FIM Endurance World Championship
Coca-Cola Suzuka 8-Hours
Suzuka Circuit, Japan
July 30, 2017
Provisional Race Results:
1. Yamaha Factory Racing Team (Katsuyuki Nakasuga/Alex Lowes/Michael van der Mark), Yam YZF-R1, Superbike, 216 laps, Total Race Time 8:00:32.959, Best Lap Time 2:06.932 (New Race Lap Record)
2. Kawasaki Team Green (Kazuma Watanabe/Leon Haslam/Azlan Shah Bin Kamaruzaman), Kaw ZX-10RR, Superbike, -129.052 seconds, 2:08.249
3. F.C.C. TSR Honda (Dominique Aegerter/Randy De Puniet/Josh Hook), Hon CBR1000RR SP2, Superbike, -1 lap, 2:08.460
4. MuSashi RT Harc-Pro Honda (Takumi Takahashi/Jack Miller/Takaaki Nakagami), Hon CBR1000RR SP2, Superbike, -2 laps, 2:07.824
5. YART Yamaha (Broc Parkes/Kohta Nozane/Marvin Fritz), Yam YZF-R1, Superbike, -4 laps, 2:09.341
6. Honda Dream Racing (Tomoyoshi Koyama/Ryosuke Iwato/Tatsuya Yamaguchi), Hon CBR1000RR SP2, Superbike, -4 laps, 2:09.540
7. Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing (Sylvain Guintoli/Josh Brookes/Takuya Tsuda), Suz GSX-R1000, Superbike, -4 laps, crash, 2:08.309
8. Satu Hati Honda Team Asia (Dimes Ekky Pratama/Md. Zaqhwan Zaidi/Ratthapong Wilairot), Hon CBR1000RR SP2, Superbike, -5 laps, 2:10.207
9. Moto Map Supply Future Access (Josh Waters/Nobuatsu Aoki/Yoshihiro Konno), Suz GSX-R1000, Superbike, -5 laps, 2:09.439
10. Honda Dream RT Sakurai Honda (Ryo Mizuno/Jason O’Halloran/Jamie Stauffer), Hon CBR1000RR SP2, Superbike, –5 laps, 2:10.168
11. GMT94 Yamaha (David Checa/Niccolo Canepa/Mike Di Meglio), Yam YZF-R1, Superbike, -6 laps, 2:10.579
12. au&Teluru Kohara RT (Kosuke Akiyoshi/Hikari Okubo/Tetsuta Nagashima), Hon CBR1000RR SP2, Superbike, -6 laps, 2:10.320
13. Bolliger Team Switzerland (Horst Saiger/Roman Stamm/Michael Savary), Kaw ZX-10R, Superbike, -6 laps, 2:11.290
14. Eva RT Webike Trickstar (Erwan Nigon/Hitoyasu Izutsu/Gregory Leblanc), Kaw ZX-10R, Superbike, -7 laps, 2:11.422
15. Ito Racing GMD & Red Griffin (Keisuke Maeda/Nobuyuki Osaki/Yuya Kondo), Yam YZF-R1, Superbike, -7 laps, 2:11.332
16. Mistresa with ATJ Racing (Takahiro Nakatsuhara/Taro Sekiguchi/Teppei Nagoe), Hon CBR1000RR Superbike, -8 laps, 2:10.984
17. Team Kagayama (Yukio Kagayama/Hafizh Syahrin/Naomichi Uramoto), Suz GSX-R1000, Superbike, -9 laps, 2:09.235
18. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Vincent Philippe/Etienne Masson/Sodo Hamahara), Suz GSX-R1000, Superbike, -9 laps, 2:11.881
19. Titanium Power Hooters Racing (Kazuma Tsuda/Kazuki Tokudome), Yam YZF-R1, Superbike, -10 laps, 2:13.067
20. Honda Suzuka Racing Team (Daijiro Hiura/Yudai Kamei/Takashi Yasuda), Hon CBR1000RR, Superbike, -11 laps, 2:09.635
23. S-Pulse Dream Racing IAI (Hideyuki Ogata/Marcel Schrotter/Alex Cudlin), Suz GSX-R1000, Superbike, -12 laps, 2:08.939
27. Moriwaki Motul Racing (Yuki Takahashi/Ryuichi Kiyonari/Dan Linfoot), Hon CBR1000RR SP2, Superbike, -14 laps, 2:08.887
31. Team Rabid Transit (Sheridan Morais/Bjorn Estment/Brandon Cretu), Yam YZF-R1, Superbike, -17 laps, 2:11.646
42. Team SuP Dream Honda (Shinichi Ito/Damian Cudlin/Gregg Black), Hon CBR1000RR SP2, Superbike, -23 laps, 2:10.516
43. Honda Endurance Racing (Julien Da Costa/Sebastien Gimbert/Freddy Foray), Hon CBR1000RR SP2, Superbike, -23 laps, 2:10.015
60. BMW Motorrad 39 (Raffaele De Rosa/Christian Iddon/Daisaku Sakai), BMW S1000RR, Superbike, -62 laps, crash, 2:09.726
More, from a press release issued by Eurosport Events:
YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM PULLS OFF HAT-TRICK
Yamaha Factory Racing Team won the Suzuka 8 Hours for the third successive year. The Japanese factory team crossed the finish line ahead of Kawasaki Team Green and F.C.C. TSR Honda. GMT94 Yamaha finished 11th to lift the 2016-2017 FIM EWC world championship title.
Action, performance, drama, records, champions and a large, enthusiastic crowd: the 2016-2017 FIM EWC grand finale, the 40th anniversary of the Suzuka 8 Hours, definitely lived up to its promise.
Yamaha Factory Racing Team’s gamble paid off thanks to riders Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark. The Japanese factory team will go down in the annals of the Suzuka 8 Hours as the second team to have won the race three years in a row, after Team Cabin Honda from 2000 to 2002.
After a turbo-charged start with Kawasaki Team Green’s Leon Haslam getting the holeshot, Yamaha Factory Racing Team and Musashi RT Harc-Pro Honda waged a battle for the lead until Takaaki Nakagami’s crash caused Musashi RT to fall back to 4th place. Yamaha Factory Racing Team then went it alone in the lead all the way to the finish.
A blazing finale
After a long-drawn-out battle with F.C.C. TSR Honda lasting for nearly the entire race, Kawasaki Team Green’s Kazuma Watanabe, Leon Haslam and Azlan Shah Bin Kamaruzaman surged into second place at the very end. It had looked like F.C.C. TSR Honda’s Dominique Aegerter, Randy de Puniet and Josh Hook would finish second, but the bike’s engine caught fire, forcing Randy de Puniet to make a lightning-quick pit stop a few minutes before the finish.
In fifth place behind Musashi RT Harc-Pro Honda (Takumi Takahashi, Jack Miller and Takaaki Nakagami), YART Yamaha Official EWC Team ran a flawless race with riders Broc Parkes, Kohta Nozane and Marvin Fritz. The Austrian team finished ahead of Japanese heavyweights Honda Dream Racing and Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing. The latter climbed back up to 7th from the depths of the standings after an early crash. Their prodigious climb back up earned riders Sylvain Guintoli, Josh Brookes and Takuya Tsuda the Anthony Delhalle EWC Spirit Trophy.
Satu Hati Honda Team Asia, MotoMap Supply FutureAccess and Honda Dream RT Sakurai Honda rounded off the Top 10, just ahead of GMT94 Yamaha. Three other FIM EWC teams featured in the Top 20. Bolliger Team Switzerland finished 13th after a race-long duel with Eva RT Webike Trick Star, which was 14th past the finish line. After being slowed down by Sodo Hamahara’s crash, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team finished the race in 18th place.
As for the rest of the FIM EWC squads, Team Rabid Transit finished 31st and Motobox Kremer Racing 38th while Honda Endurance Racing came in 43rd, having been delayed by a crash and a clutch issue. EKO IV Racing BMW CSEU was 47th past the finishing line.
GMT94 Yamaha is world champion
The 11th-place finish by GMT94 Yamaha’s David Checa, Niccolò Canepa and Mike Di Meglio enabled Christophe Guyot’s team to carry off the title of 2016-2017 FIM EWC world champion. This is the French team’s third title after their previous wins in 2004 and 2014. GMT94 Yamaha overtook Suzuki Endurance Racing Team in the championship standings, while YART Yamaha Official EWC Team took third place in the 2016-2017 FIM EWC.
A record-breaking 40th edition
Yamaha Factory Racing Team’s hat-trick was not the only exploit of the 40th edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours. Alex Lowes set a stunning new race lap record of 2’06.932. The previous record, Ryuichi Kiyonari’s 2’07.943 lap, dates to 2012.
And there were 128,000 spectators at the 2016-2017 FIM EWC grand finale: a figure reminiscent of the golden years of Japan’s most famous race.
More, from a press release issued by Honda Endurance Racing:
Mixed Suzuka 8 Hours for Honda Endurance Racing
Suzuka 8 Hours
Suzuka Circuit, Japan
The 2016-2017 FIM Endurance World Championship was decided today as the Suzuka 8 Hours played host to the grand finale of the series. Competition has been high all weekend with permanent EWC teams looking to finish their season on a high, mixed with Japanese local teams wanting to be the Suzuka 8 Hour winners.
The 40th Suzuka 8 Hours marked the end of a mixed season for Honda Endurance Racing, who finished the season overall in 13th place. With highs and lows experienced throughout the season, the team fought hard throughout, and in Slovakia claimed a podium finish in third place.
Honda’s endurance specialists Freddy Foray, Julien Da Costa and Sébastien Gimbert have been in the mix with their ten-permanent EWC rivals all weekend at Suzuka and as the race got underway at 1330 local time, a strong finish was looking positive for the team.
It was Foray who launched the all-new Fireblade from the start line in 26th place and it wasn’t long until the team had broken into the top-20 in 19th place – ahead of the main EWC challenger SERT (22nd). It was Da Costa’s turn after the first pit stop, but his stint didn’t go quite to plan. After being held at the end of pitlane while the safety car was deployed for an incident on track, Da Costa joined a lap down.
On cold tyres after the safety car Da Costa suffered a highside, crashing out of the race. Heroically remounting and riding the Fireblade back to the garage, it was over to the super-speedy Honda crew to get the team back on track. After just two minutes in the garage repairing the damage, Gimbert returned to the race.
With the team now down in 53rd place and Da Costa ruled out for the remainder of the race after knocking his coccyx after the fall, it was down to Foray and Gimbert to bring the Honda Endurance Racing team home. In the next pit stop a headlight had to be changed after getting damaged in the crash and both riders pushed hard moving the team into 41st place.
Disaster struck around the mid-way point as Gimbert returned to the garage unscheduled with a mechanical issue. After 20 minutes in the box the Honda team were away again, but with lost places to recover. Battling through the heat and with only two riders, the Honda team eventually crossed the line in 43rd place after eight hours racing and having completed 193 laps.
The 40th Suzuka 8 Hours saw 68 teams taking part and only ten of which are permanent EWC teams, including Honda Endurance Racing.
The 2018-2019 FIM Endurance World Championship kicks off in September (15th-17th) when all eyes will be on the 24-hour Bol d’Or at Paul Ricard in the South of France.
Freddy Foray 111
You know for sure today’s result has not been ideal, but this is racing and some days you have good results and others are not so good. It is also endurance and anything can happen, when you race for as long as we do and also with the heat here at Suzuka, there can be many outcomes. I am pleased with the progress we have made this year, the team works together well and our pit stops are very fast now. We have a good race strategy and the Fireblade performs well for us, sometimes we just run out of luck. Of course you always want to be winning or on the podium and we did have this at Slovakia, so we have been there this year. We have also shown on many occasions that we can fight and be strong, so you know we have to take it for what it is today.
Julien Da Costa 111
I made a mistake and I am sorry to the team for this and also for my team-mates who had to work hard. I could have ridden with the pain, but I land very heavy and it’s touching a nerve so I can’t hold my leg up for riding. So my team-mates had a lot of work in the heat and it was hard to watch and not be able to ride. We did have some problems and we did finish far back. But we have learnt a lot this year and we have some positives to take and also some good data. The team has worked hard for us all year and we work very well together, the pit stops are quick and we do have a very good race strategy, but sometimes you have a bad race.
Sébastien Gimbert 111
For me I am not happy with the result, of course I always want more and I know that we were capable of a top-15 finish. You cannot help a crash as this is racing, but we did have some issues during the race, which really delayed us. But this is endurance and it is so hard at times and sometimes luck really isn’t on our side. I am happy with how the team has worked, as they work very hard for us with the all-new Fireblade. The CBR is a good machine and we have collected some good data this year, so for now we have to regroup and come back stronger.
Jonny Twelvetrees
Team Manager
43rd in the race today is disappointing; we had a strong start and started to make our way up the order. It was unfortunate timing with the safety car that Julien was held up by a lap and then his crash. But the team worked so hard to get the Fireblade repaired and back on track and they were in the garage for two minutes, so full credit to them. We then had a further two issues with the lights and then the mechanical issue, which did delay us further. But I am happy with how we have progressed this season, we have shown superb teamwork within the team and that we can also be competitive with the Fireblade. Slovakia we finished third and we have been strong and closing the gap on our EWC competitors, today was just not our day. We will take back all the data from Suzuka, combine this with what we already have and I know that we will be back stronger for the new EWC season when it kicks off in September at the Bol d’Or.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
SUZUKI FIGHTS BACK AT SUZUKA TO TAKE 2ND IN EWC
Team Suzuki Press Office – July 30.
Yoshimura Suzuki Motul – 7th.
MotoMapSupply Future Access – 9th.
Team KAGAYAMA – 17th.
SERT – 18th.
Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing heroically fought back from 67th to seventh in today’s Suzuka 8 Hours World Endurance Championship final round in Japan after a crash in the opening minutes cost the GSX-R1000-mounted team a potential victory. Defending World Champions, SERT, also suffered a similar setback, but after a characteristic hard-fought return through the field, secured second place in the EWC standings.
At the start of this morning’s 40th Anniversary Coca-Cola event, Team KAGAYAMA’s # 71 Hafizh Syahrin took fourth ahead of Yoshimura Suzuki Motul’s # 12 Tsuda, who was 11th on his first lap. Tsuda tried to catch-up but toppled at the hairpin on the second lap and immediately restarted, but he returned to the pit for machine repair, which put the team at the back of the field; and with an immense amount of work to do.
Rain started to fall after 10 laps, and an hour after the start, a crash at the chicane caused the first safety-car to come out. At this point, Team KAGAYAMA was fifth, MotoMapSUPPLY FutureAccess in sixth and SERT 24th before slipping-off in the changing conditions.
At the half-way stage, Team KAGAYAMA were sixth, MotoMapSUPPLY FutureAccess 10th and SERT 26th; as Yoshimura Suzuki Motul moved back through the field into 19th place.
YOSHIMURA SUZUKI MOTUL RACING
Takuya Tsuda:
“I missed the start and was left behind but I tried to catch-up in too-much hurry, and collided with other machine and fell, which I regret. But I am thankful to my team and the other riders for doing their best to finish seventh after being in last place. This race made me think that I have to get stronger, and there’s still room for me to grow as a racing rider.”
Sylvain Guintoli:
“It was a first time at the Suzuka 8 Hours, so we had great experience and relationship with the Yoshimura team. All the experience was great. In the racing, unfortunately, we crashed really early on and we lost five laps, then it was a big, big fight, and we managed to come back four laps. It was a big push by everybody – Takuya, Josh and myself – but obviously, we are disappointed. But there were some positives, the new 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000 was working very well. You know that is racing, sometimes this happens. We were pushing really hard. I want to thank the Yoshimura team for this experience and I hope we can do it again soon and win it.”
Josh Brookes:
“I think it is a bit sad that we had a fall but there was a lot of pressure with this race. And I understand, you know, it’s easy to make mistakes with so much responsibility. So, I am not angry or upset with Takuya, but upset for the situation. Anyway, we went from the back all the way to seventh, so this is a good education for all the spectators and Suzuki fans to see the potential of the team and bike is still strong. I am sure we did not get the race and the position we wanted, but if you look at the position we came back to, it is really strong. So for this, I am happy.”
SUZUKI ENDURANCE RACING TEAM
Vincent Philippe:
“A difficult season, we did make some mistakes and we did not have enough performance on the track, a crash happened, but next year, I think we will do better.”
Etienne Masson:
“We wanted better, but we had some difficulty to be very fast after the crash. The team has done a very good job. Pit stops were very fast and for sure for next year will be better for us with new GSX-R1000. We didn’t do so bad and we did still take the second place in the championship.”
Sodo Hamahara:
“I feel sorry for the crash. I was trying not to be in a hurry but when we were only one-lap behind GMT, I think I was becoming in a hurry. I was not pushing too hard, managing to keep the same lap-time as in qualifying with 70-to-80%. But I lost the front tyre; my mistake.”
MotoMapSUPPLY FutureAccess
Josh Waters:
“I made a big change to the setup with this morning’s warm-up run, and it was great. I went in a good direction and I was able to run comfortably in the final. This race in Japan is always the best and I really enjoyed it.”
Nobuatsu Aoki:
“During the first test in July I did not see the overall setup and finished the machine in a limited time. And in this morning’s warm-up run I found the final setup! Thanks to everyone who did not give up and I am thankful to all the staff.”
Yosihiro Konno:
“It was a hard time to finish the machine in a short time from the July test and race week. We gradually became visible through the weekend, but we warmed-up this morning and we found the ideal setting. Out team staff also did the perfect job. I really appreciate it. And Josh did a great run. He lead the team. I would like to express my gratitude.”
Team KAGAYAMA
Yukio Kagayama:
“We are trying to be in the position where if there was trouble for the top teams, we could aim for the podium. But, unfortunately, trouble with the headlight came up on us and we dropped the positions. Our plan was to let Hafizh ride for the first phase of the race, then pass the bike to me to increase the pace, when other team riders became tired. But I was trying too hard and I became dehydrated in my second stint. Hafizh saw me wobbling after the ride and suggested I let him ride. Although I am not happy about the final result, my other purpose of inviting youth riders from overseas to let them feel how enjoyable the Suzuka 8 Hours is fulfilled. I guess Hafizh felt that. I feel sorry for not being able to give back to our sponsors. But I will return with good results, so please continue supporting us. Thank you very much!”
Hafizh Syahrin:
“We made a good race, but we had a problem with the electronics with the light not working and also a traction control issue. It was an unlucky problem. We needed to stop for five-to-10 minutes, so we lost 11 positions. If we did not have any problem, I am sure we could have finished in the top five. Thank you so much to the team being very supportive and trying to improve my riding on this bike and helping me to get a good lap time.”
Naomichi Uramoto:
“In qualifying, I was able to make good lap-times which made me feel confident.
But, in the race, I could not find the pace, especially in my second stint. I felt useless, but I will try harder to become a good racer.”
S-PULSE DREAM RACINGIAI
Hideyuki Ogata:
“I was hit in the rear on the second lap hairpin. In addition, I was hit from the side by another machine, so I had to run the first stint with almost no seat cowl. It was a difficult race from the beginning. Even so, we kept running without giving up.”
Marcel Schrotter:
“I was able to run fine at the first stint, but my allergies in the way and it became difficult in terms of my condition. This is a wonderful team, I was able to race on the machine and it was a fun race week. I am grateful to all the staff.”
Alex Cudlin:
“The race was really fun, but the result was not what we wanted. I think it was possible to be in top-five. But when the other bike hit us, it did incredible damage to the bike. But the team were really good. The pit stops were really fast, and mechanics were really good. I am sure it is a little disappointing with the result, but it is nice to be able to finish for sure. And it is positive we are going to improve more. It was really fun to join this team. It was my first time in a Japanese team. Honestly, it’s been one of the most fun ra#ces I’ve done.”
And there were 128,000 spectators at the 2016-2017 FIM EWC grand finale: a figure reminiscent of the golden years of Japan’s most famous race.