Team HRC won the Suzuka 8 Hours on Sunday, meanin🐷g Johann Za꧙rco became a rookie winner.

The LCR Honda MotoGP rider, rather than enjoying a weekend off during the summer b♛reak, was taking part in the famous endurance motorcycle race in Japan.

Alongside Takumi Takahashi and Teppei Nago🍌e, h🦹e delivered victory for the Japanese manufacturer.

The♏ win was a record eighth for Takahashi, and a first on his debut attempt for Zarco.

Th🌸e final minutes of the eight-hour rꦆace were nail-biting as Team HRC were slapped with a 40-second time penalty.

But they survived, finishing 7.860꧒s ahead of second-placed Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team.

Team HRC’s win was their 30th in 45 edition🔴s of the Suzuka 8 Hours in the FIM Endurance World Championship.

V💃ictory was a welcome reprieve for their🌄 ongoing struggles in MotoGP.

The manufacturer, who saw star man Marc Marquez walk out at the end of the last season, areꦫ enduring another poor year.

Despite the new concessions rules which they benefit most greatly from, Honda𒁃 have not yet been able to turn around their misfiring project.

Zarco ha🥂s finished no higher than P12 in nine Sunday grands prix this season, his first since leaving Ducati to join LCR Honda.

Factory teammates Luca Marini a🌄nd Joan Mir continue to strugglജe similarly.

Zarco will be the oldest rider on the MotoGP grid next season, when Aleix Espargaro retires, and Honda are banking on his experienc🧜e to aid their dev😼elopment.

Victory at the Suzuka 8 Hours was, at least, a r𒉰em✱inder that the once-powerful brand hasn’t forgot how to win.