Suzuka 8 hour 2013

Haslam, Van Der Mark win Suzuka 8 Hours...

Leon Haslam has emulated his World Superbike Championship team-mate Jonathan Rea by winning the iconic Suzuka 8 Hours endurance event alongside rookie competitor Michael van der Mark.

Suzuki filled the remaining podium spots, with Yoshimura's Josh Brookes, Takuya Tsuda and Nobuatsu Aoki coming home in second position, while the 'legends' Kagayama Suzuki team (powered by Yoshimura) of Yukio Kagayama, Noriyuki Haga and Kevin Schwantz produced an excellent performance to get themselves onto the rostrum in third place.

Haslam is only the second British rider to win the prestigious event with Rea the first in 2012. Haslam's father, Ron, also finished second in 1979, so it continues a family tradition. His Mushashi Honda team decided not to pit when heavy rain appeared at the track with half an hour to go and battled on for the win. It was also a historic win for Haslam's team-mate Michael Van Der Mark. He became the only Dutch rider to win the race and did so at his first attempt.

Yoshimura Suzuki Racing team along with Josh Brookes finished the race in second.

The Tyco Suzuki rider was drafted in to the works team to partner Nobuatsu Aoki and Takuya Tsuda. They began the race in second on the grid and were never outside the top five over eight hours of racing in 35°C temperatures. 

Josh Brookes aboard the Yoshimura Suzuki

"It feels awesome to have done this, it's a great achievement for all the Yoshimura Suzuki team. It's a hard, tough race because the concentration levels have to remain high and the heat sometimes gets to you as it is pretty hot here in the afternoon," said Brookes.

"I had a bit of an off in the same place as Kiyonari (Degner Two) but I held on to the bike into the gravel to stop it flipping over. I hurt my arm a bit, but got back on and did the next 12 laps without a screen. We couldn't replace it, so we had a little less down-force on the front, but Takuya and I just modified the way we rode a little and brought it home in second. I did four stints and he did three, and I managed to keep the laps in the 2'09s which was the target." 

Schwantz


The 49 year old 500cc Grand Prix legend Kevin Schwantz, part of the Kagayama Suzuki team along with Noriyuki Haga and Kagayama made up the podium, getting third position.

Schwantz on the Kagayama Suzuki (Powered by Yoshimura)

“It’s been an honour to ride again here with these talented guys. I was lucky to be with an excellent team. The Suzuki was perfect and our Dunlops helped us to stay the distance. I did my best to be fast without making a mistake. By riding with this helmet (Rainey Replica), I wanted to show my respect for Wayne by wearing his helmet at this 8 Hours race,” said Schwantz 

"I know this race is not easy to win. But this time Yukio made a very good team. This was the only condition that I asked of him coming to Japan to enter this race again. He has changed his Japanese Superbike team to a World Endurance top contender. Yukio's effort was great! I tested so many tyres and set-ups for bike and we found a lot of potential. In the race, I only did one stint but I really enjoyed racing with the young Japanese riders. We got third place for the race and thank you to every one of our team staff. Yukio said to me 'You are my idol,' but I would like to say to Yukio, 'You are a Superstar.’"

McGuinness

Also Honda TT Legend lead rider John McGuinness says he is disappointed to finish this year's Suzuka Eight-Hours after a fried clutch and puncture conspired to put the all-British team down the order. 

McGuinness, who was joined by Simon Andrews and Michael Rutter, is still puzzled over what happened to the usually-bulletproof clutch but says he was pleased to take the final stint and bring the Fireblade over the line. 

John McGuinness on his Akrapovic equipped TT Legend Honda

"I’m really disappointed for everybody because so much time, so much effort, so much hard work goes into these races. We had a good fuel strategy and we were looking good for seven stops but we had a few issues – the clutch and the flat tyre – that meant we gave minutes away that it was impossible to get back," said McGuinness. 

"We went from 50-odd to 22nd so we clawed our way back but I feel like we deserve more as a team. The clutches on these Hondas are bullet-proof so I don’t know what happened. On the plus side, this is my third Suzuka but it’s the first time I’ve done the final stint and that was pretty special. The atmosphere here really is fantastic and the Japanese fans are great."

Kiyonari

MCE British Superbike title contender Ryuichi Kiyonari broke some ribs in a crash during the Suzuka Eight-Hours race and was prevented from returning to the track by doctors. 

The Samsung Honda man, who was partnering Jonathan Rea, fell at Degner Two after hitting a small wet patch left by another crashing bike. His FCC-TSR Fireblade was quite badly damaged but he got it back to the garage. 

“Kiyonari fell heavily when in a good lead. He managed to get back to the pit box, and we would have been able to fix the machine. But his ribs were broken and the doctor ordered him to stop the race. We had no option but to retire. We are full of regret – our riders did their best. We will come back and try again next year," said FCC TSR Honda 

Director Masao Takeda. It is not yet known how serious Kiyonari's injuries are and whether it will prevent him from taking part in the Oulton Park BSB round on August 11. 

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