P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Johann Zarco smashed the lap record to put Honda on pole for the Suzuka 8 Hours, but he didn’t expect to go so fast in qualifying.
LCR Honda MotoGP star Johann Zarco was surprised by how much lap times tumbled after securing pole position for the Suzuka 8 Hours on Saturday, setting a new outright lap record in the process with a time of 2m04.290s in the superpole-style Top 10 Trial.
Zarco’s time was 0.022s quicker than Andrea Locatelli’s Yamaha, securing pole position for him and teammate Takumi Takahashi for the 46th running of the event.
The Yamaha team had been a strong contender, with Locatelli’s teammate Jack Miller also showing great pace, but Zarco managed to secure the top spot.
Zarco acknowledged the pressure of defending his 2024 title at Suzuka, but was pleased with his performance in qualifying and the opportunity it afforded his team.
Meanwhile, Jack Miller of the Pramac Yamaha MotoGP team had a crash in the Top 10 Trial but it did not impact his team’s starting position due to the new format of individual fastest times being used for qualifying.
