FCC TSR Honda win Suzuka - BMW Motorrad France Fourth

Yoshimura Suzuki led quyalifying and part of the race but the Suzuka 8 Hour victory went to FCC TSR Honda (Kosuke Akiyoshi, Shinichi Itoh and Ryuichi Kiyonari), ahead of pole sitters Yukio Kagayama, Josh Waters and Nobuatsu Aoki (Yoshimura Suzuki) and Honda Musashi RT Harc Pro (Takumi Takahashi, Makoto Tamada and Tdayuki Okada). The three teams, racing on Bridgestone tyres, finished the race on the same lap.

The 34th running of this race made for a spectacular show because three teams were involved in an intense battle for the lead during the eight hour long race. The fastest Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team rider, Yukio Kagayama, and Takumi Takahashi on the Honda Musashi RT Harc Pro, were on track together during their shifts, making for a great race. During the last hour, Ryuichi Kiyonari on the FCC TSR Honda managed to stay close to the Yoshimura Suzuki.

Further back but still in the spotlight was BMW Motorrad France 99, finishing the race just off the podium but five laps behind the leaders and the first Michelin shod team across the line. They also took the Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship leadership as the BMW Motorrad France 99 now leads the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team by six points.

In a difficult position after qualifying in 15th position, the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team faced a number of problems which started with an ignition issue, then an injection failure and finally a broken footrest. SERT, 2010 World Champion, finished in 9th position behind Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone, who finished 7th. The Yamaha was delayed by a pit stop after Matthieu Lagrive nearly lost the bike with a serious slide, but the team enjoyed a great come-back in the second part of the race and are back in the 2011 title chase.

Entered at Suzuka in partnership with the Japanese team RS Itoh Asia, Bolliger Team Switzerland lost some time due to a leaking radiator and also when Roman Stamm crashed after a collision with race leader Shinichi Itoh on the FCC TSR Honda. Bolliger Team Switzerland finished in a distant 38th position.

Monster Yamaha YART had some great hope for the race as they started from second position on the grid but the official Austrian Yamaha squad had to give up just before mid-race due to an oil leak. The Suzuka 8 Hours was also quite short for Honda TT Legends as the British team had to retire due to a rear wheel axle issue.

Follow the news from the 2011 Suzuka 8 Hour round of the FIM Endurance World Championhsip using the links above. I'll also post the FIM press releases on the Race24 Message Board as when they arrive.

European teams racing at Suzuka this year include SERT Suzuki, Yamaha Austria, BMW Motorrad France, Yamaha GMT94, Kawasaki Bolliger and British newcomers Honda TT Legends. .

Qualifying is on Friday, Superpole on Saturday and the race starts at 11:00am local time on Sunday.