At the 8 Hours of Doha, on 9 June, Honda TT Legends won its first podium in the Endurance World Championship, with a magnificent 3rd place. The team supported technically by Motul pulled off a faultless performance, with an extremely regular race by its three riders, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Michael Laverty and Jas O'Halloran who replaced the title holding team busy on the Isle of Man. The only mechanical intervention on the Honda CBR 1000 RR Fireblade concerned the normal replacement of brake linings. 'This result represents the grand finale of our relentless work of the previous season', commented Russel Benney, race manager, 'and the reward for all the long hours of efforts. Our riders, whether here or on the Isle of Man, have ridden their bikes magnificently, so it's a fantastic week for Honda TT Legends.'
Among the other teams supported by Motul, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team did best by finishing 4th with Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Yukio Kagayama. The motorcycle was unfortunately delayed by a leaking oil hose. 'We have been using these hoses for umpteen years', explained Dominique Meliand. 'They are also used in F1. We must have a batch of badly machined hoses. Such a tiny 10cm part makes us lose big points in the championship'. SERT nevertheless takes the lead of the provisional standings.
Meanwhile, the disappointment was even greater at team Yamaha Austria Racing which was stopped by mechanical problems.
In Superstock category, team DG Sport gave a fine performance, managing to place its Yamaha R1 in 4th position of its category.
The next meet will be on 27 July in Japan for the Suzuka 8 Hours.
Results
01// BMW Motorrad France
02 // Kawasaki Bolliger Team Switzerland
03// Honda TT Legends - Motul
04// Suzuki Endurance Racing Team - Motul
Standings
01// Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, 49 pts - Motul
02// SRC Kawasaki, 40 pts
03// Honda TT Legends, 38 pts - Motul
Photo credits: Honda TT Legends
