Image: Supplied.

Triple Superbike world champion Jonathan Rea will be a high-profile starter in this year’s Suzuka 8 Hours round of the 2018 Endurance World Championship (EWC).

Rea has committed to join Kawasaki Team Green alongside British Superbike Championship contender Leon Haslam and local star Kazuma Watanabe in the classic Japanese event.

“I’m really excited and honoured to be involved with Team Green for this year’s Suzuka 8 Hours,” Rea said. “It’s a race very close to my heart and after winning in 2012 it was always my intention to return to this race. Since I joined Kawasaki we have always spoken about working together on this project and now is the right time with the schedule fitting perfect with my WorldSBK program.

“It’s one of the toughest races in the world and a true test of man and machine. I will also do some testing before the race to ensure we arrived prepared and together with the whole Team Green Kawasaki team we will do our best to achieve a result that we can all be proud of.”

Rea has a sole Suzuka 8 Hours victory to his credit as part of TSR Honda in 2012, while Kawasaki’s lone win in the prestigious event came all the way back in 1993. Haslam, Watanabe and Azlan Shah were runner-up for Team Green in last year’s race.