41st Coca-Cola Suzuka 8-Hours Endurance Race

FIM Endurance World Championship

Suzuka Circuit, Japan

July 29, 2018

Provisional Overall Race Results:

1. Yamaha Factory Racing Team (Katsuyuki Nakasuga/Alex Lowes/Michael van der Mark), Yam YZF-R1, SBK, Bridgestone, 199 laps, Total Race Time 8:00:01.728, Best Lap Time 2:07.611

2. Red Bull Honda With Japan Post (Takumi Takahashi/Takaaki Nakagami/PJ Jacobsen), Hon CBR1000RR, SBK, Bridgestone, -30.974 seconds, 2:08.109

3. Kawasaki Team Green (Kazuma Watanabe/Jonathan Rea/Leon Haslam), Kaw ZX-10R, SBK, Bridgestone, -1 lap, 2:07.527

4. S-Pulse Dream Racing – IAI (Hideyuki Ogata/Tommy Bridewell/Kazuki Watanabe), Suz GSX-R1000, SBK, Bridgestone, -3 laps, 2:09.505

5. F.C.C. TSR Honda France (Josh Hook/Freddy Foray/Alan Techer), Hon CBR1000RR, SBK, Bridgestone, -3 laps, 62.156 seconds, 2:09.611

6. GMT94 Yamaha (David Checa/ Niccolo Canepa/Mike Di Meglio), Yam YZF-R1, SBK, Dunlop, -3 laps, 106.092 seconds, 2:10.396

7. Honda Asia Dream Racing (Mohammad Zaqhwan Zaidi/Troy Herfoss/Andi Farid Izdihar), Hon CBR1000RR, SBK, -4 laps, 2:10.094

8. KYB Moriwaki Motul Racing (Ryuichi Kiyonari/Yuki Takahashi), Hon CBR1000RR, SBK, Pirelli, -4 laps, 69.860 seconds, 2:09.600

9. Honda Endurance Racing Team (Erwan Nigon/Sebastien Gimbert/Yonny Hernandez), Hon CBR1000RR, SBK, Dunlop, -5 laps, 2:11.168

10. Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing (Takuya Tsuda/Sylvain Guintoli/Bradley Ray), Suz GSX-R1000, SBK, Bridgestone, -5 laps, 28.988 seconds, 2:08.846

11. Team Kagayama USA (Yukio Kagayama/Naomichi Uramoto/Joe Roberts), Suz GSX-R1000, SBK, Dunlop, -5 laps, 68.140 seconds, 2:10.493

12. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Vincent Philippe/Etienne Masson/Gregg Black), Suz GSX-R1000, SBK, Dunlop, -6 laps, 2:11.520

13. BMW Motorrad 39 (Alex Cudlin/Damian Cudlin/Daisaku Sakai), BMW S1000RR, SBK, -6 laps, 25.745 seconds, 2:11.487

14. Mercury Racing (Karel Hanika/Sylvain Barrier/Onrej Jezek), BMW S1000RR, SBK, -7 laps, 2:11.939

15. BMW Financial Services 135 (Christian Iddon/Michael Laverty/Shinya Takeishi), BMW S1000RR, SBK, -8 laps, 2:10.920

16. NCXX Racing & ZENKOUKAI (Kengo Nagao/RyuseiMatsumoto) Yam YZF-R1, STK, -9 laps, 2:11.843

17. Mistresa with ATJ Racing (Takahiro Nakatsuhara/Taro Sekiguichi/Teppeo Nagoe), Hon CBR1000RR, SBK, -9 laps, 2.822 seconds, 2:11.272

18. Titanium Power Racing with Hooters (Kazuki Tokudome/Takaya Okuda/Kazuma Tsuda), Yam YZF-R1, SBK, -9 laps, 18.670 seconds, 2:13.009

19. Army Girl Team MF & Kawasaki (Kyosuke Okuda/Andrew Lee/Hikari Okubu), Kaw ZX-10R, STK, -10 laps, 2:14.150

20. Team Frontier (Satoru Iwata/Tomoyoshi Koyama/Takayuki Ohki), Hon CBR1000RR, SBK, -10 laps, 25.443 seconds, 2:12.806

21. NRT48 (Kenny Foray/Peter Hickman/Julien Da Costa), BMW S1000RR, SBK, -10 laps, 25.610 seconds, 2:11.690

24.Team SuP Dream Honda (Tatsuya Yamaguchi/Ryosuke Iwato/Kosuke Sakumoto), Hon CBR1000RR, SBK, Bridgestone, -11 laps, 55.403 seconds, 2:10.743

39. au.Teluru MotoUP Racing Team (Kosuke Akiyoshi/Tetsuta Nagashima/Isaac Vinales), Hon CBR1000RR, SBK, Bridgestone, -16 laps, 54.082 seconds, 2:09.331

46. Tone RT Syncedge 4413 (Tomoya Hoshino/Soushi Mihara/Kocoro Atsumi), BMW S1000RR, STK, -25 laps, 2:11.732

50. Honda Suzuka Racing Team (Dajiro Hiura/Yudai Kamei/Takashi Yasuda), Hon CBR1000RR, SBK, Bridgestone, -19 laps, DNF, 2:10.256

59. MuSashi RT Harc-Pro Honda (Dominique Aegerter/Ryo Mizuno/Randy de Puniet), Hon CBR1000RR, SBK, Bridgestone, -76 laps, DNF, 2:08.940

61. YART – Yamaha (Broc Parkes/Marvin Fritz/Takuya Fujita), Yam YZF-R1, SBK, Bridgestone, -134 laps, DNF, 2:10.147

2017-2018 FIM Endurance World Championship Overall Standings (after 5 of 5 races):

1. F.C.C. TSR Honda France, 171.5 points

2. GMT94 Yamaha, 158.5

3. Honda Endurance Racing, 127

4. WEPOL Racing by penz13.com, 81

5. Mercury Racing, 80.5

6. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, 79.5

7. NRT48, 71

8. Team SRC Kawasaki France, 63

9. Bolliger Team Switzerland, 53

10. Tati Team Beaujolais Racing, 49

More, from a press release issued by FIM/Eurosport Events:

YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM CLAIMS FOURTH WIN AT SUZUKA

F.C.C. TSR HONDA FRANCE, THE FIRST JAPANESE TEAM WORLD CHAMPION

Yamaha Factory Racing Team has claimed its fourth consecutive Suzuka 8 Hours win despite stiff competition from Red Bull Honda with Japan Post and Kawasaki Team Green. Another Japanese squad also stepped into the limelight: F.C.C. TSR Honda France, the first Japanese team in the championship’s history to win the FIM EWC title.

The 41st Suzuka 8 Hours kept viewers in suspense until after nightfall. Following duel after thrilling duel for the lead between Kawasaki Team Green and Yamaha Factory in the early stages of the race ahead of Red Bull Honda with Japan Post, in the end it was Yamaha Factory Racing Team that won the day. The factory Yamaha squad claimed victory with the same rider line-up as last year: Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark. This is the fourth consecutive win for both Yamaha Factory Racing Team and Katsuyuki Nakasuga. The Japanese rider smashed the record so far held by Aaron Slight, the Suzuka 8 Hours winner from 1993 to 1995.

Having led the race at the start on a soaked track, Red Bull Honda with Japan Post (Takumi Takahashi, Takaaki Nakagami and Patrick Jacobsen) finished 30 seconds behind the winner. Kawasaki Team Green, who were one lap behind, came in 3rd after being front and centre throughout the first half of the race. Kazuma Watanabe, Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam waged a lengthy battle for the lead with Yamaha Factory Racing Team. However, a rain shower threw Kawasaki’s plans into disarray. Jonathan Rea crashed as he was entering the pits to switch from slick to wet tyres, causing the Kawasaki squad to lose precious time.

Suzuki S-Pulse Dream Racing IAI (Hideyuki Ogata, Tom Bridewell and Kasuki Watanabe) ran a flawless race to finish at the foot of an all-Japanese podium featuring Yamaha, Honda and Kawasaki.

F.C.C. TSR Honda France crowned FIM EWC champion

A 5th-place finish made F.C.C. TSR Honda France (Freddy Foray, Alan Techer and Josh Hook) the first Japanese team in the championship’s history to win the FIM EWC title. Despite stepping up the pace towards the end of the race, GMT94 Yamaha’s David Checa, Niccolò Canepa and Mike Di Meglio finished 6th. Christophe Guyot’s team are vice-champions of the 2017-2018 FIM EWC, 7 points behind the brand-new world champion. They were also awarded the Anthony Delhalle EWC Spirit Trophy for sheer perseverance in their quest for the world title.

Another praiseworthy full-season FIM EWC team is British squad Honda Endurance Racing, who finished 9th just behind Honda Asia and KYB Moriwaki Motul Racing to become the 2017-2018 FIM EWC’s second runner-up.

Suzuki Endurance Racing Team finished 12th behind two prominent Suzuki teams at Suzuka, who were however delayed by crashes: Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing and Team Kagayama. Mercury Racing also made it into the points thanks to a 14th-place finish, topping the ‘independent teams under contract’ rankings reserved for privateer squads racing the full FIM EWC season. Their win netted them €11,500 worth of prize money. Among the other teams eligible for the trophy, Mercury Racing came in ahead of NRT48, who suffered a setback at Suzuka in the form of a mechanical problem. Wocjik Racing Team, who were making their Suzuka debut, finished 25th to claim 2nd place in the Dunlop Independent Trophy. Bolliger Team Switzerland, who have far more experience of Suzuka, came in 30th after a stop-and-go for fitting wet tyres after the allotted time had elapsed when the race start was disrupted by rain.

Motobox Kremer Racing got delayed by a crash and ended up non-classified. A crash also caused YART Yamaha to withdraw after starting from 8th place on the grid.

More, from a press release issued by Honda Endurance Racing:

Honda Endurance Racing celebrate third place in the FIM Endurance World Championship

Suzuka 8 Hours

Suzuka Circuit, Japan

The Honda Endurance Racing team have finished the 2017-2018 FIM Endurance World Championship in third place today, wrapping up the season in style at the Suzuka 8 Hours. The result marks the team’s highest finish to date in the endurance championship.

Hosting the fifth and final round of the EWC series, the Honda-owned Suzuka circuit in Japan was the perfect backdrop, as Honda’s endurance specialists looked to finish the season on a high. However, as the eight-hour race got away, challenging conditions greeted the team and the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2.

It was Yonny Hernadez who started the race for the team in their qualifying position of 18th place. As the lights went out heavy rain started to fall over the 5.821-km circuit, however Hernandez took the wet conditions in his stride and worked through the field and into 11th position.

Working in rotation across the race Hernandez, along with Honda’s endurance regulars Sébastien Gimbert and Erwan Nigon, all masterfully handled the CBR in the challenging conditions, where race strategy played such a huge part with the changing weather.

Pushing hard and completing 194 laps, in a highly competitive race, the Honda Endurance Racing team crossed the line in ninth place and were the third European team to finish within their usual EWC rivals.

It has been a superb season for the team aboard the Fireblade, who have fought hard in the EWC series and enjoyed podiums at both 24-hour races, the Bol d’Or finishing third and taking second-place at the gruelling 24 Heures Motos.

Sébastien Gimbert 111

I am happy, third position is good for me; I work very hard with my teammates and ultimately I am happy for everyone and I am sorry to Greg that he’s not here to celebrate with us. Erwan is my best friend and to share this experience with him this year has been perfect. A huge thank you to the Honda team, every time they work to the maximum and make sure we have the best bike we can possibly have. The race today was not easy, but it never is at the Suzuka 8 Hours, the conditions were also very bad and at one point I was riding with a slick tyre in the rain and everyone around me crashed, but I was very lucky and managed to ride through! But I am happy today at Suzuka is a good result and we finish the championship well.

Erwan Nigon 111

It’s a great feeling to be third in the endurance championship and it’s a great finish for the team. I joined Honda this year and each race we progress and we proved that we can have podiums and we can fight for the championship. Honestly we push to the max for this and the whole team worked so hard and I cannot thank them enough. For sure we don’t win, but the result is good for the team and compared to last year it’s one, maybe two-three steps forward and it’s a good sign for the team. The race here today was crazy, the conditions change so much and it was not easy! Every race of course isn’t easy, but we find a good way here and we finished in the top-ten, which at Suzuka is hard as it is very competitive.

Yonny Hernandez 111

I am very happy with the race result today, we finish well and we were safe, there were a lot of crashes today with the weather. I started for the team, which was a little nervous as it was the first time I start an endurance race, but I was happy with my start and I made up a lot of positions. We fight hard throughout to finish in the top-ten and it’s very positive. I think perhaps I could have done more, but I had a safety car for over one-hour and for me it was my first time behind the car for a long time, and I had to warm the tyres back, which had cooled and with the wet track it was difficult to get the heat back into them. It’s been a great experience, I have always wanted to race at the Suzuka 8 Hours, so thank you to Honda for giving me this opportunity.

Jonny Twelvetrees

Team Manager

It was a busy race that’s for sure! At the start we weren’t sure whether to go out on slicks or wets, or what to do really and it continued that way throughout the race, with the rain always threatening. We spent most of the race crunching numbers, working on the strategy and options should different things happen, and it worked out well for us. I think that perhaps we could have pushed on a little more and fought for eighth maybe, but some things didn’t quite go our way. The Fireblade was great throughout the whole race and really strong, the guys pushed hard and to finish ninth at Suzuka, which is one of the hardest and highly competitive races in the world. We also take third place in the FIM Endurance World Championship, which is just fantastic and the only way now for us is to move forward. I’d like to thank the whole team who have worked so hard this year, it’s not been easy at times but they’ve all shown great teamwork and worked extremely hard to get us to where we are today. We are very blessed with such experienced endurance riders with Séb, Erwan and Gregory, and also Yonny, who started the year with us at the Bol and finished with us stepping in for Gregory who sadly missed this event due to injury – it’s been a great season and thanks to everyone involved.

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Yamaha Factory Racing Write History With Incredible Suzuka 8 Hours Victory

Rising above what has been one of the most challenging Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours weeks of recent years, The Yamaha Factory Racing Team delivered an heroic effort today to secure an incredible fourth consecutive victory in the iconic World Endurance race. Fellow Yamaha competitors GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team came tantalisingly close to securing the 2017/18 Endurance World title, missing out by the narrowest of margins to take second on the podium. YART Yamaha Official EWC Team had a less fortunate Suzuka 8 Hours experience, forced to retire before the halfway point.

As race day dawned this morning, Yamaha Factory Racing riders Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark prepared for the 2018 Suzuka 8 Hours with a huge challenge in front of them. Following a big crash in practice, it was decided that key team member and local hero Katsuyuki Nakasuga would not ride in the race as a shoulder injury prevented him from riding at 100% fitness. Undaunted by the setback, van der Mark took control for the opening stint, a race start that was itself a major challenge with rapidly changing weather bringing full wet conditions just seconds before the off.

Remaining calm the Dutchman didn’t put a foot wrong, working his way up from fifth to take his position as a race lead contender before handing over to teammate Lowes. The Brit picked up where van der Mark left off, and was leading the race two hours in. The team would quickly encounter a safety car, which proved to be the first of many over the next hours, rain, sun, crashes and spilt oil on track all causing the yellow flags and a re-shuffle of the order. The time spent in between the safety cars was a pitched battle between Yamaha Factory Racing and race rivals Kawasaki, the two racing less than a second apart for countless laps as they fought for the lead.

A combination of race strategy, safety car interventions and pure consistent race speed ultimately gave Lowes and van der Mark the edge over their rivals in green, however the final hour of the race saw the Factory Honda effort give it their best shot to close the gap. Having made it this far, the two Yamaha heroes, supported in spirit by Nakasuga-san in the pit garage, kept an unbeatable pace on their YZF-R1. Lowes eventually crossed the finish line after eight hours over 30 seconds clear at the front to record the team’s incredible fourth consecutive Suzuka 8 Hours victory. In doing so, he and van der Mark wrote yet another page in the history books for Yamaha Factory Racing and confirmed their status as heroes, overcoming any challenge in their path to reach the top step of the podium.

The combination of the two World Superbike riders, Nakasuga’s invaluable contribution over the race week and the efforts of the entire Yamaha Factory Racing Team have turned a Suzuka week of surprises, rain, a typhoon and unforeseen challenges into an incredible success story.

Title challengers GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team came to Suzuka determined to give their all in the fight for the World Championship victory. Starting from 14th on the grid they were also faced with the same series of challenges that befell the Factory Team, rapidly changing weather conditions from dry to wet to dry and numerous long safety car interruptions that disrupted their rhythm and made the challenge of fighting for the title more difficult. The first four hours of racing saw a lower race pace as riders David Checa, Niccolò Canepa and Mike Di Meglio worked through the weather. As the time tipped over the halfway mark, the team settled, the pace picked up and the position climbed.

As the clock ticked down to the remaining laps, the team found themselves in a battle with their title rivals FCC TSR Honda, the two less than a second apart at times. Unfortunately they were unable to best them, eventually crossing the line after eight hours in sixth position to claim a worthy runner up position with second in the Endurance World Championship to end their season and also, sadly, their current EWC activity.

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team’s 2018 Suzuka 8 Hours proved a disappointing one, the promise of a strong result lost in the first half of the race. Australian Broc Parkes lost several positions from the start grid in the rain conditions, but was making up time before handing over to teammate Marvin Fritz who put the pressure on. Fritz delivered a highly competitive pace to ultimately bring the no.7 YZF-R1 into seventh position.

Teammate Takuya Fujita then took his turn and was eager to make an impression in front of his home crowd. A combination of fresh tyres and nervousness at his first ride unfortunately led to a high side on his first lap, causing major damage to the bike. He was able to push it back to the pits and the team worked hard to rebuild it and re-join with Parkes back on-board in 55th place. The Australian was however unable to find a rhythm with the quickly built machine and, missing the proper set up of their race bike, the team made the decision to withdraw for safety reasons.

Katsuyuki Nakasuga

Yamaha Factory Racing Team

“I didn’t race at all today so I feel a bit stressed about that but I am happy that throughout the year in the All Japan Series I have been able to build a bike that got us to the win here at the 8 Hours. I am also so pleased and really excited about the two wonderful riders that rode today. It was a very exciting race and I really wanted to race too, so I regret that, but I’m so happy that, we Yamaha, made new history in the 8 Hours of Suzuka. We won’t stop here, we will continue to develop the bike and continue to try and win more races here.”

Alex Lowes

Yamaha Factory Racing Team

“I feel really good. Firstly, even though Nakasuga didn’t ride today, he is a massive part of the project. I really enjoy coming here, the atmosphere we have in the team is really great. In today’s race the bike was amazing; it was working really well. It was nice to have a strong fast bike; it made it easier to pass in the race, so a massive thank you to Yamaha for giving it to us. Obviously the race was quite stressful at times, lots of safety cars and lots of difficult weather conditions but it all seemed to fall when Michael was riding the bike so I certainly had a lot easier race than him so a massive thank you to him also for his effort. The second half of the race we just had to be smart and get the bike to the finish. For me to win three in a row is fantastic, its four for the team and three for me so I’m really happy, hopefully I can come back and do it again next year.”

Michael van der Mark

Yamaha Factory Racing Team

“It’s been a really tough race today, it started yesterday when we knew that Nakasuga was unfortunately not fit to ride, then I was told I was going to start the race, that was a bit stressful! I think it has been my most difficult Suzuka 8 Hours with all the conditions, it kept changing so quickly, and the first stint I think was one and a half stints, where I thought I had the worst but then when I did my third one I was on the bike for an hour and 40 minutes because of safety cars, rain, then dry so it was really tough. At the end we managed a nice gap and Alex finished it off really nicely. I’m really happy with the weekend, the team had a plan and they never changed it. Even though some other bikes looked stronger at times we always kept doing our thing and the results are clear. Next year I hope to be back with Alex and Katsuyuki riding here again!”

Wataru Yoshikawa

Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“Alex and Michael raced really well right from the start against our chief rivals that were also fielding riders from the World Superbike Championship and from the British Superbike Championship. I actually think that helped them focus right off the bat. The weather kept changing all the time during the race and our team obviously doesn’t have a bird’s-eye-view of the circuit, so we believed in the skills and judgement of our riders, and that worked really well for us. We had no mistakes and fought well the whole race and I think that’s what helped us get this win, and though he didn’t enter the race, Nakasuga was behind Alex and Michael the whole time and I feel that was the biggest factor for this fourth victory.”

David Checa

GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team

“When you lose it is not nice, but before you learn to win you have to lose some times. For three years we have had a really good run, two second positions and one world title in the championship. For sure I wanted to win but in the end it’s like this and we finish second, that is racing. I don’t know what I will do next year, but I hope I will do my best whatever I do and for the other teammates it is the same.”

Niccolò Canepa

GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team

“I’m really happy about the season and last two years, they have been the best of my career, two second places and one championship title. This year we had some bad luck but we tried out best so we have no regrets. It is sad to end this page of my book with GMT but it has been an amazing time and now time to think about the future, that is also Yamaha. I am so proud to continue to be part of the Yamaha family for one more year.”

Mike Di Meglio

GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team

“Today was a very good race, it was very hard because conditions changed every time with the rain. We tried our hardest and pushed for the top six. As the end for GMT here in Suzuka we would have liked to be world champions but when we crashed in Le Mans we were in a difficult position. Every race we have recovered some points and I think we can be happy with our result. I want to say thank you to GMT94 and my teammates for two fantastic years in Endurance. I am disappointed for them to stop in this championship, and I wish them the best for their future in their new challenge. Thank you to Yamaha for giving me such an amazing opportunity. Here in Japan we have felt like superstars and anything we have needed we have been given.”

Christophe Guyot

GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team Manager

“It was a very difficult start for us, I don’t know what happened because it was difficult for us to find a good pace, the first hours were complicated. Then, we found a good pace, a good strategy, and we were able to be so fast at the end of the race. My mechanics efforts in the pit stops were incredible, I’m very happy because in the four last hours we were very strong. The weather was very difficult and the track conditions were tough and there was a lot of pressure. In the end we can be very proud because we finished all races since 2015 with the YZF-R1. We have in the four years with this bike been runner up three times in the title and one time world champion. We have also been world champion with the previous R1. We can be happy, and of course congratulations to the incredible Factory Team for four consecutive wins in a row. It is fantastic, congratulations to Yamaha and to the YZF-R1!”

Broc Parkes

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team

“It was disappointing unfortunately that Takuya crashed. I think he had a lot of pressure for his home race. He crashed on the first flying lap, maybe a combination of new tyres, too much angle and opened the gas too much. From my side, my first stint I was a little bit slow from the start but I didn’t know that they didn’t have tyre warmers on the wet tyres so that’s probably why the first laps were a bit slow. Later in my ride I got my rhythm and was one of the fastest guys on track when the track was dry. In general we were in a good position after the second stint, in seventh, which is good for an 8 Hour. It’s unfortunate that Takuya crashed otherwise I think we could have been in fourth or fifth position at the end if I look at the final times now.”

Mandy Kainz

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team

“This season has been so up and down, it’s a season we can move forward from. This is Suzuka, for sure Takuya tried to do his best, he risked probably too much, and that was unfortunately it. Both Broc and Marvin did a great job to get us into good contention but unfortunately that was the end of our chances here today. Now we are already looking forward to the new season.”

More, from a press release issued by Honda Endurance Racing:

F.C.C. TSR Honda France are crowned 2017-2018 FIM Endurance World Champions

Suzuka 8 Hours

Suzuka Circuit, Japan

There are celebrations at Suzuka tonight as F.C.C. TSR Honda France have been crowned 2017-2018 FIM Endurance World Champions, alongside Honda Endurance Racing who took third place in the championship after a successful season aboard the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2.

The Suzuka 8 Hours hosted the fifth and final round of the EWC series and the Honda-owned circuit was the perfect backdrop as the Honda teams looked to finish the season on a high.

At the start of the eight-hour race the goal for F.C.C. TSR Honda France with riders Freddy Foray, Josh Hook and Alan Techer was to finish the race and become World Champions. With ten points separating the Honda squad and EWC rivals GMT94, the race got underway in challenging conditions at the 5.821km circuit.

After a near-perfect race in the changeable conditions and super-slick pit stops throughout, F.C.C. TSR Honda France crossed the finish line completing 196 laps in fifth place, where they were the highest placed permanent EWC European team. Taking the World Championship crown they also become the first ever-Japanese team to win the FIM Endurance World Championship.

The Honda Endurance Racing team finished the eight-hour race in ninth place after a confident race from Sébastien Gimbert, Yonny Hernandez and Erwan Nigon. Finishing third in the championship standings is the highest placing for the Honda team to date in the series.

Meanwhile the celebrations continued at the Suzuka 8 Hours with seven Honda teams in the top-20 and Red Bull Honda by Japan post on the podium in second place. Completing 199 laps over the eight-hours, the Red Bull Honda by Japan Post with riders PJ Jacobsen, Takaaki Nakagami and Takumi Takahashi, maintained a strong lead at the start of the race until the 18th lap.

In incredibly tricky and changeable conditions, they battled hard to never leave the top three throughout the race, taking second just 30.974s behind the leaders after eight-hours of close and competitive racing.

Freddy Foray

I feel really great. The team has done its best since the start of the season, no matter what the circumstances. I am so glad that the whole team’s efforts are rewarded like this. I’m also glad we won the championship at Suzuka Circuit, the home track for Team Manager Fujii, Honda, and TSR, and in front of so many Japanese fans. We couldn’t have won the title at a better place.

Josh Hook

We have done our best all season for this moment. We have raced in each event to win. All of our hard work has come together today, with us becoming the champions, so I’m so happy. I’d like to thank the whole team from the bottom of my heart. Team Manager Fujii and everyone at TSR have been so good to me since I started in the All Japan races, so I’m happy I could return the favor by winning the championship at TSR’s home track at Suzuka.

Alan Techer

This is my first EWC title. I feel absolutely great! I’ve been in this series since Le Mans in 2016, and I couldn’t have imagined winning the championship in my third season. I’m grateful to Team Manager Fujii for giving me the opportunity to race for the team. It is really special that we were able to win the championship in front of all the wonderful Japanese fans at the Suzuka Circuit. I’ll never forget the sight from the podium tonight. Lastly, congratulations to F.C.C. TSR Honda France and Bridgestone!

Sébastien Gimbert 111

I am happy, third position is good for me, I work very hard with my teammates and ultimately I am happy for me and I am sorry to Greg that he’s not here to celebrate with us. I am happy as Erwan is my best friend and to share this experience with him this year has been perfect. A huge thank you to the Honda team, every time they work to the maximum and make sure we have the best bike we can possibly have. The race today was not easy, but it never is at the Suzuka 8 Hours, the conditions were also very bad and at one point I was riding with a slick tyre in the rain and everyone around me crashed, but I was very lucky and managed to ride through! But I am happy today at Suzuka is a good result and we finish the championship well.

Yonny Hernandez 111

I am very happy with the race result today, we finish well and we were safe, there were a lot of crashes today with the weather. I started for the team, which was a little nervous as it was the first time I start an endurance race, but I was happy with my start and I made up a lot of positions. We fight hard throughout to finish in the top-ten and it’s very positive. I think perhaps I could have done more, but I had a safety car for over one-hour and for me it was my first time behind the car for a long time, and I had to warm the tyres back, which had cooled and with the wet track it was difficult to get the heat back into them. It’s been a great experience, I have always wanted to race at the Suzuka 8 Hours, so thank you to Honda for giving me this opportunity.

Erwan Nigon 111

It’s a great feeling to be third in the endurance championship and it’s a great finish for the team. I joined Honda this year and each race we progress and we proved that we can have podiums and we can fight for the championship. Honestly we push to the max for this and the whole team worked so hard and I cannot thank them enough. For sure we don’t win, but the result is good for the team and compared to last year it’s one, maybe two-three steps forward and it’s a good sign for the team. The race here today was crazy, the conditions change so much and it was not easy! Every race of course isn’t easy, but we find a good way here and we finished in the top-ten, which at Suzuka is not easy as it is very competitive.

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:

SUZUKI GSX-R1000 TEAMS FIGHT BACK AT SUZUKA 8 HOURS

S-PULSE DREAM RACING IAI #95 – 4th

YOSHIMURA SUZUKI MOTUL RACING #12 – 10th

Team KAGAYAMA U.S.A. #11 – 11th

Suzuki Endurance Racing Team #2 – 12th

MotoMap SUPPLY #9 – 23rd

In a difficult Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance World Championship race because of weather conditions, Suzuki GSX-R teams fought back today at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan for the final round of the Endurance World Championship.

#95 S-PULSE DREAM RACING·IAI finished the highest of the Suzuki teams in fourth position as YOSHIMURA SUZUKI MOTUL RACING clawed-back to the top-10 position despite a crash in the early stages.

The anticipated typhoon #12 had passed the Chubu area where Suzuka Circuit is positioned by the morning, and the 41st edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours started on time at 11:30. However, the typhoon had taken an unusual route across Japan making the weather most unpredictable. The sky was thick with clouds and rain one minute, and then blue sky drying the course quickly, making decisions difficult for the teams before the start. All teams were rushed to be prepared for any kind of unexpected situations.

When the bikes were lined-up on the Le-Mans style starting grid and the announcement was introducing the riders immediately before the start, it rained again. It seemed to be only a light shower at this point but before the warm-up lap, the rain became heavier. Most of the top teams chose rain tyres at this point and with a temperature of 29 degrees, and a ground temperature of 33 degrees, the 8-hour race started off in the wet conditions.

Takahashi on the #33 Honda completed the opening lap first, while #12 YOSHIMURA SUZUKI MOTUL RACING’s Sylvain Guintoli passed the tower in 4th, followed by #95 S-PULSE DREAM RACING·IAI’s Kazuki Watanabe in 6th. After a few laps, #12 Guintoli overtook #21 Yamaha of Van Der Mark and moved up to 3rd, while further back, #71 Yukio Kagayama succeeded in gaining many positions and was directly behind #95 Watanabe now in 5th. Kagayama managed to overtake Watanabe on the 8th lap, putting the team which didn’t make it into the top-10 trial qualifying, into an impressive 5th position.

At this time, Vincent Philippe on the #2 SUZUKI ENDURANCE RACING TEAM bike was in 10th position, and #9 MotoMap SUPPLY in the SST class was much further down the leaderboard due to a mistake in tyre choice.

Some 30 minutes into the race, the course started to dry up rapidly. #12 Guintoli chose to pit-in first amongst the top riders and changed to slick tyres on the 14th lap, rejoining the race without changing riders. This decision seemed to be the right one and on the 18th lap, while #33 Honda was changing tyres, Yoshimura moved up into the lead. However, later on he was passed by #11 Kawasaki and #21 Yamaha and continued the race in 3rd position.

An hour into the race, Yoshimura collided with a back marker and was pushed off at the chicane resulting in a crash. After quickly mending the bike in the pits and changing riders to Bradley Ray, Yoshimura seemed to have dealt well with the spill. However, Bradley Ray found further problems with the bike and was forced to pit again. By the time Yoshimura rejoined the race, they were down to 48th position.

Further up the leaderboard, #95 S-PULSE DREAM RACING·IAI and #71Team KAGAYAMA U.S.A were maintaining a good pace amongst the leading teams, but on the 33rd lap, #71Team KAGAYAMA U.S.A’s Joe Roberts crashed at the MC chicane, and although they were able to mend the bike and return to the race, it cost the team many positions.

#95 S-PULSE DREAM RACING·IAI on the other hand, jumped-up to 4th position on the 39th lap. A safety car had been put in due to an incident at the hairpin, causing a little confusion, but the team maintained their pace and rode constantly in this position.

Coming up to five hours of dry conditions, the weather seemed promising also for the next three, when it started to rain again. It was just a shower at first but due to multiple crashes, the safety car was put in for the second time. While the safety car was leading the pack, the rain started to get heavier and the course was fully wet by this stage and all the teams were rushed to make quick decisions to pit for a change of tyres..

#95 S-PULSE DREAM RACING·IAI chose to pit and change to rain tyres, and after the safety car was removed, had maintained 5th position in the difficult conditions. However, shortly afterwards there was oil on the track and the safety car was out again, making the race more confusing.

The position at 6 hours into the race was; #95 S-PULSE DREAM RACING·IAI 5th, #2 SUZUKI ENDURANCE RACING TEAM 12th and #71Team KAGAYAMA U.S.A, #12 YOSHIMURA SUZUKI MOTUL RACING which both suffered crashes earlier on had fought back to 14th and 15th positions. #9 MotoMap SUPPLY was 22nd but 2nd in its SST class, while #31 HAMAMATSU TEAM TITAN was in 47th having suffered a spill.

Two hours to go, the unpredictable weather had seemed to have finished, leaving the course with a dry line and wet patches.

The ending hours of the race passed without any unfortunate drama, and the Suzuki teams finished the race with #95 S-PULSE DREAM RACING·IAI in the highest position of 4th. #71Team KAGAYAMA U.S.A and #12 YOSHIMURA SUZUKI MOTUL RACING succeeded in recovering their positions to 10th and 11th after their incidents, while #2 SUZUKI ENDURANCE RACING TEAM finished in 12th, putting them in a final 6th position in the world ranking of EWC.

#9 MotoMap SUPPLY finished in 23rd, 4th in the SST class after finding an issue on the bike at the last pit-in and losing time fixing the problem, and #31 HAMAMATSU TEAM TITAN took the flag in 44th.

#95 S-PULSE DREAM RACING·IAI:

Hideyuki Ogata:

“The team worked well to complete this difficult race. I am proud that we achieved 4th position and thank those for the support. The down side is that I couldn’t do my job as well as I could as a rider which is regretful.”

Tommy Bridewell:

“Everything was fantastic and the result was unbelievable. The bike was perfect with a good engine, predictable chassis, electrics and tyres… everything just worked wonderfully in the dry, wet, and even in the dark. My Mum used to tell me to eat my carrots so I would be able to see well at night, so I’ll have to thank her too. Joking apart, the team did a great job too with perfect pitting timing and pit work. I’m very pleased and I’m sure I’ll sleep well tonight.”

Kazuki Watanabe:

“I’m happy that we were able to finish in an impressive 4th as a privateer. The conditions might have been in our favour, but the hard working team played a big part. They welcomed me from Yoshimura and made me feel at home, and the bike set up by Ogata-san was perfect and helped a lot to achieve this result. I’d like to keep this good vibe and switch my mind to sprit racing, and fight hard for the remaining rounds of the Japan Superbikes back with Yoshimura.”

Shirou Yoshida – Team Manager:

“The race week was really hard for the riders, the mechanics and all the staff. But the result payed for everything and I’m overwhelmed. We truly thank all our supporters, sponsors and fans. If we are to aim for a higher position, that will mean the podium. We’ll see what we can do next year.”

#12 YOSHIMURA SUZUKI MOTUL RACING:

Sylvain Guintoli:

“The Suzuka 8 hours is always a tough and demanding race. The bike felt fantastic both in the dry and the wet so it was a shame that we crashed trying to avoid a back marker. But the Yoshimura team is strong with a fighting spirit. We had the pace to be on the podium so we pushed to the end. I’d like to be back again next year and hope to be on the podium then.”

Takuya Tsuda:

“We adjusted the bike after my spill yesterday and it was in good condition so I was looking forward to the race. However, after Sylvain’s crash the bike’s balance seemed to have been disturbed and it was difficult to control. All sorts of things happen at the 8 hours so I’ll try not this to bother me and will fight hard again in the Japan Superbikes.”

Bradley Ray:

“It was all new to me and everything was a wonderful and difficult experience. The Yoshimura team was professional in every aspect so I am happy I was able to ride with them. The bike was very fast and always perfect, and I think I was able to play my part. I feel sure that this experience will be good for my career and it would be an honour if I could challenge the 8 hours again with this team.”

Yohei Kato – Team Manager:

“We tried our very best but still had weak points that Yamaha and Kawasaki didn’t. In difficult conditions like today, clever tactics are essential. Our decision to change to slick tyres ahead of our rivals was a good move and I felt good vibes at that point so Sylvain’s crash was a pity. As a team, we have the Japan Superbikes ahead of us so we’ll switch channels and concentrate on the next task. We thank you all who have been so supportive.”

#71 Team KAGAYAMA U.S.A

Yukio Kagayama:

“I am confident with a Le Mans start so I was hoping for a holeshot, but it didn’t work out that way and we weren’t in the position we hoped for in the first stint. The lap times were good but after Joe’s crash the members of the team seemed a little discouraged, so I told them the race is not over yet and we are going to fight back and there’s no time to feel blue about a spill. After that, both Joe and Uramoto rode hard and the staff worked hard in the pits and we had maximum performance again. I hope we were able to show the power of Team KAGAYAMA to our supporters. The final result of 11th isn’t what we hoped for but we tried hard and that’s what we achieved so well have to live with that. Our team is supported by many sponsors and independent supporters and I wanted to pay them back with a good result; however, that’s going to have to wait until next year and the remaining rounds of the Japan Superbikes.”

Joe Roberts:

“I am really happy I was able to ride with this team. I felt at home and the atmosphere was just perfect. The bike was also wonderful and a joy to ride. I had constant and good lap times in the race so it was a pity I fell on a wet patch and I apologise to the team. I’d like to return to this team again to pay them back.”

Naomichi Uramoto:

“After the qualifying on Friday, we assessed where I was losing time and I managed to adjust and mark better lap times today. I couldn’t say they were ideal laps but I feel I have made progress this week. I have now ridden for this team for three consecutive years and am gathering precious experience. I can’t thank Yukio-san enough. I’ll try to pay him back by being successful in the two races left in Spain this season.”

Kevin Schwantz – Team Manager:

“To aim for the top in a World Championship is a hard task. We compete to win so it’s natural to make mistakes. Especially Joe’s still young and his experience is limited. But the team dealt with the situation well and with good performance from both the riders and the staff, we managed to recover our position to 11th. It’s not a satisfying result but that’s what happens in top class competition, and you can’t judge the skill of the team just from the result. I am proud of the team and happy for them.”

#2 Suzuki Endurance Racing Team

Vincent Philippe:

“The bike has ran constantly well and there was a chance to finish in a much better result, but this is endurance racing, the unpredictable happens. I feel that we hadn’t been able to really use the good aspects of the new GSX-R up to now, but throughout the Suzuka 8 Hours I feel that we have truly understood the bike and am now able to use the full potential of it. We weren’t very successful in this year’s championship but I feel confident we’ll be always fighting at the top for the next season.”

Etienne Masson:

“It was a tough race. I had constant good lap times in the dry but hadn’t found the perfect setup for the rain and couldn’t ride with a good feel. Also, the timing the safety car entered the track wasn’t at our favour and we lost a lot of time. But this is racing. The good thing is that our understanding towards the new model had gone further and we feel more confident about the bike. I’m sure we will do better next season.”

Gregg Black:

“The constant changing of the weather made it a difficult race, but under the circumstances we had a good pace with constant lap times. It was bad luck that the pace car was put in the same time as our pitting timing causing a loss of precious time, but the bikes development and understanding made a huge leap forward at Suzuka. This year’s championship is over now but it’s a positive thing that we found a good feeling for the bike.”

#9 MotoMap SUPPLY

Yoshihiro Konno:

“Starting on slick tyres was a gamble and I think we lost our bet. Since we had a constant competitive pace after that, it was even more frustrating we made the wrong decision. By pushing hard we made it up to 2nd in the SST class but a minor trouble occurred in the last pit stop and we lost places again. Entering the SST class was a new challenge and we learned a lot and faced a lot of difficulties, but with support from our supporters and sponsors, I am glad we have made it to the end. Thank you very much.”

Josh Waters:

“It was impossible to ride hard in that wet condition with slick tyres. That decision cost us a lot of positions. Looking at the constant lap times and the fact that we marked the top time in the SST Class, I feel sure we could of have finished in a much higher position. We were not able to achieve any breathtaking results but I think we prove a point in the potential of the bike.”

Nobuatsu Aoki:

“The choice to start on slicks was a mistake but at the time we believed the rain will stop and it was going to be the right decision. We learned from our mistake and when the rain started to fall again we pitted immediately to change to rain tyres to claw back our mistake. However, the safety car had been put in and we weren’t able to do so. Suzuka 8 Hours has always been an unpredictable race and is difficult to always make the correct decisions at the correct time. By entering the SST class our understanding towards the new GSX-R is now at the next level, and we hope to use this experience in development of kit parts and support for users.”

#31 Hamamatsu Team Titan

Takahiro Kanbayashi:

“Under these difficult conditions we were still very stable and consistent, so the crash by Wada was a pity. Although in almost stock condition, the engine was fast and the balance was good too. This all indicated for a better result so I couldn’t say I’m happy with our final position today.”

More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:

 Kawasaki Team Green third at Suzuka

The Team Green Kawasaki squad of Jonathan Rea, Leon Haslam and Kazuma Watanabe finished third in a dramatic Suzuka 8Hr race on Sunday 29 July.

After leading for much of the early part of the race, mixed fortunes befell the team at a crucial point. However, all three riders battled hard in the final hours and secured a valuable podium place in this iconic event.

The 41st edition of the race was won by the No.21 Yamaha of Alex Lowes, Michael van der Mark and Katsuyuki Nakasuka ahead of the No.33 Honda of Takumi Takahashi, Takaaki Nakagami and Patrick Jacobsen.

The race could not have started in more dramatic conditions. An overnight typhoon had swept through the region leaving behind a mix of sunshine and showers. As the teams lined up on the grid one of those showers returned meaning the race would start in wet conditions. Leon Haslam shot into the lead into the first corner but soon settled into second place as the track surface began to dry. When the time came to change to slick tyres, Jonathan Rea took over the riding duties and duly engaged in a close battle with the No.21 Yamaha of van der Mark.

For the first few hours of the race, both Rea and Haslam battled hard with van der Mark and Lowes as they edged further ahead of the nearest challengers. As the race approached the half way point Rea had established a two second lead over the Yamaha rider. That evaporated at the next rider change when Rea ran low on fuel on his in lap. He had to coast down the pit lane to hand over to Haslam for the next stint losing valuable seconds.

When Rea took to the bike again with just over three hours to go another heavy shower came over the track and brought out the safety car. As the slow string of riders approached one of the many tight bends around the track Jonathan had to run off the racing line and unfortunately fell on the treacherous surface. He brought the bike back to the pit box where the Team Green mechanics repaired the damage in amazingly quick time, sending Kazuma Watanabe into the race without losing position.

The race ran under the safety car for a considerable time and it was with around two hours remaining that racing could be back underway. Despite all their best efforts, and at one stage gaining time on the second place team and trying to claw back the deficit, the Kawasaki trio finally had to settle for third place.

Another Suzuka podium to add to those already achieved by Kawasaki and all three riders and an amazing team atmosphere are certainly positives to take away from the event and, of course, there is always next year !

Jonathan Rea – we proved our speed

“It was a very, very difficult race we had so many different conditions thrown at us and things we were not prepared for. I am really happy and I gave a big effort and myself, Leon, Kazuma and the all the team fell short; the chips just did not fall our way this year and congratulations to Yamaha and Honda. It just didn’t happen for us but we proved our speed which I am really happy about. I just want to thank my team mates, they did a really good job in a difficult race”.

Leon Haslam – a great team effort

“Really happy. I made a podium again with Team Green. I had a real good first part of the race and had some good battles with Yamaha and Honda. I came into a little bit of bad luck in the mid race stage and had to bring the bike home for third place. I am really happy, it was a great team effort and the bike was working really good. I can’t be too disappointed, we are back on the podium here at Suzuka so I am really happy”.

Kazuma Watanabe – we had good potential to win

“First of all I would like to forward big thanks to Kawasaki, the sponsors and Team Green. It was a difficult race with many extraordinary issues like the typhoon, ever changing weather and the safety cars etc.

I had only one stint but that was not a problem because I know my job is not only on Sunday. However I do regret that we ended up third although we had good potential to win. I will be improving myself as from today for the next Suzuka 8hr based on the experience I absorbed from two great riders this week”.

More, from a press release issued by Motorcycling Australia:

Josh Hook Secures EWC Championship at Suzuka 8 Hours!

30 July 2018

Australia has a new FIM Endurance World Champion in Josh Hook who managed to pilot his F.C.C. TSR Honda France to a fifth-place finish at the Suzuka 8 Hours. Hook’s team knew they had to keep the bike upright in the race and not jeopardize their title chances. They managed to keep their cool, despite a race full of drama and wet conditions to claim the Championship! There were heaps of Australian competing in the famous race, with several claiming impressive results.

Hook sharing on social media after the race; “We did it, World Champions. Thank you to my amazing team and team mates, Freddy Foray and Alan Techer. To all my fans, you guys are awesome, thanks again for you continued support.”

Taking victory for the 2018 Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours was Yamaha Factory Racing’s Michael van der Mark and Alex Lowes. This would be an impressive fourth consecutive 8 Hours win for the team, with stiff competition coming from Red Bull Honda and Kawasaki Team Green.

Another impressive ride came from the Honda Asia-Dream Team with ASBK’s current championship leader, Troy Herfoss coming seventh.

Herfoss stating; “It was a tough experience, but I enjoyed it a lot and I hope I get another crack at it again sometime. I want to say thank you for the support throughout the entire 8 Hours, especially during the race and between my stints. I also want to say a huge thank you to Honda Motorcycles Australia for creating this opportunity for me. Congratulations to the entire Honda Asia-Dream Racing Team for working faultlessly throughout the whole lead up and the actual race. I enjoyed every minute of it.”

There was another success story in the form of the BMW Mottarrad39 Team of Damian and Alex Cudlin who managed to finish 13th.

Current ASBK Champion, Josh Waters rode in the Superstock class for the 2018 edition of the race and finished fourth for his class. This race marked the eighth time the Suzuki rider has competed in the 8 Hours.

It was a disappointing race for fellow Aussies Broc Parkes (YART Yamaha), Anthony West (Eva RT Webike Trickstar Kawasaki) and Aaron Morris, all failing to finish the endurance race.

West sharing after the race; “We started well and went from 22nd to 9th place after the team double stinted me. The race stints were certainly hard work. My team mate jumped on the bike after me and was running good lap times. Unfortunately, in the last corner, he hit Neutral and high-sided himself to the moon. Big crash putting us out of the Suzuka 8-hour race. Maybe next year will go better for the 8 Hours.”

Motorcycling Australia (MA) would like to congratulate all the Australian riders and Josh Hook on taking out the Championship on the world stage.