Pol Espargaro dan Bradley Smith diSuzuka 8 Hours

Balapan ketahanan pembalap beserta motor 8 jam akan dimulai tanggal 23 -26 Juli disirkuit legendaris Suzuka Jepang. Yang lebih membuat segar adalah kehadiran para pembalap tim Tech 3 Yamaha yaitu Pol Espargaro dan team matenya Bratley Smith.

Dibawah bendera Yamaha Factory Racing Team mereka berdua akan satu tim dengan katsuyuki Nakasuga yang juga pernah podium pada GP valencia 2012 saat menggantikan posisi Ben Spies yang cedera.

Perlu diingat bahwa dalam ajang ini juga pembalap asal negeri Kanguru Casey Stoner juga turut ambil bagian dibawah bendera MuSASHi RT HARC PRO bersama Michael Van Der Mark (Rookie Superbike 2015) dan Takumi Takahashi.

Bradley Smith: "Firstly, I want to give Yamaha a massive thank you for considering me to be part of their Suzuka 8hours team, which is a legendary event. I'm looking forward to trying a new form of motorcycle racing and even more so along with my MotoGP™ teammate Pol and Katsuyuki Nakasuga, who has a strong record at this special race. I think it will be an unforgettable event and it will add another chapter to my life with Yamaha. I'm also very excited to try the new Yamaha YZF-R1, which I have heard a lot about and it will be really great to finally get the opportunity to ride it. Of course, I will take this event very seriously as we are going to be part of the official Factory Team effort, so I will head to Japan with the full intention of getting a high scoring result for Yamaha."

Pol Espargaró: "I am really happy that Yamaha has chosen me to represent them at one of the most famous motorsport events, the Suzuka 8hours race. I feel honored to take part in it, but there will be a lot to learn. I am under no illusion that it will be easy as I have never raced in an endurance event before and I don't know the YZF-R1, even though a lot of people speak very highly about it. In addition, the MotoGP™ calendar is very demanding and we will have to work through the training for the event, in between the races. Therefore, we need to work as much as possible in order to be prepared for the race, but I'm very excited to get this opportunity. Moreover, it will be nice to work with Bradley as a partner where we will fight together, instead of against each other. I think we will complement each other very well and have a great time. The only thing is that neither of us know the Suzuka track, so I hope Nakasuga-san can help us with everything, which includes the circuit, the bike and the correct strategies that we need to have a successful eight hour race. It will be special and we will do our best to reward the faith that Yamaha has put in us."