Jonathan Rea

Jonathan Rea and Kosuke Akiyoshi will start tomorrows famous Coca-Cola Zero 8-Hour Suzuka Race in second place after their challenging Superpole today where they were only marginally beaten to pole position by Yoshimura Suzuki.

As the number one and more experienced rider, Akiyoshi was nominated by the team on the no.11 F.C.C. TSR Honda machine for Superpole rather than Rea, despite the youngster being the fastest man on track over the two days of practice and qualifying.

Despite the F.C.C. TSR pair missing out on pole, the 23-year-old World Superbike winner and Japanese ex-MotoGP star remain the firm favourites to win the 8-Hour race.

Each hour from 11.30 tomorrow, the duo will hand over the no.11 machine in what is classified as one of the most gruelling and physically demanding races for a professional motorcycle racer to compete in.

The young Northern Irishman has no fears on the challenge as he has taken part in the same race for Honda in 2008.

"I took a back seat today as the number two rider and only did a few laps to ensure we have the right set-up ready for tomorrow. Akiyoshi-san did a great job in Superpole and we have a strong start position for tomorrows race. I'm both nervous and excited for the race as it means so much for Honda to win here at Suzuka and it would also be such a highlight for my career. It's a long, tough eight hours however and the field is strong and experienced so we will put in our absolute best efforts and hope we can be rewarded with a result we can all celebrate."

Tomorrows race starts at 11.30 until 19.30 Japanese time (+9hrsGMT) where results and live feed can be viewed at

www.motoracing-japan.com\english\.

Superpole results here