The F.C.C. TSR Honda team of Kosuke Akiyoshi, Tady Okada and Jonny Rea were comfortable winners of the 2012 event.

As we get set for the 36th running of the event, we thought it would be a pivotal time to turn back the clock a full 12 months to the 2012 race.

It was a history-making event for Honda, which secured its 25th 8 Hour win thanks to the efforts of the F.C.C. TSR Honda team comprising Japanese riders Kosuke Akiyoshi and Tady Okada along with Brit Jonny Rea.

The victory made it a total of six for the 1000cc Fireblade, an enviable statistic within the competitive class.

The result was particularly poignant for World Superbike contender Rea, who become the first Briton to win in the 35 events held to that date.

Rea attributed much of the result to the guidance given to him by his teammates who had a much more detailed knowledge of the circuit.

“I’m so happy to get a win in such a huge race as the Suzuka 8-hours,” said Rea. “I really appreciate the efforts of Kosuke Akiyoshi, Tady Okada, Honda and all the F.C.C. TSR team staff.

“Kosuke was riding very, very fast, and Tady gave me a lot of really useful advice. I want to thank them both so much.”

F.C.C. TSR Honda completed the event four laps clear of their closest challenger, with their favoured rivals’ misfortunes only aiding their cause.

Second went to an all-Japanese Honda outfit, Tatsuya Yamaguchi, Yuki Takahashi and Yusuke Teshima, while the Yamaha France GMT pairing of David Checa and Kenny Foray fought hard to secure the final podium spot.

The race produced its share of drama, as is typical, and 2012 saw a number of the front-running teams mixed up in the melee.

The powerhouse Suzuki Endurance Racing Team dropped out of top 10 contention after a time-consuming crash, while BMW’s French effort languished in ninth after being plauged by electronic sensor problems.

The Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team were non-finishers due to a late oil leak, while Monster Energy Yamaha Austria Racing team dropped out due to a crash.

Wayne Maxwell and Jamie Stauffer were a commendable sixth outright on the Honda Dream RT Sakurai machine, with Damian Cudlin (BMW Motorrad France), Cameron Donald and Jason O’Halloran (Honda TT Legends) making it a total of five Australian riders finishing in the top 10.