EWC 24H Spa-Francorchamps: The Yamaha-Honda duel continues overnight, Suzuki is experiencing problems

The milestone of eight hours of racing has already been reached on the side of Spa-Francorchamps, on behalf of the second round of the EWC championship. The pitiless night appeared and swallowed the last rays of the sun. The competitors begin the longest part of the race, the one that differentiates the good drivers from the great ones. In the Ardennes mountains, only the best prepared, sharpest team will win. Find here the summary of these last hours of the race, marked by numerous incidents and a battle for the lead that remains as exciting as ever.

 

Suzuki stalls

 

La Suzuki GSX-R 1000 #12 Yoshimura SERT Motul is condemned to attack to “stay alive” in these 24 Hours of Spa Francorchamps. Indeed, the machine headed by the Franco-Japanese team experienced many setbacks, starting with a ten-second penalty to be taken in stop & go at the start of the pit lane, due to a collision.

 

 

Then, during a pit stop a priori harmless, the Suzuki refuses to start. Gregg Black tries, does what he can, but nothing works. The mechanics are forced to put it in the box; three minutes are lost, which, given the pace displayed by the two leading bikes, could be costly later in the race.

 

 

The instructions are clear for the men of SERT: attack. Moreover, Étienne Masson, riding the handlebars recently, had a big scare at the top of the Raidillon de l'Eau Rouge:

 

 

The team is currently in third position in the general classification, just over a lap behind the leading Yamaha.

 

The Yamaha-Honda duel continues

 

Who will break first? If the Honda CBR 1000RR-R #1 FCC TSR Honda France has already won during the 24 Heures Motos, it finds solid opposition in this round of the toilet at Spa-Francorchamps. There Yamaha YZF-R1 #7 of YART-Yamaha clings to the lead, and begins the night with a small lead over its Japanese rival. In the pit stop game, one passes, then the other. This game is likely to keep all the spectators present on this magnificent track awake. Experience a stop of the Yamaha #7 as if you were there:

 

 

On the other hand, for the “other” Honda team, equipped with the CBR 1000RR-R #333 Viltais Racing Ipol, nothing is going well anymore. Also in the EWC category, she is experiencing many problems even though she was at the front just a few hours ago! First seen stopped at the side of the track, it is idling again once night falls. Terrible. Fortunately, here she is again in the round, but with a significant delay.

 

 

So much action in Superstock

 

As usual, the category is absolutely exciting. The first five are still in the same round, starting with the Honda CBR 1000SP #41 RAC41-Chromeburner, which is ahead of Honda #55 National Motos Honda for nothing. On the other hand, many competitors are plagued by problems, which sometimes lead to abandonment. There Kawasaki ZX-10R #85 Team Racing 85 By Createc experienced a heavy leak from the tank after a fall – a rather rare occurrence, and the engine of the Yamaha #18 Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers CMS Motostore left us in a thick cloud of smoke.

 

 

These are the positions at 22:30 p.m. How many will survive the night? Answer tomorrow morning! 

 

Here is the ranking for the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, second round of the EWC championship: