Dunlop tires go the distance in extreme Suzuka 8 Hours conditions

Suzuka, Japan – WEBWIRE – Monday, August 4, 2025

Dunlop tires delivered under pressure as the 2025 Suzuka 8 Hours lived up to its reputation as one of the most demanding races on the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) calendar. Riders and teams faced extreme conditions with track temperatures exceeding 65 degrees and humidity levels over 90%.

From the opening laps, riders and teams were not only fighting for position, but also learning how to extract maximum performance from their tires. In the end, they relied on the proven performance of Dunlops KR range, while carefully managing machine performance and physical stamina in unforgiving conditions.

Despite the challenge, Dunlops KR149F/KR151F front tires and the KR133 rear tires once again proved their capability. Teams benefitted from consistent grip, fast warm-up times and strong reliability, which was instrumental in helping Superstock Trophy and Formula EWC teams equipped with Dunlop maintain pace throughout the event.

Competitive Superstock Trophy battle in Suzuka heat

Hikari Okubo, Kazuki Watanabe and Motoharu Ito led the Dunlop-equipped #25 Team toile BMW to victory in the Superstock Trophy class at Suzuka, overcoming the intense heat and humidity to secure a win in front of their home crowd. They started the weekend strongly, securing pole position in the Superstock Trophy class on Friday, lining up ahead of the #41 Kaedear-Dafy-Rac41-Honda and the #44 No Limits Honda, starting P20, P21 and P25 respectively in the overall classification.

The #49 Revo-M2 Aprilia made early progress, showing podium potential from the opening laps and joining the lead battle alongside the #44 and #41 Hondas, along with the #49 Aprilia. A delayed pitstop dropped the #25 Team toile BMW to fifth, but the fast warm-up time of the KR range allowed them to retake the lead before the next round of pitstops.

The race took another turn when championship leader #55 National Motos Honda retired after a crash nearly two hours in, followed by a fuel-related issue for the #44 Honda No Limits and a crash for the #41 Honda team, opening the door for the #64 Kawasaki Plaza Racing Team and #93 TONE Team 4413 EVA 02 BMW to challenge for the podium. Nevertheless, the Japanese team climbed back to the top of the podium before the end of the eight-hour race, finishing P17 overall. The #93 BMW and the #49 Aprilia completed the podium.

Strong climb for Dunlops Formula EWC entries

The KR149F/KR151F front tires, combined with the newly introduced S-SLK rear profile, delivered the responsive feel and stable performance the Dunlop-equipped Formula EWC teams needed for consistent lap times throughout the race. This allowed riders to fully focus on their strategy and execution while maintaining strong late-race pace, ultimately helping European full time entrants #99 Elf Marc VDS Racing Team / KM99 Yamaha and #6 ERC Endurance BMW finish P9 and P11 respectively.

The #99 Elf Marc VDS Racing Team / KM99 Yamaha was the top qualifier on Friday, lining up just ahead of the #6 ERC Endurance BMW in P18 and P19 overall. The two teams maintained their early positions, which was already a strong showing given the unrelenting heat and demands placed on tires, riders and machines.

By the two-hour mark, both Dunlop-equipped Formula EWC entries had steadily worked their way up the field to P12 and P14. At the halfway point, both the Belgian #99 team and the German #6 teams climbed up to the top ten by the four-hour mark and remained close to it for the remainder of the race. The other full-season Formula EWC entry equipped with Dunlop tires, #65 Motobox Kremer Racing Yamaha, finished P23 after starting the race in P41, climbing a good amount of positions throughout the race.

In the end, Dunlop fitted over 1000 tires and deployed a combined team of 25 engineers, fitters and support staff from both Europe and Japan. This international collaboration brought together Dunlops technical expertise, local knowledge and proven products to ensure seamless support for European teams traveling to Suzuka as well as Asia-based entrants.

Wim Van Achter, Motorsport Manager, Dunlop Motorcycle Europe commented: Congratulations to all the Superstock Trophy podium finishers and our Dunlop-equipped Formula EWC teams. Suzuka is always a demanding race, physically, mentally and technically, but this years extreme heat and humidity made it even more challenging. Were happy with how our KR compound performed in those conditions, demonstrating its durability and giving riders in both classes the confidence to push until the very end. Now we look ahead to the final race of the season, whichll once again provide plenty of racing action.

The 2025 FIM EWC season will finish at Circuit Paul Ricard in France with the Bol dOr weekend taking place over the weekend of September 18th to 21st.

About Dunlop

Dunlop Europe is one of the world\s leading manufacturers of motorcycle tyres with an impressive track record of motorsport successes. Dunlop Europe is a technical partner of leading Endurance World Championship teams, and the most successful tyre brand in the history of the Isle of Man TT. Off-road, Dunlop is the choice of MXGP race winners and champions.

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