De Alessio Piana / Corsedimoto.com
The FCC TSR Honda France team is preparing for the next FIM EWC Endurance season. Yuki Takahashi has already completed the first test in Japan in Okayama to prepare for 2021, and he then drove at Suzuka.
The FCC TSR Honda team is leading the way. After winning in 2016 at the start of the “All Japan invasion”, the 2017-2018 FIM EWC World Champion team is once again showing itself to be far-sighted, especially in these times. Due to restrictions on air travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Suzuka-based team is relying on three separate branches to prepare for the coming year and the FIM EWC Endurance Championship: the facilities Japanese companies, the division of Bruno Performance in Catalonia and the Parisian “branch” of Honda France. In recent weeks, the Japanese team has been hard at work, carrying out the first 2021 tests.
ON THE TRACK IN OKAYAMA
With its mind already turned towards the 24 Hours of Le Mans on April 17 and 18, FCC TSR Honda carried out a two-day preliminary test in Okayama on Thursday December 10 and Friday December 11, with their new recruit Yuki Takahashi. 100 laps were completed, with Takahashi in action for a total of 4 hours to experiment with different technical solutions for 2021 in terms of the Showa engine and suspension. A positive first outing, the track having been shared with the Yoshimura team, which had Kazuki Watanabe riding, trying various innovations for the team Yoshimura SERT Motul.
NEW TEST AT SUZUKA
From Okayama, the FCC TSR Honda then traveled to Suzuka for an additional day of testing held on Saturday, December 19. That day, Yuki Takahashi shared the track with other All Japan drivers, trying to maximize the available running time despite the low temperatures. Between 2 running sessions aimed at developing the bike for 2021, the reigning ST1000 Champion commented philosophically on this last scheduled test session: “Unfortunately it was so cold, but they told me it was always like that at Le Mans. So I went ahead and did the work…”
2021 GOAL: WIN THE TITLE
The FCC TSR Honda France team has already announced that it has planned several tests in the Land of the Rising Sun before the first European tests planned for the coming months. On the Old Continent, Josh Hook and Mike Di Meglio will be in the saddle on the new CBR 1000RR-R alongside Yuki Takahashi, the starting line-up for the entire next season of the FIM EWC Endurance World Championship.
