FIM Endurance World Championship
Coca-Cola Suzuka 8-Hours
Suzuka Circuit, Japan
July 29, 2017
Special Stage Qualifying Results:
1. Yamaha Factory Racing Team (Katsuyuki Nakasuga 2:06.038/Alex Lowes 2:06.225/Michael van der Mark no time recorded), Yam YZF-R1, Superbike, 2:06.038
2. Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing (Sylvain Guintoli no time recorded/Josh Brookes no time recorded/Takuya Tsuda 2:06.282), Suz GSX-R1000, Superbike, 2:06.282
3. Kawasaki Team Green (Kazuma Watanabe 2:07.892/Leon Haslam 2:06.381/Azlan Shah Bin Kamaruzaman no time recorded), Kaw ZX-10RR, Superbike, 2:06.381
4. F.C.C. TSR Honda (Dominique Aegerter 2:06.600/Randy De Puniet 2:07.156/Josh Hook no time recorded), Hon CBR1000RR SP2, Superbike, 2:06.600
5. MuSashi RT Harc-Pro Honda (Takumi Takahashi 2:06.674/Jack Miller no time recorded/Takaaki Nakagami 2:06.671), Hon CBR1000RR SP2, Superbike, 2:06.671
6. YART Yamaha (Broc Parkes 2:07.634/Kohta Nozane 2:08.481/Marvin Fritz no time recorded), Yam YZF-R1, Superbike, 2:07.634
7. Moriwaki Motul Racing (Yuki Takahashi 2:08.041/Ryuichi Kiyonari 2:08.178/Dan Linfoot no time recorded), Hon CBR1000RR SP2, Superbike, 2:08.041
8. Honda Suzuka Racing Team (Daijiro Hiura 2:08.178/Yudai Kamei no time recorded/Takashi Yasuda no time recorded), Hon CBR1000RR, Superbike, 2:08.178
9. Team Kagayama (Yukio Kagayama 2:08.968/Hafizh Syahrin 2:08.616/Naomichi Uramoto no time recorded), Suz GSX-R1000, Superbike, 2:08.616
10. Satu Hati Honda Team Asia (Dimes Ekky Pratama 2:09.966/Md. Zaqhwan Zaidi no time recorded/Ratthapong Wilairot 2:10.561), Hon CBR1000RR SP2, Superbike, 2:09.966
More, from a press release issued by Eurosport Events:
YAMAHA FACTORY ON POLE AT THE SUZUKA 8 HOURS
Katsuyuki Nakasuga confirmed Yamaha Factory Racing Team’s pole position in the Top 10 Trial, ahead of Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing and Kawasaki Team Green.
Katsuyuki Nakasuga set the fastest lap of the Top 10 trial – a 2’06.038 – to pick up pole position at the Suzuka 8 Hours for the Yamaha Factory Racing Team.
Although he did not match Pol Espargaró’s record lap of 2’06.000 in 2015, Katsuyuki Nakasuga offered the Yamaha factory team its third successive pole. His teammate posted a 2’06.225 lap, the second fastest of the superpole, reaffirming the Japanese team as the favourite to win the Suzuka 8 Hours.
Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing confirmed its second place on the starting grid thanks to Takuya Tsuda (2’06.282), ahead of Kawasaki Team Green, who moved up into third place thanks to Leon Haslam’s 2’06.381 lap. F.C.C. TSR Honda also did well, improving its qualifying result to advance one place on the grid with Dominique Aegerter’s 2’06.600 lap.
Musashi RT Harc-Pro Honda was third after qualifying, but will start the race from fifth place after Takaaki Nakagami’s 2’06.671 lap.
YART Yamaha Official EWC Team remains sixth on the starting grid after a 2’07.634 lap by Broc Parkes. The team is ahead of Moriwaki Motul Racing, Honda Suzuka Racing Team, Team Kagayama and Satu Hati Honda Team Asia.
Two riders crashed during the fastest flying lap at Suzuka: Sylvain Guintoli (Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing) and Yudai Kamei (Honda Suzuka Racing Team).
The 2016-2017 FIM EWC grand finale, the 40th anniversary of the Suzuka 8 Hours, will start tomorrow (Sunday) at 11.30 am local time (GMT + 9).
More, from a press release issued by Honda Endurance Racing:
Competitive Suzuka 8 Hour qualifying for Honda Endurance Racing
Suzuka 8 Hours
Suzuka Circuit, Japan
Mixed conditions greeted the Honda Endurance Racing team during qualifying for tomorrow’s Suzuka 8 Hour race, with cooler temperatures in the morning session; track temperatures rose for the afternoon’s session at the 5.821-km circuit. Honda Endurance Racing will start the race from 26th position after a highly charged and competitive qualifying session.
The Suzuka 8 Hours is regarded as one of the biggest motorcycle events on the calendar, and with a host of local Japanese teams using their knowledge and experience at the circuit competition is high. There are 68 teams in the mix, only ten of which are regular FIM Endurance World Championship contenders, including Honda Endurance Racing and the Suzuka 8 Hours is the final round of the 2016-2017 season.
During the two-stage qualifying session Honda’s endurance specialists Freddy Foray, Julien Da Costa and Sébastien Gimbert battled with the heat, with track temperatures rising to 39° during the afternoon’s session. Working to optimise the settings of the all-new Fireblade to suit the three riders, the team also worked closely with Dunlop on tyre-life.
Race strategy is key within endurance racing and with a proven track record of near-perfect strategy with stops and re-fuelling, the Honda team turned their attentions to this during qualifying to fully-utilise their endurance knowledge ready for the eight-hour race.
Qualifying in 26th place with an overall combined time of 2’12.058, the Honda squad was in the mix with the rest of the permanent EWC teams and close behind EWC rivals and championship leaders SERT, who qualified 22nd with a time of 2’11.513.
The Suzuka 8 Hours takes place tomorrow (Sunday 30 July) at 1130am Japanese local time (GMT+9).
Freddy Foray 111
We have qualified in 26th place, of course we would like to be higher but we have the race pace and a good race strategy to work with tomorrow. Qualifying was difficult with the mixed conditions from the morning, which was cooler and then the higher temperatures in the afternoon. We have been working hard with the feeling and getting this right for myself, Julien and Sébastien. I hope the weather stays consistent tomorrow, not too hot and we can have a good start and push through the eight hours. We are not far from our EWC competitors, so we have to focus on that and keep pushing.
Julien Da Costa 111
We were lucky with the first session as the track was much cooler, which is better for everything; the CBR and us as riders. I’ve got a good feeling with the Fireblade and we are faster with each session. It’s difficult with the heat and also there are 68 teams in the race, so at times the track can get busy. Our qualifying position, yes we are far from the front, but we’re not far from our direct competition, with the full-time EWC teams, so we have to be focused on this. We know that we are very efficient with fuel and quick with our stops, so I am not worried about the race!
Sébastien Gimbert 111
The position for me is not so good, but the lap times were good so it shows that we can have good race pace. We are in with our EWC competition and not so far from them. Tomorrow they are our goal, we are in a championship and this is the final round so we need to make sure our focus is that and finishing the year with some good points towards this. I think we can finish within the top-15 and with the level of competition out there, I think this would be good. I am looking forward to getting racing tomorrow and seeing what we can do, I have faith in the team, in us and also in the Fireblade.
Jonny Twelvetrees, Team Manager
I’m fairly happy with how things have been going this week and where our EWC competition is, we have closed the gap from previous races and are pushing on. It’s hard to judge here from the outside, there are the local Japanese teams on different tyres and being local they have a wealth of knowledge at Suzuka, they are quicker but they are not our direct competition. It is the permanent EWC teams like SERT, we are racing against and they are our competition within the championship. We want to be higher, but we are keeping our eye on the competition and if we compare their lap times and ours, we are in a good position. We need to not lose focus in the race, we know we have a good strategy and fast stops, so we need to focus on that and finish the EWC championship in a strong position.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:
Yamaha Factory Racing Fly to Third Consecutive Suzuka 8Hour Pole
Action resumed again on track today for the 40th Anniversary of the 2017 Coca-Cola Suzuka 8Hours. The afternoon saw the top ten teams from provisional qualifying contest the Top 10 Trial to decide the first ten grid positions. The Yamaha Factory Racing Team proved unbeatable, taking pole with a scorching 2″06.038s lap. The YART Yamaha Official EWC Team were also on form, the fastest of the non-Factory teams with a 2″07.634s lap for sixth on the grid.
Action resumed again on track today for the 40th Anniversary of the 2017 Coca-Cola Suzuka 8Hours. The afternoon saw the top ten teams from provisional qualifying contest the Top 10 Trial to decide the first ten grid positions. The Yamaha Factory Racing Team proved unbeatable, taking pole with a scorching 2’06.038s lap. The YART Yamaha Official EWC Team were also on form, the fastest of the non-Factory teams with a 2’07.634s lap for sixth on the grid.
After two previous years of the pressure of being the last rider out on track, Nakasuga was able to finally enjoy a less pressured Top 10 Trial today as the first YFRT rider to qualify. The local hero didn’t disappoint and had the Suzuka crowd on their feet as he turned each split time red on the timing boards on his way to the fastest lap of the day. Next up as the second Yamaha Factory Racing Team rider was Alex Lowes. The young Brit has been on top form all weekend so far and was determined to match his teammate’s pace. Lowes was on fire through the first splits, turning them red and looked likely to break under the lap record until a small mistake in the final chicane cost a few tenths of a second. The lap proved to be faster than everyone except Nakasuga, Lowes laying down a 2’06.225s time at the line.
Third teammate Michael van der Mark was denied the chance for a proper ride in the day’s earlier practice as a red flag brought the session to an early end. Despite this the Dutchman has already found a race pace to match Lowes and Nakasuga, putting the threesome in a strong position to fight for Yamaha’s third consecutive Suzuka 8Hours victory tomorrow.
The YART Yamaha Official EWC Team came out fighting in the Top 10 Trial, determined to prove their position as the fastest of the non-Factory racing teams. Kohta Nozane was left a little disappointed not to have dipped under the 2:08s mark with a 2:08.481s lap, but was happy to have completed the Trial successfully safe in the knowledge that there was more to come from YART. It was teammate Broc Parkes, the second rider out, who delivered the statement. Parkes was almost inch perfect, delivering a flying 2:07.634s lap to secure YART’s place in sixth on the grid. . Third rider Marvin Fritz has been quick to find a comparative race pace around the circuit on his first ever Suzuka race weekend, ensuring the team are ready to give 100% in tomorrow’s race.
Katsuyuki Naksuga – Yamaha Factory Racing Team
“We’re very happy with today. As a team, I think any one of us could’ve gone out and taken pole and all three of us are at a really good level. I was pumped to see Alex going faster than me on his Top 10 Trial lap! He’s fast in the places I’m not! It’s the same R1 but depending on the rider, it can go faster in places you don’t expect and that’s really fun to watch. And you learn from it too, seeing that the bike can be ridden that way at that part of the track. Last year and the year before, I was the last one to go out so I was really nervous. I just didn’t ride at my best and couldn’t take pole. But this year I was able to and while that’s good, what’s important is tomorrow. Everybody on the team knows this; there’s no point if we don’t win the race and all three of us are focused on that. Together with the team staff, we’ll put 100% into doing our best tomorrow and aim for the top step of the podium. The three of us are equally sharing the expectations and pressure, so I think we’ll be able to put on a fun race for the fans!”
Alex Lowes – Yamaha Factory Racing Team
“Today was good, I enjoyed the Top 10 Trial a lot and the bike felt really good. I made some mistakes myself so I can’t be completely happy with my lap, especially the last sector. I think I felt quite good up until that point but it doesn’t really matter as we have eight hours tomorrow! I feel comfortable on the bike and I’m looking forward to a tough race. I’m going to give it everything I’ve got to win the Suzuka 8Hours again. I want to do a really good job for Yamaha in the race, this is my goal.”
Michael van der Mark – Yamaha Factory Racing Team
“It’s really good to see us take pole position. Nakasuga and Alex did amazing laps so I’m really proud of them. Of course it’s an endurance race so pole is not the main priority but it’s good that we can do a really fast lap, and also that we are really consistent in the normal runs. It’s going to be a tough race because many competitors are really fast but I have a good feeling. The bike is handling really well for the three of us, which is the key to success. I want to thank Nakasuga and Alex for their incredible laps today and I hope tomorrow we can finish the job.”
Wataru Yoshikawa, Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager
“We were able to take pole position today, so that’s obviously very happy for us as a team. This is our third time taking pole position and as we are going for our third straight win it’s a good lead in to the race. There was a lot of pressure for Nakasuga not to wreck the bike so I think he rode really well. Unfortunately we weren’t able to break the pole record but it was more than enough. Because Nakasuga had a good time already, I think Alex felt he had a lot of expectation on his shoulders, also not to wreck the bike so I think he rode really well. I thought it was a good experience for him also. The reason we have strength as a team is because all of them are accepting of each other’s abilities, ad also because they have trust in each other to cover. The reason Nakasuga could take pole is because he knew he had Alex and Michael behind him. Michael was unfortunately not able to ride today because of the red flag in practice but I know his ability and I trust in it, with that in mind I asked him to take a difficult role today and sit out.”
Broc Parkes, YART Yamaha Official EWC Team
“We have to be very happy with the result. For us the top six was our aim, The Factory teams were just in front of us and the gap to them was always going to be a little bit too much. The goal from my side was to try and do the best time I could to be in the top six. The time was the best I’ve done all weekend, I made a couple of mistakes in the first and last chicane which may have robbed me of a few tenths here or there bit it wouldn’t have changed our position anyway. I’m happy with what I’ve done for myself and for the team, and for the position. From there we can definitely fight at the front at the start of the race and try and hang in to the front guys and see what we can do.”
Marvin Fritz, YART Yamaha Official EWC Team
“Today’s result is really good. Sixth position after five Factory teams is a strong result. For me it was ok not to ride today because yesterday I made a really good qualifying with used tyres. For my first time here in Suzuka I’m really proud. I was really consistent which is good and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s race. I have three stints to do I think. It’s going to be probably the hardest race of my life but I’m looking forward to it!”
Kohta Nozane, YART Yamaha Official EWC Team
“Broc got us sixth on the grid which was great. For me, I wasn’t able to go as fast or do as much as I think I could have. I’m glad that this part of the race weekend is over and we can focus on tomorrow. We have no idea what can happen in the race, but over the last year we have fought as a team together, and all three of us have good pace here as well so I think we will be able to make a good race tomorrow.”
Mandy Kainz, YART Yamaha Official EWC Team Manager
“Broc and Kohta really showed the maximum potential of our bike, tyres and riders. I think we did the best with the material we have, so to be the first position after the Factory bikes is absolutely the best that we can do, it was perfect. Tomorrow will be mixed conditions so we will see, but of course we will give our best.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
YOSHIMURA SUZUKI MOTUL 2ND in SUZUKA TOP-10 TIME TRIAL
Yoshimura Suzuki Motul – 2nd.
Team KAGAYAMA – 9th.
Yoshimura Suzuki Motul will start tomorrow’s Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance World Championship final round in second place following today’s grid-deciding Top-10 Time Trial at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan.
Following a morning thunderstorm at the 40th Anniversary Coca-Cola-sponsored event, Takuya Tsuda put the team’s new GSX-R1000 into second place with a time of 2’06.382 as Team KAGAYAMA’s Hafizh Syahrin scored ninth with a lap of 2’08.616.
Current World Champions and series leaders, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, will start tomorrow from 22nd position after missing-out on today’s final shakedown. SERT will start a few places behind closest series rivals, GMT94, who are in 15th position and one point behind SERT in the standings.
In the initial sessions today – and in typical Suzuka 8 Hours hot weather – some riders crashed including #71 Team KAGAYAMA’s Naomichi Uramoto and #95 S-Pulse Dream Racing-IAI rider Marcel Schrotter. Both riders were not injured and there was no major damage done to the bikes in a session where the #12 Yoshimura Suzuki scored second (2’07.847).
In the final qualifying session, the Top 10 Time Trial, #71 Yukio Kagayama ran fourth, but a rear tyre issue at Spoon Corner saw the bike wobble massively, although he still scored second with a lap of 2’08.926. Team-mate Hafizh Syahrin completed his first top-10 trial improving this with a lap of 2’08.616.
Yoshimura Suzuki Motul’s #12 Sylvain Guintoli started as fourth fastest and expecting a substantial time improvement, but he slipped-off at the chicane and did not record his time. Tsuda was up next and shaved-off precious seconds, putting the team second in the rankings.
Takuya Tsuda:
“Today’s top-10 trial showed the speed of individuals and it became a place to highlight the high technology of the team and the speed of the new GSX-R1000 to the world. I am satisfied that I can do my best. However, tomorrow it will be a race where teams will work together. The team has been doing tests so far with the aim of winning the race. Today’s qualifying was also a show element, but tomorrow is the real race. The three riders in our team have a strong pace, so I’d like to confidently face the race.”
Sylvain Guintoli:
“Today was really interesting time-attack and I thought that there was a challenge. I felt that I could do all my own while riding. Today I did it a bit too much (laughs), but the machine is very stable and I think that qualifying today was good. Right now, I am very looking forward to the final race tomorrow.”
Yukio Kagayama:
“I spent a lot of time setting up my bike for the race, so I did not have enough settings to fit the top 10 trial tyre. To be honest, I wanted to run with the top 10 trial tyres during the free practice this morning but due to time’s reason Hafizh used it a bit and I could not match it. I feel sorry for him. However, preparations for the final are finished to a considerable level, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Hafizh Syahrin:
“The first endurance race resulted in a very good machine finish, and today’s top 10 trials have been enjoyable as well. However, it is regrettable that I had a high-side where I entered the first corner and I was not able to raise the time as a result.”
KEVIN SCHWANTZ JOINS SUZUKI’S SPECIAL EVENTS
Various events were held at Suzuki’s booth from Saturday morning and former Suzuki World GP Champion Kevin Schwantz joined in the fun to meet the fans.
He appeared as a special guest in the group photo shoot of the Suzuka Talk Show along with Suzuki’s main team riders and was welcomed by the many race fans, talked about the new Suzuki GSX-R1000, saying: “It’s a wonderful machine and I’d like to have many people enjoy this Superbike favourite.”