Jack Miller back on Yamaha’s factory R1 for Suzuka 8 Hours

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Yamaha keeps Miller, Nakasuga and Locatelli together for Suzuka 8 Hours

Jack Miller will return to the Suzuka 8 Hours with Yamaha Factory Racing in July, joining Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Andrea Locatelli as Yamaha chases its first win in the Japanese endurance classic since 2018.

Yamaha Factory Racing will take an unchanged three-rider line-up into the 2026 Suzuka 8 Hours, with Jack Miller and Andrea Locatelli again joining long-time Yamaha figurehead Katsuyuki Nakasuga on the factory YZF-R1.

The 47th running of the FIM Endurance World Championship “Coca-Cola” Suzuka 8 Hours is scheduled for July 3-5 at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture, Japan, with Yamaha again carrying its traditional #21 plate. The target is clear: a ninth Suzuka 8 Hours victory for the brand, and Yamaha’s first since 2018.

Yamaha’s factory team returned to the 8 Hours last year as part of the company’s 70th anniversary celebrations, ending a six-year absence from the event. The comeback very nearly delivered the desired fairytale result, with Nakasuga, Miller and Locatelli completing 217 laps, the same number as the winning team, but ultimately finishing second.

That near-miss has shaped Yamaha’s approach for 2026. Rather than make a headline change to the rider roster, Yamaha has opted for continuity, citing the foundation already built between the three riders and their familiarity with the factory YZF-R1. The company says the decision to return this year was made immediately after the 2025 race, followed by a review of the machinery and performance data.

For Australian fans, Miller’s return adds a strong local angle to one of the most important road racing events on the Japanese calendar. The Townsville rider’s regular MotoGP commitments with Yamaha give him a very different week-to-week rhythm to an endurance race, but his 2025 Suzuka performance underlined how quickly he can adapt to the peculiar demands of the 8 Hours.

Miller’s 2025 race was not without drama. A fall during the Top 10 Trial compromised the team’s pole-position hopes, but the race performance that followed still helped Yamaha fight for victory deep into the event. This year, Miller says the brief is simple: go one better.

“I’m absolutely stoked to be lining up for the Suzuka 8 Hours again this year,” Miller said. “Last year was a bit of a tough one, having that off in the Top 10 Trial and then finishing second in the race was pretty frustrating, to be honest. But seeing the massive turnout from the Yamaha fans and staff, and getting to ride with Nakasuga-san and Loca, plus the team putting in the hard work, it actually turned out to be a real blast. For 2026, the goal is simple. We want to go one better and take pole, take the win, and get ourselves onto that top step for Nakasuga-san’s final year before he hangs up the leathers!”

Nakasuga’s role gives the Yamaha entry considerable Suzuka depth. Few riders have been more closely associated with Yamaha’s domestic racing strength in Japan, and his understanding of the circuit, the YZF-R1, and the 8 Hours format remains central to Yamaha’s programme.

He will lead Yamaha’s opening Suzuka Test Session on May 12-13, where the early focus will be on establishing a base setting for the YZF-R1. Miller and Locatelli will miss the test due to their regular MotoGP and WorldSBK commitments, but both are scheduled to join the team for the final test in the days leading up to the race weekend.

Locatelli also returns with valuable Suzuka experience and a strong record with Yamaha Superbike machinery. The Italian, the 2020 World Supersport Champion and a regular front-runner in WorldSBK since moving to the premier production-based class, said the opportunity to ride the factory R1 alongside Miller and Nakasuga remains an important part of his own development.

“I’m super thankful to compete in the Suzuka 8 Hours again with the factory team,” Locatelli said. “Getting to ride the factory R1 and join incredible teammates like Jack and Nakasuga-san is so good for my growth as a rider. This year, our target is to get the win we missed last year.”

Jack Miller, and Yamaha Racing Team teammates Katsuyuki Nakasuga and World Superbike star Andrea Locatelli

Yamaha’s decision to retain the same trio is also a pragmatic one. Suzuka rewards outright pace, but it also punishes mistakes, poor handovers, fatigue, and setup compromise. A familiar rider group can matter as much as individual speed, especially when the race is contested in demanding summer conditions and under huge pressure from Japanese manufacturers, factory-backed rivals and specialist endurance teams.

Tadashi Nakamura, General Manager of Yamaha’s Motor Sports Value Creation Division, said Yamaha’s selection was based not only on performance, but on the way Miller and Locatelli worked within the team last year.

“We decided to retain the same three riders as last year because we strongly believe they offer the best way to get us back on the top step of the podium,” Nakamura said. In 2025, both Jack Miller and Andrea Locatelli delivered world-class performances—from qualifying and the Top 10 Trial through the race, but our decision to call them up again is mostly because of their incredible dedication to the team. Their ‘team-first’ mentality was what kept us working together and let us battle our rivals right down to the end.”

The 2026 Suzuka 8 Hours will carry extra emotional weight for Yamaha, with the company confirming it will be Nakasuga’s final appearance in the event before retirement. That gives Yamaha’s campaign a very obvious narrative: one last factory victory push with the rider who has been central to so much of the brand’s modern Japanese racing story.

Yamaha has won the Suzuka 8 Hours eight times, but the brand has not stood on the top step since 2018. After returning last year and coming within reach of victory, anything less than another podium challenge will likely feel like unfinished business.