Round two of the FIM World Endurance Championship brings the teams and riders to the legendary Suzuka 8 Hours which has been run since 1977. The best Japanese riders and teams are here to join the regulars in the FIM World Endurance Championship, and give them a good run for their money, in what is a classic of motorcycle road races.
The big news for this race is that former 500cc Grand Prix world champion Kevin Schwantz from the United States, is going to make his international racing comeback, with Team Kageyama, sharing their #071 Suzuki GSXR1000 with former World Superbike and MotoGP rider Noriyuki Haga, and Yukio Kagayama. This is Schwantz's first race appearance on a motorcycle since 1995. So, he's spent nearly two decades away from riding. How will he do? We'll find out. Schwantz came for the 50th anniversary celebration of the Suzuka track last year, in 2012. He was lured back to racing, by making that visit.
Schwantz feels he can be consistent with his riding during the race. Endurance racing is a big deal. Yes, it's the riders. Yes, it's trying to catch bikes that are slower. But, it's also the pit crew. There are fifteen people on each crew. But, just four of them, are allowed to work on the motorcycle during a pit stop. Schwantz also says, you cannot give up on a race until the checkered flag is waving on the last lap. Two rookie riders will make their debuts at Suzuka.
Australian Josh Hook will ride with countryman Jamie Stauffer on the #71 Honda Dream RT Sakurai Honda CBR1000RR. Hook says that Stauffer has mentioned this is one of the most draining races any rider can do, because of the heat and humid conditions in Japan during the middle of the summer. Michael van der Mark shares Takumi Takahashi of Japan, and World Superbike regular, Leon Haslam on the #634 Musashi Harc Pro Honda CBR1000RR.
This is a big race for the riders, teams, fans, and all the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers as it's right in their own backyard. Honda has won this race 24 times out of the 35 years it's been run. They have an astounding record at Suzuka. FCC TSR Honda has won this race back-to-back in the last two years. Can the duo of Ryuichi Kionari and World Superbike racer Johnny Rea, bring them the hat trick? That's the question to be answered in the next eight hours of this race, in highlighted form. We're ready for a start.
The top ten qualifying time trial was cancelled due to iffy track conditions. So, there was just an ordinary qualifying session for the ten fastest teams from Friday practice. The battle for the full season points championship will be between Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, and BMW Motorrad France. BMW did not score points in the Bol D'Or at Magny Cours in France, the season opening race of the championship.
Yamaha YART has pole, with Yoshimura Suzuki in second place. The #7 Yamaha YART Yamaha R1 will be shared by Katsuyuki Nakasuga of Japan, and Australian riders Broc Parkes and Joshua Waters. Most of the top teams are in the top ten grid spots. Monster Energy Yamaha YART, on pole. In the top ten spots, we see factory teams for the most part including YART, Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team, F.C.C. TSR Honda, Musashi Harc Pro, Team Kagayama, Yamaha GMT 94, BMW Motorrad France, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, and Honda Team Asia.
Bolliger Kawasaki is also a bit further down the order, just outside the top ten. A field of 63 bikes will start. Riders are on the opposite end of the track, in a traditional Le Mans style start, and will run to their bikes, start the engines, and the race will be on. The bikes are away. It's go time at Suzuka! The start is a clean one. Who gets the lead early going into turn one? Right now, as the bikes begin their first lap, it's the #12 Suzuki for Yoshimura in the race lead.
FCC TSR Honda runs second right now. Ryuichi Kiyonari makes his way around bike #25, the Honda CBR 1000RR shared by Takashi Yasuda, Daijiro Hiura, and Kohji Kitaguchi. Lap one, done and dusted, as the bikes are pretty close together at this stage. There's a long way to go yet. But, it's a battle at the front already between Suzuki and Yamaha as the YART bike looks for a way around the Yoshimura machine. SERT, and BMW Motorrad France are also in the thick of it early. But, BMW runs into issues pretty much right off the start. The #99 BMW S1000RR of Erwan Nigon of France, and American AMA Superbike veteran Jason Pridmore, is already in the pit lane.
The bike has issues starting. Team manager Nicolas Dousage explains that their third rider, Damien Cudlin crashed in practice. In the wreck, Cudlin broke his leg, and will need to recover. So, Pridmore was drafted in and it's his first time riding this particular bike, though he has ridden a BMW before. Hopes are that Pridmore and Nigon can push, and catch up to the field. Action is hot and heavy early as the leaders split and go three wide with the #84 Kawasaki ZX10R in the hands of Takeshi Kawarabayashi, Yoichi Nakajima, and Jun'ichi Morimoto.
Pit stop time for Musashi Harc Pro. There will be a rider change. It will likely be to either Leon Haslam or Michael van der Mark. Yoshimura Suzuki also stops for the first time, using the same procedure. Again, on the Yoshimura bike, sharing the riding chores are Josh Brookes, Nobuatsu Aoki, and Takuya Tsuda. Musashi Harc Pro and FCC TSR Honda continue their battle. The fans surely are enjoying the racing so far. Monster Energy Yamaha YART team manager Mandy Kainz says the team is running to it's race pace so far, and will change tactics as the race wears on.
Broc Parkes will be the next rider in the rotation for YART. Team Kagayama is also having a good race with their #071 Suzuki. Kevin Schwantz is slated to get on the bike soon. Both YART and Kagayama pit. Noriyuki Haga and Yukio Kagayama have been sharing the riding chores in the first part of the race for the Kagayama squad. Pit stops come thick and fast for Musashi Harc Pro and for FCC TSR Honda. These stops are just coming prior to the two hour mark in the race.
Rider changes and refueling are the focus. Some teams also elect to change tires, either one, or both. But, it's at this point where FCC TSR Honda's race comes unraveled. Ryuichi Kiyonari suffers a monstrous high side crash! It's the second year in a row that they've crashed. Last year, they came back to win the Suzuka 8 Hours. But, this year, might be a struggle. Kiyonari is back on the bike. He'll limp it to pit lane. Team manager Masakazu Fujii says that Kiyonari's crash was very sudden, but he's confident the rider can recover and make up positions.
Will that be enough? It seems unlikely. Meanwhile, Yamaha GMT 94 is not feeling pressure, according to team manager Christophe Guyot. The team makes a pit stop. Sharing the Yamaha R1 are Spaniard David Checa and Frenchmen Kenny Foray and Matthieu Lagrive. Here are the top ten positions after two hours of racing.
1. EWC #11 Kiyonari/Rea FCC TSR Honda Honda CBR1000RR
2. EWC #634 Takahashi/Haslam/van der Mark Musashi RT Harc-Pro Honda CBR1000RR
3. EWC #12 Tsuda/Brookes/Aoki Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team Suzuki GSXR1000
4. EWC #071 Kagayama/Haga/Schwantz Team Kagayama Suzuki GSXR1000
5. EWC #7 Nakasuga/Parkes/Waters Monster Energy Yamaha YART Yamaha YZF-R1
6. EWC #1 Philippe/Delhalle/Da Costa Suzuki Endurance Racing Team Suzuki GSXR1000
7. EWC #99 Barrier/Pridmore/Nigon BMW Motorrad France Thevent BMW S1000RR
8. EWC #104 Yamaguchi/Itoh/Watanabe Toho Racing With Moriwaki Honda CBR1000RR
9. EWC #94 Checa/Foray/Lagrive Yamaha France GMT 94 Michelin Yamaha YZF-R1
10. EWC #22 Tamada/Kamaruzaman/Nagashima Honda Team Asia Honda CBR1000RR
The battle also continues betwen Team Kagayama and their Suzuki and the Monster Energy YART Yamaha. Musashi RT Harc-Pro pits again for fuel, tires, and a rider change. Takumi Takahashi or Leon Haslam, will take over from Michael van der Mark. It's unclear as to which of them is next in the rotation. There isn't much of a gap between the two Honda squads. FCC TSR Honda has a slight edge over Musashi RT Harc-Pro.
The top of the field is separated by less than a lap at this stage. Whoops. Bike #634 has a slight off track moment, but gathers things up. Yoshimura now pits. Will it be Takuya Tsuda, Nobuatsu Aoki, or Josh Brookes, on the bike? Not sure. But, they are having a good ride in their home race. More traffic is beginning to build up for the top riders. That is to be expected when you have a field of 63 bikes. There's an average of 17 bikes per mile on this course. Hey, that's A LOT of motorcycles to go through as you work your way to the front.
FCC TSR Honda's race is going from bad to worse. They are in the garage now. The team of Ryuichi Kiyonari and Johnny Rea is having no luck. Team manager Masakazu Fujii is perplexed. They are headed for the house as the crash was caused by an errant helmet visor that was a piece of debris on the course. The race is going no better for BMW Motorrad France and the duo of Erwan Nigon and Jason Pridmore. There's a clear mechanical issue with that motorcycle. The BMW S1000RR is going nowhere. The teams has had two wrecks, and team manager Nicolas Dousage says there's too much damage. It's game over for BMW.
So, BMW has scored no points in the first two races of the season. Their home race in Germany at the Oschersleben circuit is the next one. Maybe, they'll have better luck there. Honda TT Legends on bike #77 is still hanging in there. Haven't spoken about these guys in this race yet. They are competitive. Sharing the Honda CBR1000RR are British tourist trophy riders and Bike Road Racing Series veterans Simon Andrews, Michael Rutter, and John McGuinness. Hence, the name of the racing team, Honda TT Legends. They make a regularly scheduled pit stop.
Honda TT Legends are hoping to turn their season around, as, like BMW, they haven't had the season they've wanted so far. So, Honda and BMW are languishing. BMW has headed for the bench already. Damien Cudlin, (BMW's star rider in endurance motorcycle road racing), had a crash on the Tuesday before this race, and that's how he broke his leg, leaving Jason Pridmore and Erwan Nigon to tough it out as a duo. FCC TSR Honda has also had their problems. So, Musashi Harc Pro has been able to consolidate their race lead.
Michael van der Mark is readying himself for another stint aboard bike #634. Pit stop time. Right on cue. Their rivals from Yoshimura Suzuki are also struggling, having to fix an oil leak on their GSXR1000. Here are the top ten standings after four hours. The race is officially half over.
1. EWC #634 Takahashi/Haslam/van der Mark Musashi RT Harc-Pro Honda CBR1000RR
2. EWC #12 Tsuda/Brookes/Aoki Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team Suzuki GSXR1000
3. EWC #071 Kagayama/Haga/Schwantz Team Kagayama Suzuki GSXR1000
4. EWC #1 Philippe/Delhalle/Da Costa Suzuki Endurance Racing Team Suzuki GSXR1000
5. EWC #94 Checa/Foray/Lagrive Yamaha France GMT 94 Michelin Yamaha YZF-R1
6. EWC #104 Yamaguchi/Itoh/Watanabe Toho Racing With Moriwaki Honda CBR1000RR
7. EWC #22 Tamada/Kamaruzaman/Nagashima Honda Team Asia Honda CBR1000RR
8. EWC #71 Stauffer/Hook Honda Dream RT Sakurai Honda CBR1000RR
9. EWC #33 Yoshida/Kojima/Tokudome Honda Kumamoto Racing Honda CBR1000RR
10. EWC #7 Nakasuga/Parkes/Waters Monster Energy Yamaha - YART Yamaha YZF-R1
The race is into the second half as the Yoshimura Suzuki continues to pursue the Musashi Harc Pro Honda. Tsuda, Brookes, and Aoki are giving it 100% out on track. Or, they were giving it 100% until losing the bike! One of their riders low sides into the hairpin before the bridge, in a cloud of dust. He picks up the bike, but will have to limp back to pit lane. This allows Musashi Harc Pro to open a gap as the #20 bike goes by.
That #20 machine is a Suzuki GSXR1000 for another duo team. Toshiki Kunimatsu, and Tadayuki Yoshida. SERT makes a scheduled pit stop. Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Julien Da Costa, are hanging right in there at the moment. Team manager Dominique Meliand hopes they can contend for a podium place, though they're fourth overall right now. Kevin Schwantz is preparing for his first and perhaps only stint on the #071 Kagayama Suzuki. Schwantz is ready to do what he can for his team.
The team also fuels the bike and changes tires. Kevin Schwantz is back into racing, back at Suzuka, and back riding a Suzuki as he did so famously during his success in FIM 500cc Grand Prix racing. Musashi Harc Pro, has completed 163 laps, 586.8 miles. Kevin Schwantz battles for third, making his way by the lapped #50 bike. This is the Honda CBR1000RR shared by another Japanese trio of riders, including Ikumi Shimizu, Ken'ichi Sakurai, and Ryuta Kobayashi.
Schwantz ran very well in the test session leading up to the Suzuka 8 Hours. The leader makes another scheduled stop. It's the #634 Musashi Harc Pro Honda. No surprise. They're dominating this race. Leon Haslam takes over the riding chores from Takumi Takahashi. After a successful single stint, Kevin Schwantz pits. Could Schwantz return for next year's race? We'll see. The team congratulates Schwantz. Noriyuki Haga (a great rider in his own right), takes over the #071 bike.
Suzuki Endurance Racing Team is the strongest full season FIM Endurance World Championship team still in the running. They are a lap down to the leader, but still holding off their rivals from Yamaha France GMT 94. That is the bike ridden by David Checa, Kenny Foray, and Mathieu Lagrive of course. Musashi Harc Pro runs their own race, keeping Yoshimura Suzuki at bay. It's pit stop time again for the #634 bike, expecting another scheduled rider change. Takumi Takahashi will take over from Leon Haslam. Leon Haslam put in a long stint.
Yoshimura Suzuki is also pitting again. They too, will change riders, as this race comes to the finish. Six hours down. Two hours left to run. Australian rider Josh Brooks will be the next rider out on track for Yoshimura. He has taken over for Takuya Tsuda. A battle ensues between Yoshimura Suzuki, and the similar bike of Team Kagayama. They negotiate lapped traffic, including bike #66. That is a Honda CBR1000RR ridden by Minoru Ohuchida, Tasuku Akimoto, and Kuniharu Watase. Here is the top ten after six hours.
1. EWC #634 Takahashi/Haslam/van der Mark Musashi RT Harc-Pro Honda CBR1000RR
2. EWC #12 Tsuda/Brookes/Aoki Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team Suzuki GSXR1000
3. EWC #071 Kagayama/Haga/Schwantz Team Kagayama Suzuki GSXR1000
4. EWC #1 Philippe/Delhalle/Da Costa Suzuki Endurance Racing Team Suzuki GSXR1000
5. EWC #94 Checa/Foray/Lagrive Yamaha France GMT 94 Michelin Yamaha YZF-R1
6. EWC #104 Yamaguchi/Itoh/Watanabe Toho Racing With Moriwaki Honda CBR1000RR
7. EWC #22 Tamada/Kamaruzaman/Nagashima Honda Team Asia Honda CBR1000RR
8. EWC #7 Nakasuga/Parkes/Waters Monster Energy Yamaha - YART Yamaha YZF-R1
9. EWC #33 Yoshida/Kojima/Tokudome Honda Kumamoto Racing Honda CBR1000RR
10. EWC #2 Buisson/Dietrich/Giabbani Team R2CL Suzuki GSXR1000
The only change in the top ten sees Stauffer and Hook bike fall down the order, and in tenth place now, is FIM Endurance World Championship regular team, Team R2CL. Their Suzuki GSXR1000 is shared by the French trio of Dylan Buisson, Guillaume Dietrich, and Gwen Giabbani. SERT continues to hold down fourth in the overall. SERT will extend their points lead. The Bol D'or winners, SRC Kawasaki, are not competing at the Suzuka 8 Hours.
SERT pits again. With BMW Motorrad France running into problems, SERT will stand to gain ground in the points race. Musashi Harc Pro continues to lead by a lap over the rest of the field. It will be a battle between them and Yoshimura Suzuki to the end of this one, as riders are instructed from the flag stand to switch on the bike's headlight. It's twilight, and this race will finish at night. There could be a sprinkle of rain just before the end of the race. Nothing major.
Musashi Harc Pro pits for what is presumably the final time, and Takumi Takahashi will take over the bike from Leon Haslam. Yoshimura Suzuki will do likewise. President of Yoshimura Japan, and team boss Fujio Yoshimura says, "We've had a few accidents. But, we'll try the best that we can." The #12 bike is second overall as the rain has come to Suzuka just before the finish. The sky is dark, and the race is coming to an end. Yoshimura wants to capitalize on any mistakes made by Musashi Harc Pro.
OK. Now, it's the final stop for the #634 bike. Fueling done, and tires changed. Takahashi is cruising. No drama. The riders are slowing a bit because of the rain, and obviously, fatigue. Team Kagayama pits for a tire change as team boss and rider, Yukio Kagayama is going to take his bike to the finish. SERT will finish fourth, just missing the podium scrap. SERT will maintain the points lead in the FIM Endurance World Championship. But, now the race is over. The checkered flag is out. Musashi RT Harc Pro wins it with riders Takumi Takahashi, Leon Haslam, and Michael van der Mark!
They complete 240 laps, 864 miles.
#634 Takahashi/van der Mark/Haslam Honda CBR1000RR
Honda win this race three years in a row, and for the 26th time in it's history, dating back to their first win in the second running of the Suzuka 8 Hours in 1979 when bike #6, a Honda CB900 was taken to victory by the Australian riding duo of Tony Hatton and Michael Cole. Honda has won every Suzuka 8 Hour race since 1997 except for two, each won by Suzuki in 2007 and 2009. One of those victories did go to the #12 team for Yoshimura, and both races were won by all Japanese riding teams.
The next race is the Oschersleben 8 Hours in Germany. A report on that race will be coming in the not too distant future.
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