[EWC] 8 Hours of Suzuka 1986: Another disappointment for the TECH21 team with another retirement in 1986 (Part 2/6)

In this year 2019, the Yamaha R1 responsible for obtaining a 5th consecutive victory at the renowned Suzuka 8 hour endurance event will be decorated in Tech21 colors (see here). A nod to the past which deserves a little flashback before this race which will take place on July 28…

Yamaha Japan has retraced this adventure which lasted several years, and we offer you our translation.

Access the first part (1985) here

In 1985, Kenny Roberts and Tadahiko Taira formed the Yamaha TECH21 Team's dream duo, for Yamaha's first full participation in the Suzuka 8 Hours. With victory in sight and only 30 minutes remaining, tragedy struck and prevented the team from reaching the checkered flag. The following year, Yamaha returned to Suzuka as the Shiseido TECH21 Racing Team, this time with Taira and Christian Sarron for a second challenge. But the team's bad luck was not yet over….

In 1985, Tadahiko Taira won his third consecutive All Japan 500cc Champion title and cemented his reputation as Japan's fastest rider. The following year, he began his long-awaited season in the 250cc World Championship, qualifying from second place on the grid for his first Grand Prix at the opening round in Spain and skyrocketing expectations for the race. However, shortly after the start, he was hit from behind by another rider, breaking his left leg in the process: Lady Luck hadn't smiled either during Taira's first Grand Prix race. To end this series of bad luck and to compensate for the shocking disappointment experienced during the 1985 edition, Taira returned to Japan for the 8 Hours, to the delight of his fans.

His teammate for the race was the 250 1984cc World Champion Christian Sarron. During his victorious season, he rode a production TZ250 for Yamaha's French subsidiary, Sonauto Yamaha, with a light blue racing livery much appreciated by many fans. The Frenchman then began racing in the premier 500cc category in 1985 and finished the season in 3rd position in the general classification. While in his second year in the category in 1986, he came to race at Suzuka for the first time.

Yamaha's factory bike for the 8 Hours had changed from the FZR750 to the YZF750, and while two Yamahas had been entered for the race in 1985, this number was increased to three in 1986. The Shiseido TECH21 Racing Team Team was joined on the grid by Team Lucky Strike Roberts, with the American duo of Kenny roberts (who was making his second appearance at Suzuka) and Mike Baldwin, as well as Team Racing Sports with Shoji Hiratsuka et Toshinobu Shiomori.
Wayne Gardner, winner the previous year, and the younger brother of Christian, Dominique Sarron started from pole position on their Honda and stayed in the lead, opening a gap while being chased by Team Shiseido TECH21 and Team Lucky Strike Roberts.

The TECH21 team's handicap was the difference in how Taira and Sarron preferred to shift gears on the bike. Taira used a "racing" or GP-shift style shift, where the rider pushes the shift selector down to upshift, while Sarron preferred a conventional shift pattern like on the road motorcycles, where the rider pulls the selector up to shift to a higher gear. So, every time Sarron or Taira arrived after a stint, spectators could see the rather atypical scene of the team quickly changing the gear selector. However, this didn't slow the duo down too much and they put in consistent laps to chase down the leaders. But just after four hours of racing, when they were in 3rd, the engine started having problems and the team had to withdraw from the race as they had the previous year.
It was too quick and a frustrating end to what had otherwise been a strong performance. As Taira had to return to Europe the next day to arrive in time for the next GP in Belgium, he ended up leaving the Suzuka circuit before the race was even over.

Subsequently, a fall by Baldwin ended the race for Team Lucky Strike Roberts while Hiratsuka and Shiomori battled to take 4th place at the checkered flag.
The highest performing Yamaha that year was a stock FZ750 with race kit parts, driven by Michael Dawson et Kevin Magee from the Marlboro Yamaha Dealer Team. The Australian duo reached the podium in 2nd place, finishing just two laps behind the winners Wayne Gardner et Dominique Sarron. For Yamaha, FZ's podium finish at the Suzuka 8 Hours marked a first for a five-valve Yamaha and was cause for celebration, but fans couldn't hide their disappointment over the TECH21 team's race , which, that year, ended just after the halfway point.