COCA-COLA SUZUKA 8 HOURS 2025

The World Endurance Championship arrives in Japan for the third round of the 2025 season, at the iconic Suzuka circuit: a 5.5 km long track with 21 turns, which, amidst scorching heat, humidity, and a winding course, never allows a moment's respite. The 2025 edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours is considered "the race of races": the most prestigious motorcycle racing event in the world for Japanese and international competitions. Underlining its importance, the event's main sponsor is Coca-Cola.

Kevin Manfredi arrived in Japan immediately after the Italian Championship weekend, without even having time to recover from jet lag: he was already on track on Wednesday for the first free practice sessions, which concluded with these results in Superstock: P1 – P2 – P4 – P1. At Suzuka, it's rare to see European riders faster than their Japanese counterparts, but every now and then it happens, as in the case of Zarco, Locatelli, and, this year, Kevin. In qualifying, he clocked an incredible 2:07.6, a record time for the Stock class, which earned Team Kaedear – Rac41 second place on the grid. Only Kevin and Hikari Okubo managed to dip under 2:08, a performance that surprised the Japanese technicians and riders, as well as Zarco himself, with whom Kevin exchanged compliments.

Kevin: “After the pre-tests at Suzuka, I felt in great shape: the feeling with the CBR that arrived directly from Honda Japan was excellent. In free practice, I worked more on race pace than on lap time, trying to adapt my style to struggle as little as possible in the race. The track here is long and twisty, and fuel consumption is very low compared to European tracks: the stints were about 30 laps long, and in the heat and humidity, they become endless. In qualifying 2, the team gave me a qualifying tire: I exploited it beyond my expectations. On the first flying lap, I immediately set an excellent time, while on the second everything was perfect: lines, speed, slipstreams, and the result surprised even the team. In the race, we started strong, fighting for first place for the first three hours, and then pulled away from our pursuers. Unfortunately, in the fourth hour, a mistake by my teammate caused us to slip past tenth place. In my subsequent stints, I maintained a winning pace and, thanks to the work of the entire team, we finished 10th. Fifth. The podium here is a dream I'll have to postpone: I'm disappointed because opportunities like this don't come around often, but I want to stay positive. The points we earned brought us back to second place after the retirement in Belgium, closing the gap to the championship leader. I'm very satisfied with my performance: I feel in great shape and ready for the final battle.”

And indeed, “the final battle” is set for September 20-21 at the Paul Ricard circuit in France, with the 24 Hours of Bol d'Or, the final round that will decide the 2025 Superstock world title.

Kevin thanks all the sponsors and technical partners for their support in the 2025 season.