Bradley Smith described winning the annual Suzuka 8 Hour race on his debut for the Factory Yamaha Team as “very special”.

Smith, from Forest Hill, near Oxford, alongside Tech 3 MotoGP teammate Pol Espargaro and Katsuyuki Nakasuga beat the F.C.C TSR Honda team by 1min 17.4secs.

The 24-year-old had the honour of taking the chequered flag, sealing Yamaha’s first Suzuka 8 Hours victory in 19 years.

He said: “It’s very special, the 60th anniversary for Yamaha, they are leading the MotoGP championship, but second to that was a focus on the Suzuka 8 Hours.

“I’m glad that we were able to show the true potential of this bike and give them that victory after 19 years that they very well deserve.”

After qualifying on pole, the trio had a comfortable lead for Smith's second stint of the race.

However, he was called in for a 30-second stop and go penalty after Espargaro had passed under a yellow flag.

Despite the setback, Smith stormed back into the lead and, after Espargaro and Nakasugo maintained the advantage, the Oxford-born rider crossed the line in first place for Yamaha.