Eupen, Belgium: BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent head this weekend to Japan for the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours – round three of the 2012 Endurance World Championship – determined to close the gap to the top of the championship standings. The team head to Japan off the back of a resounding win last time out in Qatar, which moved them up to fourth place in the championship standings, just 19 points behind the series leaders. Sixty teams will contest the 35th edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours, which remains the most important motorcycle race on the Japanese sporting calendar. Victory at Suzuka is a priority for three of the four Japanese manufacturers, who will once again field full factory machines and a very strong international rider line-up. Having finished an impressive fourth against similar competition at Suzuka just 12 months ago, BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent’s three riders – Sébastien Gimbert, Erwan Nigon and Damian Cudlin – are unfazed by the challenge ahead. The BMW trio head to Japan with their sights set firmly on a top five finish aboard the #99 BMW S1000RR, with which they took the race win in Qatar. BMW Motorrad France Thevent are also aiming to finish in Japan as the highest placed permanent team, to close the gap on the current championship leaders further ahead of the final two rounds at Oschersleben and Le Mans. Designed by Dutchman, John Hugenholtz, and built in 1962, Suzuka was the first circuit in Japan to exceed international standards and is one of the very few major racetracks to feature a figure of eight layout, with the back straight passing over the front of the track. The circuit has hosted both Formula 1 and MotoGP but is perhaps best known for the Suzuka 8 Hours, with this year being the 35th edition of this prestigious endurance race. Sébastien Gimbert: “The win in Qatar put our championship campaign back on track, but now we need to improve our position further with a strong showing at Suzuka. As always, it will be a hard race this weekend. Not only do we have to beat the permanent EWC teams, we’ve also got to take on the Japanese teams who contest only this one race each season, but with full factory support and very strong rider line-ups. We did well to finish fourth last year and I’d be happy to leave here with another top five finish. However, we’ll be on full attack again this weekend, because I really would like to stand on the podium just once at Suzuka.” Damian Cudlin: “Last year Suzuka was one of our best races, with fourth place against a host of factory supported Japanese teams promoting us to the top of the championship standings. This year we’re much better prepared, with a far more experienced team behind us and an even more competitive package in the 2012 BMW S1000RR. We need a good result at Suzuka to put us back in the hunt for the championship and I’m confident we can deliver this weekend.” Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal “We head to Japan determined to improve our position in the championship standings, but we’re under no illusions as to how tough the competition will be this weekend. The three big Japanese manufacturers will field full factory teams at Suzuka, with impressive rider line-ups drawn from both World Superbikes and the leading national championships. I think we surprised everyone other than ourselves with our fourth place in this race last year, and I’m confident we can achieve another top five finish this time around. What is equally important is for us is to finish ahead of the other permanent teams, as we need to improve our position in the championship standings ahead of the final two rounds of the series.” For more information and additional high resolution images please visit the BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent website at www.thevent.eu. More, from a press release issued by Crescent Suzuki: Camier joins Yoshimura Suzuki to aim for Suzuka success FIXI Crescent Suzuki’s Leon Camier is on his way to this weekend’s 35th-Anniversary Suzuka 8-Hour race in Japan to join the Yoshimura Suzuki team in its bid for glory. Camier will join team-mates Josh Waters and Nobuatsu Aoki to race the Yoshimura-powered Suzuki GSX-R1000 in a massive entry of 66 teams. The trio will line up ready to battle it out for the top-step of the podium at round three of the FIM World Endurance Championship around the spectacular figure-of-eight-style 5,851m circuit in Japan. The Suzuka 8-hour has become the country’s most prestigious motorcycle event to win, and this year’s race will mark the 35th Anniversary of the 8-Hour event, as well as celebrating the 50th year of the Suzuka circuit, which was constructed in 1962. The Japanese Yoshimura Suzuki Team will be on its factory GSX-R1000; a machine currently campaigning and being developed in this year’s Superbike World Championship by Camier and team-mate John Hopkins in the FIXI Crescent Suzuki squad. Yoshimura Suzuki is the only team to have competed in every single Suzuka 8-Hour race and, following successful performances and new data acquisition at the recent Suzuka 8-Hour Test a fortnight ago, it hopes to lift its sixth victory under the guidance of Team Manager Yohei Kato; the grandson of the legendary Pops Yoshimura and nephew of Fujio Yoshimura. Free Practice for the Suzuka 8-Hour starts on Thursday with the main Suzuka 8-Hour race at 11.30am local time (03.30BST) on Sunday 29th July. Leon Camier: “I am really looking forward to the Suzuka 8-hour race – it’s one of the biggest races of the year and it’s one that is so big and important in Japan. I have raced it before, but it’s hard to explain what the atmosphere is like unless you see it for yourself. The tests went pretty well recently, though the Yoshimura Suzuki felt quite a bit different to the bike I race in World Superbikes. The biggest difference is the tyres and it took a little while to understand the ones I will use in the 8-hour and how they behave. The Suzuka 8-hour bike is tuned for Endurance and because I have to share the bike with other riders, it means that we all have to compromise on the set-up. My team mates have different riding styles to me, so it’s a case of trying to find the best set-up for all us. We started doing this in the test and we’ll continue the work on it during the first practices, but I think we’ll be OK for the race. “Yoshimura has a great history in this race and hopefully I can help them write a new chapter. It is often hot and humid at the Suzuka 8-hour, but I feel fit and ready for it and would like to get on the podium and say thank you to Yoshimura for asking me and also FIXI Crescent Suzuki for giving me this chance.” Yohei Kato Yoshimura Suzuki Team Manager: “This year it is the 50th anniversary for Suzuka circuit and the 35th Suzuka 8-Hour Endurance race. We are proud that the Yoshimura Suzuki Team has never missed a race and it is essential that our name is part of the event; and at the same time, it is our most important race. “As it is very well known, the Suzuka 8-Hour race is an endurance event, but with a very high-speed lap time – just like a sprint race – so we hope our engine development through WSBK and our long-time experiences of the Suzuka 8-Hour will be an advantage. “The race is going to be very competitive, however, with very strong rivals from Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and BMW, and we are aiming for the best possible result along with World Champions SERT, which uses the same-specification engine as the Yoshimura team.” More, from a press release issued by Honda: HONDA GOING FOR TRIPLE IN SUZUKA 8 HOURS The Honda Motor Company enters this weekend’s 35th Suzuka 8 Hours with one of their strongest lineups in years, and with an eye towards claiming victory for the third year in a row and 25th time overall. Though Honda does not field an official entry in the third round of the FIM Endurance World Championship, the company puts their years of production racing experience to use by providing specially prepared Honda CB1000RR Fireblades for the top teams. The winning team last year was F.C.C. TSR Honda, which is not resting on their success. F.C.C. TSR strengthened its lineup by teaming Honda World Superbike star Jonathan Rea with 2011 Suzuka winner Kosuke Akiyoshi and reserve rider Tady Okada. Akiyoshi is a Honda test rider who also competes in the All Japan Superbike Championship. Not only does he have a victory in the 8 Hours, but he also has extensive experience at the Suzuka Circuit, having won the All Japan Superbike Championship for the past two years. Rea arrives in Japan directly from the Czech Republic where he competed in last weekend’s World Superbike races. The Northern Irishman has been on the podium in the Suzuka 8-Hours and feels this is his best chance for victory. The question mark on Akiyoshi is his endurance. He was injured in the opening round of the All Japan Superbike Championship in March and continues to improve. Though he has ridden extensively since, and tested both the 8 Hours machine and the newest generation Honda RC213V, he may not feel he is fit for four hours of riding in the physically taxing race held in the middle of the summer heat and humidity. If Akiyoshi finds he is not able to race at the highest level, he will be replaced by two-time Suzuka winner Tady Okada, who was recently drafted onto the squad. Okada quickly got up to speed on the 8 Hours bike during a recent test at the Suzuka Circuit where he put his considerable experience to work by helping find a setup that will suit all three riders. The Honda Musashi RT Harc Pro team, last year’s third place finishers, is sticking with proven winners in Ryuichi Kiyonari and Takumi Takahashi, the 2010 winners, while adding 2009 250cc World Champion Hiroshi Aoyama. Aoyama, the former MotoGP star who currently teams with Rea at Honda World Superbike, has been to Suzuka as a third rider, but never raced. Three-time British Superbike champion Kiyonari has four wins, 2006, ’08, ’10 and last year when he teamed with Akiyoshi and Shinichi Itoh. The 22-year-old Takahashi teamed with Kiyonari to win the 2010 race. Takahashi prepared for this year’s 8 Hours by winning the Suzuka 2 & 4 race in April. The Honda TT Legends team returns for a second year with a slightly revised lineup. Returning are 19-time Isle of Man TT winner John McGuinness and Australian Cameron Donald, with Samsung Honda British Superstock Jason O’Halloran returning to the 8-Hours after a four-year absence as a replacement for Keith Amor. O’Halloran was part of the Honda TT Legends team that earned its first podium at the Doha 8-Hour race in June on a team that included Michael Laverty and Ryuichi Kiyonari. The Honda TT Legends lineup had to be shuffled in Qatar while McGuinness, the “Morecambe Missile,” was drawing ever closer to TT legend Joey Dunlop’s record of 26 wins on the Isle of Man. Honda Team Asia will make its 8 Hours debut this year with two veterans and a newcomer. The newcomer to the 8 Hour is Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman, though he is not new to the Suzuka Circuit. Azlan teamed with fellow Malaysian Mohd Emir Firdaus to score a dramatic win in last year’s Suzuka 4 Hours, which runs concurrently with the 8 Hours. Unfamiliar with the Le Mans-type start, which sees riders sprint across the track to their motorcycles, Azlan got away slowly. But he tracked down the race leaders and made a pass on the final lap that sealed the victory. Azlan will be teaming with Makoto Tamada and Chosun Kameya, who work as instructors for the Asia Dream Cup class in the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC). Azlan races for the Musashi Boon Siew Honda Racing team in the SuperSports 600 class of the ARRC. Kiyonari is his team-mate. Other Honda teams of note are Honda Dream RT Sakurai Honda, with Australians Wayne Maxwell and Jamie Stauffer, and Toho Racing with Moriwaki, which will field Tatsuya Yamaguchi, Yuki Takahashi, and Yusuke Teshima. The traditional late July date for the Suzuka 8 Hours was once inviolate, but recently has clashed with other World Championship events, thereby limiting the participation of factory riders. While Rea, Aoyama, and Akiyoshi are racing in Japan, Repsol Honda riders Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa will be taking part in the U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The differences could not be greater. Laguna Seca is known for its cool mornings and warm afternoons, and 32 laps of the 3.61Km scrapper’s track that allows for no rest. The Suzuka 8-Hours is held on the last weekend in July, when the Japanese heat and humidity are at their peak, and on one of the great racing circuits of the world. The riders typically race for an hour at a time, after which they cool down, shower, get massages, eat and get ready for their next stint. Seventy percent humidity and temperatures that reach over 40C are not uncommon, though the mercury drops once the sun sets. Adding to the stress of the EWC riders is the disparity in closing speeds to the Supersport 600s that take part in the Suzuka 4 Hours, which runs concurrently with the 8 Hours. Though the race is the third of five rounds of the 2012 FIM Endurance World Championship, only a small number of the series regulars make the trip to Japan. Honda owns the Suzuka Circuit and it is not hyperbole to say that it owns the 8 Hours. With 24 winners in 34 years, Honda has showcased some of their greatest riders and fastest motorcycles in the summer classic. Many of Honda’s greatest world champions have won the race, including five-time 500cc World Champions Mick Doohan and Wayne Gardner, the Australian duo who teamed up to win the 1991 race. Gardner added three more wins to his resume before retiring. Honda’s 500cc and MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi teamed with Castrol Honda’s two-time World Superbike Champion Colin Edwards to win in 2001. Edwards won on two other occasions, including in 2002 with the late Daijiro Katoh. Before Fred Merkel won the first two World Superbike championships for Honda, he won the 8 Hours in 1984 with fellow American Mike Baldwin. The roster of winning machines tells the history of Honda’s evolution in the supersports category. From Honda’s first wins in 1979 through its fifth in 1985, Honda winners rode a variety of inline four-cylinders, beginning with the Honda CB900 ridden by 1979 winners Tony Hatton and Michael Cole of Australia. Americans Mike Baldwin and David Aldana rode a Honda RS1000 to victory two years later. Honda’s CB900F was ridden to victory in 1982 by Shego Ijima and Shinji Hagiwara, the first Japanese team to win their home event. When Baldwin won two years later he and team-mate Fred Merkel were astride a Honda RS750R, the first of the successful V-4s. Gardner’s first of four victories came next aboard the Honda RVF750 with partner Masaki Tokano. The RVF750 won five times before it evolved into the RVF/RC45 which won the first of its five races in 1994 with two-time World Superbike champion Doug Polen and Kiwi Aaron Slight. The Honda VTR1000SPW V-twin powered the race winners for four consecutive years, from 2000 through 2003, after which is was replaced by the Honda CBR1000RRW in a return to the inline-four powerplant that began Honda’s winning tradition in 1979. The past six Honda winners have been aboard the flagship Fireblade CBR1000RR sportbike. Honda Rider Quotes: F.C.C. TSR Honda rider Kosuke Akiyoshi says: “I have marked 2m,7s lap during the testing. However, not only good lap times are required for the 8-Hour testing, but also we must find a good setup. Tady Okada, who was nominated as the third rider for the team, helped us to get good setup. Although we still have some issues, we have given our requests to engineers after some long meetings. After the July 10/11 test, I headed to Mugello where I tested the RC213V during the post-race testing. During the 8-Hour weekend, I will try to finalize the bike setup together with Jonathan (Rea) in order to win the race. I was seriously injured in a round of the All Japan Road Race Championship practice in March. My body has been recovering steadily towards the Suzuka 8-Hours and I hope to be able to race.” F.C.C. TSR Honda rider Jonathan Rea says: “I am really excited about the 8-Hour. It splits up my season nicely in SBK, but it is the most passionate race I have ever participated in. The Japanese fans are crazy there. I just feel they appreciate motorbike riders and it is an honour to go there and put on a show. Not only for the fans, but to represent Honda in Japan. It is a big honour for me and to get asked to partner Akiyoshi who has already been quite strong in testing, and I hope we have the chance to ride for a race win; I have already been once on the podium, in third. So we aim to win, but it is never easy because there are a lot of fast local riders, but also a lot of international riders coming as well. It is the toughest race you will ever do. Physically it is tough, but mentally it is really tough. The range in lap times between the fastest guys and the slowest is a lot, and it has caught me out twice now with slower riders making mistakes. You have to be very careful when you come up against slower guys. It is a team race, and after one hour you cannot believe you can survive another three stints, but the atmosphere in the team, the passion of everybody, you kind of dig in and get it done. You go into autopilot mode.” F.C.C. TSR Honda rider Tady Okada says: “Mr. Masakazu Fujii called me the other day and asked me to join the team as the third rider. Since the beginning of the year, I have been training with young riders, so my physical condition is perfect. I also had a confidence to ride the bike. I had not ridden the 8-Hour bike for a year, but at once I lapped in 2m, 9s.The bike is comfortable to ride and I didn’t have to change anything. The good point of road racing is you can still ride fast after a long absence. If I were asked to ride during the race, I want to try my best and show my skill.” Musashi RT Harc Pro rider Hiroshi Aoyama says: “Kiyonari and Takahashi should be my team-mates and I am going to race in Team HARC-PRO, which my team when I was racing in Japan. I am really happy to be racing in this team and the guys already have won some races in the 8-Hours, and also have a lot of experience as well. For me it is going to be the first ever race in the 8-Hour and I can have a lot of confidence in the team, my team-mates and I think I am just going to follow the way they show me. In Superbike there is no race in Japan so it is going to be great to go race there because it will be my ‘home’ race of the year, and take place in front of many fans. I have registered as a third rider at the 8-Hour before but I never raced there, so it is going to be the first time, this is for sure a big difference compared to a sprint race. A long time ago I did a small endurance race, but I think the 8-Hours will be completely different because we do it in Suzuka Circuit, and it is very hot conditions. I think the 8-Hours is something special for all the factories, for all the manufacturers. It only happens once a year and it goes on for a long time, not a short race. It is a big race, but also a big event. I think there are a lot of people involved and it is maybe something like the Isle of Man is for people in Europe, something special that happens just once a year, like a festival.” Musashi RT Harc Pro rider Ryuichi Kiyonari says: “We now have a clear idea of what to do for the 8-Hour race. If we can improve some issues, all three of us can ride comfortably on the race day. The team understands what has to be done, so we hope to finalise our setup during the weekend. Our aim, or our job, is to ride faster than anyone else. We are only looking for the win. It would be the fifth win in the championship this year for me. I will try my best to build up my body with effective physical training.” Musashi RT Harc Pro rider Takumi Takahashi says: “It was quite hard to test two bikes with three riders. I know that I must take more positive steps. Now I will do some physical training so that I can try my best to win the race. I have been on every step of the podium in Suzuka 8 Hours, including victory in 2010. It is a big job to mobilise all the forces, the teammates, mechanics, parts manufacturers, and sponsors, and we will aim hard to back in the middle spot of the podium.” Honda TT Legends rider John McGuinness says: “I’m excited about going back to Suzuka for a second time. It’s going to be much better now that we have experience of the track and I’ve been looking forward to this one since we left last year! It’s such an iconic event and it would be amazing to do well there. The team has been doing a great job recently the bike is going well and the stand-in squad got a brilliant result in Qatar. Hopefully we can finish the race and score some valuable points.” Honda TT Legends rider Cameron Donald says: “Suzuka would have to rate as one of my favourite circuits. It’s technically challenging and usually raced in very hot conditions so it’s never easy! Having had the opportunity to learn the circuit last year, I’m looking forward to building on that knowledge. Racing for Honda in Japan is always an honor and I will be giving it my all. We’re aiming for a strong result to add as many points as possible to our championship effort. I look forward to joining the team again and also my fellow country man Jason, who I’m sure will be a great asset at a circuit he knows well.” Honda TT Legends rider Jason O’Halloran says: “It was a such an honour to race for the Honda TT Legends at Qatar so I’m excited and flattered to be asked to join the team in Japan. It’s a really slick crew and the Qatar race went so smoothly with no real drama I hope we can do the same again. I did the Suzuka 8-hour in 2008 and really enjoyed the experience so I’m definitely looking forward to doing it for a second time. It’s such an iconic event and to compete there with Honda will be fantastic.” Honda Team Asia rider Makoto Tamada says: “Mr. Kameya and I have been instructors in the “Asia Dream Cup,” a one-make race for the HondaCBR250R in the 2012 Asia Road Racing Championship. AlphaWith team-mate Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman, we at Honda Team Asia will aim for a good result for two-wheel excitement of the all the racers across Asia.” Honda Team Asia rider Chojun Kameya says: “This year Mr. Tamada and I are in charge of the instructors for the “Asia Dream Cup,” with Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman who participated in the SS600 class of the Asia Road Racing Championship. We work together as a team of instructors and we will work together as a team to do our best and target the podium.” Honda Team Asia rider Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman says: “Last year I was able to compete in the Suzuka 4-Hour race, which is held at the same time as the Suzuka 8-hour, and win. This year I am a member of the Team Asia with Mr. Kameya and Mr. Tamada, who has abundant experience. Our the goal is victory, of course.” HONDA WINNERS OF THE SUZUKA 8 HOURS 1 – 1979: Tony Hatton, AUS/Michael Cole, AUS – Honda CB900 2 – 1981: Mike Baldwin, USA/Dave Aldana USA – Honda RS1000 3 – 1982: Shigeo Iijima, J/Shinji Hagiwara, J – Honda CB900F 4 – 1984: Mike Baldwin, USA/Fred Merkel, USA – Honda RS750R 5 – 1985: Wayne Gardner, AUS/Masaki Tokano, J – Honda RVF750 6 – 1986: Wayne Gardner, AUS/Dominique Sarron F – Honda RVF750 7 – 1989: Dominique Sarron, F/Alex Vieira, Por – Honda RVF750 8 – 1991: Wayne Gardner, AUS/Mick Doohan, AUS – Honda RVF750 9 – 1992: Wayne Gardner, AUS/Daryl Beattie, AUS – Honda RVF750 10 -1994: Doug Polen, USA/Aaron Slight, NZ – Honda RVF/RC45 11 – 1995: Aaron Slight, NZ/Tadayuki Okada, J – Honda RVF/RC45 12 -1997: Shinichi Ito, J/Tohru Ukawa, J – Honda RVF/RC45 13 -1998: Shinichi Ito, J/Tohru Ukawa, J – Honda RVF/RC45 14 -1999: Tadayuki Okada, J/Alex Barros, Bra – Honda RVF/RC45 15 – 2000: Tohru Ukawa, J/Daijiro Kato, J – Honda VTR1000SPW 16 – 2001: Valentino Rossi, I/Colin Edwards, USA – Honda VTR1000SPW 17 – 2002: Daijiro Kato, J/Colin Edwards, USA – Honda VTR1000SPW 18 – 2003: Yukio Nukumi, J/Manubu Kamada, J – Honda VTR1000SPW 19 -2004: Tohru Ukawa, J/Hitoyasu Izutsu, J – Honda CBR1000RRW 20 – 2005: Ryuichi Kiyonari, J/Tohru Ukawa, J – Honda CBR1000RRW 21 – 2006: Shinichi Ito, J/Takeshi Tsujimura, J – Honda CBR1000RR 22 – 2008: Ryuichi Kiyonari, J/Carlos Checa, E – Honda CBR1000RR 23 – 2010: Ryuichi Kiyonari, J/Takumi Takahashi, J – Honda CBR1000RR 24 2011: Ryuichi Kiyonari, J/Kosuke Akiyoshi, J/Shinichi Itoh, J Honda CBR1000RRW More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Suzuki is aiming for victory in this weekend’s 35th-Anniversary Suzuka 8-Hour race in Japan, as a massive entry of 66 teams line up ready to battle it out for the top-step of the podium at round three of the FIM World Endurance Championship. Reigning World Champions and current series leaders, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT), heads to the spectacular figure-of-eight-style 5,851m circuit with a 10-point lead over Honda TT Legends. But the permanent WEC Championship runners will be up against Japan’s finest factory riders and teams; all on a mission for victory in what has become the country’s most prestigious motorcycle event to win. And this year’s event – as well as the 35th Anniversary of the 8-Hour event – will also celebrate the 50th year of the Suzuka circuit, which was constructed in 1962. SERT riders Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Yukio Kagayama – who has joined the team for three of the five rounds – will be up against the might of the home Japanese Yoshimura Suzuki Team on its factory GSX-R1000; an uprated version developed from the machine campaigned in several World Superbike events last season in the hands of former Australian Superbike Champion Josh Waters – and now in the hands and further development of the FIXI Crescent Suzuki WSB team. Waters is joined by Briton and current FIXI Crescent Suzuki World Superbike team racer Leon Camier and also long-time Suzuki Factory Development rider and former Suzuki GP racer Nobuatsu Aoki. Yoshimura Suzuki is the only team to have competed in every single Suzuka 8-Hour race and, following successful performances and new data acquisition at the recent Suzuka 8-Hour Test a fortnight ago, hopes to lift its sixth victory under the guidance of Team Manager Yohei Kato; the grandson of the legendary Pops Yoshimura and nephew of Fujio Yoshimura. Yohei Kato: “This year it is the 50th anniversary for Suzuka circuit and the 35th Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance race. We are proud that the Yoshimura Suzuki Team has never missed a race and it is essential that our name is part of the event; and at the same time, it is our most important race. “As it is very well known, the Suzuka 8-Hour race is an endurance event, but with a very high-speed lap time – just like a sprint race – so we hope our engine development through WSBK and our long-time experiences of the Suzuka 8-Hour will be an advantage. “The race is going to be very competitive, however, with very strong rivals from Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and BMW, and we are aiming for the best possible result along with World Champions SERT, which uses the same-specification engine as the Yoshimura team.” Leon Camier: “I am really looking forward to the Suzuka 8-Hour race – it’s one of the biggest races in the year and it’s one that is so big and important in Japan. I have raced it before, but it’s hard to explain what the atmosphere is like unless you see it for yourself. The tests went pretty well recently, though the Yoshimura Suzuki felt quite a bit different to the bike I race in World Superbikes. The biggest difference is the tyres and it took a little while to understand the Bridgestones and how they behave. The Suzuka 8-Hour bike is tuned for Endurance and because I have to share the bike with other riders, it means that we all have to compromise on the set-up. My team mates have different riding styles to me, so it’s a case of trying to find the best set-up for all us. We started doing this in the test and we’ll continue the work on it during the first practices, but I think we’ll be OK for the race. “Yoshimura has a great history in this race and hopefully I can help them write a new chapter. It is often hot and humid at the Suzuka 8-Hour, but I feel fit and ready for it and would like to get on the podium and say thank you to Yoshimura for asking me and also FIXI Crescent Suzuki for giving me this chance.” Nobuatsu Aoki: “We have completed a few tests at Suzuka circuit and so far we’ve had positive results. The engine has been upgraded this year with additional WSBK development and then I have concentrated on the set-up of the ignition and also bike geometry. I am glad that I was able to spend more time on machine set-up than in previous years and hope it makes for faster lap times for all three riders. “Last year we missed the victory only by just 38.765 seconds, and that was a really disappointing result. This year we have to sharpen every single lap during the eight hours and my desire for the team is for victory this year.” Josh Waters: “I was very surprised and honoured when Yoshimura Suzuki asked me to race at Suzuka again as there are so many great Suzuki riders worldwide who want to do the 8 Hours, so to be chosen was a really good feeling. “I’ll definitely be trying my best and I learnt a lot from last year’s event, so hopefully this year we can go even better. It’s an uprated version of the bike that I raced in World Superbike last year with Yoshimura Suzuki. The engine will be even better this year though, as Yoshimura supplies the FIXI Crescent Suzuki World Superbike team now, so it will be a great experience. To race on the Bridgestone tyres is also a positive and they’re MotoGP-spec, which is awesome.” Free Practice for the Suzuka 8-Hour starts on Thursday with the main Suzuka 8-Hour race at 11.30 local time on Sunday. Live timing throughout the event will be available on the FIM Live website: www.fim-live.com Current World Endurance Championship Standings (after 2 of 5 rounds): 1 SERT (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 54 points, 2 Honda TT Legends 44, 3 SRC Kawasaki 40, 4 Yamalube Folch Endurance 37, 5 BMW Motorrad 35, 6 Bolliger Team Switzerland 29, 7 Monster Energy Yamaha 28, 8 Team RC2L 27, 9 Yamaha France GMT94 24, 10 Team Flembbo Djimiant Serbia 19. More, from a press release issued by FIM Endurance Press Office: Suzuka 8 Hours Sixty teams at the start for a sumptuous line-up Round three of the 2012 FIM Endurance World Championship, the 35th Suzuka 8 Hours, will take place in Japan on 29 July. Year after year, this spectacular classic in the World Endurance calendar draws the best local teams, backed by the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers. Winners of the event in 2011, FCC TSR Honda are fielding 2010 and 2011 Japanese Superbike Champion Kosuke Akiyoshi, and Jonathan Rea, currently in third place in the FIM Superbike World Championship. Their most dangerous rival should be the Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team. Runners up last year, Yoshimura Suzuki have kept part of their 2011 crew with Nobuastu Aoki and Australian champion Josh Waters. British rider Leon Camier will be Yoshimura’s third man for the race on 29 July. Honda Musashi RT Harc Pro are also contenders for the top spot with Takumi Takahashi and Ryuichi Kiyonari, both winners in 2010. They will be joined by Hiroshi Aoyama, GP250 World Champion and currently riding in the FIM Superbike World Championship. Several permanent teams are gearing up to take on the ranks of Japan’s top riders. Monster Energy Yamaha YART are fielding an unusual and impressive trio with Katsuyuki Nakasuga, 2008 and 2009 Japanese Superbike champion and leader of this year’s provisional rankings, Noriyuki Haga, and his British Superbike team-mate Tommy Hill, 2011 BSB champion and currently top of the 2012 leader board. Other top permanent teams will be represented by more classic crews. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team are sticking with the crew that rode in the 8 Hours of Doha, Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Yukio Kagayama, who is generally to be found aboard the Yoshimura Suzuki defending his first place in the 2012 provisional world rankings. Winners at Doha and fourth at Suzuka last year, BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent are also fielding their usual crew, Sébastien Gimbert, Erwan Nigon and Damian Cudlin, as are Yamaha France GMT 94 Michelin Yamalube, seventh at Suzuka in 2011, with David Checa, Matthieu Lagrive and Kenny Foray. Four other permanent teams will be travelling to Japan. Honda TT Legends (Cameron Donald, John McGuinness and Jason O’Halloran) and Bolliger Team Switzerland (Horst Saiger, Roman Stamm and Jérôme Tangre) will be keen to add to their good results so far. Team R2CL (Amaury Baratin, Cédric Tangre and Raphael Chaussé) and Team Flembbo Dijimant Serbia (Andrea Bosio, Franck Cersosimo and Dragoslav Perisic) will also be on the tarmac at Suzuka. The first free practice sessions will take place at Suzuka on Thursday. The start of the Suzuka 8 Hours will be on Sunday 29 July at 11h30 local time. Follow the race with “LIVE TIMING” on FIM-LIVE.COM