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-- HRC Report Honda’s CBR1000RR was raced to victory by the F.C.C. TSR Honda team in the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours, giving the marque its 24th win in the mid-summer classic, and second in a row in the third round of the QTEL FIM Endurance World Championship at the venerable Suzuka Circuit south of Tokyo. Yoshimura Suzuki finished second with Musashi RT Harc Pro finishing third on a second Honda CBR1000RR, with all three teams finishing on the same lap. The F.C.C TSR Honda team of Suzuka veterans Kousuke Akiyoshi, Shinichi Ito and Ryuichi Kiyonari became the favorites for the 34th running of the race based on a successful pre-race Suzuka test and they didn’t disappoint. But the race wouldn’t be trouble-free. Kiyonari started the race, but had a small mishap early on that forced him to return to the pits for repairs, dropping the team from first to third. And Ito survived a collision in the second hour with Team Bollinger’s Roman Stamm. The F.C.C. TSR Honda team went on to complete 217 laps of the 5.807Km track in Mie Prefecture to beat the Yoshimura Suzuki team of Yukio Kagayama, Josh Waters and Nobu Aoki by 38.765s. The Musashi RT Harc Pro team rode a mixture of youth and experience to the final podium position. Takumi Takahashi, 21, teamed with veterans Makoto Tamada, 36, and Tadayuki Okada, the 44-year-old multi-time winner, to finish third, 1m, 31.162s behind their fellow Honda riders. The win was the fourth for both Ito and Kiyonari, tying the mark set by Wayne Gardner in 1992 for second most. Tohru Ukawa remains the all-time Suzuka master with five wins. Three-time British Superbike champion Kiyonari’s four wins came in 2005, ’08, 2010 and this year. Ito won in 1997 and ’98, and 2006. Akiyoshi, the 36-year-old F.C.C. TSR rider who has a five-race winning streak in the All Japan Championship dating back to last season, won the 8 Hours for the first time. The win was especially meaningful for Ito, who earlier this year announced his retirement. Ito is from Sendai, Miyagi prefecture, which suffered considerable damage from the March earthquake and tsunami. Because of the tsunami and earthquake that damaged a nuclear reactor, the race began and finished an hour earlier. The race began with Musashi RT Harc-Pro leading at the end of each of the first two hours, with Yoshimura Suzuki second and F.C.C. TSR Honda third after Kiyonari’s early fall. Yoshimura Suzuki took the lead in the third hour, but it swung back and forth, depending on the efficiency of the pit stops and the riders. Musashi RT Harc Pro’s Takumi Takahashi battled with pole position rider Yukio Kagayama in the early going, which allowed the Yoshimura team to hold the lead. F.C.C. TSR Honda cut the gap to 19s in the fourth hour and erased it, taking the lead halfway into the fifth hour. With three hours remaining, F.C.C. TSR Honda had a lead of just over 1.5s having completed 136 laps. By then it was a three-team race with the fourth-placed team two laps in arrears. F.C.C. TSR finished the sixth hour with a comfortable lead of 1m, 30s, but the Yoshimura team closed the gap back up to 11s entering the final hour. That’s when the leading Honda team reversed the momentum to pull out the win by nearly 39s. F.C.C. TSR Honda rider Shinichi Ito says: “I had decided to quit racing last year, but to be here and win again is the best way I found to support my region and my friends. It was very difficult to be prepared enough for the race, but I tried my best.” F.C.C. TSR Honda rider Ryuichi Kiyonari says: “After my crash at the beginning of the race I felt obliged to do my best to get the victory for my team.” Musashi RT Harc Pro rider Makoto Tamada says: “We are very proud of our fight for victory but obviously disappointed that we could not reach it.” -- Yoshimura Suzuki Report In one of the most-thrilling finishes ever at the Suzuka race circuit in Japan, Team Yoshimura Suzuki Racing lost out on victory by a whisker to rivals FCC TSR Honda in today's third round of the World Endurance Championship. Just 38.7 seconds separated the two teams after eight hours and 217 laps of racing. And in an amazing triple-twist to add to the excitement for the 55,500 spectators, third-placed Musashi Honda finished on the same lap and less than 60 seconds behind the Japanese Suzuki GSX-R1000 mounted team of Yukio Kagayama, Josh Waters and Nobuatsu Aoki. Reigning World Champions, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT) finished in ninth position after starting 15th. Team riders Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Daisaku Sakai - all a last-minute entry in the race - earned eight points from the race, lost the series lead, but is only six points behind new series leaders BMW Motorrad France 99, who finished the race in fourth position, five laps down on the Yoshimura squad. The 34th "Coca-Cola Zero" Suzuka 8 hours Endurance Road Race saw Yoshimura Suzuki Racing's Kagayama get a great start from pole position and he took the lead on the first corner from SERT's Daisaku Sakai - who started from 15th on the grid. An hour in, Kagayama was replaced by Australian Josh Waters, who moved into second place chasing Makoto Tamada (Honda). SERT rider Philippe was ninth at that stage. After three hours, Kagayama came back again and took the lead for Yoshimura Suzuki - and over the following laps, the lead changed several times as each team pitted; Nobuatsu Aoki holding second place for the Yoshimura Suzuki team before Kagayama took over again for the final stint. -- BMW Motorrad 99 Report A fantastic fourth place for the BMW S1000RR on its debut at the prestigious Suzuka 8-Hour race catapulted Team BMW Motorrad France 99 to the top of the Endurance World Championship standings, with just two rounds of the series remaining. The Suzuka 8-Hour race is unique in the Endurance World Championship, in that it attracts a heavy presence from Japanese riders on full factory machinery. Simply finishing in the top ten against such a strong field is an achievement in itself for the regular EWC teams, which makes Team BMW Motorrad France 99's fourth place in the Japanese manufacturers' own backyard even more impressive. Erwan Nigon, Sbastien Gimbert and Damian Cudlin battled throughout the eight hours of racing at Suzuka, never once dropping outside the top six aboard the #99 BMW S1000RR. The three BMW riders were the only EWC regulars able to compete at the same level as the Japanese factory teams, with a concerted push at the end of the race netting them fourth at the chequered flag, ahead of the other EWC regulars and two factory supported Japanese squads. The next round of the Endurance World Championship is the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which takes place on 24/25 September. Erwan Nigon: "What can I say; the bike was perfect, the tyres were efficient, the race strategy was a good one, my teammates were fast and regular and we finished fourth. This was just a perfect weekend for me! I've always loved this circuit but I love it even more after today! We had no technical problem during the race, so everything went well. We really pushed hard to keep this fourth place and I'm happy to secure this result for BMW Motorrad France, who trusted in me for two years. We are now leading the Endurance World Championship, but we have to work hard to prepare for the 24 Hours of Le Mans." Sbastien Gimbert: I spent a fantastic weekend and it's the first time I have had such a good result here. Everything went well for us. Michelin brought a good tyre choice, Steven made some changes on the bike that improved the set-up and my teammates were as fast and consistent as always. This was a perfect result, but what is important for us is that we are now top of the Endurance World Championship standings. The team is well organised now and we can approach the 24 Hours of Le Mans with confidence, even if it's not won yet. I would like to thank the team who all worked very hard, as have Michelin and BMW." Damian Cudlin: "I got a good start and was immediately battling in the top six. It was important for me to do a good first stint, without any mistakes, to set us up for the rest of the race. I made up some places during that first stint, eventually getting involved in the battle for fourth position. We all pushed really hard for this fourth place, with the aim being to build a lead over the fifth placed Honda RT Sakurai team in the closing stages. We managed this in the last two stints and then it was just a case of staying consistent all the way to the chequered flag. I'm really happy with this result; it was a hard race in hot conditions and to leave here leading the world championship is just reward for all the hard work that's gone into this season from the team, from Michelin and from BMW." Marcel Driessen: Director, BMW Motorrad France: "This is an unbelievable result for BMW. To take fourth place on our debut at Suzuka is incredible enough, but to also take the lead in the World Championship standings is simply fantastic. The team have done a great job with our S1000RR this season, but we cannot rest on our laurels. We need to continue to work on the bike, to ensure we have the most competitive package possible for our home race at Le Mans and the season finale in Qatar. Congratulations to the team and our riders on leading the championship, and let's hope we can maintain this position until the end of the season." -- Josh Waters Report Riding his first appearance in what is arguably the biggest motorcycle event in Japan, 2009 Australian Superbike Champion Josh Waters made and impressive debut, helping his team to a credible second place overnight. Water’s teammate Yukio Kagayama put the team’s GSX-R1000 on pole with a time of 2:08.001 during the all-new ‘Top Ten Trial’ qualifying format. Yoshimura Suzuki lead the race during the event, until around the fifth hour, when the TSR Honda team made their move; eventually winning by 38.765 seconds, with The Musashi RT Harc Pro team in third 1:31.161 behind. “This event is just so huge here it is amazing. The crowd just goes wild and being right on the doorstep of all the Japanese manufacturers is great. I feel so lucky to have been given this opportunity. I can’t thank Team Yoshimura Suzuki enough!” Waters has spent considerable time preparing for this event, competing also in two World Superbike rounds (Phillip Island, Australia and Miller, USA). "The heat was always going to be a big challenge, i spent two full weeks in Japan to test and get used to training in it. Track temperatures at one stage was over 60 degrees (Celsius) All the hard work was definitely worth it!" The 24 year old from Mildura, in Victoria will now head back to Australia to complete their domestic Superbike Championship for Suzuki. -- Suzuka 8 Hours Full Results - 2 Hours - 6 Hours - 7 Hours - 8 Hours |
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| DATE:2011-07-31 WEATHER : Fine COURSE : Dry
5.821km POS. / TEAM/ RIDERS / BIKE / LAPS / TOTAL TIME / DELAY / BEST 1 / F.C.C. TSR Honda / K.AKIYOSHI - S.ITO - R.KIYONARI / CBR1000RR / 217 / 8:00'50.922 / 157.62Km/h / 2'08.634 2 / YOSHIMURA SUZUKI Racing Team / Y.KAGAYAMA - J.WATERS - N.AOKI / GSX-R1000 / 217 / 8:01'29.687 / 38.765 / 2'08.957 3 / MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO. / T.TAKAHASHI - M.TAMADA - T.OKADA / CBR1000RR / 217 / 8:02'22.084 / 1'31.162 / 2'09.272 4 / BMW MOTORRAD FRANCE 99 / S.GIMBERT - E.NIGON - D.CUDLIN / S1000R / 212 / 8:01'51.260 / 5Laps / 2'11.244 5 / EVA RT TEST TYPE-01 TRICKSTAR FRTR / O.DEGUCHI - T.SERIZAWA - S.TAKEISHI / ZX-10R / 211 / 8:02'15.042 / 6Laps / 2'11.271 6 / CROWN KEIBIHOSYOU RACING / T.HAMAGUCHI - K.KITAGUCHI - K.WATANABE / CBR1000RR / 210 / 8:00'55.537 / 7Laps / 2'11.146 7 / YAMAHA RACING FRANCE GMT94 IPONE / D.CHECA - M.LAGRIVE - K.FORAY / YZF-R1 / 210 / 8:01'30.316 / 7Laps / 2'11.327 8 / Teluru HoneyBeeRacing / S.IWATA - T.SEKIGUCHI - H.NODA / CBR1000RR / 210 / 8:02'37.894 / 7Laps / 2'11.200 9 / SUZUKI ENDURANCE RACING TEAM / V.PHILIPPE - A.DELHALLE - D.SAKAI / GSX-R1000 / 208 / 8:02'15.127 / 9Laps / 2'12.655 10 / TOHO Racing HIROSHIMA DESMO / T.YAMAGUCHI - H.KUNIKAWA - K.EGUCHI / 1098R / 206 / 8:02'28.565 / 11Laps / 2'12.829 11 / Honda ESCARGOT&PGR&SAYAMA&H-TEC(E) / M.KUBOYAMA - T.NAKATSUHARA / CBR1000RR / 205 / 8:01'48.121 / 12Laps / 2'15.039 12 / RIDEZ & PANOLIN / M.SATO - A.IGARASHI - T.SHIMIZU / CBR1000RR / 205 / 8:03'05.065 / 12Laps / 2'14.803 13 / Honda SuzukaRacing Team / T.YASUDA - K.TOKUDOME / CBR1000RR / 205 / 8:03'05.172 / 12Laps / 2'10.412 14 / TEAM SHINSUKE / R.NAKAKI - K.TSUDA - S.SUZUKI / CBR1000RR / 204 / 8:01'52.457 / 13Laps / 2'16.004 15 / Team Tras BMW S1000RR / H.TAKADA - K.TERAMOTO - R.KATAHIRA / S1000R / 204 / 8:02'49.045 / 13Laps / 2'13.478 16 / Honda Ryokuyokai Kumamoto Racing / M.YOSHIDA - M.IIDA - M.KITAORI / CBR1000RR / 204 / 8:03'01.427 / 13Laps / 2'14.852 17 / TEAM SUGAI RACING JAPAN / Y.SUGAI - H.OGATA - / RSV4 Factory / 203 / 8:00'51.114 / 14Laps / 2'14.614 18 / Suzukacommunity Racing Team / S.SHIMOJI - H.MATSUI / CBR1000RR / 203 / 8:01'09.496 / 14Laps / 2'14.798 19 / Honda QCT Meiwa Racing / M.ANDO - M.YAMANAKA / CBR1000RR / 203 / 8:01'43.953 / 14Laps / 2'16.264 20 / GreenTec / Toukai.A / Yamasina.K / Business.R / T.MIZUSAWA - S.YAMASAKI - T.NODA / ZX-10R / 203 / 8:02'43.006 / 14Laps / 2'16.040 21 / CONFIA H.M.F / S.SUMA - Y.TAKAMIYA - Y.TAKAHASHI / RSV4 Factory / 202 / 8:01'15.322 / 15Laps / 2'14.750 22 / TEAM FRONTIER CWR / T.KISHIDA - T.FUKAMI - M.SHINJO / YZF-R1 / 202 / 8:01'28.502 / 15Laps / 2'16.684 23 / HONDA DREAM RT WAKAYAMA / T.NISHINAKA - A.MIKI - R.GONZUI / CBR1000RR / 202 / 8:02'37.894 / 15Laps / 2'15.792 24 / Team38 PS-K / S.KARITA - S.YAMASHITA - D.KEYES / ZX-10R / 201 / 8:01'28.197 / 16Laps / 2'17.083 25 / WINNER Z-TECH / T.OKUDA - T.KUNIMATSU - Y.OKUDA / GSX-R1000 / 200 / 8:01'31.676 / 17Laps / 2'15.928 26 / BullDocker TAGOS×HALUMOTO SHOWHEI RIDE / M.MOGI - Y.KATO - S.OKAJIMA / RSV4 Factory / 200 / 8:01'57.468 / 17Laps / 2'18.095 27 / DOG HOUSE DRAG with Kota / K.HIGUCHI - K.IWATANI - M.HISAZUMI / GSX-R1000 / 200 / 8:02'29.222 / 17Laps / 2'16.850 28 / Honda EG Racing / T.KURIBAYASHI - K.HONDA - M.HONDO / CBR1000RR / 199 / 8:02'42.168 / 18Laps / 2'17.814 29 / Honda All-Honda joint team of company / S.NOYORI - T.OYAMA - / CBR1000RR / 198 / 8:02'13.749 / 19Laps / 2'17.742 30 / Team hashimotogumi / T.SOMA - S.TANI - / GSX-R1000 / 198 / 8:02'27.501 / 19Laps / 2'16.182 Fastest Lap: No. 11 F.C.C. TSR Honda 2'08.634 110/217 162.91Km/h WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CLASS POSITIONS TO DATE 1 BMW Motorrad France 99 68, 2 Suzuki Endurance Racing Team 62, 3 Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone 46, 4 FCC TSR Honda 30, 5 Team SRC Kawasaki 28, 6 YMES Folch Endurance 25, 7 Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team 24, 8 National Motos 22, 9 Musashi RT Harc Pro 19, 10 Bolliger Team Switzerland 18, 11 Team R2CL 17, 12 Monster Yamaha YART 16, 13 Honda TT Legends 15, 14 Eva RT Trickstar 13, 15 Maco Racing Team 13. NEXT EVENT: ROUND 04 SUNDAY AUGUST 21 DONINGTON PARK, GREAT BRITAIN HONDA WINNERS OF THE SUZUKA 8 HOURS 1979: Tony Hatton, AUS/Michael Cole, AUS - Honda CB900 1981: Mike Baldwin, USA/Dave Aldana USA - Honda RS1000 1982: Shigeo Iijima, J/Shinji Hagiwara, J - Honda CB900F 1984: Mike Baldwin, USA/Fred Merkel, USA - Honda RS750R 1985: Wayne Gardner, AUS/Masaki Tokano, J - Honda RVF750 1986: Wayne Gardner, AUS/Dominique Sarron F - Honda RVF750 1989: Dominique Sarron, F/Alex Vieira, Por - Honda RVF750 1991: Wayne Gardner, AUS/Mick Doohan, AUS - Honda RVF750 1992: Wayne Gardner, AUS/Daryl Beattie, AUS - Honda RVF750 1994: Doug Polen, USA/Aaron Slight, NZ - Honda RVF/RC45 1995: Aaron Slight, NZ/Tadayuki Okada, J - Honda RVF/RC45 1997: Shinichi Ito, J/Tohru Ukawa, J - Honda RVF/RC45 1998: Shinichi Ito, J/Tohru Ukawa, J - Honda RVF/RC45 1999: Tadayuki Okada, J/Alex Barros, Bra - Honda RVF/RC45 2000: Tohru Ukawa, J/Daijiro Kato, J - Honda VTR1000SPW 2001: Valentino Rossi, I/Colin Edwards, USA - Honda VTR1000SPW 2002: Daijiro Kato, J/Colin Edwards, USA - Honda VTR1000SPW 2003: Yukio Nukumi, J/Manubu Kamada, J - Honda VTR1000SPW 2004: Tohru Ukawa, J/Hitoyasu Izutsu, J - Honda CBR1000RRW 2005: Ryuichi Kiyonari, J/Tohru Ukawa, J - Honda CBR1000RRW 2006: Shinichi Ito, J/Takeshi Tsujimura, J - Honda CBR1000RR 2008: Ryuichi Kiyonari, J/Carlos Checa, E - Honda CBR1000RR 2010: Ryuichi Kiyonari, J/Takumi Takahashi, J - Honda CBR1000RR 2011: Ryuichi Kiyonari, J/Shinichi Ito, J/Kosuke Akiyoshi, J – Honda CBR1000RR |
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