Vol.04【Road to 8HOURS 2026】 Entry list is finalized! The focus is on these 10 teams!

photo/FIM EWC

On May 31, the first provisional entry list for the "2026 Hachi-Tai" was announced, with the race to be held on the first weekend in July. Although it is a provisional list, it is expected that most of the teams will enter the race according to this list, and there will be some modifications to the rider lineup.

Candidates for the championship are all lined up!

The main focus of attention will be the three-way battle between the "One Match Works Teams" and "Championship Regular Teams" that I have introduced in this column, and "Team Japan" that will be entering the All Japan Road Race. In the history of Hachi-Tai, it is still the One Match Works Teams that have won the most championships, while the number of "One Match Teams formed specifically for Hachi-Tai" is on the decline. Incidentally, in 1985, when the "King" Kenny Roberts first competed in Hachitaro, which is said to be the start of "modern Hachitaro," there were about 10 one-match works teams. In 1990, when Tadahiko Taira achieved his long-cherished first victory and recorded the highest attendance in Hachi-Tai history with a total of 286,000 spectators over the three days, the number of teams swelled to about 15. In 2010, the main contenders for the championship were Team Japan, including TSR Honda, Hulk Pro Honda, and Yoshimura Suzuki, rather than one-match works teams.

And around this time, the Hachi-Tai entry list began to change. Although the Hachi-Tai was a world championship, the number of regular championship teams gradually began to increase, as the participation of one-match works teams made it seem more like a special event in Japan than a round of the World Endurance Championship. This was probably due to the teams' desire to score points in the distant Japanese event, Suzuka, in order to win the world title. The number of regular championship teams began to increase in the early 2000s with the entry of the Suzuki World Endurance Team, which is based on the French Suzuki Motor Corporation, under the names Zongshen Suzuki and Castrol Suzuki. In 2000, there were only three regular European-based championship teams, but in 2005 there were eight teams, in 2003 there were 10 teams, and in 19 years, before the Corona disaster, there were 15 teams entered. Fifteen teams also entered last year's competition.

The Championship Regular Teams

Although some of the teams, such as TSR Honda, Yoshimura Suzuki, and Kawasaki Trickster, are based in Japan, 17 of the 53 teams, or about 32%, are regular championship teams, which is probably the largest number of teams ever. This is probably the largest number ever. Of course, it would not be a surprise if one of these teams emerged as the winner. Among the regular teams in the championship, the teams that will be in contention for the championship are #1 YART Yamaha, #12 Yoshimura SERT MOTUL, #11 Kawasaki WEBIKE Trickster, #76 Auto Race Ube Racing, #5F.Ube Racing, and #10 F.C. Racing, which finished in the top positions in the opening round of the 26-year World Endurance Championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Racing, #5 F.C.C. TSR Honda France, and #37 BMW Motorrad.

The #37 BMW Motorrad was running in 2nd place at the final round of the 24 Hours of Bordeaux last season, when it was within striking distance of winning the championship, when machine trouble occurred with 25 minutes remaining and the car retired. If he had finished the race, he would have become the first non-Japanese manufacturer and the first BMW world champion, so he was very determined to make the most of this season. BMW Motorrad, which began competing in the World Endurance Championship as a works team in 2008, made its first appearance in the Suzuka 8 Hours in 2010 after the Corona disaster. In the official qualifying round, the team advanced to the top 10 trials and earned 9th on the grid. In the final race, Markus Reiterberger crashed and retired from the race, but the team has consistently produced results, finishing 6th in the 2011 race, 5th in the 2012 race, and 5th again in last year's 25th race. The team has been consistently successful. "Our goal in the championship is clear: to bring the world title back to Munich. After Le Mans, we are continuing in the good vein of the 25-year season, which was a great season, except for the last 25 minutes of the season. We have a great car and a strong group of riders in Marcus, Steven, and newcomer Michael. We have only one goal: World Champion. We expect to always be able to fight for the top positions, but we also need a little bit of luck to win the championship, and I am confident that with luck on our side we will be able to fight for the world championship again this season," said team manager Werner Dehmen. The first victory by a foreign car manufacturer in the history of Hachi-Tai may be just around the corner.

8-Hitai First Provisional Entry List

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