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
Access the second part (1986) here
Access the third part (1987) here
In 1989, Tadahiko Taira and John Kocinski teamed up to form the #21 Shiseido TECH21 Yamaha team. The factory YZF750's livery has received a facelift that sets it apart from what fans had seen at the last four Suzuka 8 Hours, with a white base color accented by a combination of blue lines, black and green. Although the team performed at a good pace while occupying 2nd position, a similar fate was in store for them as they once again failed to reach the checkered flag.
The American pilot John Kocinski became 250cc World Champion in 1990, but in 1989 he was still considered by most to be one of Kenny Roberts. At the 8 Suzuka 1987 Hours, where the TECH21 team took its first victory, Kocinski partnered with his compatriot Cal Rayborn and placed third on a YZF750 for Team Lucky Strike Roberts. But the TECH21 team's long-awaited victory grabbed headlines and drowned out Kocinski's strong podium performance in his first attempt at the grueling race. However, Kocinski's star was only beginning to rise. After gaining experience in races at the World Championship and in Japan, he took his first 250cc GP victory in the first race of the 1989 season at Suzuka. The 21-year-old's speed and ride tickled the curiosity of Japanese fans: how would he ride a now well-developed YZF750 with Taira at the 8 Hour race?
The Yamaha Shiseido TECH21 team was joined on the grid by the previous year's winning pair, Wayne Rainey et Kevin Magee, once again on the Team's Lucky Strike Roberts no. 3 machine, while Michael dawson et Kunio Machii had also returned, on the No. 750 Nescafe RT Yamaha YZF9. Simply put, Yamaha had pulled out all the stops to try to score a third consecutive victory at the 8 Hours, and to try to stop that, it was the World Champion 500cc 1987 Wayne Gardner and the teammate of Tadahiko Taira from the previous year, Mick doohan, which carried the hopes of the Honda factory.
The race was an uphill battle, with top teams facing crashes and bike problems one after the other, and Yamaha's factory teams were no exception. rainy et magee had a sudden engine problem on the main straight and were forced to retire after 94 laps, and a crash ended the race prematurely. Gardner et Doohan. At the moment, Tyra et Kocinski were 3rd before the fall of Doohan did propel them to 2nd place, and from that moment on, they began to chase the Honda France endurance team which occupied the lead with Dominique Sarron et Alex Vieira. But while Kocinski was on track, the #750 YZF21 experienced a technical problem on lap 163 which meant that the TECH21 team was unable to cross the finish line. Shortly after, a mechanical problem also occurred on the YZF750 of Dawson et Machii, marking the end of any chance of a hat-trick at Suzuka. Sarron et Scallop ultimately took victory, with the honors for best Yamaha going to the Australian's privateer team Peter Goddard et Shingo Kato, who finished in 3rd place on the podium with an FZR750R.
This was the fourth defeat for the TECH21 team out of five attempts at the 8 Hours, and Tyra, the undisputed headliner of the team, has still not reached the finish line after four tries. Japanese fans' desire to see him win, or simply finish the race, intensified once again. But, year after year of bad luck, some began to wonder if the three-time All Japan champion would one day see the checkered flag at the 8 Hours...
The TECH21 support flags have been redesigned to fit the bike.
Enthusiastic fans gather around the TECH21 booth.
On July 30, 1989, Yamaha launched a variant of the new JOG Sport scooter in TECH21 colors.
The TECH21 models had outfits matching the new colors.
The motorcycle parking lots at Suzuka Circuit were packed, a sign of the popularity of the race at the time.
Kocinski listens to advice from Kenny Roberts on the grid before the start.
Wayne Rainey leads a group with Kocinski close behind.
The YZF750 #21 featured an all-new color scheme in 1989.
Kocinski leaves after a pit stop.
Taira put in solid, consistent laps.
Kocinski was in the saddle when the team was in 2nd position and closing in on the leaders.
Goddard and Kato finished 3rd in the tough battle that was the 8 Suzuka 1989 Hours.
To be continued…
Source and photo credit: © Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.
Ranking credit: https://www.motoracing-japan.com
