Seven of the top ASB1000 riders have been confirmed for the 2019 edition of the iconic Suzuka 8 Hours.
Championship leader Broc Parkes will reunite with the formidable YART-Yamaha team along with Marvin Fritz and Niccolo Canepa.
Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman, now second overall in the ASB1000 rankings, will also feature in this year’s edition. This time, Azlan will race astride the Suzuki GSX-R1000. Azlan has been roped in to join Takuya Tsuda and Gregory LeBlanc in team TK Suzuki Blue Max.
Another Malaysian, Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi, will be making his fourth consecutive Suzuka 8 Hour appearance. Competing under Honda Asia Dream Racing with Showa colours, Zaqhwan will helm a 3-man line-up alongside Indonesian Andi Farid Izdihar and Japanese rider Teppei Nagoe.
Thai duo, Ratthapong Wilairot and Apiwat Wongthananon will join Suzuka expert Shinichi Nakatomi in team RCKoshen Yamaha Asian Endurance. They will be competing in the stock (SST) class. This will be a first Suzuka 8 Hour ride for Apiwat Wongthananon. It will be Ratthapong’s third, having in the past, done two stints with the Honda Team Asia.
Indonesian top gun, Ahmad Yudhistira, will also be taking part in the SST class. He will join former ARRC riders Makoto Inagaki and Soichiro Minamimoto in the Akeno Speed outfit.