Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance race, Suzuka – Japan
Weather: overcast with intermittent rain showers.
Temperature: Air 29.5 degrees.
Humidity: 66%.
Crowd: 54,000.
1 / YOSHIMURA SUZUKI with JOMO / D.SAKAI – K.TOKUDOME – N.AOKI / SUZUKI GSX-R1000 / 183 /
2 / TRICK STAR RACING / H.IZUTSU – S.TAKEISHI – R.TSURUTA / KAWASAKI ZX-10R / 1 Lap
3 / Honda DREAM RT SAKURAI HONDA / T.TAKAHASHI – C.KAMEYA / HONDA CBR1000RR / 1 Lap
4 / YAMAHA AUSTRIA RACING TEAM / I.JERMAN – S.MARTIN – G.GIABBANI / YAMAHA YZF-R1 / 2 Laps
5 / PLOT FARO PANTHERA / O.DEGUCHI – K.TERAMOTO / SUZUKI GSX-R1000 / 3 Laps
6 / BEET RACING / O.NISHIJIMA – K.HASEGAWA – S.KARITA / KAWASAKI ZX-10R / 4 Laps
7 / weiderD.D.BOYS with A-STYLE / Y.KODAMA – K.TSUDA / HONDA CBR1000RR / 4 Laps
8 / TEAM PLUS ONE & TSR / S.IWATA – Y.SUGAI – K.WATANABE / HONDA CBR1000RR / 4 Laps
9 / F.C.C. TSR Honda / K.AKIYOSHI – S.ITO – Y.TESHIMA / HONDA CBR1000RR / 5 Laps
10 / Teluru HoneybeeRacing / H.NODA – T.SEKIGUCHI / HONDA CBR1000RR / 5 Laps
11 / BK MACO MOTO RACING TEAM / D.RIBALTA – J.PRIDMORE / YAMAHA YZF-R1 / 7 Laps
12 / PHASE ONE ENDURANCE / P.VALLCANERAS – G.GOWLAND – D.CUDLIN / YAMAHA YZF-R1 / 7 Laps
13 / TEAM ETCHING FACTORY 15 / S.TAKEMI – Y.USAMI – K.ADACHI / YAMAHA YZF-R1 / 8 Laps
14 / Honda ESCARGOT&PGR&SAYAMA&H-TEC(E) / M.KUBOYAMA – T.NAKATSUHARA / HONDA CBR1000RR / 8 Laps
15 / Honda DREAM RT WAKAYAMA / M.OUCHIDA – A.YUZAKI / HONDA CBR1000RR / 10 Laps
16 / GAGNER H.M.F / Y.TAKAMIYA – Y.TAKAHASHI – S.SUMA / SUZUKI GSX-R1000 / 10 Laps
17 / Honda Ryokuyoukai Kumamoto Racing Team / M.YOSHIDA – M.IIDA – S.NOYORI / HONDA CBR1000RR / 12 Laps
18 / Honda EG Racing / T.KURIBAYASHI – M. HONDO / HONDA CBR1000RR / 12 Laps
19 / TEAM N.K.B / H.TAKADA – S.HARADA / HONDA CBR1000RR / 12 Laps
20 / Team38 PS-K / S.YAMASHITA – T.MIYAUCHI / KAWASAKI ZX-10R / 13 Laps
Fastest Lap No. 1 F.C.C. TSR Honda 2’08.745 32/178
Point standing after 4 races
1 Yamaha Austria Racing Team 111,
2 RT Racing Team 47,
3 Amadeus X-One 40,
4 Bolliger Team Switzerland 38,
5 Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers 35,
6 Yoshimura Suzuki with Jomo 30,
7 BK Maco Moto Racing Team 29,
8 Honda France 28,
9 Trick Star Racing 24,
10 Yamaha Folch Endurance 24
— HRC Report
Valiant late charge carries Honda Dream RT Sakurai Team to third at Suzuka 8 Hours
The Honda Dream RT Sakurai Team pairing of Takumi Takahashi and Chojun Kameya (CBR1000RR) battled their way to a hard fought third place at the 32nd running of the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance race. Takahashi and Kameya put in a tremendous late race charge to bring the CBR1000RR home one lap down on race winners Daisaku Sakai, Kasuki Tokudome and Nobuatsu Aoki (Yoshimura Suzuki).
Hard as the Sakurai riders pushed the CBR on the run in to the flag they could not close down the Kawasaki Trick Star Racing trio of Hiloyasu Izutsu, Shinya Takeishi and Ryuji Tsuruta in second place finishing just 40 seconds adrift.
Honda HRC provided technical support for three 8 hour teams, the FCC TSR Honda CBR1000RR of Kosuke Akiyoshi, Shinichi Ito and Yoshiteru Konishi the Honda Musashi Harc-Pro CBR1000RR in the hands of Tatsuya Yamaguchi and Chojun Kameya and the Dream RT Sakurai Team, that has shared a long term partnership with HRC.
Confidence was high as the leading Honda teams went to the Le Mans style start. FCC TSR Honda in pole position with Kosuke Akiyoshi as lead off rider, Tetsuya Yamaguchi alongside him on the Harc-Pro CBR1000RR, eventual race winners Yoshimura starting from third spot ahead of Takumi Takahashi aboard the Honda Dream RT Sakurai.
Pre-race favourite Akiyoshi took the hole shot charging into the lead at turn one chased by the HarcPro CBR1000RR of Yamaguchi and Yoshimura of Takahashi. Akiyoshi held the lead across the line at the end of lap one but all hopes of victory were dashed halfway round lap two when he crashed at the Spoon Curve. Yamaguchi, HarcPro CBR1000RR inherited the lead fending off Sakai on the Yoshimura and the Sakurai CBR1000RR of Takahashi.
Just as the lead group had settled into a fast rhythm Honda’s fortunes took another severe blow at the 30 minute mark when Yamaguchi crashed the HarcPro CBR1000RR. That left the Yoshimura GSX clear of the chasing pack lead by the Sakurai CBR1000RR from Plot Faro Panthera Suzuki holding third place.
With the two leading CBR1000RR’s out of contention and relatively free of serious pressure in very trying dry – wet weather conditions, which brought out the pace car on four occasions, the Yoshimura squad rode a text book race in difficult and demanding weather conditions to take 2009 Suzuka 8 Hours honours.
They were 40 seconds clear of the field after one hour, doubled their lead in the second hour and at halfway almost one lap ahead of the Plot Faro Panthera team. Trick Star Kawasaki held third place just clear of the Sakurai CBR1000RR. The FCC TSR riders had fought through the back markers to climb to 26th place, HarcPro running down the order in 40th.
The interest in the race now centered on the battle for the minor podium positions and it was the Trick Star team that held sway over the hard charging Honda Dream RT Sakurai men.
Yamaha Austria claimed fourth place ahead of the fading Plot Faro Panthera Suzuki with the Beet Racing Kawasaki sixth. Honda equipped teams completed the top ten finishers. The Honda of the Wider DD Boys with A-Style team raced to a superb seventh place ahead of Team Plus One and TSR CBR1000RR and, amazingly Ito and Akiyoshi who brought the FCC TSR CBR home in ninth place with the Honey Bee Racing Team clinching tenth place.
Honda rider and team manager quotes:
Chojun Kameya: “I used a poultice and painkillers for my injured arm for the race. Today, I promised to the team to be within the top three places, and the team supported us to reach that goal and I have to thank them for what they did for us. At my very last run, I was able to bring the bike up to third place. This year, I suffered with injury and was change of rider line-up. Considering those change in the environment of the team, we did our best!”
Takumi Takahashi: “When my turn came the rain became very hard. I paid every attention and tried my best not to fall in the wet conditions. Eventually, I was able to hand the machine to Kameya. Consecutively from last year, I was again able to be on the podium and it is all because of the aggressive challenge that Kameya made. I thank him a lot.”
Takashi Yasuda: “Because of the unstable weather we had today it was very difficult to plan a strategy. When I was riding, I wanted to be ahead as much as possible but that led to my fall. I was not able to answer all the expectations that fans and the work that team did for us. I regret my mistake.“
Tetsuya Yamaguchi: “At the beginning of the race, I saw Akiyoshi fall in front of me, so I reminded myself to be careful and brought my mind together once again. However, I was hit by the other machine from behind that I also fall. It was very unfortunate. Later, the teammate Yasuda also fall that I tried to take extra care of the machine to finish the race. Today was very tough day.”
Yoshiteru Konishi: “I have participated in Suzuka 8 Hours several times, but never experienced the one like today. Both my teammates who fell, team mechanics who fixed the machine, the sponsors, fans who came today, by considering all the people who supported us, I tried to race faster as much as possible. I feel regret with our result but I thank all the fans who supported us.”
Kosuke Akiyoshi: “When I fell on the second lap at the “S” curve, I turned (banked) my machine too much and the fairing touched the edge of the curve and the front end slid away. I thank the team staff who fixed the machine so quickly. With that I was able to bring the bike up to ninth position, which witnessed the potential of machine. If I have a chance next time, I want to challenge for the victory.”
Shinichi Ito: “Not considering about Akiyoshi’s fall too much, I concentrated to race steadily and precisely, but not forgetting the challenging sprit. For half the race we had a terrible weather, but we aimed for the top 10, and we were able to race through everything till the checkered flag. Thank you all for the support.”
Massa Fujii, FCC TSR Honda Team Manager: “We had a real tough day and was a very dramatic race. Akiyoshi, Ito and the team staff never gave up and did really good job. Our mission is to continue participating in Suzuka 8 Hours. For next year, we will gather up team work like this year, and aim for the victory. We thank for your support!”
