Honda Rider Dominates Endurance Race Amidst Pit Lane Mayhem

Challenging conditions test teams as lead extends

A grueling endurance race saw **Takahashi** extend a significant lead for the leading Honda squad, even as rivals faltered due to crashes and mechanical issues. The field experienced intense pit lane activity as teams managed rider changes and repairs.

Lead Extends as Rivals Suffer Setbacks

On lap 61, **O’Halloran**’s race took a turn when he crashed in the chicane, forcing him to pit and dropping him from contention for the lead. Compounding the drama, **Arakawa** of Astemo Pro Honda SI Racing also pitted due to unspecified trouble, marking a difficult period for the front-runners.

Strategic Pacing and Rider Transfers

As track temperatures climbed, **Takahashi** and **Miller** maintained a consistent pace, lapping in the 2’07 range and gradually widening their gap. By lap 70, **Takahashi** had established a commanding 13.000-second lead over **Miller**. Rider changes became frequent, with **Nagoe** pitting on lap 73 to hand over to **Kunii**. Unfortunately, both F.C.C. TSR Honda France and Astemo Pro Honda SI Racing were unable to continue after extended pit stops.

Zarco Takes the Helm, Extends Dominance

By lap 77, **Takahashi** had increased his advantage to 14.180 seconds over **Miller**, who then pitted to transfer the bike to **Katsuyuki Nakasuga**. **Takahashi** himself pitted on lap 82, passing the reins to **Zarco**. **Zarco** rejoined the race still in the lead and rapidly extended the gap, boasting a 30.360-second advantage over **Nakasuga** by lap 85. **Kunii** held third, with **Marcel Schrötter** of SDG-DUCATI Team KAGAYAMA crashing and requiring an emergency pit stop.

In the midst of this, **Satoru Iwata** of Team ATJ with docomo business was running fifth, and **Kazuki Ito** of Honda DREAM RT Sakurai Honda sat in seventh. **Zarco** continued to push, maintaining his 2’07 pace while **Nakasuga** lapped in the 2’08 range, steadily increasing the lead. **Kunii** kept a steady rhythm in third before handing over to **Abe** on lap 98.

Four-Hour Mark Sees Honda Reign Supreme

After 100 laps, **Zarco** maintained a significant 42.138-second lead over **Nakasuga**. **Iwata** had moved into third, with **Abe** fifth and **Ito** sixth. Pit activity continued, with Team ATJ with docomo business swapping **Iwata** for **Kunimine**, and YAMAHA RACING TEAM replacing **Nakasuga** with **Andrea Locatelli**. **Zarco** continued his strong performance, lapping between 2’07 and 2’08.

The race saw further incidents as **Hiura**, running in seventh on lap 107, crashed in the chicane. **Zarco** completed 110 laps, handing the bike back to **Takahashi** precisely at the 4-hour mark. At this point, the top three teams were Honda HRC, YAMAHA RACING TEAM, and SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda. Among other Honda teams, Team ATJ with docomo business was fifth, and Honda Asia-Dream Racing with Astemo held seventh.

The endurance racing season is known for its unpredictable nature; for example, the 24 Hours of Le Mans Moto has seen dramatic shifts in fortune, with one team losing victory due to a late-race technical issue in 2023 (Motorsport.com).