

As the five-hour mark approached, the team completed its fourth pit stop, with Tsuda taking over from Masson. With the rain temporarily easing, the riders had to manage changing track conditions and tire performance carefully, while the race settled into a steady rhythm without major incident.

With around two hours remaining, Mizuno relieved Tsuda once more before handing the bike back to Masson for the final stint with about one hour to go. Around the same time, rain began to fall again. As darkness drew in, the rain intensified, and with roughly 30 minutes remaining, a crash at the Reverse Bank brought out the third Safety Car of the race.

The Safety Car remained on track as the final minutes ticked away. With the rain showing no sign of easing, the eight-hour mark arrived while the field was still under caution, and the checkered flag was shown to all competitors.

CN CHALLENGE finished seventh overall, surpassing the team’s previous best result at the Suzuka 8 Hours. Although the podium finish the team had targeted ultimately remained out of reach, the result provided clear proof of the team’s progress and the outstanding teamwork of everyone involved. It was a performance that confirmed the value and potential of the challenge.

This year’s Suzuka 8 Hours was a week completely at the mercy of the weather. Even so, we were able to finish the race thanks to the passionate support of our fans and the cooperation of everyone involved. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to them all. To be honest, we had aimed higher, but all three riders did an outstanding job, and the team members fully demonstrated the results of all the preparation they had put in. In that sense, I am satisfied with what we achieved. The teams that finished ahead of us are all among the strongest in the FIM Endurance World Championship. I believe we proved that a machine equipped with sustainable items can genuinely compete on the world stage. This time, we also introduced a newly developed engine. The fact that we were able to finish the race without any major trouble throughout race week demonstrated both its potential and its durability. At the same time, we were reminded just how much work remains before we can challenge the leading group head-on. We will carefully analyze the data from this race and continue our challenge of achieving both environmental performance and riding performance at a high level. We sincerely appreciate your continued support.

Right from the start, there was oil on the track in several places. I nearly crashed several times, but I focused on holding on and bringing the bike back safely for the next rider. Honestly, it was the scariest stint of my entire Suzuka 8 Hours career. My second stint was not easy either. It took a while to find my rhythm, so there is still some frustration there. There were many things in today’s race that I had never really experienced before, but I want to take them positively as valuable experience. If you look only at the result, seventh place may not seem all that good. But when you look at the teams ahead of us, Yoshimura finished just one position ahead in sixth, and I think that shows the level we were competing against. We brought out everything we had as a team without making mistakes, so I accept the result, and we also learned a lot that will help us aim even higher. Thanks to the support of so many people, we were able to finish the race safely. Thank you very much. I will continue to give my best in the second half of the All Japan season, so please keep supporting us.

Not long after I took over from Tsuda-san, the Safety Car came out. Once it was withdrawn, I was able to ride at quite a high pace while still reading the conditions. Then I saw a signal on the pit board asking whether I could do a double stint. I felt physically capable, so I decided to continue. I am glad I was able to maintain my pace there as well. If you look only at seventh place, of course there is some frustration. But we gave everything we had without making mistakes, so right now I feel a strong sense of fulfillment. This race marks a farewell to this team for now, and it really made me realize how much the atmosphere, the companies involved and the people supporting you can differ depending on the manufacturer. From the very beginning, Suzuki felt warm and welcoming, and I think that atmosphere helped me find extra pace today. I am truly glad I had the opportunity to race with this team. Thank you very much for all the support and encouragement.

It was not an easy race. I am relieved that we managed to make it to the finish in such difficult conditions. My teammates rode brilliantly, which really helped, but I also had to push just as hard, so it was a very tough race. Still, the teamwork was excellent, and the pit stops were very quick. The track conditions during the final stint were really dangerous. There was wheelspin everywhere, so I think Race Direction made the right decision. Conditions aside, though, the bike worked really well. I could really feel how much the bike has improved, and I think that’s something we can take as a real positive. Next I will return to Yoshimura for the final round, and I want to carry this experience forward as we push for the championship.