The 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race weekend is go with Team HRC clocking the fastest time during Free Practice this morning.
Chasing a third consecutive victory in Japan’s round of the FIM Endurance World Championship, Team HRC with Japan Post moved to the top of the timesheets just before 90 minutes of running was up, after Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team and Yoshimura SERT Motul both enjoyed stints at the head of the pack.
Team HRC completed the scheduled two-hour session with a best time of 2m06.238s around the 5.821-kilometre Suzuka Circuit to edge out Suzuki-powered Yoshimura SERT Motul and the Austria-based YART squad, the defending EWC champion team from 2023.
Honda-powered TeamATJ with docomo business was fourth quickest followed by TOHO Racing, another Honda squad, and SDG Team HARC-PRO. Honda.
Experimental class contender Team Suzuki CN Challenge was seventh quickest with its factory-supported GSX-R1000R CN SPEC that utilises 40 per cent bio-sourced sustainable fuel, plus other eco-friendly products.
AutoRace Ube Racing Team, Astemo Honda Dream SI Racing and Ducati Team Kagayama completed the top 10 with BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team 11th.
Taira Promote Racing was the leading Dunlop-supplied Superstock category contender followed by Teramoto@J-Trip Racing.
Of the other permanent EWC teams in action at Suzuka, F.C.C. TSR Honda France was 15th fastest, KM 99 18th, Kawasaki Webike Trickstar 21st, Tati Team Beringer Racing 24th, Team Étoile 28th and sixth in Superstock, Wójcik Racing Team 34th and ninth fastest of the Superstock outfits with National Motos Honda 37th and 11th fastest in Superstock.
Motobox Kremer Racing, which is competing at Suzuka in partnership with Favorite Factory, completed the top 40.
Three red flags and several falls interrupted Free Practice, which began in dry, albeit overcast conditions, but ended in bright sunshine. Indeed, the session ended with six minutes left on the clock after a fall for Tati Team Beringer Racing’s Hugo Clere at the Hairpin required a lengthy track clean.
Honda Suzuka RacingTeam, Team38, TeamATJ with docomo business, Team Frontier, Kawasaki Webike Trickstar, Team Tatara Aprilia and Team Kodama will also have repairs to make after falls. All riders involved were declared okay by race officials.
First Qualifying is next from 12h05 local time. Click HERE for the Free Practice results.
Original Source [ FIM EWC ]
