[EWC] 8 Hours of Suzuka: A memorable day!

It was an intense day today at Suzuka, during the 10 sessions that made it up, under strong heat and overcast skies.

First of all, in the morning, the only free practice session allowed us to see the Official Yamaha #21 prove to be the fastest again, but only by 3 hundredths, ahead of the Kawasaki #11 from Team Green.

La Official Honda #33 of the HRC team was positioned at 7 tenths, the Yoshimura Suzuki #12 and Honda MuSASHI at 1,1 seconds.

For the world title, the forces present were divided between the FCC TSR Honda, 8th at 1,6 seconds and the GMT 94 Yamaha, 16th at 2,9 seconds.

Then the qualifications started, separately for each color of drivers, which makes it possible to better situate the forces present, knowing that, generally, only the 2 fastest of a team then take part in the race. It goes very quickly and the drivers generally do a maximum of 6 or 7 flying laps.

QP1 Blue pilots:
In 2'06.7, the pace accelerates and Takumi Takahashi (Red Bull Honda with Japan Post #33) places the official Honda in the lead, 8 hundredths ahead Katsuyuki Nakasuga (YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM #21). The 4 factories remain in the Top 5 but this is the first time that the Honda has dominated a session. Behind, we find Tsuda (Suzuki #12), agitated (MuSashi Honda #634) and Watanabe (Kawasaki #11).

QP1 Yellow drivers:

Jonathan Rhea (Kawaski #11) further increases the pace and wins 3 tenths ahead alex lowes (Yamaha #21). Only these 2 motorcycles and the Official Honda #33 are in the same second despite the good resistance of Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki #12) and Marvin Fritz (Yamaha YART #7).

QP1 Red drivers:

Like yesterday, Randy de Puniet was particularly quick on the Honda MuSASHI #634, ahead of Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Team Green #11), Michael van der Mark (Official Yamaha #21) and Bradley Ray (Yoshimura Suzuki #12).

Otherwise, PJ Jacobsen (Red Bull Honda with Japan Post #33) finally got used to his new mount relatively quickly, while for the world title the GMT 94 Yamaha in the hands of Mike Di Meglio proved to be faster than Honda's FCC TSRAlan Techer, the latter still suffering from his injuries.

After this first salvo, the hierarchy based on the average of the best times of the three pilots is therefore as follows, with only 4 motorcycles in the same second:

We're going back for a ride...

QP2 Blue pilots:

Katsuyuki Nakasuga (Official Yamaha #21) makes the powder speak and achieves the best provisional time of the weekend in 2'06.263.
Behind, everyone sticks out their tongues, more than a second away...

QP2 Yellow drivers:

It's the thunderbolt of the day, and probably even of the weekend, and even of future editions: Jonathan Rhea literally explodes the record previously belonging to Espargaro Pol since 2015, with a time of 2'05.168 more than 8 tenths faster than that of the Spaniard!

The competition is relegated to more than 2 seconds!

QP2 Red drivers:

Leon Haslam, although significantly slower, drove the point home by prancing at the head of the last qualifying session of the day, almost a second in front of his comrades.

In the end, by averaging the best times of each driver, the Kawasaki #11 from Team Green dominates all the more clearly as it is entirely possible that its slowest driver (Kazuma Watanabe) does not actually participate in the race.

Likewise, in theory, we could do without Michael van der Mark at Yamaha, PJ Jacobsen at Honda, or even Sylvain Guintoli at Suzuki, today occasionally slower than his teammates. Except that, obviously, there is also an essential notion of reliability and experience during such an endurance race.

It should also be noted that the first 8 machines are equipped with the famous tires Bridgestone specially developed for the occasion, while the Moriwaki (9th) is the first motorcycle equipped with Pirelli. As to Dunlop, we'll let you find it yourself...

For the world title, if the FCC TSR Honda still has a slight advantage, the GMT94 Yamaha is far from giving up his arms...

The day ended with night testing…

Tomorrow, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., the Top 10 Trials, a sort of Superpole on a single lap launched to determine the final starting grid. Nothing is decided yet...

The live timings of the Top 10 Trials can be experienced on Saturday in streaming on the website NicoNico.

List of entrants (as of July 20)

Duration:

Live Timing