The 2015 Suzuka 8 Hours has received plenty of coverage after its live showing on Eurosport around the globe, won by the Yamaha Factory Racing Team of MotoGP stars Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith alongside Japanese battler Katsuyuki Nakasuga. With a heap of Aussies in the race – and an eventual podium for 22-year-old Josh Hook – CycleOnline.com.au recalls the moments that caught our attention.

Source: Suzuki Racing.

1. Stoner’s throttle sticks:
It’s generated some of the highest traffic figures we’ve seen on CycleOnline, as a stuck throttle caused Casey Stoner to crash out of the race early-on in his first stint. We were impressed by the dual MotoGP champion’s speed throughout the lead-up and it was a shame to see him exit the race so early, through no fault of his own.

2. Rising star Hook leads:
Like a changing of the guard, when Stoner went out it enabled Japanese-based Aussie rising star Josh Hook to take over the race lead – complete with the pressure of HRC and the TSR Honda team on his shoulders. He handled it like a pro after an entertaining scrap with Bradley Smith, claiming the runner-up by race’s end.

3. Yamaha dominates for victory:
With the arrival of a new YZF-R1 this year, it was always going to be high on Yamaha’s agenda to win at Suzuka. They called upon Smith and Espargaro to ride alongside Nakasuga and hardly put a foot wrong all week, claiming pole position and a special race victory.

4. Alex Lowes’ fast-start:
The first hour of the race was all about WorldSBK standout Alex Lowes on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, leading into the first round of pit stops much to the delight of factory on-lookers. It unravelled for Suzuki from there, but it was impressive nonetheless.

5. Early end for Parkes:
After a starring performance in qualifying as best of the Pirelli entries, Monster Energy Yamaha Austria Racing Team’s Broc Parkes was out of the race within the first 25 minutes on Sunday. Probably better the first 25 than the last, but either way it denied the experienced Aussie a shot at a top 10 (or better) result.

Source: Yamaha Racing.

6. Waters appears:
When the TV coverage showed Waters mid-race it looked unlikely he’d be on track during the race, as Yoshimura demoted him to a reserve role for 2015. However with Lowes opting not to complete his last stint, Waters emerged and put in a solid, consistent effort – like we all knew he would as a proven Suzuka specialist.

7. Casey takes charge:
It didn’t last long, however we were stoked when Casey Stoner came out of the pits for his opening stint and blasted around Takuya Tsuda to take the race lead. For a guy who hasn’t raced since 2012, Stoner looked comfy and well in control of the lead against a quality superbike field.

8. Sakurai marches on:
The Japanese teammate of Troy Herfoss and Jason O’Halloran, Naomichi Uramoto, crashed the Sakurai Honda CBR1000RR prior the the halfway mark of the race while in top 10 contention, almost signalling the end of their day. But sure enough Herfoss emerged from the pits sometime later, finishing 47 laps down on the leader in 48th.

9. Japanese all-star consistency:
Local fans were delighted with the all-star Team Kagayama Suzuki combination of Yukio Kagayama, Noriyuki Haga and Ryuichi Kiyonari finishing on the podium. Between them they have many, many years of success internationally and remain ultra-competitive on home turf especially (Kiyonari of course still in BSB as well).

10. World title fight:
Suzuki Endurance Racing Team strengthened its position in search of regaining the Endurance World Championship, finishing a fine fourth at Suzuka and with the Yoshimura team placed between them and reigning champion/title rivals GMT94 Yamaha.