Jonas Folger will be competing for the first time this week in the most famous and arguably toughest endurance motorcycle race, the legendary «Suzuka 8 Hours».
Jonas Folger from Mühldorf in Upper Bavaria is temporarily returning to racing. Thanks to the mediation of his buddy Marcel Schrötter, the 31-year-old will make his debut in endurance racing this week in Japan at the «Suzuka 8 Hours» race with Schrötter’s former team aboard a Suzuki Superbike.
For Folger, the adventure gets underway this Wednesday and Thursday, when the final test rides for this weekend’s incomparable event take place. The official practice sessions will be held on Friday. Qualifying will follow on Saturday, and the main competition will begin at 12:00 p.m. local time on Sunday. Lasting eight hours, it will demand everything from the drivers, teams, and equipment due to the extreme heat and high humidity.
Jonas FOLGER (S-PULSE DREAM RACING, Suzuki GSX-R100R):
«I am really looking forward to Suzuka, and I am also very excited to be traveling to Japan again after such a long time. The last time I was there was in 2017, which feels like an eternity ago. I love Japan and have always enjoyed traveling there. This weekend, however, Suzuka will be a completely new challenge for me. The track is completely new to me. I would say Suzuka is a legend of a track. But that is not the only reason why I am so excited. Everything will be new and different from what I am used to during this race week. The schedule will be completely different. Added to that are the tactical manoeuvres that an endurance race requires, which we will go through in detail. That will be really exciting for me. But first, I am looking forward to getting to know the team, how they work, and of course the bike and how it is to ride. That also includes getting to know the track. Overall, I am looking forward to my first Suzuka adventure and hope that we can achieve a good result as a team in the end. Hopefully, we will be spared from technical defects and get through the long distance without any crashes. I would like to thank the team for their trust in me, as I have no experience with endurance racing yet. I would also like to express my sincere thanks to KTM for spontaneously giving me the green light to go to Suzuka, which is something I have always wanted to do.»
Jonas FOLGER’s Profile:
Age: 31 (Date of birth 13 August 1993)
Occupation: Test rider
Place of residence: Mühldorf am Inn (Bavaria, Germany)
Height: 180 cm
Weight: 72 kg
Bike: Suzuki GSX-R1000R
Racing No.: 95
