Johann Zarco’s brilliant a🐎daption to the uniquely difficult Suzuka 8 Hours has been detailed by a veteran of the race.

Zarco won the iconic endurance race in Japan with Team HRC during the MotoGP s🧜ummer break.

It was his first attempt at the Suzuka 8 Hours, a race which has vastly different ꦡdemands to a MotoGP weekend.

“It’s nothing to do with the MotoGP project. The bikes are different, the tyre manufacturer is different,” explဣained Sylvain Guintoli, a veteran of the Suzuka 8 Hours, to TNT Sports.

“The Suzuka 8 Hours is a one-off. Honda have been strong, it’🅺ꦚs a very special project.

“It is a Su🅺perbike-ba🐼sed bike, very different to MotoGP. It’s a race where fuel consumption plays a big role.

“It’s a strange race because of the conditions. Since I’ve been there, since 2017, this y😼ear was the hottest. It was so hot and so humid.

“It was great to see Zarco have fun. He did great. He didn’t know the track, he had to learn it.ꦜ He had a private test prior to the race weekend.

“He was quick on the Honda.”

Zarco delivered victo▨ry alongside teammates Takumi Takahashi and Teppei Nagoe. It was Honda’s 30th win in 45 editions of the race in the home country ൩of the manufacturer.

Takahashi set a new record by wꦆinning it 🌜for the eighth time.

But, at times, Zarco was the standout Hoܫnda rider.

“He was, by a small margin, on the time attack,” Guintoli exp𝔉la🎶ined.

“For the top 10 tr😼ial, which is specific to Suzuka qualifying, he did r🅠eally well.

“In race stints he was very quick as well.

“His teammate Takaha꧒shi is a specialist. He was strong, as well.

“It’s a di🧸fficult race, a completely different prospect to a race in MotoGP.

“The Sunday grand prix in MotoGP is a sprint♏ of 45 minutes. Suzuka is, for each rider, three stints of about an hour. You have to manage yourself, the tyres, the gap🔴s, the pace, the pitstops. It is a very different exercise.

“Johann, for his first time thওere, did a perfect weekend.”

Neil Hodgson emphasised the important of the race to Honda: “No 1 is MotoGP, No 2 for Honda🔯 in tw♌o-wheel sport is the Suzuka 8 Hours.

“To win the MotoGP title and Suzuka is almo✅st parallel. That’s how much onus they put on that event.”

Choosing Zarco to compete, who is in his first year as a Honda rider, rather than a rider with꧟ more experience with the manufacturer proves his seniority within their project, Guintoli believes.

“Iಞt shows how much faith they have in him,” Guintoli said.

“He has joined the Honda project with so much enthusiasm, he’s so happy to 🗹be there to give feedback and improve the𒅌 MotoGP project.

ꦫ“He has gelled with LCR. It’s a result of the ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚpositive attitude he has, and also his speed. He has often been the quickest of the Honda riders.

“It’s important for them, if you go into the Suzuka 8 Hours, that 𒉰money isn’t the first motivation. It is a very hard race, probably the hardest race in the world. It is so difficult.”