2026 FIM EWC Round 3 — Suzuka 8 Hours | Qualifying Report (2–3 July) · SST Class Pole, Two Years Running
Team Étoile took SST-class pole for the second year running. Kaito Toba set the class-fastest 2:06.117 in Q1 and Hikari Okubo a 2:06.302 in Q2 — a grid-deciding two-rider average of 2:06.210, 0.9s clear of second, with 5 championship points banked in qualifying.
Official qualifying for the 2026 Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race took place, and Team Étoile secured pole position in the Superstock (SST) class. It marks the team's second consecutive class pole, following last year's, and the team also brought home 5 championship points earned in qualifying.
A major crash on the opening day of free practice earlier in the week meant the run-up to qualifying was far from smooth. The one to break the ice was Kaito Toba. In Q1 he set a 2:06.117 — the fastest time in the SST class this event — giving the team momentum. In Q2, Hikari Okubo made a significant improvement to his own time, down to 2:06.302. The average of the two riders' best times, which determines the grid, came to 2:06.210, confirming pole position with a 0.9-second margin over the second-place team.
For this session Motoharu Ito dedicated his running to used tyres, taking on the role of verifying the newly tested items and aligning the three riders' feedback, while entrusting the time attack to the other two. It was an ideal qualifying for the team, with all three riders fulfilling their respective roles.
For Team Étoile, the Suzuka 8 Hours is a race with special meaning, having won the SST class here last year. The final is expected to bring tricky conditions with rain and sunshine alternating, but armed with the confidence and data built up in this qualifying session, the whole team will fight through the eight hours with the aim of a second consecutive victory. Thank you for your continued support.
Rider & team principal comments
Rider
Hikari Okubo
“Finishing qualifying with the SST-class pole, and taking 5 points for the team, is huge. I crashed in testing and caused trouble for the team, and things didn't click — that carried over all the way to my first qualifying run. But Kaito put in a solid time, and as the senior rider it flipped a switch in me: I told myself I had to deliver a time too.”
“The team's top time was Kaito's, but I was able to lay down a solid SST-class second-fastest time myself, and it was great that the two of us took pole with those runs.”
Rider
Kaito Toba
“When I got the record time I felt a little relieved. But there was a mistake in it, so it was a time attack with some regrets. After that, Hikari also put in a really good time, which put me at ease.”
“I have some regrets, but we took a fairly big haul of 5 points in qualifying, so I'm feeling really good heading into Sunday.”
Rider
Motoharu Ito
“Qualifying took up most of the day today. We were trying new things, so the three of us checked and adjusted them together, and we were able to adapt to that. What I'm feeling now is that I need to get my own condition into the best possible shape for tomorrow and the day after.”
“For qualifying I ran on used tyres and left it to the other two. Even within that running there were parts where I got ahead of myself, so I want to reflect on that and race without letting my emotions run out in front. To take the SST-class pole two years running at a major event like the Suzuka 8 Hours is a real honour. I want to give it everything so we can call it two consecutive victories.”
Team Principal
Takashi Ichikawa
“Taking the SST-class pole here at the Suzuka 8 Hours for the second year running — first of all, I'm grateful to the three riders and to all the staff who pulled a far-from-easy week back together. When the crash in testing threatened to break our rhythm, Kaito's single lap pulled the team back, Hikari answered it, and Motoharu fulfilled his role among the three. This pole wasn't about the speed of any one person; it's one we took as a team qualifying, right down to how we managed the tyres.”
“That said, our goal is still Sunday's eight hours. The forecast points to a difficult race weather-wise, but we'll trust in what we've built up since last year and see our own race through to the end. We'd be delighted if you'd cheer us on — at the circuit, or via the stream.”
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