Source: Supplied.

Yamaha Factory Racing is aiming for a third-consecutive victory at the 2017 Suzuka 8 Hours this weekend, which will mark the 40th edition of the highly-popular endurance event and the final round of the 2016/2017 FIM Endurance World Championship.

Team manager Wataru Yoshikawa has enlisted the help of WorldSBK regulars Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark, who will join experienced Japanese rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga in an effort to pilot the R1 to yet another victory.

“The last two years we had a MotoGP rider in the team,” Yoshikawa explained. “But this year we have gone for the WorldSBK guys in Alex and Michael who ride the R1 week in and week out, so we feel we have a very strong team and the perfect combination of riders to fight for our third straight victory.

“There are a lot of new bikes on the grid this year, so strangely the Yamaha R1 is actually one of the oldest bikes on the grid. The advantage to this is that we have lots of data from our previous two races at Suzuka, plus we have a lot more reliability as we have more experience with the bike, so we feel that we are at a higher level than before.

Yoshikawa mentioned Yamaha has never won the Suzuka 8 Hours three-consecutive times, stating the team has a lot of pressure on its shoulders to deliver the Japanese manufacturer the desired number one result.

“Yamaha has never won the Suzuka 8 Hours three times in a row before,” he continued. “So there is a lot of pressure and expectation on our shoulders, but if we perform at the level we know we can, the results will look after themselves, so we are heading into the race with a calm and clear mind.”

The Suzuka 8 Hours event is scheduled to commence this Friday in Japan, with the prestigious race taking place on Sunday.