Francesco Bagnaiꦺa has said that he would 🌃like to compete at the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race, but fears he will be waiting a while to do so.

Historically speaking, racing at Suzuka has been an impossibility for factory Ducati ridersღ since the Italian manufacturer has rarely fielded a factory entry in the race.

Howeve💞r, Ducati provided official support to Team Kagayama — which also runs a Panigale V4 R in the All-Japan Road Racing Championship’s JSB1000 class — at this year’s race.

The🌃 Kagayama team, run by former BSB and World Superbike racer Yukio Kagayama, finished fourth at this year’s 8 Hours, being beaten to the final podium spot late on — per🙈haps ironically considering Kagayama’s previous racing affinities — by the Yoshimura SERT Suzuki team, which went on to be crowned 2024 Endurance World Champions at last month’s Bol d’Or.

Ducati’s increased Suzuka presence — combined with previous admissions from former 𒆙Ducati Corse Sporting Director and current head of the Bologna brand’s off-road p✅rogramme, Paolo Ciabatti, that Ducati has ambitions to win the Suzuka 8 Hours — bring forward the possibility of Ducati’s factory MotoGP riders taking part in the race.

With both the MotoGP calendar and EWC calendars for 2025 now 🐻published, the opportunity is theoretically there from next year, with no MotoGP race on the same weekend as Suzuka for the second year in succession.

“I thought about it, and maybe a race will be removed or postponed and I can’🐻t go, but I don’t think they [Ducati] want me to go,” said Francesco Bagnaia on Friday at last weekend’s Indonesian Grand Prix.

“It’s already a very tough season, 22 races — 44 races [in MotoGP] — but I would like [to go to Suzuka]. It’s one of my biggest dreams, I al⛄ways dreamed about going to Suzuka and race there in the 8 Hours.”

Bagnaia’s current occupation in the MotoGP World Championship, and MotoGP’s increasi🎶ngly long calendaꦗr, means that the Italian might be waiting a while before he can compete at Suzuka.

💜“Maybe I will have to wait until I’m retired,” he said. “I hope not, because I want to do it before, when I’m at my maximum, but let’s see.

“I will ask for it but it’s difficult right now. Next 🐓year, surely, will be difficult.”