Former 500cc World Champion and legend Kevin Schwantz tasted the bubbly at Suzuka when he stepped on to the podium with his team-mates Yukio Kagayama and Noriyuki Haga for third place.

The 49-year-old Texan, who last raced at Suzuka in 1992 alongside Doug Polen, did one stint in the race but delighted the crowd by wearing a special Wayne Rainey replica in tribute to his old friend and rival.

“It’s been an honour to ride again here with these talented guys. I was lucky to be with an excellent team. The Suzuki was perfect and our Dunlops helped us to stay the distance. I did my best to be fast without making a mistake. By riding with this helmet (Rainey Replica), I wanted to show my respect for Wayne by wearing his helmet at this 8 Hours race,” said Schwantz

"I know this race is not easy to win. But this time Yukio made a very good team. This was the only condition that I asked of him coming to Japan to enter this race again. He has changed his Japanese Superbike team to a World Endurance top contender. Yukio's effort was great! I tested so many tyres and set-ups for bike and we found a lot of potential. In the race, I only did one stint but I really enjoyed racing with the young Japanese riders. We got third place for the race and thank you to every one of our team staff. Yukio said to me 'You are my idol,' but I would like to say to Yukio, 'You are a Superstar.’"