FIM Endurance World Championship Suzuka 8 Hours Suzuka Circuit, Japan July 31 Race Results: 1. F.C.C. TSR Honda (Akiyoshi/Ito/Kiyonari), Hon CBR1000RR, 217 laps, 8:00:50.922 2. Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team (Kagayama/Waters/Aoki), Suz GSX-R1000, -38.765 seconds 3. Musashi RT Harc-Pro (Takahashi/Tamada/Okada), Hon CBR1000RR, -91.162 seconds 4. BMW Motorrad France 99 (Gimbert/Nigon/Cudlin), BMW S1000RR, -5 laps 5. Eva RT Test Type-01 Trickstar FRTR (Deguichi/Serizawa/Takeishi), Kaw ZX-10R, -6 laps 6. Crown Keibihosyou Racing (Hamaguchi/Kitaguchi/Watanabe), Hon CBR1000RR, -7 laps 7. Yamaha Racing France GMT94 Ipone (David Checa/Lagrive/Foray), Yam YZF-R1, -7 laps 8. Teluru Honey Bee Racing (Iwata/Sekiguchi/Noda), Hon CBR1000RR, -7 laps 9. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Philippe/Delhalle/Sakai), Suz GSX-R1000, -9 laps 10. Toho Racing Hiroshima Desmo (Yamaguchi/Kunikawa/Eguchi), Duc 1098R, -11 laps 24. Team 38 PS-K (Karita/Yamashita/Keyes), Kaw ZX-10R, -16 laps 38. Bolliger Team Switzerland (Higashimura/Saiger/Stamm), Kaw ZX-10R, -24 laps 44. Honda Dream RT Sakurai Honda (Stauffer/Maxwell), Hon CBR1000RR, -35 laps, DNF 50. Monster Yamaha YART (Nakasuga/Giabanni/Jerman), Yam YZF-R1, -162 laps, DNF 51. Honda TT Legends (McGuinness/Amor/Donald), Hon CBR1000RR, -164 laps, DNF Endurance World Championship Point Standings (after 3 events): 1. BMW Motorrad France 99, 68 points 2. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, 62 3. Yamaha Racing France GMT94 Ipone, 46 4. F.C.C. TSR Honda, 30 5. Team SRC Kawasaki, 28 6. YMES Folch Endurance, 25 7. Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team, 24 8. National Motos, 22 9. Musashi RT Harc Pro, 19 10. Bolliger Team Switzerland, 18 More, from a corrected press release issued by FIM Endurance Press Office: FCC TSR Honda wins Suzuka ahead of Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team and Musashi RT Harc Pro The legendary Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team led the qualifications and some part of the race but the Suzuka 8 Hours victory went to the FCC TSR Honda (Kosuke Akiyoshi, Shinichi Itoh and Ryuichi Kiyonari), ahead of the pole sitters Yukio Kagayama, Josh Waters and Nobuatsu Aoki and the Honda Musashi RT Harc Pro (Takumi Takahashi, Makoto Tamada and Tdayuki Okada). The three teams, racing on Bridgestone tyres, finished the race in the very same lap. This 34th edition offered a great show since three teams were involved in an intense battle for the leadership during the 8 hour long race. The fastest Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team rider, Yukio Kagayama, and Takumi Takahashi on the Honda Musashi RT Harc Pro, were on track together during their shifts and offered the public a great show. During the last hour, Ryuichi Kiyonari on the FCC TSR Honda was the most spectacular as he managed to keep the within distance of the Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team. Slightly more discrete but yet very performant was the BMW Motorrad France 99 Team, finishing the race very close to the podium, but five laps behind the leaders, being the first machine on Michelin. On top of that, Sébastien Gimbert, Erwan Nigon and Damian Cudlin took the Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship leadership as the BMW Motorrad France 99 now leads the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team by six points. In a difficult position after qualifying in 15th position, the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team faced different problems which started with an ignition issue, then an injection and finally a broken footrest. SERT, current World Champion finished in 9th position behind Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone, who finished 7th. The Yamaha delayed by a pit stop after Matthieu Lagrive nearly lost the bike with a serious sideways, enjoyed a great come back in the second part of the race and is back in the 2011 title chase. Engaged in Suzuka with a partnership with the Japanese team RS Itoh Asia, the Bolliger Team Switzerland lost some time due to a leaking radiator and when Roman Stamm crashed after a collision with race leader on the FCC TSR Honda, Shinichi Itoh. Bolliger Team Switzerland finished in a distant 38th position. The Monster Yamaha YART had some great hope for the race as they started from second position on the grid but the official Austrian Yamaha squad had to give up just before mid-race due to an oil leak. For the Honda TT Legends, the discovery of the Suzuka 8 Hours was also quite short, as the British team had to retire due to a rear wheel axle issue. Same situation for the Honda Dream RT Sakurai of Jamie Stauffer and Wayne Maxwell, who were in the top 5 until the last two hours and had to quit the race due to an electronic problem. The next round of the Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship is the 24 Hours of Le Mans, September 24th and 25th. Ryuichi Kiyonari, winner on FCC TSR Honda and great finish contender “After my crash at the beginning of the race I felt obliged to do my best to get the victory for my team” Shinichi Itoh, winner on the FCC TSR Honda and North East Japan native, the region who suffered the most from the earthquake “I had decided to quit racing last year but to be here and win again is the best way I found to support my region and my friends. It was very difficult to be prepared enough for the race but I tried my best” Yukio Kagayama, 2nd on the Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team “The Team FCC TSR Honda has been very fast… And Ryuichi Kiyonari did not give me any chance to come closer towards the end of the race” Josh Waters, Suzuka 8 Hours newcomer and 2nd on the Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team “I’m so happy for this first experience to be on the podium. My team-mates have been very helpful to me. The Suzuki has the perfect set up and was very easy to ride. I just tried to give my best” Yukio Kagayama, Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team pillar, talking about Josh “He has been more performant that we expected. He did a great job and raced like much more experienced riders” Makoto Tamada, Musashi RT Harc Pro spoke person, a disappointed third “We are very proud of our fight for victory but obviously disappointed that we could not reach it” More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad France: TEAM BMW MOTORRAD FRANCE 99 ON TOP OF THE WORLD A fantastic fourth place for the BMW S1000RR on its debut at the prestigious Suzuka 8-Hour race catapulted Team BMW Motorrad France 99 to the top of the Endurance World Championship standings, with just two rounds of the series remaining. The Suzuka 8-Hour race is unique in the Endurance World Championship, in that it attracts a heavy presence from Japanese riders on full factory machinery. Simply finishing in the top ten against such a strong field is an achievement in itself for the regular EWC teams, which makes Team BMW Motorrad France 99’s fourth place in the Japanese manufacturers’ own backyard even more impressive. Erwan Nigon, Sébastien Gimbert and Damian Cudlin battled throughout the eight hours of racing at Suzuka, never once dropping outside the top six aboard the #99 BMW S1000RR. The three BMW riders were the only EWC regulars able to compete at the same level as the Japanese factory teams, with a concerted push at the end of the race netting them fourth at the chequered flag, ahead of the other EWC regulars and two factory supported Japanese squads. The next round of the Endurance World Championship is the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which takes place on 24/25 September. Erwan Nigon: “What can I say; the bike was perfect, the tyres were efficient, the race strategy was a good one, my teammates were fast and regular and we finished fourth. This was just a perfect weekend for me! I’ve always loved this circuit but I love it even more after today! We had no technical problem during the race, so everything went well. We really pushed hard to keep this fourth place and I’m happy to secure this result for BMW Motorrad France, who trusted in me for two years. We are now leading the Endurance World Championship, but we have to work hard to prepare for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.” Sébastien Gimbert: I spent a fantastic weekend and it’s the first time I have had such a good result here. Everything went well for us. Michelin brought a good tyre choice, Steven made some changes on the bike that improved the set-up and my teammates were as fast and consistent as always. This was a perfect result, but what is important for us is that we are now top of the Endurance World Championship standings. The team is well organised now and we can approach the 24 Hours of Le Mans with confidence, even if it’s not won yet. I would like to thank the team who all worked very hard, as have Michelin and BMW.” Damian Cudlin: “I got a good start and was immediately battling in the top six. It was important for me to do a good first stint, without any mistakes, to set us up for the rest of the race. I made up some places during that first stint, eventually getting involved in the battle for fourth position. We all pushed really hard for this fourth place, with the aim being to build a lead over the fifth placed Honda RT Sakurai team in the closing stages. We managed this in the last two stints and then it was just a case of staying consistent all the way to the chequered flag. I’m really happy with this result; it was a hard race in hot conditions and to leave here leading the world championship is just reward for all the hard work that’s gone into this season from the team, from Michelin and from BMW.” Marcel Driessen: Director, BMW Motorrad France “This is an unbelievable result for BMW. To take fourth place on our debut at Suzuka is incredible enough, but to also take the lead in the World Championship standings is simply fantastic. The team have done a great job with our S1000RR this season, but we cannot rest on our laurels. We need to continue to work on the bike, to ensure we have the most competitive package possible for our home race at Le Mans and the season finale in Qatar. Congratulations to the team and our riders on leading the championship, and let’s hope we can maintain this position until the end of the season.” More, from a press release issued by Honda TT Legends: Honda TT Legends proud of Suzuka achievements Despite the team’s maiden outing at the Suzuka 8-hour race coming to an early end today, the Honda TT Legends will leave the Japanese circuit with their heads held high. John McGuinness, Keith Amor and Cameron Donald came to the notoriously tough event as rookie riders yet still qualified in the top 20 in a field of expert contenders. All three put in maximum effort to get to grips with the highly technical track and the challenging conditions in the team’s development year. An issue with the endurance-specific pentagon rear wheel drive system forced the Honda TT Legends to retire after two and a half hours a difficult decision made with the safety of the riders in mind. McGuinness, Donald and Amor each did a stint on the bike in soaring temperatures of over 35 degrees, and while they are disappointed not to have finished, they can certainly be proud of what they have achieved. The team will now take just a week’s break before heading to its next road-racing event. The Ulster GP will take place from 7-13 August with John McGuinness and Keith Amor competing for the Honda TT Legends. The 2011 Endurance World Championship will continue in September with the Le Mans 24-hour. Neil Tuxworth We are obviously hugely disappointed not to have finished the race, but the safety of the riders is paramount and therefore we had to make the tough decision to retire. On the positive side, we have learnt a huge amount during our time here. The riders have done an excellent job probably beyond our expectations. We always knew that this was going to be a difficult race and it has turned out that way, but we leave here with valuable knowledge that can only help us improve for future races. John McGuinness It was a real honour to start the Suzuka 8-hour and the majority of my first stint went well. The problem with the endurance-specific rear wheel system kicked in with two laps to go and I had to push the bike back from the hairpin I was definitely huffing and puffing when I got back! We got back out but unfortunately the issue continued so we had to stop. It’s disappointing but we gave it our all and we have to be proud of that. The conditions here are incredibly tough. Our next stop for endurance is Le Mans so we just have to focus on that. Cameron Donald This was my first experience of racing world endurance and I got just over an hour out there on the bike. I can honestly say that I have never been that hot in my life. I was setting some really good lap times and feeling comfortable so it was a shame we had to pull out early. I’ve learnt a lot, the team has learnt a lot and we just have to come back stronger in Le Mans. Keith Amor I’m devastated for everyone in the team. I was really enjoying myself out there and I’m obviously really disappointed that I had to come in, but if it is not safe to continue that’s the right decision. Up until that point, the Suzuka experience has been brilliant and I was just starting to get into the race. All we can do is learn from this and improve for Le Mans. More, from a press release issued by Honda: Suzuka 8 Hours race FIM Endurance World Championship, round three Suzuka, Japan, July 31, 2011 Weather conditions: hot and sunny HONDA EXTENDS WINNING RECORD IN SUZUKA 8 HOURS Honda’s CBR1000RR was raced to victory by the F.C.C. TSR Honda team in the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours, giving the marque its 24th win in the mid-summer classic, and second in a row in the third round of the QTEL FIM Endurance World Championship at the venerable Suzuka Circuit south of Tokyo. Yoshimura Suzuki finished second with Musashi RT Harc Pro finishing third on a second Honda CBR1000RR, with all three teams finishing on the same lap. The F.C.C TSR Honda team of Suzuka veterans Kousuke Akiyoshi, Shinichi Ito and Ryuichi Kiyonari became the favorites for the 34th running of the race based on a successful pre-race Suzuka test and they didn’t disappoint. But the race wouldn’t be trouble-free. Kiyonari started the race, but had a small mishap early on that forced him to return to the pits for repairs, dropping the team from first to third. And Ito survived a collision in the second hour with Team Bollinger’s Roman Stamm. The F.C.C. TSR Honda team went on to complete 217 laps of the 5.807Km track in Mie Prefecture to beat the Yoshimura Suzuki team of Yukio Kagayama, Josh Waters and Nobu Aoki by 38.765s. The Musashi RT Harc Pro team rode a mixture of youth and experience to the final podium position. Takumi Takahashi, 21, teamed with veterans Makoto Tamada, 36, and Tadayuki Okada, the 44-year-old multi-time winner, to finish third, 1m, 31.162s behind their fellow Honda riders. The win was the fourth for both Ito and Kiyonari, tying the mark set by Wayne Gardner in 1992 for second most. Tohru Ukawa remains the all-time Suzuka master with five wins. Three-time British Superbike champion Kiyonari’s four wins came in 2005, ’08, 2010 and this year. Ito won in 1997 and ’98, and 2006. Akiyoshi, the 36-year-old F.C.C. TSR rider who has a five-race winning streak in the All Japan Championship dating back to last season, won the 8 Hours for the first time. The win was especially meaningful for Ito, who earlier this year announced his retirement. Ito is from Sendai, Miyagi prefecture, which suffered considerable damage from the March earthquake and tsunami. Because of the tsunami and earthquake that damaged a nuclear reactor, the race began and finished an hour earlier. The race began with Musashi RT Harc-Pro leading at the end of each of the first two hours, with Yoshimura Suzuki second and F.C.C. TSR Honda third after Kiyonari’s early fall. Yoshimura Suzuki took the lead in the third hour, but it swung back and forth, depending on the efficiency of the pit stops and the riders. Musashi RT Harc Pro’s Takumi Takahashi battled with pole position rider Yukio Kagayama in the early going, which allowed the Yoshimura team to hold the lead. F.C.C. TSR Honda cut the gap to 19s in the fourth hour and erased it, taking the lead halfway into the fifth hour. With three hours remaining, F.C.C. TSR Honda had a lead of just over 1.5s having completed 136 laps. By then it was a three-team race with the fourth-placed team two laps in arrears. F.C.C. TSR finished the sixth hour with a comfortable lead of 1m, 30s, but the Yoshimura team closed the gap back up to 11s entering the final hour. That’s when the leading Honda team reversed the momentum to pull out the win by nearly 39s. Honda Rider Quotes: F.C.C. TSR Honda rider Shinichi Ito says: “I had decided to quit racing last year, but to be here and win again is the best way I found to support my region and my friends. It was very difficult to be prepared enough for the race, but I tried my best.” F.C.C. TSR Honda rider Ryuichi Kiyonari says: “After my crash at the beginning of the race I felt obliged to do my best to get the victory for my team.”