Honda Viltaïs Racing was able to progress – and set a new unofficial record – during qualifying for the 44th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race yesterday.
The French privateer team will start round three of the 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship in 21st position with Florian Alt posting a 2m08.607s team best.
Alt’s time was an improvement on his Friday pace with team-mates Leandro Mercado and Steven Odendaal also upping their lap times on day two of the EWC event.
Speaking following Second Qualifying at Suzuka, Team Manager Yannick Lucot said: “We made good progress today. There are only three bikes fitted with Pirelli tyres at Suzuka and we’ve set the fastest time ever here on Pirelli tyres, which is very satisfying for us.
“We saw during Night Practice that as soon as the temperature dropped, we could be more competitive. We won’t be able to play at the front of the race this year, but we’ll be there to seize the opportunities. It’s the first time we’ve come to Suzuka with this bike and these tyres. The whole team will be working hard to go home with a few points in our pocket.”
Original Source [ FIM EWC ]
