First Suzuka qualifiers go down to the wire Monster Energy Yamaha YART has the pole in its sights Ridden into the fray by Japanese riders Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Noriyuki Haga and Britain’s Tommy Hill, the Monster Energy Yamaha YART has shown its mettle early on at the Suzuka 8 hours. With a best lap in 2’08.352, Katsuyuki Nakasuga took the Austrian Yamaha to the top of the time sheets after the first qualifying session. The Musashi RT Harc-Pro Honda is not far behind, with a 2’08.680 lap signed Ryuichi Kiyonari and just ahead of the Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team, in third place on the back of a 2’08.838 lap by an astonishing Josh Waters. Another European rider made his mark on the track at Suzuka this morning. With a lap time of 2’09.321, Vincent Philippe secured fourth place for the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team ahead of the Eva RT Trick Star Kawasaki (2’09.423) and the BMW of Motorrad France Team Thevent. Aboard the BMW, Erwan Nigon (2’09.443) led his session for a long stretch before Josh Waters got past him on the Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team. The FCC TSR Honda had a disappointing run this morning with the eighth best time (2’09.639) of these hotly disputed qualifiers. In contrast, the Yamaha France GMT 94 Michelin Yamalube significantly improved its performances over yesterday’s free practice session. The French Yamaha is now in 12th position with a best lap in 2’10.533 signed David Checa. The second qualifying session will take place this afternoon as the temperature rises on the Suzuka circuit. This morning’s session saw its share of crashes, happily with no serious consequences. Among those who took a fall were Sébastien Gimbert on the BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent and Vincent Philippe on the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team towards the end of the session. At the Suzuka 8 hours, a team’s position on the starting grid is determined by the time of the fastest rider, not the average of the crew members’ best laps. This Japanese exception is linked to the Top 10 Trial, a special feature of the Suzuka 8 hours that provides an intense spectacle on the track. The ten first teams coming out of the qualifiers take part in a special Superpole session that can reshuffle the first ten places on the grid. The Top 10 Trial will take place tomorrow, Saturday, from 15 h 30 local time. You can follow the race on Sunday from 4 h 30 (GMT +2) on FIM-LIVE.COM with the “LIVE TIMING” set up by Tag Heuer, and get regular live updates on Twitter For the latest pics, visit www.flickr.com/photos/fim-live/