EWC CHAMPION TEAM YART FASTEST SO FAR WITH SUZUKA TOP 10 TRIAL TO COME
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team has completed Second Qualifying for the 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race on top of the timing screens – but must now replicate its impressive pace in Saturday’s Top 10 Trial if it’s to land pole position for Japan’s round of the FIM Endurance World Championship on Sunday.
Ducati Team Kagayama is second in the overall classification and secures its place in the Top 10 Trial followed by Team HRC with Japan Post, which is chasing a third consecutive victory in the Suzuka 8 Hours.
With Suzuki-powered Yoshimura SERT Motul fourth, it means four different motorcycle manufacturers are represented in the combined qualifying top four.
The fastest 10 teams according to the combined qualifying results will now prepare for the Top 10 Trial to decide the first 10 places on the starting grid for Sunday’s eight-hour contest.
Astemo Honda Dream SI Racing, SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda, AutoRace Ube Racing Team, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, F.C.C. TSR Honda France and Honda Dream RT Sakurai Honda have also made it through to the Top 10 Trial according to the provisional classification.
Meanwhile, Teramoto@J-Trip Racing is on the provisional Superstock pole position in the Dunlop-supplied category followed by Team Étoile and Taira Promote Racing.
HOW SECOND QUALIFYING UNFOLDED
BLUE RIDER MIZUNO AT THE DOUBLE
Ducati Team Kagayama’s Ryo Mizuno was once again the Blue Rider to beat with a best time of 2m05.789s. Kohta Nozane was second fastest for Astemo Honda Dream SI Racing with a 2m05.923s effort followed by Takuya Tsuda, who produced a 2m06.911s run for AutoRace Ube Racing Team. Satoru Iwata (TeamATJ with docomo business) was fourth quickest followed by Kazuki Ito (Honda Dream RT Sakurai Honda). With his work essentially done in First Qualifying, Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team’s Niccolò Canepa went sixth quickest ahead of Team HRC with Japan Post’s Takumi Takahashi seventh. Mario Aji was next up for SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda as Randy de Puniet went ninth quickest on his KM 99 Yamaha. Leading Superstock contender Ryosuke Iwato rounded out the top 10 for Kawasaki Plaza Racing Team. Masahiro Shinjo was a faller for Team Tatara Aprilia at the Hairpin, while Takafumi Kato crashed his Honda Soyukai Tochigi Racing & Kohyohkai Dream Racing Team entry at Turn 3. The 20-minute session was red-flagged and not restarted with 1m38s remaining after Mitsuhiro Yoshida (Honda Hamamatsu Escargot & Kumamoto Racing) and Sébastien Suchet (National Motos Honda FMA) collided at Turn 5.
