41st Coca-Cola Suzuka 8-Hours Endurance Race
FIM Endurance World Championship
Suzuka Circuit, Japan
July 28, 2018
Special Stage Qualifying Results:
1. Kawasaki Team Green (Kazuma Watanabe/Jonathan Rea/Leon Haslam), Kaw ZX-10R, SBK, Bridgestone, 2:05.403
2. Red Bull Honda With Japan Post (Takumi Takahashi/Takaaki Nakagami/PJ Jacobsen), Hon CBR1000RR, SBK, Bridgestone, 2:06.127
3. Yamaha Factory Racing Team (Katsuyuki Nakasuga/Alex Lowes/Michael van der Mark), Yam YZF-R1, SBK, Bridgestone, 2:06.170
4. MuSashi RT Harc-Pro Honda (Dominique Aegerter/Ryo Mizuno/Randy de Puniet), Hon CBR1000RR, SBK, Bridgestone, 2:06.177
5. Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing (Takuya Tsuda/Sylvain Guintoli/Bradley Ray), Suz GSX-R1000, SBK, Bridgestone, 2:06.642
6. S-Pulse Dream Racing – IAI (Hideyuki Ogata/Tommy Bridewell/Kazuki Watanabe), Suz GSX-R1000, SBK, Bridgestone, 2:06.756
7. au Teluru MotoUP Racing Team (Kosuke Akiyoshi/Tetsuta Nagashima/Isaac Vinales), Hon CBR1000RR, SBK, Bridgestone, 2:07.246
8. YART – Yamaha (Broc Parkes/Marvin Fritz/Takuya Fujita), Yam YZF-R1, SBK, Bridgestone, 2:07.387
9. KYB Moriwaki Motul Racing (Ryuichi Kiyonari/Yuki Takahashi), Hon CBR1000RR, SBK, Pirelli, 2:08.128
10. Team SuP Dream Honda (Tatsuya Yamaguchi/Ryosuke Iwato/Kosuke Sakumoto), Hon CBR1000RR, SBK, Bridgestone, 2:08.200
More, from a press release issued by FIM/Eurosport Events:
KAWASAKI TEAM GREEN ON POLE AT SUZUKA
Kawasaki Team Green has claimed pole position for the Suzuka 8 Hours following a qualifying session in lieu of the Top 10 Trial, which had to be cancelled due to rain showers this morning. Red Bull Honda with Japan Post moved up to 2nd place on the grid, ahead of Yamaha Factory Racing Team.
Rain showers this morning led race control at the Suzuka 8 Hours to cancel the Top 10 Trial and replace it, as per regulations, with a traditional qualifying session for the top 10 teams on yesterday’s timesheets.
Bradley Ray fired the opening shot to place Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing in the lead at today’s session, but Leon Haslam wrested back control with a 2:05.984 lap for Kawasaki Team Green, following which Jonathan Rea twice hammered it home, posting a 2:05.722, then doing a 2:05.403 lap around the 5,821-m circuit.The FIM Superbike three-time world champion was once again the fastest rider today, but his teammate Leon Haslam joined the select group of riders capable of completing a Suzuka lap in under 2:06.
Kawasaki’s last pole at Suzuka dates back to 1995. Kawasaki Team Green beefed up its status as a challenger for the win and will start from pole with riders Jonathan Rea, Leon Haslam and Kazuma Watanabe, ahead of Red Bull Honda with Japan Post, who posted a 2:06.127 lap today. The Honda HRC team (Takumi Takahashi, Takaaki Nakagami and PJ Jacobsen) significantly upped performance this morning to take precedence over Yamaha Factory Racing Team, who will now start from 3rd place on the grid. Fresh from three straight wins at Suzuka, the Yamaha squad has another problem to sort out. Following a crash during free practice earlier today, Katsuyuki Nakasuga is still suffering hand and shoulder pain. Yamaha Factory Racing Team will have to decide whether or not he will ride as planned tomorrow alongside Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark.
Musashi RT Harc-Pro Honda also turned in an improved performance. Dominique Aegerter, Ryo Mizuno and Randy de Puniet will start from 4th place ahead of Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing (Takuya Tsuda, Sylvain Guintoli and Bradley Ray).
Today’s additional qualifying session for the 10 fastest teams in qualifying saw no changes to the remaining spots. YART Yamaha has maintained 8th place on the grid.
The 41st Suzuka 8 Hours will be flagged off at 11.30am local time (GMT+9) this Sunday, with a night-time finish scheduled for 7.30pm.
More, from a press release issued by Honda Pro Racing:
Honda in the mix at the Suzuka 8 Hours
Suzuka 8 Hours
Suzuka Circuit, Japan
Qualifying for the Suzuka 8 Hours has taken place at the 5.821-km Honda-owned Suzuka circuit, with five Honda teams featuring in the top-ten. During an electrifying qualifying session this afternoon it was the Red Bull Honda by Japan Post team who scored the second fastest time (2’06.127) – 0.724s from pole position.
After rain fell overnight and with track conditions not improving in time for the usual top-ten time trial, the qualifying method for the top-ten changed this afternoon and a 40 minute session was brought in, instead of the usual Superpole format.
With blistering pace across the 40 minutes, it was the Red Bull Honda by Japan Post that scored the second fastest time with PJ Jacobsen, Takaaki Nakagami and Takumi Takahashi aboard the Fireblade. The Honda teams close behind and claiming their positions on the grid ahead of tomorrow’s eight-hour race were MuSASHi RT HARC-Pro. Honda in fourth, S-Pulse Dream Racing sixth, au Teluru MotoUP Racing Team seventh, KYB Moriwaki Motul Racing ninth and completing the top-ten was Team SuP Dream Honda.
Meanwhile Honda’s permanent FIM Endurance World Championship teams F.C.C. TSR by Honda France and Honda Endurance Racing both missed out on the top-ten, but were in the mix and had good pace against their European rivals in yesterday’s combined qualifying.
Leading the FIM EWC series and aiming to be World Champions after the eight-hour race, F.C.C TSR finished yesterday’s qualifying in 12th place with a time of 2’09.092. The goal for the race for Freddy Foray, Josh Hook and Alan Techer is simple – finish in a place that will allow them to win the 2017-2018 world title.
The Honda Endurance Racing team with Sébastien Gimbert, Yonny Hernandez and Erwan Nigon also enjoyed a solid qualifying session, where they finished fifth within their European EWC rivals and were 18th overall, with a time of 2’10.411.
All teams will now prepare their Fireblades for the Suzuka 8 Hours tomorrow (Sunday 29 July), which is set to get underway at 1130am local Japanese time (GMT+9).
For all the latest updates on the Honda teams throughout the race follow @HondaProRacing on Twitter.
Josh Hook
Yesterday we had good feeling with the CBR. Probably the best we have felt with all three riders on the bike for a long time, even during the tests, so we’ve come a long way with the setting and now we have something that we are all happy to race with. We will just try to focus on consistency. So far, it’s very positive. Q1 was quite difficult for me because of the red flags. In Q2 I could make some good lap times. We must be strong for the race but keep focusing on the championship. Be consistent and make no mistakes!
Freddy Foray
We always try to work at most on the race pace. Sincerely, we’ve come a long way. We found a solution during the race week and now everything’s going much better. Our target is not to race as fast as possible but to ride with an easy bike. We now have this Fireblade and it’s very positive. For my part, I would have preferred racing faster, but I also know that it is not the main objective. I first want an easy bike that I feel good on it and it’s the case now. For the second qualifying, I rode in race configuration and everything went well, and I now look forward to tomorrow’s race.
Alan Techer
It was a positive day overall because the pace was good, and my teammates did a good job. The day went well, we did not face any problems and the CBR gets better and better. With used or brand-new tyres and we are consistent, so it’s a great sign for the 8 Hours. For my part, I did not race as fast as I wanted, and I still must work on that because it’s important for Sunday. Today was a lot calmer, with just one practice session so I can fully focus and prepare for the race tomorrow.
Sébastien Gimbert 111
I’m happy to come to Suzuka and race here with Honda, it’s the last race of the EWC year and we’re sitting third, which is the highest position to date for the team. I’m feeling good in myself, I am better and recovered from the injury I had at Oschersleben after a lot of treatment and rehab. Qualifying yesterday was hard, we didn’t attend the pre-test here so we are working a lot on the setting of the CBR. We did have some issues during the session, but our lap times are good and we are close to the other European bikes, so I am happy with that. We also have Yonny for this race as he replaces Greg who is injured, and he’s a good choice, he’s very fast and we all work well together with feedback. I am looking forward to the race tomorrow, it will be hard, but it’s a challenge I enjoy.
Yonny Hernandez 111
I am happy that we were close to the European teams during qualifying; it’s difficult when there are 64 teams and the times are all so close. We are arriving at Suzuka third in the EWC standings and as long as we have a safe and careful race, I am confident we can finish the year third. I have a good team, good teammates and a good bike with the Fireblade, so I am looking forward to tomorrow’s race. Both Sébastien and Yonny are very good and fast, and I am sure come tomorrow we will have pace and can enjoy a good finish.
Erwan Nigon 111
I am happy that we were close to the European teams during qualifying; it’s difficult when there are 64 teams and the times are all so close. We are arriving at Suzuka third in the EWC standings and as long as we have a safe and careful race, I am confident we can finish the year third. I have a good team, good teammates and a good bike with the Fireblade, so I am looking forward to tomorrow’s race. Both Sébastien and Yonny are very good and fast, and I am sure come tomorrow we will have pace and can enjoy a good finish.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
A Saturday of Surprises Sees Yamaha Factory Racing Third in Suzuka Superpole
Saturday at Suzuka is traditionally the famous Top Ten Trial event where the ten fastest riders from the qualifying sessions get a single hot lap to fight for their final start position. With a fast approaching typhoon threatening to rain off any action at all, the 2018 Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours opted instead for a single 40-minute timed QP Superpole session for the top ten teams, with two riders per team able to participate. Following a crash in the earlier practice session, Yamaha Factory Racing’s Katsuyuki Nakasuga sat out the QP, leaving Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark to score third on the grid for the team. YART Yamaha Official EWC Team’s Broc Parkes and Marvin Fritz were the chosen two for YART, delivering eighth for tomorrow’s start.
Yamaha Factory Racing’s Nakasuga is one of the most sure-footed riders around the Suzuka circuit so it was a surprise to all to see him fall on turn 3 on his out lap at the start of practice. The Japanese Factory rider came off trying to avoid a slower rider on the turn. Nakasuga was able to walk away from the crash and chose to rest for the remainder of the day.
Teammates Lowes and van der Mark then stepped up to attack the QP session, with both scoring their fastest ever laps around the Suzuka circuit. Van der Mark was the first out on the grippier qualifying Bridgestone tyres, quickly dipping under the ‘8s, then setting his personal fastest time on his second outing, a 2’06.471s lap.
Next up was Lowes, the British rider determined to take the time down even further. Like van der Mark he was able to shave considerable time off his personal best at Suzuka, scoring a 2’06.170s lap. The time was enough to place the Yamaha Factory Racing Team in third position for tomorrow’s race start.
Australian Parkes was first up for the YART Yamaha Official EWC Team and put his QP tyre to good use, laying down a highly respectable 2’07.387s lap. German teammate Fritz followed, and was also able to deliver an impressive time of just over 2’08.1s. The team agreed that it was unlikely they would be able to beat Parkes’ time so they decided to stop and be content with their eighth position.
The 2018 Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours is scheduled to start at 11:30am local time, although with an incoming Typhoon predicted to arrive late tonight, the racing paddock have their collective fingers crossed that the worst will have passed before the start tomorrow.
Alex Lowes
Yamaha Factory Racing Team
“Today was my best lap ever here, of course I’d like to have been a bit faster but it’s still good. Today was a little bit more complicated for us but we both did our best laps in qualifying so we have to be quite satisfied with that. We made some set up changes to the bike for the session but neither of felt that comfortable so it’s still a great result. It’s a long race tomorrow, I’m looking forward to it and I’m going to do the best I can. I’m not happy to see Nakasuga-san crash, we all get on really well and we are a tight team so it’s not nice. I was happy to see him come back for a couple of laps at the end of practice and I’m confident we’ll be facing the start together tomorrow.”
Michael van der Mark
Yamaha Factory Racing Team
“Today changed around a bit at the last minute, for me it was in the end the first time I went out on new tyres this weekend. I’m quite happy with my qualifying lap and I think we have a really good race pace. We’ve been focusing on race pace and race set up all weekend so I’m feeling confident and looking forward to tomorrow. We’re a close team so of course I’m unhappy and sorry for Nakasuga-san after his crash but I’m confident he’ll bounce back with some rest.”
Wataru Yoshikawa
Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“Nakasuga had his line blocked by a slower machine and that likely led to his fall in the free practice. He went out again afterwards, but that was just to see how he was feeling physically, and we made the decision to err on the side of caution and have Alex and Michael ride in the Top 10 Trial. We now have to re-examine our scheduling and strategy, but the more important issue is that we don’t know how the typhoon is going to affect the first part of the race, so we’ll prepare as much as we can to be ready tomorrow. It looks like the conditions could be rough in the race, so the potential, skillset and experience of our riders will be key. We believe in them and the team will support them 100%.”
Broc Parkes
YART Yamaha Official EWC Team
“I think we got the best out of the package that we could in qualifying. We decided in the end not to do another run, because I didn’t think I could improve on the laptime and Mandy said that it was better to go with that time than risk crashing the bike. I had a good slipstream behind two riders and a clear lap, just the last chicane I lost a little bit. I’m really happy, eighth position on the grid is a good starting position. For the race I feel pretty confident that wet or dry we have three riders that can be fast, we just need to put together a clean race and see where we end up.”
Marvin Fritz
YART Yamaha Official EWC Team
“Broc already set a really good lap he left the pits just behind everyone and had a really good opportunity with a good tow. I went out after him for my first time with the soft tyre, my first lap I immediately felt more grip. The first lap I made a small mistake, the second lap was good, I made an ‘8.1s lap which was just a bit faster than yesterday in my qualifying session. Then I came in for the next new tyre but the team decided to stop because more was impossible. Eighth was the bets position we could achieve, now we look forward to the race.”
Mandy Kainz
YART Yamaha Official EWC Team Manager
“I think the special QP session was ok for us. We did the maximum that we could do as a European team. We were the only permanent European team that took part in the Superpole session. Broc’s fastest lap was really nice, we could only top this time if we took some risk, and that I wanted to avoid, that’s why we stopped quite early. In respect to out spare part budget it was better to stop and be ready for the race! We are really happy, we are looking forward to experiencing a Typhoon and then tomorrow we will be ready!”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
Kawasaki Team Green On Pole For Suzuka 8Hr
The Team Green Kawasaki squad of Jonathan Rea, Leon Haslam and Kazuma Watanabe stormed to pole position during an amended top ten shoot out qualifying on Saturday 28 July for the 41st Suzuka 8Hr Endurance race.
Overnight and early morning rain did nothing to dampen the spirits of the Ninja ZX-10RR riders after the scintillating qualifying performance on Friday where Jonathan Rea set a new best lap time for the Suzuka event. With the threat of a typhoon coming to the region, the normal top ten qualifying shoot out was amended to allow the teams to field all their riders over a 40 minute period.
Team Green rider Watanabe elected to sit out the session which meant that Rea and Haslam could use the full allocation of four special qualifying tyres between them.
With the track completely dry, Haslam set a benchmark in the first half of the session with a 2m 05.90 lap time. Jonathan Rea then took over and whilst he did not match his lap time from yesterday, his fastest effort of 2m 05.403 was sufficient to claim pole position for tomorrow’s 8Hr race which is scheduled to start at 11:30am local time.
Rider quotes:
Haslam: Big team effort
“So far it’s been good – the feeling with the bike and all three riders was really good. I am really happy with pole position The last two years we’ve been second and the lap we managed was still a pole lap. I knew Johnny had a bit in the bank for me after the amazing lap he did yesterday so I was a little bit nervous doing my lap.
I did not want to throw it away because I knew we had a lot of potential. Again big team effort really happy but we’ve got to wait and see what the weather does. I feel we’ve prepared the best we can and I’m feeling pretty good”
Rea: Nice to be pole position
“Very happy with today and the lap time. It’s nice to be pole position for tomorrow to give us the best opportunity to get a good start and get some clear road at the beginning. Leon did a great job on his qualifying tyre so the strategy was that he was going to go first to kinda’ took a bit of pressure off me. Also big thanks to Kazuma because we had four soft tyres for the superpole session and he elected to give us both two tyres each. So a huge team effort and I feel ready for the race tomorrow.
I have not done so many laps this weekend and no kind of race simulation but it meant the test a few weeks ago was very beneficial. We line up excited but also nervous because it’s a long race anything can happen and to make things even more interesting there’s a typhoon on its way over now. We have to wake up and then come what may”.
Watanabe: Looking forward
I am very happy because Johnny and Leon made so many good lap times. I am very looking forward to tomorrow’s race because we can start in pole position and I want to say thank you again to Johnny and Leon”.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
SUZUKI GSX-R1000 5TH & 6TH ON GRID AT SUZUKA 8 HOURS EWC
Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing will start tomorrow’s Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance World Championship race from fifth position following today’s final qualifying, with S-Pulse Dream Racing IAI sixth after the usual Top-10 Trial was replaced because of an approaching typhoon.
The Top-10 Trial, where riders who qualified in the top 10 yesterday get the course all to themselves for a final-lap dash for ultimate lap times, but was replaced by a 40-minute additional qualifying session due to the unstable weather conditions. This session allowed each team to use only one bike but any rider within the 40 minutes.
The additional qualifying session took place from 15:30 with only the top-10 bikes on the course. Although it wasn’t the annual exciting top ten trial the crowd hoped for, this meant that only the prime bikes were out there and considering there where over 60 bikes out in yesterday’s qualifying, is turned out to be a fast and interesting session.
BSB rider Bradley Ray from Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Team marked 2 minutes 6 seconds .642 on his second lap putting Yoshimura in the lead. Soon afterwards many other teams started to put in respectable lap times and the session starts to get interesting. The Yoshimura team then switched riders to Takuya Tsuda hoping for a faster lap but he crashed at the chicane and was forced to stop half way through the session.
S-PULSE started the session with Kazuki Watanabe who managed to mark an impressive 2 minutes 7 seconds .781 on the single timed lap before changing to Tommy Bridewell. However, Bridewell was not able to better Kazuki’s time and Kazuki took over again for the last minutes of the session, clocking a stunning 2 minutes 6 seconds .756, putting him in sixth position.
#12 YOSHIMURA SUZUKI MOTUL RACING
Takuya Tsuda: “I was going to check the bike over once and then pit to change to fresh tyres for the attack, but I fell before the switch of the tyres and that was disappointing. Each rider has a different position for the shift pedal and I wasn’t comfortable with it on the course and missed a gear, resulting in the crash. When looking on the bright side, it’s a good thing it happened today and not tomorrow. We shall assess and adjust this issue and will be fully prepared for the race.”
Bradley Ray: “I was able to lap a second faster than yesterday so I’m very happy about that! I did all I could and pushed at my maximum. I’d like a little more confidence in the front end and the spinning of the rear tyre is a small issue when the tyres were, but Yoshimura is a highly professional team and I feel sure we’ll be able to deal with these problems. I hope to finish on the podium with this trustworthy team.”
Yohei Kato – Team Manager: “We were on racing tyres, not the soft ones for the qualifying, so Bradley’s performance was impressive and pleasing. It was a pity that Tsuda crashed out without a chance to attack for a premium lap, but as I said yesterday, everything’s working as planned and we are very competitive. Tomorrow we shall not let the lap times of other teams distract us and will concentrate in doing our job well.”
#95 S-PULSE DREAM RACING·IAI
Tommy Bridewell: “With that sub 8-seconds promising lap yesterday, I hoped to do better today. However, we suffered a minor trouble while I was on a flying lap and my finger was aching from yesterday’s spill too so I decided to take it easy with tomorrow in mind. This was a slight disappointment but Kazuki was able to do well instead so it worked out well and I’m happy for the team. All three riders have a constant pace so we are sure to be successful tomorrow.”
Kazuki Watanabe: “The first attack was on race tyres and was just a conformation session, but the second attack was on softer qualifying tyres and I was able to push at 105%. I was close to crashing three times on that lap but managed to round it up, fully bringing out the potential of the GSX-R. The team was happy for me and I am now motivated for tomorrow.”
Shirou Yoshida – Team Manager: “Although Tommy seemed to be suffering from his injured finger, both riders rode hard and well. Especially Kazuki’s lap was exciting and moving for the team. The team’s in a good mood and we hope to keep spirits high for tomorrows race.”
#2 Suzuki Endurance Racing Team
Vincent Philippe: “The lap times could be a little better but we are in much better shape than when we were at the joint testing sessions. We haven’t managed to find the best set up for ultimate confidence in the bike but we are slowly getting able to keep a constant rhythm with the necessary margin.”
Etienne Masson: “Last year’s bike was the previous model but I feel a massive step up in this new model. I didn’t ride to the limit in the qualifying but simulated the race on race tyres. It was a positive session.”
Gregg Black: “We are setting the bike up for the race well with promising results. The lap times are nothing drastic but all three riders have a good rhythm and a constant pace. I feel certain we will do well in the race, and hope for a top 10 finish.”
#71 Team KAGAYAMA U.S.A.
Yukio Kagayama: “Although it’s the race that really counts, it was a bit of a pity we didn’t make it into the top 10 trial, especially when I think of all the supporters and the sponsors. The ground temperature rose more than we expected and the match with the tyres didn’t go as well as we hoped. However, the race is a different story again so we shall do our best and show what we are capable of.”
Naomichi Uramoto: “I wasn’t able to find the pace and it was a frustrating session, letting the top 10 trial slip away. We have analysed where I’m not doing well on data so I’ll do my best to adjust and do better in the race.”
Joe Roberts: “I think I was able to make a huge step from yesterday. If the course was not so crowded I could have done even better, but sub 9 was an achievement and I was pleased. The bike’s much heavier and bigger making it hard to ride than the Moto2 bike I’m used to, but also exciting and fun to ride. I’m looking forward to the final race!”
Kevin Schwantz – Team Manager: “We hoped all the riders could do a little better lap times and we were definitely hoping to compete in the top 10 trial, but there are 64 bikes out there and luck plays a part too. We should be pleased that all the riders finished the sessions without any crashes. Of course, we are here to win this race. Weather and ground conditions can influence an endurance race greatly and you never know! I’m going to be at that party after the goal with a smile.”
#9 MotoMap SUPPLY
Yoshihiro Konno: “As a rider you want to score good lap times but in the SST class this is not the case and can be frustrating. On the other hand, as a team we are forming into a good package with a good average so I’m looking forward to see where we will be positioned by the end of the 8th hour.”
Nobuatsu Aoki: We have greatly improved the setup since the test sessions. I aimed to clock better laps at the qualifying but we had a minor trouble and were not able to make the best of the tires. It was a pity this happened but the SST class requires unique tactics and we hope to carry ours out at the race.”
Josh Waters: “The qualifying was, well, so-so. Both the best lap times and average are improving so we have a good feeling for the race. All I can do now is try hard to do my best, both for the team and Suzuki.”
#95 S-PULSE DREAM RACING·IAI
Hideyuki Ogata: The plan was for me to do the setup of the bike and the other riders to ride hard, but at the Qualifying session there was a small spill and the team went through a bit of a rough time. On the other hand, both Tommy and Kazuki clocked under 8 seconds and the team also managed the session well in the end. We hope to keep the good work up tomorrow and on Sunday.”
Tommy Bridewell: “I have a good feeling for both the bike and myself. I collided with Alex Lowes in the second session and fell but I wasn’t seriously injured and was also able to clock under 8 seconds on race tires so I think we can say that everything is going well.”
Kazuki Watanabe: “The unexpected spill wasn’t part of the plan but the bike has found a setup with a good balance and is ready for the race. We were forced to use the main bike for today’s qualifying so we were not able to push it as far as 105% but we still kept a constant lap time which was promising. I’ll do my best tomorrow to show entertaining speed in the top 10 trial!”
#31 Hamamatsu Team Titan
Kenshiro Wada: “With only two riders, the setup was relatively easy. We were able to proceed on both the bike and team well despite the lack of time. With the advantage to be able to focus on riding rather than complicated setups, I think we will be able to complete the eight hours with two riders without too much problem.”
Takahiro Kanbayashi: “I think we found a good balance in the free session which took place in the morning. We rode with the image of the actual race in the qualifying sessions without trying for ultimate lap times. With only two riders, we aimed to set the bike up to be as easy, stress-free and constant as possible and I think we have achieved that.”
The 41st Suzuka 8 Hours will be flagged off at 11.30am local time (GMT+9) this Sunday, with a night-time finish scheduled for 7.30pm.