Suzuka 8H – Doubled by Musashi RT Harc Pro (Honda) at Suzuka 8H 2014 – Used HONDA

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Doubled by Musashi RT Harc Pro (Honda) at the Suzuka 8H 2014

Suzuka 8H - Doubled by Musashi RT Harc Pro (Honda) at Suzuka 8H 2014 - Used HONDA

The winners of the 2013 Suzuka 8 Hours once again imposed their Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade in 2014, ahead of two Suzuki GSX-R1000s. Ninth in the Japanese event, the GMT94 Yamaha R1 takes the lead in the Endurance Championship…

The Musashi RT Harc Pro team did very well, consisting of a Fireblade sharper than the Katana of the bride in the Kill Bill movies, venerable Takumi Takahashi, current Supersport World Championship leader Michael van den Mark and the inexhaustible Leon Haslam.

Honda won on this occasion its fifth victory in a row, and its 27th victory on "its" lands "which it shares very little with its compatriots Suzuki (4 victories), Yamaha (also 4) and Kawasaki (only 1)…

In 8 hours 6 hours 56 minutes and 13 seconds – the start was delayed by one hour due to torrential rains! -, Honda n ° 634 covered 172 laps of the track. It is one minute ahead of Suzuki n ° 34 driven by Takuya Tsuda (author of the pole), Josh Waters and a certain Randy de Puniet !

As in 2013, another Gex completes the 2014 podium: it is the Suz ‘n ° 17, led by the new Swiss phenomenon Dominique Aegerter (winner of the last Moto2 race in Germany) and by the honorable Japanese duo: Yukio Kagayama and Noriyuki Haga.

Victorious, the Honda of the FCC TSR Honda team quickly climbed to the front of the race thanks to a combative Kosuke Akiyoshi and completed more than 100 laps in the lead. Unfortunately, the Japanese rider crashed again, depriving Jonathan Rea of ​​a second victory in Japan…

Their third teammate Lorenzo Zanetti – from the Honda Pata clique like Johnny, Haslam and VDM – was aiming for a first success. He must be satisfied with having finished the 8 hours of Suzuka (40th place, 157 laps) … Akiyoshi San having managed to bring the bike back to the pits despite a fractured femur !

Another big favorite, the Legend of Yoshimura Suzuki Shell Advance, is even more disappointed: Nobuatsu Aoki crashed while fighting with Takuya Tsuda in the sixth round … Aoki’s teammates, the legendary Kevin Schwantz and Japanese champion Satoshi Tsujimoto, could not even ride.

The Monster Energy Yamaha with YSP team of Nakasuga, Parkes and Brookes finished at the foot of the podium, in the same lap as the Suz ‘of Team Kagayama. The Honda of Toho Racing with Moriwaki took advantage of a good start on the soggy track to complete the Top 5, ahead of two other winged machines: No.25 from Honda Suzuka Racing Team and No.22 from Team Honda Asia.

First "permanent" crew in the standings – registered for the entire 2014 World Endurance Championship – Anthony Delhalle, Erwan Nigon and Damian Cudlin (who replaced Vincent Philippe) obtained eighth place in this 37th edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours and score their first points of the year.

With a short lap of the SERT, the Yamaha GMT94 Michelin team took ninth position, a handful of seconds ahead of the YART R1. David Checa, Kenny Foray and Mathieu Gines take the opportunity to propel themselves to the top of the provisional standings with 62 points, against 55 for the Kawasaki SRC victorious at the Bol and absent at Suzuka.

Third overall after the first two races (51 pts), the Kawa ‘of Bolliger Team Switzerland finished these 7 Hours (!) Of Suzuka in 13th place, behind two "local" machines: the CBR n ° 33 Honda Kumamoto Racing and the # 87 ZX-10R from Team Green.

Qualified on Saturday to a promising 7th place on the starting line (the GMT was 11, the SERT 13, the YART 22 ahead of Boliger and R2CL), the Honda Endurance Racing was held back at halfway by a power failure. Sebastien Gimbert, Julien Da Costa and Freddy Foray point to an undeserved 33rd place.

Likewise, the Suzuki R2CL team could have obtained a better result if Matthieu Lagrive had not suffered a heavy fall during the warm-up. His teammates Gwen Giabbani and Gareth Jones still finished the race in 19th place.

Another disappointment for the Kawasaki Eva RT Synergy Force Trick Star: Gregory Leblanc got trapped by a trace of oil and crashed while he was in a superb 7th position. The No.01 Ninja was able to cross the finish line, but in 24th place. Gregory Leblanc suddenly gives up the lead in the drivers’ standings.

Finally, let us underline the great performance of the Suzuki of Team Motors Events April Moto who participated for the very first time in the prestigious and terribly demanding race at Suzuka: Gregory Fastre, Michael Savary and Jimmy Storrar finished 25th … and could have done even better. without worrying about the water hose.

The appointment is therefore made for 2015! But first, the 8 Hours of Orschesleben will be held on August 23 in Germany, then the 24 Hours of Le Mans Moto on September 20 and 21 on the Bugatti circuit: stay tuned !

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