Zarco helps Honda win Suzuka 8 Hours during his vacation

Johann Zarco gave up MotoGP’s summer break to race – and win – the Suzuka 8 Hours for Honda, after the team failed to sort out the paperwork for Xavi Vierge, leaving the Frenchman and Takumi Takahashi as a duo in a race designed for trios.

It is a good thing Zarco enjoys riding motorcycles like a kid, after the effort the Nice-born rider has made in recent weeks, flying from the Czech Republic GP in Brno, to go straight to Suzuka.

There, he was supposed to team up with Takahashi and Vierge — himself a last-minute substitute for Iker Lecuona, who was injured during a World Superbike event at Balaton Park in Hungary.

However, after traveling to Japan, Honda was unable to get Vierge’s visa approved in time. Despite taking part in the test sessions, the Catalan rider was ultimately unable to compete. His frustration was twofold: on a personal level, and also for leaving Zarco and Takahashi to face the endurance race alone in Suzuka’s stinking hot conditions in the summer.

Despite all of this, Honda’s duo delivered the brand its fourth consecutive victory, the seventh in Takahashi’s record of wins and the second for Zarco.

The win was a clear show of the two-time Moto2 world champion’s commitment to the Tokyo-based manufacturer, with whom he already has a MotoGP contract extension in place, awaiting official confirmation.

Despite the disadvantage of being only two riders in a race designed for three – especially considering the limited recovery time – Honda’s victory was never really in doubt. Only the appearance of the safety car near the end added a bit of spice to the final stretch, despite a late threat from Yamaha, with Jack Miller among the line-up for the Iwata-based manufacturer.

“It’s always nice when you can control the lead, but doing it with just two riders makes everything much more difficult,” admitted Zarco, visibly exhausted, with rest and cool-down times – in a pool – of just 40 minutes between stints. “It’s been really hot, you sweat a lot and get really tired, and there’s very little time to recover. It’s tough when you have to get back on the bike.”

The LCR rider will return to action in two weeks for the Austrian GP – the first round after what’s been a very short summer for him.

Despite the heavy workload, Zarco made it clear he intends to return for next year’s Suzuka 8 Hours: “Hopefully next time there will be three of us. I love this race, we have one of the best bikes, and it’s a pleasure to ride it. I like that this is my kind of vacation.”