My name is Satsuki Nakagami and I will be doing a report on the Suzuka 8hours road race!
This is the first time I've covered a road race, and I don't know much about bikes, but I want to describe in my words the atmosphere at the track and the feelings of the staff involved in the event of the riders.

This time I'm giving you a preview of my report. Everything is new to me too, so let's find out more together about the race and the teams. At the end there's a reverse interview with me, and that clip is on here too. Please take a look.

So, I'll be honest.
The first time I heard about this job, I thought "8 hours? What's that?" That was my initial reaction. I know, I know, I should have done my homework.

Anyway, when I looked into it, I found out that it's a race where 2 or 3 riders in turn ride one bike for 8 hours. And this road race has been held for 30 years.

I haven't been to the circuit yet, so I have to use my imagination, but I'm wondering how much somebody like myself, who knows nothing about bikes, will be able to coax out of the riders. I think that's going to be the challenge, isn't it?
And it's a sort of "midsummer festival", so lots and lots of people, lots and lots of sun and a long, long battle on the track! And fireworks! I'm getting a little bit excited now just thinking about it.

【Suzuka 8hours Endurance Road Race】
This event, which has a tradition of more than 30 years stretching back to 1978, is one of the races of the FIM Road Racing Endurance World Championship.

Riders come from all over the world to compete in the famously demanding Suzuka 8hours. It is also one of those high-profile races that riders from around the globe long to be able to say they won, and participants include contestants even from MotoGP, the pinnacle of global bike racing.
During the race, many of the sponsors will be running booths at the circuit for customers to enjoy and this "midsummer festival" is unusual in that it also has night racing, together with a fabulous fireworks display after the race ends. As a kind of summer institution, the race is very popular and is one of the foremost motor sports events in Japan in terms of attracting customers.

In essence, the race is a competition to complete the most laps of the Suzuka track in 8 hours, with the record being 219 circuits. As one lap is 5.8km, the distance ridden in 8 hours is more than 1,200km. In recent years the average speed at the Suzuka 8hours has been over 150km/h, with peak speeds of about 300km/h—a true high-speed battle.

Starts at 11:30 and finishes at 19:30 (Photo is of 2014 event). Each machine is piloted by 2 or 3 riders who race in shifts at a circuit where ambient temperatures are over 30°C and track temperatures can reach 60°C. The maximum period that a single rider can race continuously is limited to 3 hours, but in practice many teams stick to 1 hour per rider. The key to victory is not just rider technique but the teamwork with the pit crew and other support staff, as the bike comes in off the circuit to change riders, tires need to be replaced and fuel needs to be refilled.
Teams are actually made up of a large number of people including the riders, the team director, the mechanics who look after the machines and other support staff.

【Teams using Bridgestone tires have set an unbroken record for the most number of victories!】
The Suzuka 8hours was first held in 1978. Bridgestone first participated in the Suzuka 8hours as a tire manufacturer in the 10th year of the competition in 1987.

The company built steadily on its achievements and in its twentieth year of participation, in 2006, Bridgestone recorded its first victory. Since then, up to 2014, teams using Bridgestone tires have won for 9 consecutive years. This year Bridgestone is aiming for a landmark 10th consecutive win as it continues its support—from the wheels on up—for each of the teams that use its tires.
Bridgestone will have its own booth at Suzuka during the race, offering information on the technology and the appeal of tires as well as security and safety. In addition, it will hold talk shows and other events featuring guest appearances by riders and mechanics.

And I will be introducing the team on which I will be reporting! (Although I haven't met them yet.) "team R1 & YAMALUBE" is a private Yamaha Motor team. Isn't it great? I'm going to be covering a team of a company that everybody knows!
According to the materials I have here the riders are Makoto Tokinaga, racing here for the first time in 12 years, and European rider Jeffry de Vries. And of course former All Japan Champion Norihiko Fujiwara!

I'm really nervous, but I want to do a good job for the people who came for the race, and for the fans who've come to support the riders as they push themselves to the limit, so I too am going to try my hardest as well.

Next time I will be reporting from the practice sessions.
It will be the first time for me to attend a bike race or see a circuit, but I will do my best. I think you'll enjoy it!