Kiyonari and Checa win Suzuka 8 Hours for Dream Honda Racing Team
The DREAM Honda Racing Team duo of Ryuichi Kiyonari and Carlos Checa raced their CBR1000RR Honda to a superbly judged victory in the 31st running of the Suzuka 8 Hours held today at the classic Japanese circuit of the same name. The race win restored damaged pride following defeat at the hands of the Yoshimura #34 in the race last year that ended Honda 10 year winning streak. The 2008 race saw the two teams start the grueling 8 hour race as joint favourites along with the TSR FCC CBR1000RR of Shinichi Ito and Takeshi Tsujimura.
Ryuichi Kiyonari was the lead off rider for #11 and, as he promised, the reigning British Superbike Champion made a good start from third on the grid his CBR1000RR glued to the rear wheel of Kagayama on the #34 Yoshimura machine. The two swapped place twice on the opening lap but Kiyo surged into the lead along the start finish straight at the end of the lap. Daisaku Sakai held third place aboard the #12 Yoshimura he was sharing with Atsushi Watanabe.
From that point on Kiyo raced to the first rider change over unchallenged handing team mate Carlos Checa a clear lead. The Spaniard kept the pressure on his rivals with a fast consistent pace leading by 30 seconds from the TSR FCC CBR1000RR #2 machine of pole sitters Ito and Tsujimura, at the second refueling stop. The #2 team had fought their way into contention after a bad start left them down in sixth place at the end of lap one. Akiyoshi on the #34 held third place a further 30 seconds adrift. The #33 in the hands of Johnny Rae went down at the Degner Curve on lap 21 when Rae clipped the rear end of a back-marker. He remounted to limp back to the pits for repairs and team mate Yuki Takahashi took to the track and quickly settled into a fast rhythm the #33 regaining much of the ground lost.
Ito crashed the #2 in the third hour but managed to get back to the pits but the machine was too badly damaged to continue. His demise leaving Kiyonari well clear of the two Yoshimura machines and the #33 Dream Honda of Rae and Yuki Takahashi. Kameya crashed the Sakurai Honda and limped back to the pits for repairs.
The fourth hour provided real drama as a heavy rain shower soaked a part of the circuit making conditions very difficult to judge for 20 long minutes. Kagayama put in a big charge and caught and passed Checa but two laps later crashed the #34 at the first turn. He remounted still holding second place and completed his stint. The DREAM team pit crew signaled Checa and Takahashi to come into the pits for rain tyres but both riders stayed out on track as conditions improved.
The #11 pairing was now almost one lap ahead of the two Yoshimura machines with the #33 DREAM Honda fourth having inherited the place following Ito’s crash.
While Kiyo and Carlos steamed away at the front in the fifth hour Akiyoshi crashed the #34 trying to close the ever increasing gap to the race leaders. The race ended for the #33 DREAM Honda when Rae crashed at the Spoon Curve demolishing the CBR1000RR. The accidents promoted the hard charging Harc Pro Honda pairing of Yoshiteru Konishi and Takumi Takahashi up to third place where they would remain until the finish.
Kiyonari and Checa continued to build on their one lap lead as the raced to victory despite Checa being handed a stop and go penalty for speeding in the pit lane that cost them 30 seconds. The last hour gave the team cause for concern when Kiyo suffered a front brake problem which gave Checa a few anxious moments on his way to securing a superb victory for the DREAM Honda CBR1000RR. The team had hoped to run 217 laps but the rain put that beyond them finishing with 214 laps in 8 hours 20.726 seconds.
The #12 Yoshimura machine of Sakai and Watanabe finished second one minute 20 seconds behind the Honda with Konishi and Takuma Takahashi third for Harc Pro Honda four laps adrift of the victorious #11.
The victory was sweet revenge for both Checa and Kiyonari as both men had previously suffered the pain of defeat in the grueling race, Checa finished second last year with Kiyonari the victim of cruel circumstances while front running on two previous attempts.
Akiyoshi and Kagayama battled home in fourth place five laps down just ahead of the Yamaha of Sato, Nakasuga and Takeda. The Moriwaki CBR1000RRof Yamaguchi, Crutchlow and O’Halloran finished sixth. Chojun Kameya and Leon Haslam staged a rapid comeback from Kameya’s crash and were rewarded with a fine ninth place for Sakurai Honda one lap ahead of team mates Kazuma Tsuda and Josh Brookes in tenth.
Quotes from Honda riders and team staff:
Ryuichi Kiyonari, DREAM Honda: Race winner.
“I was really nervous during the last hour watching Carlos riding. Already front brake problem was there during my last stint. I was scared to watch sparks when Carlos braked. I am so happy that I won today. From last year’s lesson, I was in the lead when back markers appeared. I was so happy because my machine was so fast. When I passed Yoshimura at the main straight, I was saying “Sorry!”. When it started to rain, Carlos was cautious so I was not worried at all.”
Carlos Checa, DREAM Honda: Race winner.
“ Usually, when you have a big margin like today, you can relax more. But today, I had no front brake during my last stint. I only had engine brake and rear brake so I was really nervous. When it started to rain, the team showed me “Pit In” signal, but I decided not to come in. When Kagayama passed me, I thought “He is going too fast”. I decided to ride with my own rhythm. One of the reasons for our win was this and also Kiyo did a good job during his first stint. I am now thirty five years old so I don’t know whether I have another chance or not, but if I can race again next year, I want to win again.”
Norihisa Matsuura – #11 Team Manager
“I let Checa to decide whether to come in and change the tyres or not, when it was raining. We were prepared to every situation. Checa’s decision was correct. Both the riders did a good job. But I was surprised by the pit lane speed limit violation.”
Teruaki Matsubara – Suzuka 8 hrs Project Leader.
:”Both riders did superb job. Checa rode consistently in the rain and Kiyonari was riding very aggressive throughout. I want to thank Kiyonari and Checa.”
Jonathan Rea, DREAM Honda: Dnf – 134 laps.
“ I crashed just before I was coming into the pit. I was pushing hard at the spoon curve and suddenly front wheel tucked. I am very disappointed and it was bad for the team. Today, both Yuki and I crashed during the first ride. Yuki was riding very good under the difficult rainy condition. We were third and I wanted to get on the podium desperately. The team and I worked so hard for this race so I am very much disappointed not to finish it.”
Yuki Takahashi, DREAM Honda: – Dnf 134 laps.
“We worked very hard during the weekend to get the best set-up and we were feeling good for the race. Today, first Johnny crashed and I crashed during my first stint because I wanted to make up for it. We tried very hard to reach the third place so I was shocked to see Johnny’s crash. Still Johnny didn’t get hurt so that is the best thing. I experienced that kind of rainy condition many times this year in GPs so I knew I was OK. I had good influence from Johnny and also I got good experience riding a factory endurance machine. If I have a chance again next year, I will use this experience.”
Tetsuo Kinoe – #33 Team Manager
“Both the riders have high skill and did a good job although we didn’t have much preparation time. Yuki did a good job in the rain and made up to the third place. Johnny was trying so hard to keep the podium position. I wanted them to be on the podium so I feel sorry for them. Anyway, I want to make revenge next year.
Teruaki Matsubara – Suzuka 8 hrs Project Leader
#33 riders were riding aggressively. They were trying to make up for the crashes which occurred during the early stages and that was the reason Johnny had crashed.
Yoshiteru Konishi, Kyubo.com team HARC-PRO: 3rd “Yasuda crashed on Friday so Takahashi replaced him. Yasuda did all the set-up of the machine. This year, top teams were so fast that we thought it was difficult for us to get on the podium. Takahashi did a good job riding consistently in the rain. The reason why I rode during the night is Takahashi had never ridden in night race. We also tried to reduce pit stop time. I am quite satisfied about finishing third.”
Takumi Takahashi, Kyubo.com team HARC-PRO: 3rd “I thought I would have no chance this year as I was the third rider. I tried not to hurt the team’s effort. I passed the bike to Konishi san while I was lying third. This was my first 8 hr race but it was very exciting and I would like to try again in the future if I have a chance.”
Tatsuya Yamaguchi, MORIWAKI MOTUL Racing: 6th “We had some tyre troubles and made eleven pit stops. If we didn’t have any trouble, we could have finished third. I really feel sorry about it. My team is doing so well so I want to win races for the All Japan Championship rounds.”
Chojun Kameya, TEAM SAKURAI Honda: 9th
My bike stole at the start so I had to catch up from 22nd. Then I crashed during my second stint. Track temperature was higher than we though and was tough for the tyres. I will make revenge during the All Japan Championship races.”
Leon Haslam, TEAM SAKURAI Honda: 9th
“We were almost there to challenge for the podium till the middle of the race. But unfortunately Kameya san crashed. But he rode very hard to make up and that was the main reason we could finish 9th. This was my first 8 hr race and it was a great experience. If I have a chance again, I want to try next year.”
Kazuma Tsuda, TEAM SAKURAI Honda: 10th.
“I was riding very good during this weekend but crashed during the TOP 10 TRIAL and broke right leg so I couldn’t ride smoothly today. Josh tried very hard today. I hope I can get better by the next All Japan Championship race.”
Josh Brookes, TEAM SAKURAI Honda: 10th.
“Today I made two mistakes but we were eighth place when we had exhaust problem. So we finished tenth. I want to take part in this race riding a factory bike.”
Shinichi Ito, F.C.C. TSR Honda: Dnf.
“ I was trying to pass a slow rider from outside and made a mistake. Today was very hot and tough. #11 was very fast and I tried to follow them but today they were faster. I feel sorry for the team because I couldn’t use this opportunity. I will concentrate on the All Japan Championship races from now on.”
Takeshi Tsujimura, F.C.C. TSR Honda: Dnf.
“I couldn’t get a perfect set-up during the pre-event testing and that may have given pressure to Ito san. I thought I can ride well today but was sorry to see Ito san crashing. I will try my best during the All Japan Championship races using the experiences I gained during this weekend.”
Results:
Pos. / Team / Type / Laps / Total Time / Delay / Best / Riders
1 / DREAM Honda Racing Team 11 / H-CBR1000RR / 214 / 8:00’20.726 / 155.60km / h / 2’08.428 / R.KIYONARI / C.CHECA /
2 / YOSHIMURA SUZUKI / S-GSX-R1000 / 214 / 8:01’39.626 / 1’18.900 / 2’08.416 / D.SAKAI / A.WATANABE /
3 / Team HARC-PRO. / H-CBR1000RR / 210 / 8:02’16.360 / 4Laps / 2’11.265 / Y.KONISHI / T.TAKAHASHI /
4 / YOSHIMURA SUZUKI / S-GSX-R1000 / 209 / 8:00’26.157 / 5Laps / 2’08.417 / K.AKIYOSHI / Y.KAGAYAMA /
5 / YAMAHA RACING / Y-YZF-R1 / 209 / 8:00’56.222 / 5Laps / 2’10.937 / Y.SATO / K.NAKASUGA / Y.TAKEDA
6 / MORIWAKI RACING / H-CBR1000RR / 208 / 8:00’21.168 / 6Laps / 2’11.523 / T.YAMAGUCHI / C.CRUTCHLOW / J.OHALLORAN
7 / PLOT FARO RA / S-GSX-R1000 / 207 / 8:01’54.467 / 7Laps / 2’12.652 / Y.KONNO / K.TERAMOTO /
8 / MotoMap SUPPLY / S-GSX-R1000 / 205 / 8:02’19.802 / 9Laps / 2’12.816 / Y.HATANO / H.OGATA / T.NAMEKATA
9 / Team SAKURAI HONDA 10 / H-CBR1000RR / 205 / 8:02’30.445 / 9Laps / 2’11.670 / C.KAMEYA / L.HASLAM /
10 / Team SAKURAI HONDA 71 / H-CBR1000RR / 204 / 8:00’36.960 / 10Laps / 2’12.778 / K.TSUDA / J.BROOKES /
11 / YAMAHA AUSTRIA RACING TEAM #7 / Y-YZF-R1 / 204 / 8:00’51.676 / 10Laps / 2’14.630 / I.JERMAN / S.MARTIN / S.PLATER
12 / YMES FOLCH ENDURANCE / Y-YZF-R1 / 204 / 8:01’53.811 / 10Laps / 2’14.914 / D.RIBALTA / P.LUIS VALLCANERAS /
13 / PHASE ONE ENDURANCE / Y-YZF-R1 / 204 / 8:02’04.025 / 10Laps / 2’14.676 / R.PENZKOFER / S.PAUL SMART / D.CUDLIN
14 / SUZUKI ENDURANCE RACING TEAM / S-GSX-R1000 / 202 / 8:00’30.962 / 12Laps / 2’12.117 / / J.DA COSTA / M.LAGRIVE
15 / TRICK STAR RACING / K-ZX-10R / 202 / 8:01’01.932 / 12Laps / 2’13.546 / S.TAKEISHI / R.TSURUTA / K.EGUCHI
Suzuka 8 Hours race winners 1978 – 2007.
1978: Wes Cooley, USA – Mike Baldwin, USA Suzuki GS1000 194 laps.
1979: Tony Hatton, AUS – Michael Cole, AUS Honda CB900 197
1980: Wes Cooley, USA – Graeme Crosby, NZ Suzuki GS1000 200
1981: Mike Baldwin, USA – Dave Aldana, USA Honda RS1000 199
1982: Shigeo Iijima, J – Shinji Hagiwara, J Honda CB900F 120
1983: Herve Moineau, B – Richard Hubin, B Suzuki GS1000R 190
1984: Mike Baldwin, USA – Fred Merkel, USA Honda RS750R 192
1985: Wayne Gardner, AUS – Masaki Tokano, J Honda RVF750 195
1986: Wayne Gardner, AUS – Dominique Sarron, F Honda RVF750 197
1987: Martin Wimmer, D – Kevin MaGee, AUS Yamaha YZF750 200
1988: Kevin MaGee, AUS – Wayne Rainey, USA Yamaha YZF750 202
1989: Dominique Sarron, F – Alex Vieira, Por Honda RVF750 202
1990: Tadahiko Taira, J – Eddie Lawson, USA Yamaha YZF750 205
1991: Wayne Gardner, AUS – Mick Doohan, AUS Honda RVF750 192
1992: Wayne Gardner, AUS – Daryl Beattie, AUS Honda RVF750 208
1993: Scott Russell, USA – Aaron Slight, NZ Kawasaki ZXR – 7 207
1994: Doug Polen, USA – Aaron Slight, NZ Honda RVF/RC45 183
1995: Aaron Slight, NZ – Tadayuki Okada, J Honda RVF/RC45 212
1996: Colin Edwards, USA – Noriyuki Haga, J Yamaha YZF750 214
1997: Shinichi Ito, J – Tohru Ukawa, J Honda RVF/RC45 186
1998: Shinichi Ito, J – Tohru Ukawa, J Honda RVF/RC45 212
1999: Tadayuki Okada, J – Alex Barros, Bra Honda RVF/RC45 213
2000: Tohru Ukawa, J – Daijiro Kato, J Honda VTR1000SPW 215
2001: Valentino Rossi, I – Colin Edwards, USA Honda VTR1000SPW 217
2002: Daijiro Kato, J – Colin Edwards, USA Honda VTR1000SPW 219
2003: Yukio Nukumi, J – Manubu Kamada, J Honda VTR1000SPW 212
2004: Tohru Ukawa, J – Hitoyasu Izutsu, J Honda CBR1000RRW 210
2005: Ryuichi Kiyonari, J – Tohru Ukawa, J Honda CBR1000RRW 204
2006: Shinichi Ito, J – Takeshi Tsujimura, J Honda CBR1000RR 214
2007: Yuki Kagayama, J – Kosuki Akiyoshi, J Yoshimura Suzuki S-GSX-R1000 216