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
The 8 Suzuka 1990 Hours marked Yamaha's sixth appearance with the TECH21 team since its debut in 1985. Attendance numbers increased each year, and in 1990 it reached its peak, with around 160 spectators traveling through the circuit only on race day.
The Shiseido TECH21 Racing Team lined up Tadahiko Taira et Eddie lawson for the race. Lawson had already won four 500cc World Championship titles and returned to Yamaha to contest the 1990 season. However, luck was not on his side that year, as he suffered injuries during the first round in Japan at Suzuka, then again at the next event in the United States at Laguna Seca, which forced him to retire for several races and made his title prospects catastrophic. Despite everything, he decided to participate in the 8 Hours again for the first time in ten years.
In 1980, in his first attempt, Lawson took a Kawasaki Z1 to an impressive 2nd place while the same year Taira rode for a private team on a CB750E to finish 39th. Tyra Lawson remembered at the time: “He bumped into me at the entrance to Spoon Curve, but I remember him waving at me apologetically afterwards. I thought he had good manners! » Each followed their own path in road racing over the next ten years, but those paths converged in 1990 when they became teammates for the race at Suzuka.
The race weekend began on Thursday with a free practice session. Eddie lawson hadn't ridden a 4-stroke for four and a half years, when he won the Daytona 200 on an FZ750 in 1986. That didn't stop him from being competitive straight away and setting a time of 2'16.20 for the first day, a very respectable time which convinced his team of being able to put in a solid performance. During the two qualifying sessions on the following Friday and Saturday, the team's expectations were met: Taira set the best time in 2'15.819 and Lawson in 2'13.520. Lawson's time was the fastest behind Mick Doohan's for Honda but, that year, the grid was not organized according to the fastest time, but by alternating the best times from Group A and B qualifying , which placed the TECH21 team third on the grid.
For the first time as a TECH21 driver, Taira was tasked with starting the race and running the first stint. Just after leaving the finish line, he was overwhelmed by the peloton, but he had moved up to 9th place by the end of his first lap and moved up to 3rd by the end of his first stint. After getting off the bike, Taira gave his thoughts on the race: “We have no problem with the bike or with me. I'm also used to the heat now, so I think I can continue at this pace. My times dropped a bit during the relay, but that was because of the traffic, not because of the heat. I can continue to do laps in the 2'17s from now on. »
The race therefore gradually transformed into a duel between the Gardner/Doohan Honda duo and the TECH21 team.
As the race entered its intermediate phase, something happened that caused a commotion on the circuit, as Gardner crashed at the chicane. The Australian quickly left and rejoined his team waiting for him in the pits, but Lawson had enough time to take the lead on the YZF750 with a lead of over a minute. Lawson then handed the motorcycle over to Taira. After another successful stint, the three-time Japanese champion once again shared his impressions: “The heat is getting worse, but I was more concerned about the stragglers because there are more of them than in recent years. I've done half my share of the work so far, and in the second half I will do my best to keep my own pace and stay focused. »
Honda had got their machine back into the race and Gardner was pushing to try to get back to the front, but that may have been why the Honda stopped just before the hairpin around 15:30 p.m. -noon, out of gas.
“After I found out Wayne had quit, I felt a lot less pressure.” , said
Lawson after his second stint. “But that’s also why we have to be wary of what happens on the track from now on. »
But from that point on, no competitor came close enough to challenge the TECH21 team as the race neared its conclusion.
Meanwhile, Taira remained even more cautious.
“The air is cooler now and the water temperature has dropped a bit, so it’s good for the bike.” , he said just before leaving for his last stint.
“But we can't let our guard down yet, so I'm going to focus on my own race. Maintaining attention is the most important thing. As with the last relays, I will concentrate on each lap, one by one. »
Then, after 18:30 p.m., less than an hour from time, Taira handed the YZF750 over to Lawson.
At that point, the TECH21 team had a two-lap lead over their closest rivals, Honda's Shoji Miyazaki and Tadashi Ohshima. Lawson stayed true to the 'Steady Eddie' nickname he had received in the GPs, setting consistent times as the sun began to set. Even the YZF750's headlight beam looked smooth as it traveled around the circuit.
Then, at 19:30 p.m., as machine #21 could be seen on screen as Spoon Curve exited, people outside the booths already had their fingers on beer cans, ready to celebrate, and a huge cheer began to form in the main stands as Lawson approached the waving checkered flag.
From stopping the bike, just before what would have been a maiden victory in 1985, to another four years of struggle and bad luck, Taira's perseverance ended in the best way possible with a fantastic victory. It was the second victory for the TECH21 team after the first in 1987 and the third for Yamaha at the Suzuka 8 Hours. Also on a YZF750, Yasutomo Nagai and Shingo Kato of the YRTR team finished 4th while Kunio Machii and Norihiko Fujiwara finished 5th of the Nescafe RT Yamaha team. All three of Yamaha's factory bikes finished in the top five.
After the race, Yamaha's press release was distributed in the press room with comments from the riders.
Tadahiko Taira
“More than anything, I am happy. In the last 15 minutes that I was on the bike, all I could think about was what happened in the last six years and I was really worried. I am very grateful to the whole team and the fans. »
Eddie lawson
“I've won a lot in GPs, but I'm really happy to win the 8 Hours for the first time. I didn't help Taira realize his dream, he did it himself, he took the best out of the bike and had a perfect race. »
The dramatic six-year history of the Shiseido TECH21 team at the 8 Hours ended almost 30 years ago, but the story is still fresh in the memories of many Japanese fans today and is often the subject of nostalgic conversations. Tadahiko Taira's years of hardship and triumph with the best GP riders of the time, exotic factory bikes and countless rivalries were representative of the Suzuka 8 Hours of the era, but above all it was the passionate fans who were amazed by a unique race in the world and who made it a “Fiery and Passionate Era”.
In 2019, the Yamaha Factory Racing Team is looking to claim its fifth consecutive victory at the 8 Hours.
On race day at the 8 Suzuka 1990 Hours, 160 fans packed the stands, most of them on motorcycles.
In 1990, the YZF750 was again given a new color scheme, with a darker blue that mixed with the team's signature sky blue.
Taira made his fifth attempt at the Suzuka 8 Hours with the Shiseido TECH21 team in 1990.
Lawson's lap of 2'13.520 in qualifying put the team in 3rd position on the starting grid.
Before setting off, Taira checks the YZF750: the bike's tank is covered to keep the fuel cooler on the grid.
Taira takes to the track for the Le Mans-style start in front of the huge crowd in the main stands on the straight.
With the various unfortunate incidents from Suzuka's past attempts in mind, Taira took careful laps.
Pit stops and driver swaps took place without major problems.
At the time, there was no protection along the pit lane wall, nor a canopy to keep out the mid-summer sun.
“Steady Eddie” Lawson showed the consistency he was known for in GP racing.
Source and photo credit: © Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.
Ranking credit: https://www.motoracing-japan.com
