Tetsuya Harada, the 1993 FIM 250cc world champion, swapped sprint racing for long-distance racing when he visited Circuit Paul Ricard for last month’s Bol d’Or, the deciding round of the 2024 FIM Endurance World Championship. This is what the Japanese legend had to say.
What brought you to the Bol d’Or and the FIM Endurance World Championship season decider?
“I live two hours from Circuit Paul Ricard, I have a lot of friends in the paddock and I haven’t been here for a while. I am also a rider performance manager for a team in the Suzuka 8 Hours so I’m also just checking what’s happening during a 24-hour EWC race.”
You know the EWC from Suzuka but what do you think about the paddock here and all the teams taking part?
“It seems like when I was racing in the 250cc world championship, the paddock is more comfortable for me than a MotoGP paddock today. I like it.”
You are famous as a sprint racer but did you ever consider taking part in a 24-hour race?
“I cannot even imagine, even one sprint race was too much! But from being here I’m realising it’s very difficult for riders to race in different conditions, at night, in the morning when they are tired. Of course, it’s tough for the teams too. For a sprint race you know what condition it’s likely to be and even then it’s difficult to set up the bike and choose the right tyres. For me it’s incredible to have to adjust the bike all through a 24-hour race, for the different temperatures, to have the best set-up and the right tyres. I really respect that.”
Tetsuya Harada (centre) talks to EWC Asia Representative Mikio Agematsu (left) and Yoshimura SERT Motul Team Director Yohei Kato (right) during the Bol d'Or
More and more Japanese riders are competing in the EWC, including some young talents. How good is that to see?
“It’s very difficult for young riders to get to the top class in MotoGP but, here in EWC, there are more possibilities and it’s very interesting that young Japanese riders have the chance to race against different nationalities at a high level, which is what you get in a world championship. Maybe you can have riders coming from EWC and going to Moto2 or one day to MotoGP. This could happen and it’s important to give the opportunity to young riders. The EWC is also a very good entry to a world championship and a good training for riders because there are a lot of laps in a race and a lot of time to get faster. We are also seeing with the European teams coming to Suzuka that they can elevate their speed capabilities and this is good for the future that we have these European teams competing in Suzuka at a high level.”
You say riding in a 24-hour EWC race doesn’t appeal but what about a managerial role?
“Of course, if there is a chance one day then why not? The team I am working with in Japan is staying in Japan but if I get the chance maybe it could be interesting to have the experience. My job is mainly focused on the rider performance and how to make them go faster rather than calculating the strategy, but it could be interesting.”
Original Source [ FIM EWC ]