For its 35th edition, the Suzuka 8 Hours, on 29 July, lived up to its fame with many unexpected occurrences. The lead teams were the first to suffer from these, leaving an open field to team FCC TSR Honda which took a merited win. Motul is of course highly involved in the Endurance World Championship: it has been its official partner since April, in addition to the support it gave to no less than 19 teams during this event. Among them, Honda Suzuka Racing team bagged a fine 5th place, with 7th position for team Teluru & Emobile Kohara RT. Honda TT Legends also did well for itself, finishing in the top ten and securing 2nd place in the championship. According to John McGuinness, one of the team's three riders, 'Last year we didn't go past four hours of race, so being on the arrival line this year is a great success. Coming here without prior trials, racing against some of the best endurance riders and finishing 10th is just fabulous!'
SERT, the championship leader, couldn't hide some disappointment. While he was battling it out in the lead on his GSX-R1000, Vincent Philippe suffered a fall ninety minutes from the arrival. 'Endurance is not an easy discipline,' recalled Dominique Méliand, team manager, 'especially the Suzuka 8 Hours. (…) The important thing was to bag points for the championship, and we've done that: when Vincent fell, our main goal was to repair the machine fast and get back into the race.' The team's efficacy allowed him to finish 15th and keep the championship lead, even if the gaps have grown smaller. The suspense remains absolute before the penultimate event at Oschersleben, Germany, on 11 and 12 August.
A photo album is available on Facebook.
Results
01// FCC TSR Honda
02// Toho Racing with Moriwaki
03// Yamaha GMT 94
…
05// Honda Suzuka Racing team - Motul
07// Teluru & Emobile Kohara RT - Motul
10// Honda TT Legends - Motul
Standings
01// Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, 60 pts - Motul
02// Honda TT Legends, 55 pts - Motul
03// Yamaha GMT 94, 49 pts
Photo credit: David Reygondeau
