Source: Supplied.

Endurance World Championship regular Alex Cudlin will be a late addition to the Australian contingent in this weekend’s 40th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours after securing a seat at S-Pulse Dream Racing Suzuki.

Cudlin has spent the majority of the season with the world champion Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT), however it will field Japanese local Sodo Hamahara alongside Vincent Philippe and Etienne Masson.

Currently 15th in the 2016/2017 rider standings after missing the opening round last year, Cudlin will team up with Hideyuki Ogata and Marcel Schrotter in the local team, which was ninth quickest on combined times in practice on Thursday.

It’s understood that Cudlin will also remain the reserve rider for SERT, which leads the teams championship by one point entering the Suzuka finals on Sunday. SERT were well down the order at the conclusion of supplementary practice in 23rd overall.

Cudlin joins countrymen Jack Miller (MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO Honda), Josh Hook (F.C.C. TSR Honda), Damian Cudlin (Team SuP Dream Honda), Jason O’Halloran and Jamie Stauffer (Honda Dream RT Sakurai), Josh Brookes (Yoshimura Suzuki), Josh Waters (MotoMap Supply Suzuki), Broc Parkes (YART Yamaha Official EWC Team), Anthony West (Akeno Speed Yamaha) and Mark Aitchison (team JP DFR & RS-ITOH Kawasaki).