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Winning the Pride of Japan, Eight Hours at Suzuka

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Yamaha Factory Racing made history at the Suzuka 8-Hours today, claiming their fourth consecutive victory in the great race.

This Japanese endurance race has become one of the biggest spectacles on the motorcycling calendar, and there were moments of today’s 199 laps that would have felt like an eternity for Michael van der Mark and Alex Lowes.

With Katsuyuki Nakasuga ruled out with a shoulder injury following a crash in yesterday’s practice session, the burden fell on his teammates to deliver success.

They duly did, but not until they had overcome a huge challenge from Kawasaki.

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Bikes

Up-Close with the Red Bull Honda Suzuka Race Bike

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Honda doesn’t want you to see these photos. I am pretty sure that there is a dark room somewhere on the Suzuka Circuit facility, possibly guarded by Yakuza henchmen, where they are keeping Steve captive for his misdeeds in bringing you the detailed photos we are about to show you.

This is how seriously HRC is taking this year’s Suzuka 8-Hours.

“Win at all costs” is the mantra being used by the Red Bull Honda team, which will field PJ Jacobsen, Takaaki Nakagami, and Takumi Takahashi at this year’s edition of the race. Their goal is simple: to restore honor to the company, and win the most prestigious race on the Japanese calendar.

To do this, Honda has built a special machine. A one-off superbike, this Honda CBR1000RR SP2 was designed to race at only one race track, for only one race, for only three riders. This Honda represents everything that HRC knows about making an endurance racing machine.

As you can imagine then, while this story starts with a bit of hyperbole, it isn’t far from reality.

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Racing

A Look at F.C.C. TSR Honda World Endurance Team

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Outside of Europe, we doubt we could find many motorcyclists who would know which team is currently leading the FIM Endurance World Championship. We will save you the struggle, and tell you outright that it is the F.C.C. TSR Honda France squad.

Technical Sports Racing (TSR), is based out of Japan, but is partnered with Honda France for endurance racing, hence the name. From Europe, they have launched an assault on the 2018 FIM Endurance World Championship, with riders Josh Hook, Freddy Foray, and Alan Techer.

Each season, TSR is a team to watch, and this year is no different.

It is of note however that F.C.C. TSR Honda has never won the EWC title, but they go into the Suzuka 8-Hours with a 10-point advantage over the GMT94 Yamaha outfit – and TSR does have a winning history at Suzuka.

The 2006, 2011, and 2012 winners of the Suzuka 8-Hours, the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team is vying for the championship on its home turf, as the Suzuka Circuit is just a handful of kilometers from its Japanese base of operations.

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A&R Pro

The Secret to Bridgestone’s Dominance at Suzuka

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What’s the difference between you and me? The Suzuka 8-Hours is dominated by Bridgestone tire. Why is that? And what is the difference between a Bridgestone a Pirelli, and a Michelin at this iconic race?

Even the most talkative factory riders get tight-lipped when the topic of tires is raised. Jonathan Rea was asked after securing pole position for tomorrow’s Suzuka 8-Hours about the feeling he has with Bridgestone tires, compared to using Pirelli rubber in WorldSBK.

The three-time world champion sidestepped that landmine with customary ease by saying, “both are very high performance tires.” It was a similar situation when talking with MotoGP riders about comparing to Michelin tires in recent years. There are, however, some outliers in the paddock.

Riders with experience of Bridgestone, Pirelli, and Michelin tires, and who are able to speak about the contrasts.

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Racing

Kawasaki Takes Pole at Suzuka 8-Hours – Rea Sets Record

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A typhoon is heading towards Suzuka, but as the paddock battened down the hatches, the winds of change had already set in.

Jonathan Rea’s pole position for Kawasaki ended three year’s of Yamaha topping the times. The three-time WorldSBK champion will be out to do the same during tomorrow’s race.

Kawasaki hasn’t won the biggest race of the year since 1993 – their sole success with Scott Russell and Aaron Slight at the helm – but they may not have a better opportunity than tomorrow.

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Racing

Track Guide: A Lap Around Suzuka

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It is a race unlike any other, and it has a circuit unlike any other to match. The Suzuka 8-Hours is the biggest race of the year for Japanese manufacturers, and it is held on one of the longest laps of the year.

With lap times of over two minutes, it is very easy for time to burn during a session, and it is very easy to left rueing any mistakes you make.

The Japanese venue is one of the most technical on the planet. It is a lap of contrasts, with the sweeping corners of the opening half, followed by a hairpin and chicanes in the second half of the lap.

Getting it right takes time and any mistake is heavily punished on the stop watch.

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Racing

Kawasaki Team Green Stuns in Suzuka 8-Hours Qualifying

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Jonathan Rea grabbed the headlines on Friday in Japan, with an unofficial lap record at the Suzuka 8-Hours, which put the Kawasaki Team Green ZX-10RR on a pole-position start.

The Northern Irishman was nine tenths of a second faster than Pol Espargaro’s 2016 pole lap, and Rea’s time was made all the more impressive by the fact that he, like the majority of front-runners, didn’t opt to use a qualifying tire.

The FIM Endurance World Championship regulations allow teams to use 14 sets of tires throughout the Suzuka weekend, and with eight tires allocated for the race, and two qualifying tires, it means that for the opening two days the front-runners focus on race pace with used tyres.

Though of note, Rea set his fastest time in the second qualifying session, with a fresh tire.

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