The 2019 Red Bull Romaniacs Prologue has been run and won, with Taddy Blazusiak taking top honours in the latest installment of the World Enduro Super Series, after a flying start.
2019 Red Bull Romaniacs – Prologue
The rider led home a strong field of Gold Class riders to take victory on the streets of Sibiu. He was joined on the podium by teammate Jonny Walker and Pol Tarres.
After much anticipation the fifth round of the World Enduro Super Series got underway in Sibiu, Romania, marking the 16th edition of Red Bull Romaniacs. Thousands of spectators gathered on the city streets to watch the world’s best Enduro riders, from up to 50 nations, do battle. As the feature race of the day, the bumper-entry Gold Class saw 38 riders take to the start line for the 10-minute plus one lap race.
Poland’s Taddy Blazusiak was eager to show his speed and quickly grabbed the holeshot. Riding both aggressively and confidently on the tough and technical course, Blazusiak controlled the lead for the majority of the race. Fending off early challenges from Wade Young, he managed to pull clear and claim victory.
Pol Tarres – 2019 Red Bull Romaniacs Prologue
Behind Blazusiak the fight for the remainder of the podium places was intense. As Young made mistakes and slipped backwards, Walker and Tarres came to the fore. Tarres momentarily took up second over Walker, but a mistake on the log beam allowed Walker back in front to eventually place second.
Despite his mistake, Tarres delivered one of his most impressive performances of the series so far to secure the final step of the podium in third. Alfredo Gomez rode a quiet race for fourth, with teammate Bolt in fifth.
Taddy Blazusiak topped the Gold Class podium from Walker and Tarres – 2019 Red Bull Romaniacs Prologu
Taddy Blazusiak
“I had a great start – Billy Bolt was to the side of me and riding aggressive, but I thought to myself I’m not having any of it. I got my head down and charged for a few laps, but then I made a little mistake. Luckily, I had a good gap to the guys behind so was able to stay in front. From then on I rode defensive lines and just took it steady. It feels great to get the win, although it doesn’t mean that much in terms of the whole event, however it’s still a good feeling to win here in front of the crowds.”
Taddy Blazusiak – 2019 Red Bull Romaniacs Prologue – Image by Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Content Pool
Jonny Walker
“I had a bit of a nightmare in the qualifying – it went ok but it just wasn’t fast enough for the front row, so that was a bit of a disadvantage at the start of the final. I’m happy with second – I could see Taddy but just couldn’t gain on him. My momentum is building gradually as this season goes on. I’m feeling confident going into this one. We’ve made a few changes to the bike over the break and I’m positive we can turn things around here in Romania.”
Jonny Walker – 2019 Red Bull Romaniacs Prologue – Image by Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Content Pool
Pol Tarres
“This morning I had a super good feeling with the track and the bike and I knew I would be able to push in the final. In the end it all went well. I had a good battle with Jonny throughout the race, but eventually he got second and I got third. But I’m super happy to be on the podium here at Red Bull Romaniacs – it’s one of the toughest races in the world. The result means I have to start first tomorrow, but my plan is push as hard as I can and hopefully stay with Jonny and Taddy if they come past me.”
Pol Tarres – 2019 Red Bull Romaniacs – Image by Future7Media
Red Bull Romaniacs, Prologue – Gold Class
Taddy Blazusiak (KTM – POL) 10:48.266
Jonny Walker (KTM – GB) +12.002
Pol Tarres (Husqvarna – ESP) +14.249
Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna – ESP) 25:746
Billy Bolt (Husqvarna – GB) +29.999
Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM – GER) +30.752
Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna – GB) +34.250
Wade Young (Sherco – RSA) +35.499
Mario Roman (Sherco – ESP) +1:07.501
McCarthy tops Silver – Brent Brady wins Bronze
In the Silver class it was a win for USA’s Dustin McCarthy. The American rode to victory over Finland’s Aleksi Vilkko with Britain’s Stefan Simpson in third.
Bronze riders – 2019 Red Bull Romaniacs Prologue
The Bronze class saw Australia’s Brent Brady take a confident win over Brazil’s Marco Faria, with the Netherland’s Robin Holtmeulen third.
Dustin McCarthy – Silver winner
“I had no idea I was in the lead – I knew I was close, but I didn’t realise I was winning. I was going as fast as I could out there, but also trying to conserve to make it through the race. I was getting pretty tired at the end, that’s for sure. I’m super stoked to be here – Red Bull Romaniacs is my favourite event of the year, so to win the Silver Prologue feels great.”
Brent Brady – Bronze winner
“I’m exhausted! That was awesome though. I had a blast out there fighting for the win. The rock garden was the hardest section but everything else was manageable for us in Bronze so the battles were really fun. It’s awesome to win – here’s to a good week ahead.”
Aussie Brent Brady claimed the Bronze Class Prologue win -Image by Future7Media
Red Bull Romaniacs now moves into the surrounding Carpathian Mountains for Off Road Day 1.
Red Bull Romaniacs, Prologue – Silver Class
Dustin McCarthy (USA) 5 laps, 9:32.387
Aleksi Vilkko (FIN) 9:36.133
Stefan Simpson (GB) 9:40.130
Sam Winterburn (GB) 9:57.833
Fabien Poirot (FRA) 10:16.637…
Red Bull Romaniacs, Prologue – Bronze Class
Brent Brady (AUS) 4 laps, 9:48,877
Marco Faria (BRA) 10:16.627
Robin Holtmeulen (NLD) 11:13.127
Alexander De Haan (NLD) 12:06.880
Ole-Johnny Skoien (NOR) 12:18.130…
2019 Red Bull Romaniacs Prologue
2019 World Enduro Super Series Calendar
Round 1: Toyota Porto Extreme XL Lagares (Portugal) May 10-12
Round 2: Trèfle Lozérien AMV (France) May 17-19
Round 3: Erzbergrodeo Red Bull Hare Scramble (Austria) May 30-June 2
Round 4: Hixpania Hard Enduro (Spain) June 21-23
Round 5: Red Bull Romaniacs (Romania) July 30-August 3
Round 6: Hawkstone Park Cross Country (United Kingdom) September 21-22
Michael Dunlop has been announced as part of the Team Classic Suzuki 2019 Classic TT effort, with the three-rider team also including Phil Crowe and Danny Webb. Dunlop and Crowe will compete aboard GSX-R1100 powered XR69s, while Webb will ride a Suzuki RG500.
Michael Dunlop
Ulsterman Dunlop, who hopes to be fully fit after his recent spill at the Southern 100, will lead the team in the four-lap RST Superbike race. Dunlop missed last year’s event after withdrawing from racing for the second half of the season but having won the race in 2013, 2015 and again in 2016, he will undoubtedly start as one of the pre-race favourites.
The 30-year old dominated the inaugural race six years ago before having a close battle with 500cc-mounted Bruce Anstey in 2015, and then successfully saw off the challenge of Harrison in 2016. Dunlop’s lap in that race of 126.808 mph is his fastest in the class and is only bettered by Anstey and Harrison who lapped in excess of 127 mph two years ago when the Ballymoney rider was in early retirement.
Dunlop has however, also aggravated a broken wrist injury, sustained at the Southern 100 earlier in July, and emerged from the hospital with his wrist in plaster, sharing on social media, “The Doc reckons that’s the end of race season for this year. Think again Doc…” He was also reported to have broken his pelvis in the same incident.
Michael Dunlop (1000 Suzuki/Team Classic Suzuki) at Douglas Road corner, Kirk Michael during Friday evening’s Classic TT qualifying session. PICTURE BY DAVE KNEEN/PACEMAKER PRESS
Webb continues with the team for a fourth successive year. He raced an XR69 in the first two years with his best performance being 2016 when he finished in a strong sixth place after recording a fastest lap of 121.289mph. He also took ninth in 2017 on the same machine.
Twelve months ago he had his first taste of two-stroke action around the Mountain Course though when he rode the team’s RG500 Suzuki. After lapping at 115.572mph during practice week, he was unluckily forced to retire from the race but with a year’s experience under their belt, they are well placed to improve on that result this year.
Classic TT 2016 – Danny Webb – Image by Kevin Warren
The RG500 Suzuki enjoyed considerable success in the World and British Formula One Championship races of the 1980s and both Webb and the team will again be aiming to set the fastest lap around the 37.73-mile Mountain Circuit by an RG500. This mark is currently held by Rob McElnea who recorded a lap of 118.24 mph some 25 years ago during a titanic battle with Joey Dunlop in the 1984 Senior TT.
Crowe lines up with Steve Wheatman’s team at the Classic TT for the second time, having proved his pedigree recently at the TT. The Lincolnshire rider has been regularly challenging for top ten positions and has now lapped at almost 130 mph – his fastest lap of 129.957 mph came in last year’s Superbike race. He finished 14th in the RST Superbike race at this year’s TT.
Phil Crowe at the IoM TT back in 2017
Crowe was seventh fastest qualifier for last year’s RST Superbike Classic TT with a near 121 mph lap and both he and Webb will looking to maintain Team Classic Suzuki’s success at the event.
2019 Classic TT tickets available
Tickets for the 2019 Classic TT are now on sale via the Official iomttraces.com website (link) with Official Grandstand Tickets, VIP Hospitality Experiences, and Official Entertainment Events including the Counterfeit Stones Classic TT Party Performance all available.
Kyle Middleton takes fourth Australian X-Trial title
The final round of the 2019 Australian X-Trial Championship headed to Wollongong, New South Wales on July 27, marking the first time that the series has ventured across to the East side of the country.
Tasmanian’s Chris Bayles took the win in a stunning victory with Reigning Champion Kyle Middleton, narrowly tying up the Australian Championship in a night of twists and turns that could not have been scripted.
2019 Australian X-Trial Championship – Wollongong
In the Qualifying Round, Middleton was in fine form dropping only five-points. Meanwhile Bayles was tied on 12 with Western Australia’s Neil Price for third and NSW’s Kevin Zarczynski was only three-points behind on nine. Zarczynski’s younger brother, Colin, had a few unlucky mistakes that cost him a place in the final along with Craig Austin who had a number of great rides but unfortunately could not finish them off.
The Wollongong audience was roaring when the riders returned to the arena for the Final and they certainly got a show. The first section saw Zarczynski, Price and Bayles all fail to complete the tallest Waco Kwikform Scaffold Step, before state hero, Middleton made it up in a stunning ride. With a five-point lead Middleton had some room to relax into Section 2. Zarczynski and Bayles both had a couple of safe rides on the very slippery concrete, before Price failed to complete the section, and Kyle made an uncharacteristic mistake and slipped off one of the lower pipes and touched the ground.
2019 Australian X-Trial Championship – Wollongong
This reduced Middleton’s lead to only one point going into the notorious Barrier section. Zarczynski, slipped off for five points, failing to complete and then both Price and Bayles rode beautifully to clean the Barriers consecutively. Middleton then failed to complete the first major turn dropping to 12 points and back to fourth place. This moved Bayles into the lead on only seven-points. Section four all riders failed to complete and with Middleton and Zarczynski both having big crashes, in the Pipes.
After the tyres and races, the final results were Bayles first on 14-points, Price second (16), Middleton third on count back (17) and Kevin Zarczynski (17) fourth.
Chris Bayles
“I was super stoked with the result and my riding. The sections were all or nothing. The crowd’s vibe was unreal, really got the riders motivated.”
The third place for Middleton meant the Championship standings literally had Bayles and Middleton tied on 45 points apiece, and meant they had to be separated by the combined observed scores over the two events, giving Middleton his fourth Australian X-Trial Championship with Bayles in second and Price rounding out the podium in third.
2019 Australian X-Trial Championship – Wollongong
Kyle Middleton
“Round two was a tough one! I am sore, I was challenged but the crowd really helps me get to the end. Not everything went to plan for me but I am absolutely stoked with my fight and managed to just sneak in the championship result.”
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Jacob Thorssell claims Scandinavian FIM SGP wild card
Swedish star Jacob Thorssell raced to his first Swedish Championship in Hallstavik to clinch the Scandinavian FIM Speedway Grand Prix wild card for Malilla on August 17. Thorssell did it the hard way after reaching the semi-final with 10 points, while Andreas Jonsson, Linus Sundstrom (both 13) and Kim Nilsson (12) all progressed automatically through to the final as top scorers in the heats.
Jacob Thorssell claims Scandinavian FIM SGP wild card
The semi shoot-out for the last final spot saw Thorssell beat Ludvig Lindgren – younger brother of SGP star Freddie – Victor Palovaara and Pontus Aspgren. Thorssell then carried his momentum into the medal race, beating Rospiggarna legend Andreas Jonsson on his home track, denying him a record-equalling eighth Swedish title in the process. Nilsson was third with Sundstrom fourth.
The Scandinavian SGP will be Thorssell’s third World Championship appearance after he made his debut as a wild card at the 2016 Stockholm SGP, scoring one point. He then scored four points as a track reserve in the Swedish capital a year later, winning heat 12 ahead of SGP icon Tai Woffinden, Freddie Lindgren and Martin Smolinski.
Charles Wright to wildcard British FIM Speedway GP
New British champion Charles Wright hailed his first national title “an unbelievable achievement” as he booked his place at the British FIM Speedway Grand Prix in Cardiff on September 21.
Wright started the British Championship Final in Manchester as one of the meeting’s dark horses to triumph. He ended it wearing the famous No.16 SGP wild-card race jacket he’ll don when he takes on the world’s top riders at the Principality Stadium.
The Stockport-based racer produced a lightening start to see off Danny King, Craig Cook and Chris Harris and win the Grand Final at the National Speedway Stadium – just 10 minutes from his home. The rider admits joining the British Championship roll of honour and earning his ticket to Cardiff will take some time to get his head around.
Charles Wright
“I have come on in leaps and bounds in the last couple of years and every year I seem to be going better and better. But I just can’t believe what I have done today. I beat some fantastic riders that I looked up to, and I have done it. I was just gating. I felt fast on the track and I knew if I got to that turn first in the last one, I was away. It’s an unbelievable achievement and I am so proud of myself. There’s nothing on it for me – I can just go out and enjoy it and see what I can do. I’ll see if I can beat a few GP boys and get the crowd going. There’s no pressure on me. I am there and that’s the main thing.”
Charles Wright in the #16 SGP jersey
Wright did it the hard way after reaching the semi-final on 11 points, while King and Cook qualified for the Grand Final automatically on 14 and 12 respectively. He won the semi ahead of Harris, Steve Worrall and Lewis Kerr, before pulling off the start and race win of his career in the decider to earn his SGP debut.
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Sherco’s Michael Metge wins 2019 Baja Spain Aragón
The 36th edition of Baja Spain Aragón was fiercely contested again and the outcome was never certain until the finish of the fourth stage. Ultimately, Michael Metge managed to impose his pace and confirm victory for the second successive year, the Frenchman finishing ahead of Junior rider Tosha Schareina and Joan Pedrero.
2019 Baja Spain Aragón Top 3 – Motorcycles
Cautious at the start, because he was taking part in Baja Spain Aragón with his rally motorcycle that was much heavier and less manoeuvrable on the winding tracks around Teruel, Metge took the lead in the opening stage and held on, despite the challenge from his rivals. Benjamin Melot finished eighth and maintains his lead in the FIM Cross-Country Bajas World Cup standings.
Michael Metge
“I did not think I would make such a good result. But riding with our Sherco Rally allowed us to test new settings. I quickly had a good feeling with the bike and I was able to keep up a good rhythm throughout the race. These settings are very interesting because David Castera, who was present on the second day on the Baja, told us that the first week of Dakar 2020 would be on beautiful tracks. Santolino obviously shared the same settings and we were able to fight on the tracks. I know his track record in Enduro and I was happy to beat him. It gives me confidence. Unfortunately, he took 14 minutes of speeding penalties. On the second day, young Tosha (Schareina) was very determined but, in the first special, I lost three to four minutes to the refueling because I had to repair the Stella bracket. On the first day, I fell and the bracket weakened and I arrived at the refueling with the Stella in hand.”
Michael Metge wins the 2019 Baja Spain Aragón
In the Women’s category, Rosa Romero won Baja Aragón and finished in front of Rita Vieira and Sara García. In Juniors, victory fell to Tosha Schareina, ahead of Maciej Giemza and Adam Tomicek.
Rosa Romero won Baja Aragón in the Women’s category
The final round of the FIM Cross-Country Bajas World Cup is the Hungarian Baja on August 9-11.
Overall Results – Bike
Michael Metge (Sherco) 6h30’21
Tosha Schareina (Husqvarna) +3’39
Joan Pedrero (KTM) +7’18
Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) +14’36
Martin Micek (KTM) +21’10
FIM Cross-Country Bajas World Cup standings
Benjamin MELOT (FRA) 45
Jakub PIĄTEK (POL) 26
Aaron MARE (ZAF) 25
De Gavardo TOMAS (CHL) 19
Sultan AL BALOOSHI (ARE) 18
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2019 Red Bull Romaniacs about to kick off
Excitement builds at round five of the World Enduro Super Series as Red Bull Romaniacs approaches race day in Sibiu, Romania. Long regarded as the world’s toughest Hard Enduro Rallye, round five of WESS marks the 16th edition of Red Bull Romaniacs.
2019 Red Bull Romaniacs – Image by Future7Media
On the eve of race day, riders from the 50 competing nations enjoyed a City Ride parade through the narrow, cobbled streets, supported by hordes of spectators who enthusiastically cheered them on.
Featuring five days of racing, with a Prologue on the streets on Sibiu followed by four days in the surrounding mountains the Romaniacs Hard Enduro Rallye looks set to be one of the toughest and most demanding events on the WESS calendar. The race will test the riders’ skill, stamina and mental strength.
2019 Red Bull Romaniacs – Image by Future7Media
Offering a teaser to when the action kicks off, the Gold class riders assembled on the prologue course to sample what’s on offer for 2019. For most it was an opportunity to test both body and machines ahead of the start of the racing, while others used it as a chance to size up their racing lines.
2019 Red Bull Romaniacs – Image by Future7Media
Graham Jarvis
“For me Red Bull Romaniacs is all about the mountains. I enjoy the prologue, but I’m a bit too steady – it must be my age! I’m aiming for a strong Off Road Day 1 and then see where things are at. It’s a long week and the competition is tougher than ever, but I didn’t come here to finish second.”
Graham Jarvis claimed the Hixpania Hard Enduro win in 2019
Josep Garcia
“Last year’s Romaniacs was the hardest race for me, but I got through it and I plan to do the same this year. It looks like the weather might play a part again but I think I am better prepared and have been working a lot on my training. My plan is to get to the finish and earn good WESS points before the next two rounds at Hawkstone and Solsona, where I think I have a good chance of taking the win.”
Josep Garcia – Image by Future7Media
Jonny Walker
“I’m feeling good coming into this year’s Romaniacs, I’m lucky in that so far this year I haven’t had any major problems with my fitness, it’s just the strength in my arm that’s lacking a little. I have been spending a lot of hours on the bike on the run up to the event and I’m confident that my pace and skill is definitely good enough for the podium. I’ve won before and finished second last year so I know what to expect and what to do to succeed. It’s definitely going to be a challenge as always but I’m hoping the extreme sections this year will fit in nicely with the faster flowing tracks and we can get a really good race out of it. Obviously, nobody can control the weather and if conditions are bad it could make for a very tough race.”
Jonny Walker – Image by Future7Media
Taddy Blazusiak
“I’ve been looking forward to Romaniacs, partly due to what happened last year. I’m feeling good and more comfortable on the bike now and I think I have a really good package for the race. Everyone knows the event will be tough and the organisers always try to throw in a few surprises along the way. I know my pace is good, so if everything goes well, I’ll definitely be aiming for a position on the podium.”
Taddy Blazusiak
Wade Young
“It’s nice to be back here in Romania and carry the #1 plate into this race. I’m excited to get going. We’ve worked a lot behind the scenes to be ready. I’ve got a new frame and switched to KYB suspension. Overall, I feel good and I’m happy on the new setup. I feel well prepared despite a slight shoulder injury. The goal is just to stay humble and level headed this week – take each day as it comes and be strong when it counts.”
Wade Young – Image by Future7Media
2019 WESS Championship Standings after Round 4
Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna – GB) 2690 points
Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM – GER) 2570
Mario Roman (Sherco – ESP) 2540
Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna – ESP) 2314
Billy Bolt (Husqvarna – GB) 2155
Josep Garcia (KTM – ESP) 2125
Jonny Walker (KTM – GB) 2090
Taddy Blazusiak (KTM – POL) 1900
Nathan Watson (KTM – GB) 1631
Travis Teasdale (KTM – RSA) 1610
2019 World Enduro Super Series Calendar
Round 5: Red Bull Romaniacs (Romania) July 30-August 3
Round 6: Hawkstone Park Cross Country (United Kingdom) September 21-22
Round 7: BR2 Enduro Solsona (Spain) October 5-6
Round 8: GetzenRodeo (Germany) November 2
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AORC heads to Broken Hill for Round 7 – Aug 10-11
The 2019 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) returns in two weeks to Broken Hill for Round 7, following a successful round at Kyogle in NSW. Now the championship heads to the Outback desert stage, with Dirt2Ride Events’ Lyndon Heffernan giving some insight into what’s to come. Entries can be done here (link) with a full race schedule to be found here (link).
AORC heads to Broken Hill for Round 7
Lyndon Heffernan – Dirt2Ride Events
“It has long been a dream of mine to create my own ‘bucket list’ event. And after riding the iconic Finke and Hattah Desert Races, I knew it had to be a desert race. After meeting the awesome crew from Silver City MCC, who had similar aspirations, the hunt for a great location was on. The Langwell Station become an option – a 110,00-acre sheep station situated 60km south of the iconic NSW Outback township of Broken Hill. After a quick trip and a day of riding around the place, I knew it offered the access, variety of conditions and the perfect venue to create a two-day event in picturesque, rugged terrain that every dirt bike rider will want to have a crack at. The crew from the AORC’s organising committee then approached me about incorporating the event into the prestigious national series last season, which is what we did.
AORC heads to Broken Hill for Round 7
“Logistically, it is way closer than Finke and/or Hattah for most NSW and Queensland riders. It is actually pretty central for those who live in a lot of east coast riding regions. We are trying to keep it affordable by camping at the track, and good value by offering up a good, long, hard ride. As it is a loop-style track like Hattah with varied distances for each class (see supp regs for full details), and not a point-to-point like Finke, the logistics are easy. Crews stay in one spot all weekend and no special equipment is needed. We want it to be a fun and easy-to-be-at, and still dish up an awesome desert riding experience – without the cost and logistical challenges usually associated with desert races.
AORC heads to Broken Hill for Round 7
“The event caters to a range of Junior classes, to a Pony Express teams race on Sunday Morning, and Senior capacity and veteran classes, so we’ve made sure there’s something for everyone. This will include a 4 Hour Cross Country for E1, E2, E3, EJ, Pony Express and Veterans Class. The Womens and Masters will feature a 3 Hour Cross Country and also the Juniors will have a 3 Hour Cross Country, its plenty of action for all.”
Entry for adults to watch all the action are $5, with kids under 16 free, while there’s a gold coin donation for parking, going to a local charity.
The 2019 AORC heads to Broken Hill for Round 7
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Husqvarna have announced that they have signed 125cc Junior Motocross World Champion Mattia Guadagnini for the 2020 EMX250 Championship with team Husqvarna Junior Racing Maddii.
Mattia Guadagnini – 2019 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship
The 17-year-old Italian, who leads the FIM European Motocross Championship EMX125 class with two rounds remaining, will step into the EMX250 class having enjoyed a highly impressive 2019 season to date. Holding a 13-point lead in the EMX125 series with only events in Belgium and Sweden remaining, Mattia has so far enjoyed six race wins including two double victories in Italy and moto wins in The Netherlands and Germany.
Winning both motos at the recent FIM 125cc Junior Motocross World Championship held at Arco di Trento, Italy, Mattia secured the coveted title in front of his home fans and joins the likes of Pauls Jonass, Tim Gajser and Jago Geerts in becoming a 125cc Junior World Champion.
Mattia Guadagnini
“I’m really happy to continue with Husqvarna Junior Racing Maddii for 2020. We are working really well together, and I think I can keep growing as a racer with them. I will race in EMX250 next year, which is another step for my career – a step that I am looking forward to and I’m confident about.”
Mattia Guadagnini
Marco Maddii – Husqvarna Junior Racing Maddii
“This is our third year together with Mattia and I’m very happy to continue our work in the next level of the EMX250 championship. Mattia has grown a lot this year and I’m proud of him as rider and person. Now he has finished his study and he will be totally focused on motocross. I believe he still has a lot to show with more training, testing and racing.”
2019 Australian Junior Dirt entries open
Motorcycling Australia have announced that entries are now open and Supplementary Regulations (link) are available for the 2019 Honda Australian Junior Dirt Track Championships.
Australian Junior Dirt Track – Image by Sheree Griffin
Hosted by the Central Coast Junior Motorcycle Club on the 28th and 29th September, this event will highlight the talent that continues to emerge from Australian riders all across the nation. The 2019 Honda Australian Dirt Track Championships will be held at Allen Park MVRG on Debenham Road North, Somersby in New South Wales.
2019 Honda Australian Dirt Track Championships schedule
Saturday 5th October
Sunday 6th October
Gates Open
7.00am
7.00am
Scrutineering & Sign On
7.30am to 8.45am
7.30am to 9.00am – if required
Riders Briefing
8.45am
9.00am
Practice
9.00am
No Practice
9.30am Parade Lap and National Anthem (Ben Felten)
Racing
Immediately after the conclusion of practice
Immediately after the conclusion of the Parade Lap and National Anthem
80cc 4 Stroke Standard 7 to U11yrs – NO MODIFICATIONS
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Kristie Mckinnon joins Australian 2019 Trial des Nations team
Due to prior commitments Kristie Mckinnon originally had to dismiss her duties from the 2019 Trial des Nations (TdN), which this year takes place in Ibiza, Spain, however with those commitments now pushed aside, the nine-times Australian Trials Champion is back on deck and ready to help her teammates, Jenna Lupo and Lillie Yiatrou at the twentieth running of the Women’s Trial des Nations event.
Kristie McKinnon
Mckinnon brings a lot of experience and a lot of stability to the Australian team. The 34-year-old, who hails from Penrith, New South Wales, has been the Australian Trial Champion for the past nine years and represented Australia on at least ten occasions in the TdN. The 2019 Trials des Nations runs from the 28-29 September.
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The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship landed in Washougal for Round Nine of the AMA Motocross championship, with the Washougal National welcoming a massive crowd in perfect conditions for the tree-lined circuit.
Eli Tomac – 2019 AMA Motocross Championship – Washougal National – Round 9
In the 450 class it was Eli Tomac who made it clear why he’s leading the standings, with a double win to mark his fourth victory of the summer, with Ken Roczen and Marvin Musquin sharing the overall podium, and Cooper Webb also appearing on the podium for Moto 1.
In the 250 class Dylan Ferrandis took the round win ahead of Adam Cianciarulo, with Justin Cooper completing the overall podium. Michael Mosiman also made an appearance on the Moto 2 podium.
450 Moto 1
The first 450 moto got underway with rookie Joey Savatgy capturing his first holeshot over Cooper Webb and Ken Roczen. While Savatgy was able to clear the field and grab hold of the lead, Roczen was on the move and stormed up into second. The German then closed in on Savatgy for the lead, and while the rookie was able to hold him off to lead his first lap in the 450 Class, Roczen pounced to seize control of the moto.
Joey Savatgy took the holeshot- 2019 AMA Motocross Championship – Washougal National – Round 9
Roczen quickly sprinted out to a multi-second lead over the field, while Savatgy settled into second. Behind them a battle started to form for third, as Webb was under heavy pressure from his teammate, Marvin Musquin, Jason Anderson, and Tomac.
Musquin made multiple attempts to get around his teammate, but Webb withstood every attack. This allowed Tomac, who passed Anderson for fifth, to close in and make it a three-rider battle. As Webb continued to hold them off, Anderson joined the fray as well. The increased pace of this group eventually allowed them to take big chunks out of their deficit to Savatgy, in second.
Marvin Musquin – 2019 AMA Motocross Championship – Washougal National – Round 9
Musquin’s inability to get by Webb proved costly, as Tomac made the pass for fourth. Shortly thereafter, Anderson dropped the Frenchman to sixth. Tomac was determined to keep his forward charge going, and was soon all over Webb for third. A bobble briefly halted the KTM rider’s momentum, which made it easy for Tomac to move into a podium spot.
Anderson attempted to follow by Webb as well, but was unsuccessful. With his exceptional pace, it was only a matter of time before Tomac closed in on his teammate for second, and he easily took control of the runner-up spot. At this point, he sat about eight seconds behind Roczen.
Jason Anderson – 2019 AMA Motocross Championship – Washougal National – Round 9
Savatgy continued to lose positions and eventually dropped off the podium, and then out of the top five. Webb moved up into third, Anderson into fourth, and Musquin eventually into fifth. As Webb and Anderson engaged in a captivating battle for the final spot on the podium, Tomac was making his march toward Roczen.
The Kawasaki rider effectively closed to within striking distance of the lead, and with three laps to go he started to look for a way around. Lapped riders brought them even closer together, but as he tried to make a pass, Tomac tipped over.
Ken Roczen – 2019 AMA Motocross Championship – Washougal National – Round 9
That gave Roczen some breathing room, but a relentless Tomac closed back in as they approached the white flag. Tomac showed extra aggression as they traversed through the trees on the far section of the track and got alongside Roczen. They made contact, which sent Roczen off the track.
Tomac successfully battled his way from eighth out of the first turn to first, and carried on to the win by 8.4 seconds over Roczen, who recovered to finish in the runner-up spot. Webb and Anderson both endured through late crashes to finish in third and fourth, while Musquin ended up fifth.
450 Moto 2
As the 450 Class field exited the first turn to start Moto 2 it was once again Savatgy, who just narrowly edged out Musquin to sweep the holeshots for the afternoon. Musquin applied the pressure immediately and was able to get around Savatgy for the lead.
Marvin Musquin – 2019 AMA Motocross Championship – Washougal National – Round 9
Behind them Zach Osborne and Dean Wilson got great starts as well, but they were soon challenged by Roczen, who was making several passes after starting outside the top five. Tomac was mired about mid pack in 15th.
Musquin completed the opening lap with the lead, with Savatgy, Osborne and Roczen in tow. The early pace from Roczen allowed him to pass both Osborne and Savatgy in one section and move into second. He didn’t let up and looked for a way around Musquin.
Zach Osborne – 2019 AMA Motocross Championship – Washougal National – Round 9
The sport’s two international stars went at it, but Musquin was able to withstand the early pressure and open up a lead of more than a second. Behind them, Tomac started to make his move through the field. He needed just a couple laps to break into the top 10, and he soon found himself knocking on the door of the top five behind Osborne.
As the moto neared its halfway point, Anderson made a controversial pass on Savatgy to move up to third, while Tomac made his way around Osborne for fifth shortly after that. Tomac then squared in on his teammate, and Savatgy didn’t put up too big of a fight as his teammate made the move for fourth.
Joey Savatgy – 2019 AMA Motocross Championship – Washougal National – Round 9
Free of their slower competition, Anderson and Tomac picked up their pace to try and catch the leaders. An aggressive Tomac didn’t waste any time in trying to get by Anderson, and he took control of third coming down one of the track’s big downhills.
With about 14 minutes left in the moto, Tomac sat four seconds behind Musquin and Roczen. With 10 minutes to go, Tomac caught Roczen, which initiated a battle for second. The increased pace of this battle carried both riders to Musquin and soon the top three were all within two seconds of one another.
Eli Tomac – 2019 AMA Motocross Championship – Washougal National – Round 9
Tomac found an opening as they reached the top of one of the track’s uphill sections and took it, which moved him into second. He distanced himself from Roczen almost immediately and put the pressure on Musquin.
The Frenchman was able to counter Tomac’s advances and run more defensive lines, which helped him hold Tomac at bay. However, Tomac’s patience was tested during this exchange and he didn’t relent in the next pass attempt.
Ken Roczen – 2019 AMA Motocross Championship – Washougal National – Round 9
He forced his way to Musquin’s inside and took control of the moto with about three minutes to go. Musquin did well to keep Tomac within reach, but the Kawasaki started to inch away as the race wore on. Tomac left his rivals behind in the final laps to complete the moto sweep by 11.9 seconds over Musquin. Roczen finished third.
450MX Podium – 2019 AMA Motocross Championship – Washougal National – Round 9
Tomac’s class-leading fourth win of the season, and his second 1-1 sweep of the season, gives him sole possession of fifth on the all-time 450 Class wins list, with 21 victories, breaking a tie with James Stewart.
Eli Tomac
“On the bike [today] it was like perfection, other than the starts. The second moto was pretty much mistake free. Everything was in the right place, at the right time. It’s pretty cool when that happens. That was just a good day on a dirt bike.”
Eli Tomac – 2019 AMA Motocross Championship – Washougal National – Round 9
Roczen’s consistent day helped him grab a runner-up finish (2-3), for his first overall podium result since Round 4 at High Point. Musquin rebounded from his slow start to finish third (5-2).
Marvin Musquin
“I was really disappointed in my first moto result, I had a tough time getting around Cooper and unfortunately just lost my rhythm a bit and couldn’t move back up. In the second moto, I felt really good on the bike and was able to battle with Eli [Tomac] and salvage some points with a second place finish and third overall for the day.”
Marvin Musquin – 2019 AMA Motocross Championship – Washougal National – Round 9
Cooper Webb
“It was an up-and-down day for me. In the second moto, I struggled with some stomach issues – I’m not sure what was going on but after the first one I was really struggling with my stomach. We’ll get to work on the off-weekend and finish these last three strong.”
Cooper Webb – 2019 AMA Motocross Championship – Washougal National – Round 9
Tomac added even more points to his cushion in the 450 Class standings, where he now sits 50 points ahead of Musquin. Roczen continues to hold onto third, 57 points behind Tomac.
Jason Anderson – P5
“My day went pretty decent. In the first moto, I got up to third and then I fell and ended up fourth. In the second moto, I got up to fourth and tried to make a charge and ended up getting passed for fifth. I went 4-5 for the day but I got docked two positions, so I ended up fifth overall, which isn’t too bad.”
Jason Anderson – 2019 AMA Motocross Championship – Washougal National – Round 9
Zach Osborne – P6
“It was just a really ‘off’ day until the second moto, where I was able to turn things around, I think I’ve just been a little bit off the normal regimen with my shoulder but going into an off-weekend, I feel like I can make a lot of improvement with it and keep moving forward.”
Zach Osborne – 2019 AMA Motocross Championship – Washougal National – Round 9
Dean Wilson – P9
“Today was definitely an improvement but I’m still trying to catch up on my fitness. The second moto, I had a really good start and those guys passed me but to be honest I was really struggling with cramping in my legs. It’s a little disappointing as a 7-8 was looking doable but we’ll just keep working at it.”
Dean Wilson – 2019 AMA Motocross Championship – Washougal National – Round 9
Justin Barcia – P10
“We struggled a little bit this morning, made lots of little changes all day. In the first moto, got a bad start again. I charged through the pack up to the top 10. I passed a lapper and got taken out, so that kind of put me back a little bit, but still managed to finish 10th. Then got another bad start in the second moto, which is frustrating. I can’t figure those out at the moment. I just charged as far as I could forward and rode the best I could today. It was a tough one, but just going to keep working and getting better and move forward.”
Justin Barcia – 2019 AMA Motocross Championship – Washougal National – Round 9
Loket hosted Round 13 of the 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship where it was Romain Febvre who put on a brilliant performance to win his first GP since 2016, taking the double win from championship leader Tim Gajser and Jeremy Seewer.
Romain Febvre – 2019 Czech MXGP, Loket
In the MX2 Class Jorge Prado scored his 27th Grand Prix win, with a perfect 1-1 result at the Grand Prix of Czech Republic. The win extended Prado’s points lead in the series points, with 90 points separating Prado from second placed man Thomas Kjer Olsen, while second overall at Loket was Henry Jacobi and third Olsen.
MXGP Race 1
At the Gate drop of MXGP Race 1 Jeremy Seewer took the FOX Holeshot ahead of his teammate Romain Febvre and Tim Gajser, but Gautier Paulin pushed the HRC rider to the side and moved into third place. Gajser moved back past Paulin to get back into third place, and behind him came Paulin and Brian Bogers.
Jeremy Seewer – 2019 Czech MXGP, Loket
Febvre made gains with a pass on Seewer for first place at the opening lap. After three laps Febvre held just over a second to Seewer, followed by Gajser, Paulin and Arminas Jasikoniswho moved past Bogers for fifth. A lot was happening mid pack as Pauls Jonass was all over Bogers for sixth place, while Jasikonis was doing the same to Paulin for fourth position.
After eight laps it was still Febvre leading with around four seconds between himself and Seewer, with Gajser losing ground on the two Yamaha riders. Gajser started pushing harder at the end of the race and closed up on Seewer for second place.
Tim Gajser – 2019 Czech MXGP, Loket
After 13 laps Febvre held a four-second lead over Seewer with Gajser all over the Yamaha riders in third, then came Paulin and Jasikonis.
Gajser moved into second place after passing Seewer and added a few points to his championship lead. Gajser then easily pulled away from Seewer and seemed to be going after Febvre for the race win. Febvre though was too good and Gajser found himslef settled for the second place. Febvre won race 1 in Loket from Gajser and Seewer finishing third.
MXGP Race 2
Race 2 started nearly identical for Seewer who again took the FOX Holeshot and led the way ahead of Gajser, Paulin, Febvre and Arnaud Tonus. Febvre was quickly into third place and passed Paulin.
MXGP Start – 2019 Czech MXGP, Loket
Tommy Searle also pushed hard as he moved into fifth place while Febvre moved forward in the early going of the race and looked to get to the front; the French moved into second place while Gajser seemed to back it down a little as both Seewer and Febvre were riding on the edge and very close. On lap three Febvre tried to make a pass on Seewer but couldn’t get past.
Gajser, after taking a little rest started pushing again and was back onto the two front guys. A brilliant battle for first place between the two Monster Energy Yamaha riders was set leaving Gajser sitting back watching it all. Febvre managed to move into first place on lap six.
Tim Gajser – 2019 Czech MXGP, Loket
Gajser started putting massive pressure on Seewer for second and pushed to get past but had to wait. Gajser rode past Seewer to move into second and started chasing after the leader.
Back in ninth position Searle crashed into the wire fence and his bike was stuck dropping himself into 21st.
The top ten after seven laps was Febvre, Gajser, Seewer, Paulin, Tonus, Jeremy Van Horebeek, Jonass, Glenn Coldenhoff, Jasikonis and Max Anstie in 10th. After nine laps suddenly Gajser was onto Febvre with just two seconds separating them two front guys.
Jeremy Seewer – 2019 Czech MXGP, Loket
Febvre settled and took command of the race, winning his third race of the season from Gajser and Seewer. Romain Febvre won the MXGP of Czech Republic at the Loket circuit on the back of a brilliant 1-1 performance and scored his first Grand Prix victory in three years.
Second overall was Tim Gajser with 2-2 scores and third Jeremy Seewer with 3-3 results. Tim Gajser goes to Lommel with 177 points ahead of Seewer and with a change to gain the title at the MXGP of Belgium.
Roman Febvre – P1
“I feel amazing. The whole weekend has been good for me. Right from the beginning my speed has been good, and I managed to go 1-1. I am really happy. It has been a long road back to victory and not an easy one. Many tough GP’s and some injuries. We are back! I am so happy, and happy for my team Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP. It means everything.”
Romain Febvre – 2019 Czech MXGP, Loket
Tim Gajser – P2
“The track was really tough, it was hard and slick so I didn’t feel so comfortable on the track, but I’m quite happy with how the motos turned out. I took two good starts and I was riding smart and I didn’t want to push too much because it was easy to make a mistake. Overall it was a good weekend and I’m happy I could give all the Slovenian fans something to cheer about. They support me so much on the track and I could really hear them around the start straight bend each lap. So many of them made the trip and I am just really thankful for every one of them and it is just an awesome feeling to be out there and celebrating with them.”
Jeremy Seewer – P3
“I struggled to set-up the bike here, on a 450cc it’s really tricky because on a track like Loket we have a bike with so much power, but no traction. I managed to turn it around and find my flow. Romain was on another level today, but I think I had the same speed as Tim (Gajser), so it would have been nice to have kept second position. I am happy to be on the podium though, and the most amazing thing was to take three holeshots.”
Jeremy Seewer – 2019 Czech MXGP, Loket
Gautier Paulin – P4
“4-4 was my place today. I was fast all weekend. Starts were key on this track. I did make a few mistakes, but that is part of racing. I am happy with the full crew and I am happy to be back at a good level and to be pain free, which is a big deal. Fourth was my place this weekend, so it was a good weekend overall.”
Gautier Paulin – 2019 Czech MXGP, Loket
Pauls Jonass – P6
“I guess I can say it’s been a decent GP for me – certainly not the worst, but also not the best. I had hoped to get better results coming back to Europe, but it’s like this. It’s good championship points, and sixth is a good overall result. Starts are so important here and I didn’t get the best of starts in either race. But I felt good in the first race and managed to make a few passes and, yeah, sixth was a good result. My pace wasn’t quite what I needed in the second moto. I felt ok, but I didn’t want to push too hard and take risks. Riding here is very different on a 450, but I enjoyed the GP. There aren’t too many races to go now, so the focus is to keep working and try and improve my position in the championship.”
Pauls Jonass – 2019 Czech MXGP, Loket
Arminas Jasikonis – P7
“I’m pleased with the way the weekend has gone. It didn’t start in the best way when I got caught up in the first turn crash in the qualification race. But I rode well to come from almost last to 10th. I really pushed hard and was feeling good coming into today’s races. My start wasn’t the best in the first race, but I felt like I made some good passes during the early laps and kept a good pace going throughout the race. I was behind Paulin during the last laps but couldn’t find a way pass and didn’t want to take risks. Fifth was a really good result. The second moto went pretty well but I felt like I wasn’t quite flowing with the track like I needed. Seventh overall is a big step in the right direction after the last few GPs and I’m really looking forward to Lommel now.”
Arminas Jasikonis – 2019 Czech MXGP, Loket
Arnaud Tonus – P8
“With how I felt, this weekend was quite OK. I was really sick for a week and a half. I had a bad bacterium that infected my body and made me very sick. In the last 10 days I could only ride once, so I knew it was going to be a tough GP. To come away with 10 and 5 in the races, was not so bad considering how I felt.”
One of the most eagerly anticipated Suzuka 8 Hour races in recent history got underway at 1230 (AEST) under hazy skies and on a hot and dry track. These conditions were in stark contrast to the torrential downpours that forced organisers to cancel the Top Ten final qualifying shootout on Saturday afternoon.
Yamaha Factory Racing Team started from pole in their quest for a fifth successive victory on the hallowed Suzuka ground, that is actually owned by Honda.
2019 Suzuka 8 Hour start
Japanese hot-shot Katsuyuki Nakasuga (2m05.922) was the quickest of the Yamaha Factory Racing Team trio, but team-mates Alex Lowes (2m06.629s) and Michael Van der Mark (2m07.306s), had also displayed good enough speed for the team to claim pole position, their combined time only 0.014s ahead of the second placed Kawasaki triumvirate.
The very much in-form trio of Kawasaki World Superbike riders had been led by Jonathan Rea, the fastest qualifier for the team on 2m06.495s, alongside Leon Haslam (2m06.706s), and Turk Toprak Razgatlioglu (2m06.698s).
Red Bull Honda had qualified third but Takumi Takahashi (2m06.200s) had actually been the second fastest qualifier overall behind Nakasuga. Takahashi’s team-mates Ryuichi Kiyonari (2m07.955s), and Stefan Bradl (2m07.106s), loaned their weight to the team effort that saw them qualify third.
MuSashi RT Harc-Pro had qualified fourth but were forced to start from pit-lane, after a 90-second penalty, due to a tyre rule infringement.
Yoshimura qualified fifth, led by Yukio Kagayama, then it was the Yamaha Austria Racing Team led by Broc Parkes and defending World Endurance Champions F.C.C. TSR Honda France led by Josh Hook. The top nine qualifiers all on Bridgestone rubber.
Riders make the mad dash to their machines in the start of the 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
They are away!
Taree youngster Josh Hook quickly worked his way through to the front of the pack as Sylvain Guintoli and Bradley Ray gave chase, while Leon Haslam made short work of Ray to move up to third place.
Katsuyuki Nakasuga, the fastest man here during practice and qualifying, then pushed Ray further back to fifth. Takumi Takahashi was in sixth place for Red Bull Honda in these early laps of the race ahead of Niccolo Canepa, Ryosuke Iwato and Yuki Takahashi.
Sylvain Guintoli swept through to the lead on lap three but Hooky came right back at the 37-year-old French MotoGP tester.
The 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour kicks into action!
Yonny Hernandez then threw the Honda Endurance Racing Team Fireblade down the road but eventually managed to re-mount.
Ten minutes into the race it was Guintoli from Hook, but the Aussie youngster was starting to come under sustained attack from Nakasuga, Haslam and Takahashi, the latter of which had just put in a new fastest lap of the race.
Josh Waters had started the race for MotoMap Suzuki but 13-minutes into the race the Mildura based three-time Aussie Superbike Champion went down. He eventually made it back to the pits and continued the race.
Guintoli managed to pull away from Hook and 16-minutes into the race the Suzuki man had a two-second buffer. Hook was holding down second place but had a number of high-profile riders all over his tail. Haslam briefly moved past Nakasuga to move up to third place, but the star Yamaha rider quickly reasserted his place in the pecking order. In reality though, nothing separated Hook from Haslam, Nakasuga and Takumi Takahashi as the race approached the 20-minute mark.
Niccolo Canepa had started the race for YART Yamaha and was running in sixth place ahead of Bradley Ray and Ryosuke Iwato. Yuki Takahashi had started the race for the KYB Moriwaki Honda he shares with Troy Herfoss and Tomoyoshi Koyama.
Safety Car!
Hook and his trio of fellow travellers then started closing on Guintoli only for the first safety car incident to unfold at the 26-minute mark. As per all World Endurance rounds there are actually two safety cars that join at different parts at the circuit, and importantly SRC Kawasaki France, the leaders in the World Endurance Championship, were behind the second of the safety cars, in 13th place.
Just as it seemed as though the safety car might have done Hook and F.C.C. TSR Honda a favour, Hook got mixed up in traffic at the re-start. He then did a brilliant job to quickly force his way back up to third place behind Nakasuga, while Guintoli again was off like a rocket. The Frenchman seemingly able to switch to full speed like a light switch, catching the others on the hop.
The re-start signalled disaster for the 333 VRD Igol Pierret Expériences squad when Xavier Simeon went down at Spoon Curve.
Leon Haslam pushed Hook back to fourth place as the race approached the 45-minute mark but it was again that same group of five riders running in relatively close formation at the front of the field. Guintoli from Haslam, Nakasuga, Hook and Takahashi.
Hooky was mixing it up well and racing with with some very well proven talent and was showing the way for Honda, as some of the other well supported Honda teams and riders tripped themselves up, the 26-year-old was looking fast and solid. The strength of his performance, in front of all Honda’s top management from across the corporate and racing spectrum, should raise his stakes somewhat in the Honda hierarchy of current racers.
Just over an hour into the race Nakasuga made his move past Guintoli. The leaders then started to encounter lots of lapped traffic, it was the Japanese hotshot that sliced and diced them like a Teppenyaki chef to stretch away from his pursuers. It also started to seem that a couple of that leading quintet had backed off a little, presumably for fuel preservation purposes, playing the long game…
Or was it the ones with the real speed up their sleeve had just pulled the pin to end their session in a fast fashion and hand over the best possible position to their next team-mate in-line….
First Pit Stop!
The first two of the leading five to pit were Josh Hook and Sylvain Guintoli. Taking the controls of the F.C.C. TSR Honda from Hook at the 67-minute mark was Mike Di Meglio, while Kazuki Watanabe clambered aboard the Yoshimura Suzuki. Interviewed after getting off the bike, Hook explained that he had some front end chattering issues late in his stint, and that he had to save a few front-end loses.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
Race leader Katsuyuki Nakasuga came in on the next lap and handed over the Yamaha Factory Racing Team YZF-R1M to Alex Lowes. Inheriting the race lead when Nakasuga pitted was Takumi Takahashi on the Red Bull Honda, ahead of Leon Haslam.
Haslam was the next of that early leading group to come in but amazingly the Red Bull Honda was able to stay out for yet another lap. Haslam handed over to Jonathan Rea while Takahashi eventually handed over to Stefan Bradl.
As they settled back into the swing of things after the pit stops, and the new order started to shake out, it was Stefan Bradl leading by two-seconds over Alex Lowes.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France’s Mike Di Meglio was five-seconds behind the race leader, but ahead of Jonathan Rea and Kazuki Watanabe.
Once Alex Lowes got up to speed though he quickly reeled in Stefan Bradl, and was right on the tail of the Red Bull Honda in no time, before then backing off his pace, seemingly content to follow and conserve both fuel and tyres, but knowing that he can turn the speed on at any given moment to sprint to the front.
Jonathan Rea then slotted the Kawasaki Racing Team past Di Meglio on the F.C.C. TSR Honda to move up to third place. The World Superbike Champion quickly pulled away from the 31-year-old Frenchman.
YART had fared well from the pit-stop with Niccolo Canepa handing over to Marvin Fritz and the team ranked a strong sixth as the race approached the 90-minute mark.
Bradl and Lowes hit a lot of lapped traffic around 15-minutes later, Lowes threaded the needle better and took the lead from Lowes.
At the 1hr50-min mark Team SRC Kawasaki, the World Endurance Championship leaders, made their second pit stop and David Checa took the controls with the team down in 19th place.
Team SRC Kawasaki France – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
It was more than 20-minutes later when race leader Alex Lowes handed over the reins of the Yamaha Factory Racing Team YZF-R1M to his Pata Yamaha World Superbike team-mate Michael Van der Mark.
Freddy Foray took the controls of the F.C.C. TSR Honda from Mike Di Meglio with the team still ranked in fourth place.
Red Bull Honda came in a couple of laps later and Bradl did not hand over to Ryuichi Kiyonari, the third member of the team, and the slowest qualifier amongst the team, but instead Takumi Takahashi went out for his second stint.
Troy Herfoss took the controls of the KYB Moriwaki Honda with the team in ninth place while Broc Parkes was also now out for his first stint with the YART Yamaha in sixth place. Herfoss managed to improve the standing of the KYB Moriwaki squad up to eighth place during his session.
With the situation shaking out after that second round of pit stops, and almost 2.5-hours into the race, Red Bull Honda were looking very strong. Leon Haslam had momentarily got ahead of Takumi Takahashi but the Honda man then put in a new fastest lap of the race to propel the Fireblade back into the race lead.
Traffic was causing all sorts of delays for the hard chargers up front. Some passes were harder or softer, depending on the situation at hand, but it also meant that the race pace slowed and varied, with even some of the leading riders forced back into the 2m10s from time to time.
Three Hours Down
At the three-hour mark, Takumi Takahashi still headed the field on the Red Bull Honda. His buffer, with 37-per cent of the race now behind that Fireblade SP2, was more than eight-seconds ahead of the Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10RR beneath Leon Haslam.
Red Bull Honda – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
Michael Van der Mark was holding down third place on the Yamaha Factory Racing Team YZF-R1M and was now right behind Haslam.
Freddy Foray had not managed to equal the impressive early pace of Hook and the F.C.C. TSR Honda was now over a minute behind the race leader, and starting to be stalked by Yukio Kagayama on the Yoshimura Suzuki.
Broc Parkes was sixth on the YART Yamaha before coming in just after the three-hour mark and handing over to Niccolo Canepa.
Ten-minutes later Haslam handed the Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10RR back over to Jonathan Rea. Michael Van der Mark pitted the Yamaha Factory Racing Team YZF-R1M on the same lap and handed over to Katsuyuki Nakagsuga.
A lap later Josh Hook was back out on the F.C.C. TSR Honda and had his head down to try and keep Yoshimura Suzuki at bay.
Nigon throws the SRC Kawasaki down the road!
While Hook was in the pits, Erwan Nigon crashed the World Endurance Championship leading Team SRC Kawasaki ZX-10RR in a mistake that likely would have massive consequences for the outfit.
Team SRC Kawasaki – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
SRC Kawasaki’s demise put the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team of Gregg Black, Etienne Masson and Vincent Phillipe in the box seat for FIM World Endurance Championship honours.
SERT were running in ninth place, and if they were to remain in that position at the chequered flag the FIM WEC crown would be theirs. Should they falter, and F.C.C. TSR finish well, then Hook and his Honda team-mates would be crowned World Endurance Champions for the second year running….
To confuse things a little further though Nigon had eventually got the SRC Kawasaki up and running again and rejoined the race in 16th place. It won’t be over until it is over!
Bradl back on the leading Red Bull Honda
Just after the 3hr-20mins mark Stefan Bradl was back out on the leading Red Bull Honda. The German had a lot to live up to after what been an absolutely brilliant stint by Takumi Takahashi.
Red Bull Honda – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
Jonathan Rea and Katsuyuki Nakasuga were on track together in a battle over second and third place. The pair dropping in 2m-07s laps and fighting each other tooth and nail like it was a sprint race, and doing it while negotiating plenty of lapped traffic. Their respective pit garages would be either biting their nails or not able to watch the monitors… The duo were six-seconds behind Bradl as he got back up to speed after just getting back on the bike, but were more than a full minute ahead of fourth placed Hook.
Rea and Nakasuga continued to lap quicker than Bradl, it was not long before they were all over the back of the Red Bull Honda.
Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki Racing Team into the lead
Jonathan Rea made short work of Stefan Bradl and also got the better of Naksuga. Both riders got ahead of Bradl but it was Rea that managed to make a break after some decisive moves through traffic, combined with a metronomic series of fast laps, that saw the Kawasaki start to pull away at the front of the field. It was a deeply impressive performance by Rea, pin-point accurate, fast, and smooth.
Jonathan Rea – Kawasaki Racing Team – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
2.5 hours to go and things tight at the top
Fortunes ebbed and flowed over the next stints but after more rider swaps, and with 2.5 hours to go, things were still remarkably tight at the top. Jonathan Rea was back in the saddle again after a stint from Haslam, while Stefan Bradl had just climbed back aboard the Red Bull Honda after another brilliant stint from Takumi Takahashi.
Michael Van der Mark was in the hot seat aboard the Yamaha Factory Racing Team YZF-R1M. As the new riders bedded back in to their bikes, tyres and got back up to speed, it was Jonathan Rea leading from Van der Mark by 1.5-seconds, with the Dutchman holding a similar gap over third placed Stefan Bradl.
Freddy Foray was still the highest ranked of the FIM World Endurance regulars with the F.C.C. TSR Honda in fourth place, a lap behind the race leaders, but with an 11-second buffer over the Yoshimura Suzuki of Yukio Kagayama.
MuSashi RT Harc-Pro – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
Broc Parkes was on the YART Yamaha and a further 40-seconds behind but with 30-seconds over Javier Fores on the MuSashi RT Hard-Pro Honda. The #634 Honda had been made to start from pit-lane, 90-seconds after the rest of the field due to a tyre infringement earlier in the weekend, but had done a remarkable job to be holding down seventh place.
Six Hours Down!
Jonathan Rea was leading from Michael Van der Mark by three-seconds, with Stefan Bradl now a further six-seconds down in third place.
Freddy Foray was a lap down in fourth place but was still 13-seconds ahead of Yukio Kagayama on the Yoshimura Suzuki. Broc Parkes was still out on the YART Yamaha but further behind in sixth place.
Now time for the sixth pit stop
With just under two hours remaining, some of the leading teams started to pit for their sixth stop. The first of the leaders to pit was Jonathan Rea on the Kawasaki, the Northern Irishman again handing the controls of the ZX-10RR to Leon Haslam.
Leon Haslam – Kawasaki Racing Team – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
The third member of the Kawasaki Racing Team, Toprak Razgatlioglu, preferred a much different set-up and seating position to his team-mates. Rather than compromise the settings of the machines, the team chose to concentrate on the more similar requirements of Rea and Haslam, thus Razgatlioglu was left to watch on as his Kawasaki team-mates did a sterling job on the ZX-10RR.
The next of the leaders in to the pits was the Yamaha Factory Racing Team YZF-R1M with Michael Van Der Mark handing over to Katsuyuki Nakasuga. There was a problem with the fuel cap on the Yamaha that caused a small delay for them during the pit stop.
F.C.C. TSR Honda were in shortly after with Josh Hook back in the saddle for his final stint on the Fireblade.
Stefan Bradl was the last of the top ten to pit, staying out for a lot more laps than most of his competitors.
Ninety minutes to go!
Stefan Bradl came in to hand the race leading Fireblade to Takumi Takahashi with 90-minutes remaining in the race. Was there any remote chance that they could stretch a 90-minute final stint out of that Red Bull Honda….? Or would they need a splash and dash…?
Red Bull Honda – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
With the whole field now having made their sixth pit-stop, the race order shook itself out again and when all competitors were back up to race speed, Leon Haslam had a significant 11-second lead over Takahashi, while Katsuyuki Nakasuga was a further nine-seconds behind in third place.
Nakasuga was dipping into the 2m07s, when traffic allowed, and looked determined to use his stint to claw back as much ground as possible on the Red Bull Honda and KRT ZX-10RR in front of him.
Josh Hook was in fourth place, a lap down on the leaders, but with a 16-second buffer over Yoshimura Suzuki’s Sylvain Guintoli.
Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
Takahashi gradually reeled in Leon Haslam. The Kawasaki man was carrying a wrist injury, that was forcing him to ride with a slightly less natural style, which was then bringing on some niggling shoulder discomfort. Without it would he have the speed to match the charging Takahashi? Probably not, but his shoulder pain certainly wouldn’t be helping. It took Takahashi almost half an hour to pull back that 11-seconds, but now Red Bull Honda were back in front with just over sixty minutes to go.
One hour to run!
Once past Leon Haslam, Takumi Takahashi quickly started pulling away from the Kawasaki mounted Briton. Katsuyuki Nakasuga was also closing in on Haslam, the gap was down to seven-seconds before Haslam then pulled into the pits for a tyre change, a full tank of fuel and a new rider in the shape of reining World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea.
Kawasaki Racing Team – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
During his earlier session the Northern Irishman had exhibited stunning speed, superior to that of Haslam, and it was now going to be interesting if Rea could start reeling Takahashi back in.
Just as that battle was shaping up though the Red Bull Honda headed into the pits with just over 45-minutes remaining. Takahashi got a new set of tyres and a tank of fuel but remained on the motorcycle.
Nakasuga had entered the pits at the same time and handed over to Alex Lowes. Now with Rea on the Kawasaki, Takahashi on the Honda and Lowes on the Yamaha, we had three of the fastest qualifying riders all on track, and all with a sniff of victory.
Kawasaki Racing Team – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
Jonathan Rea was straight down to business and clocking in 2m06s laps as he chased Takahashi, the gap with 43-minutes remaining was three-seconds. Lowes was a further 20-seconds back on the Factory Yamaha. All it would take though was a bad run of traffic, or a safety car, and it would be back to nothing between them…
The #10 Kawasaki piloted by Jonathan Rea took the lead with 36-minutes remaining just as Takahashi got well and truly baulked and held up by a lapped rider. It cost the Red Bull Honda man a couple of seconds and allowed Rea to immediately sprint away from the Fireblade.
In an instant it was nearly all over for Rea as a back-marker came down after clipping what looked like an errant muffler on the circuit, his sliding bike missed taking Rea out by inches. That would have been a very cruel blow but with 30-minutes remaining it served as a stark reminder that very little separates triumph from tragedy, and that anything could happen before this race was over.
Team SRC Kawasaki France – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
Just as wrote that line, the rain flag came out as minor patches of precipitation started to be detected around the circuit. This being Japan, that could quickly turn into a torrential downpour, or could even rain at one part of the circuit, and be dry at another part of the track…
Defending World Endurance Champions F.C.C. TSR Honda were still ranked fourth overall, with 24-seconds over Yoshimura Suzuki. Their poor start to the season though meant that disasters would have to befall Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, or Team SRC Kawasaki France would need to make another major mistake for the F.C.C. TSR Honda squad to lift the title again.
20 minutes to go! KRT have it in the bag….
Jonathan Rea had been an absolute dynamo and the seemingly tired Takahashi did not look to have enough fight left in him. The Yamaha of Nakasuga steadily reeled the Red Bull Honda in and pushed Takahashi back to third place. Meanwhile Jonathan Rea now had a 20-second lead over his pursuers and looked a shoe-in to take Kawasaki’s second ever Suzuka 8 Hour win.
Kawasaki Racing Team – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
Once Nakasuga was past a tiring Takahashi he pulled away from his countryman with ease.
With ten minutes remaining Rea led by 21-seconds, and Yamaha Factory Racing had more than 20-seconds over Red Bull Honda.
F.C.C. TSR Honda were still fourth and the leading team amongst the FIM Endurance World Championship regulars. The rain was holding off, but darkness had fell.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
As they negotiated the now dark circuit the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team GSX-R1000R started billowing smoke, a lot of smoke. Just as SERT looked as though they would claim the World Endurance Championship, their chances had gone up in smoke.
Etienne Masson remained circulating on the track way too long before eventually pulling off onto the grass. Disaster at the final juncture, and despite an early crash in the race Team SRC Kawasaki France were now looking certain to claim the World Endurance crown and F.C.C. TSR Honda would be promoted to second.
Jonathan Rea goes down!
With 90-seconds left in the race Jonathan Rea went down, presumably on the oil spilled from the SERT bike. The red flag then came out, which meant the results would go back a lap, but can you win the Suzuka 8 Hour if you finish it on the ground…?
Yamaha Factory Racing Team – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
Would Yamaha take an unlikely victory at the final hurdle?
There was confusion in all the team garages with Kawasaki Racing Team unsure if they had won. Jonathan Rea looked as though he believed he was the winner, but most of his team did not look quite so sure. Likewise, a lot of the personnel in the Yamaha Factory Racing Team had confused looks on their faces…
Yamaha announced as the winners!
There were some delays to the podium presentations as some consternation still reined up and down pit-lane. Yamaha though did not wait too long before they brought a pre-arranged wreath celebrating their fifth victory in succession.
All the commentary, both circuit and television, believed that Yamaha had won the 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour.
But, a lengthy time later….
KRT announced the winners!
After a confused, and somewhat farcical delay to the results, in this 42nd edition of the Suzuka 8 Hour, Kawasaki were once again announced as victorious as Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam piloted the KRT ZX-10RR to victory. The third member of the team, Toprak Razgatlioglu, did not ride at the event but was still part of the winning team. Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam were back at the hotel and after ordering dinner they received a phone call telling them that they had been named as the race winners…
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam celebrate the win
Both Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam already had previous Suzuka 8 Hour victories under their belt, but both men scored their previous wins with Honda, and 2019 marks their first Suzuka victory on a Kawasaki.
This Suzuka 8 Hour win is also the first for Kawasaki since their previously one and only victory 26-years earlier, when Aaron Slight and Scott Russell piloted a ZX-7RR to victory in 1993.
Jonathan Rea
“I cannot believe what is happening really. From being dejected and feeling that everything was out of our hands, I had already gone back to the hotel, said goodbye to all the guys, with lots of tears. I was in the restaurant already, ordering dinner, when my mechanic Uri called me and said, ‘Hey, are you sitting down?’ I thought he was going to ask me to go to another restaurant – but he then told me we had won the 8 Hours. I think common sense prevailed in that one. I have no words because I am really emotional and happy. The strategy was to work on fuel consumption and race consistency and make no mistakes. I feel we executed that quite well although I got quite tired and cramped at the end. But we prepared the best way possible with the limited time we had. I am so proud to be part of the project and what an effort from KRT, KHI, KMJ who prepared for this race in two tests. During the race it is like hell, the hardest race you can ever imagine, but getting a result like this almost makes me want to come back for more. The emotional roller coaster is unreal.”
The Kawasaki Racing Team celebrate the Suzuka 8 Hour win
Leon Haslam
“From everyone being in tears to getting the news sitting in a restaurant that we actually did win it, I have no words to describe how I feel. The Suzuka 8 Hours is always one of the hardest races of the year. The effort we put in to win, from us, the team and Kawasaki means it has been a big roller coaster of emotion. When the oil went down and the situation happened at the end; words cannot describe the lows we had. But when the good news came through, the highs were just as high. In the second half of each stint I really struggled physically but the bike was working well. I am so happy and I want to thank Kawasaki for this opportunity; also the whole team, Toprak and Johnny, and we pushed as hard as we could. It is a shame that we did not get to stand on the top of the podium but the result is in and we have won the Suzuka 8 Hours.”
Leon Haslam – Kawasaki Racing Team – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
Toprak Razgatlioglu
“Today I am very tired after watching the race for eight hours! But I am very happy for Johnny and Leon because that was an incredible job today. We are all happy and thank you to everyone. For me this was my first time here – and our team won.”
Guim Roda, KRT Team manager
“This race has been outstanding and I think for the public, the fans and everyone it has been the most incredible Suzuka 8 Hours. Yamaha, Honda and Kawasaki – the riders and the factories – have been amazing everybody and they all saw a great race. The best point is that we finally got the victory after Johnny made an incredible last riding stint. The strategy we planned was very good so at the end we got the victory.”
Yamaha second
After some of the riders being interviewed as the winners, and Yamaha team management celebrating what they thought had been victory, the trio of Michael Van der Mark, Alex Lowes and Katsuyuki Nakasuga ended up being named as second place finishers.
Red Bull Honda third
A spent Takumi Takahashi climbed the podium for Red Bull Honda alongside Stefan Bradl. The pair shared all riding duties after the third rider in the team, Ryuichi Kiyonari, failed to show competitive pace during practice and qualifying.
F.C.C. TSR Honda & Red Bull Honda – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
F.C.C. TSR Honda were a brilliant fourth but it was not enough for them to successfully defend their World Endurance crown. Josh Hook the standout performer once again for the squad.
Yoshimura Suzuki placed fifth and MuSashi RT Harc-Pro Honda took sixth ahead of YART.
MuSashi RT Harc-Pro Honda – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
Troy Herfoss scored a top ten finish with KYB Moriwaki Honda placing ninth, just behind S-Pulse Dream Suzuki.
Aaron Morris finished 21st with R2CL Suzuki while Josh Waters finished 26th with MotoMap Suzuki.
SRC Kawasaki France World Endurance Champions
SRC Kawasaki France had done enough to lift the World Endurance Championship crown, winning the title over defending champions F.C.C. TSR Honda. Yamaha took the constructors title in the FIM World Endurance Championship.
Team SRC Kawasaki France won the EWC crown – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
Jeremy Guarnoni
“It is unbelievable to win the championship and for me it has been the first time that I have done the full season – and we won it. We deserve it because after the Bol d’Or it was a really difficult moment for the team and me – for my head. Of course we are a bit lucky at the end but we deserve it because we made the job in Le Mans and I have two unbelievable team-mates. The team itself and the bike were – all season – really good. This weekend was a bit more difficult but Suzuka is always a strange race. We are really happy.”
Team SRC Kawasaki France – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
Erwan Nigon
“What a race and what a championship also. We had all weather conditions, 24-hour races are hard and early in the 2018/2019 season we had a victory at Le Mans which is always a good sign for the rest of the championship. We pushed a lot all through this year and in the end we won the championship. First time for me and I want to say thanks to the team because they worked a lot all winter to adjust the bike to make good race settings. Many thanks to my partners, my family and my incredible team-mates. We are friends also so it is a really good feeling to win it with them.”
Team SRC Kawasaki France – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
David Checa
“I do not know what to say. In my first year with Kawasaki and Gilles’s team I am world champion again. It is like a dream. When you change a team it is not easy, when you change a brand it is not easy, but my team and my team-mates did a really good job. The atmosphere in the team is incredible. We are friends and for me this is the main point. When we talk and share everything for sure you push more. I believed that we could win the championship all year. The Bol d’Or was frustrating because we had a problem two hours from the end but we continued to believe. When you dream, and believe, the dream can come true – and we are world champions. Now I want to win the next Bol d’Or for Kawasaki, my team-mates and my team. We are world champions today but we have to think of the future and that future now is the Bol D’Or.”
Team SRC Kawasaki France – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
Pos
Team
Time
Best Lap
1
Kawasaki Racing Team Suzuka 8H
07h55m36.613
2m06.805
2
YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM
07h55m55.333
2m07.290
3
Red Bull Honda
07h56m43.340
2m07.246
4
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
07h57m14.500
2m08.271
5
YOSHIMURA SUZUKI MOTUL RACING
07h57m35.207
2m08.140
6
YART – YAMAHA
07h56m53.579
2m08.414
7
MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO. Honda
07h55m34.724
2m08.017
8
S-PULSE DREAM RACING . IAI
07h55m36.392
2m09.208
9
KYB MORIWAKI RACING
07h56m33.701
2m09.586
10
Honda Dream RT SAKURAI HONDA
07h57m21.654
2m09.481
11
Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA
07h57m12.971
2m10.362
12
TEAM SRC KAWASAKI FRANCE
07h5547.250
2m10.475
13
Honda Endurance Racing
07h57m32.889
2m09.550
13
TONE RT SYNCEDGE 4413
07h55m55.642
2m11.542
15
Bolliger Team Switzerland
07h55m58.687
2m11.757
16
Team ERC-BMW Motorrad Endurance
07h56m25.530
2m11.466
17
TEAM FRONTIER
07h57m19.062
2m11.147
18
Zaif NCXX RACING & ZENKOUKAI
07h57m20.322
2m11.386
19
OMEGA MACO RACING
07h56m01.771
2m11.462
20
TK SUZUKI BLUE MAX
07h56m02.573
2m11.372
21
TEAM R2CL SUN CHLORELLA
07h57m13.312
2m13.016
22
TERAMOTO@J-TRIP Racing
07h57m32.045
2m13.616
23
Team Kodama
07h55m40.502
2m12.753
24
Yamashina Kawasaki & AutoRaceUBE with YIC… Kawasaki
Kirk Gibbs won Superpole ahead of the opening MX1 moto but due to incidents in the previous MXD moto, riders were pulled back from the gates as organisers chose to instead delay the start of the MX1 moto and head to an early lunch break instead.
Hayden Mellross carried some injuries into the opening MX1 moto and it was clear from the outset that those knee problems were causing him issues, and likely ruining his championship chances. Heading to Moree Luke Clout held an 11-point lead over Mellross, who in-turn had three-points over Todd Waters.
Kirk Gibbs had been effectively ruled out of the championship chase due to his problems earlier in the season but that had not dented any of his drive for race wins.A much better middle part of the season has pushed Gibbs forward into fourth place but it would still take not only amazing rides for Gibbs over the remaining races of the season, but probably also some significant misfortunes for the leading trio, for the rider to improve on that placing.
Kirk Gibbs – 2019 MX Nationals – Round 8, Moree
Once racing recommenced, Gibbs capitalised on his pole position to break away to an early lead over Todd Waters and that pair quickly started to march away from third placed Brett Metcalfe and Dylan Long. The order remained static until late in the race when Waters squeezed past Gibbs and then pulled away to take a clear victory.
What unfolded ahead of the next race for the premier classes was something we saw once before at a road race meeting. The rough Moree circuit had taken its toll, with 12 riders already sent off tothe local hospital, which saw the hospital administration declare that they were not in a position to take any more urgent patients.
Thus organisers were left no choice but to call it a day, and Todd Waters will take the red plate to the championship finale, with a two-point buffer over Luke Clout.
As it stands Todd Waters leads Luke Clout in the Thor MX1 class on 422-points to 420, with Hayden Mellross a further 12-points behind Clout on 408. Kirk Gibbs is a distant fourth with a 61-point gap to third placed Mellross, while Brett Metcalfe holds fifth on 323-points.
The 2019 Pirelli MX Nationals will reconvene next weekend at Coolum for the final double-header round that will decide who will wear the championship crowns, with Waters, Clout and Mellross all in the mix, with Kirk Gibbs holding an outside chance of breaking into the top three.
Following the cancellation of the Top 10 Trial, the starting grid of the Suzuka 8 Hours retains the positions taken in qualifying. This means Yamaha Factory Racing Team remain on pole, followed by Kawasaki Racing Team and Red Bull Honda.
Persistent rain on the Suzuka circuit this morning and concerns for rider safety led Race Direction to cancel the Top 10 Trial, the Superpole session in which the ten fastest teams in qualifying were scheduled to face off on a flying lap. The positions taken on Friday after the two timed sessions were used instead to determine positions on the starting grid.
Yamaha Factory Racing Team, the winners of the past four editions, will hence start from pole on Sunday at the 2019 Suzuka 8 Hours, in front of Kawasaki Racing Team and Red Bull Honda.
Behind this threesome of Yamaha, Kawasaki and Honda factory teams, Musashi RT Harc-Pro Honda and Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing round off the Top 5, who will each receive their share of the first points (5 down to 1) awarded at the Suzuka 8 Hours to the teams securing the first five positions on the starting grid.
YART Yamaha and F.C.C. TSR Honda France will start from 6th and 7th place on the grid respectively. F.C.C. TSR Honda France, who are disappointed not to have had the chance to try for a Top 5 spot and a few extra points in the Top 10 Trial, are focusing on their twin objective: finishing as high up the podium as possible and taking a second FIM Endurance World Championship title.
Josh Hook F.C.C. TSR
VRD Igol Pierret Expériences, who will start from 13th at their Suzuka debut, ahead of championship standings leaders Team SRC Kawasaki France. F.C.C.
TSR Honda France’s motivation makes them formidable adversaries, but Team SRC Kawasaki France’s closest rivals in the championship chase are Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, who will start the race from 17th position. There is only a five-point gap between the two teams, both competing for the 2018-2019 FIM EWC title.
The forecast predicts improved weather on race day tomorrow (Sunday), with overcast skies but no rainfall.
The 42nd edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours will be flagged off at 11.30am local time (GMT+9) tomorrow, Sunday 28 July.
After taking control in first qualifying at the Suzuka 8 Hour, Yamaha Factory Racing Team confirmed pole position on the provisional starting grid ahead of Kawasaki Racing Team and Red Bull Honda. The final grid line-up will be decided tomorrow after the Top 10 trial.
Following a particularly eventful and heated first qualifying session, grid positions remained largely static in the second round of qualifying. Yamaha Factory Racing Team retained their place as leaders with Katsuyuki Nakasuga (today’s fastest rider, who posted a 2:05.922 lap), Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark.
Katsuyuki Nakasuga
Kawasaki Racing Team (Jonathan Rea, Leon Haslam and Toprak Razgatlioglu) were right behind in 2nd place, ahead of Red Bull Honda (Takumi Takahashi, Ryuichi Kiyonari and Stefan Bradl).
Jonathan Rea
Although they significantly upped their performance in the second session, Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing (Sylvain Guintoli, Yukio Kagayama and Kasuki Watanabe) remained in 5th place behind Musashi RT Harc-Pro Honda (Javier Fores, Dominique Aegerter and Ryo Mizuno).
Red Bull Honda is third ahead of the top ten shootout
Marvin Fritz shaved more than a half-second off his previous best time, enabling YART Yamaha (Broc Parkes, Marvin Fritz and Niccolò Canepa) to move up a place and overtake the first FIM EWC team, F.C.C. TSR Honda France (Josh Hook, Freddy Foray and Mike Di Meglio), who are now 7th on the provisional grid.
Josh Hook F.C.C. TSR
Au. Teluru SAG RT, S-Pulse Dream Racing and KYB Moriwaki Racing round off the roll call of the Top 10 teams who will face off on Saturday on a flying lap in the Top 10 Trial to redistribute the final positions on the starting grid of the 2019 Suzuka 8 Hours.
Of the other European FIM Endurance World Championship full-season teams, rookie squad VRD Igol Pierret Expériences (Florian Alt, Florian Marino and Xavier Siméon) secured a praiseworthy 13th spot just ahead of current world championship standings leaders Team SRC Kawasaki France (Jérémy Guarnoni, Erwan Nigon and David Checa).
Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Vincent Philippe, Etienne Masson and Gregg Black), also world title contenders, will start from 17th place. Honda Endurance Racing (Randy de Puniet, Yonny Hernández and Sébastien Gimbert) are in 21st place, and Wójcik Racing Team 24th.
All the teams that have qualified beyond 10th place will be back on the track at 11.30am local time on Sunday 28 July for the start of the 42nd edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours.
This weekend will see the Suzuka 8 Hours take place in Japan as the 2019 FIM Endurance World Championship grand finale, with seven Australians taking part between the 8 Hours and 4 Hours events.
2018 Suzuka 8 Hour
The Suzuka 8 Hours has run since 1978, with many Aussie racers making their mark over the years, including Tony Hatton, Michael Cole, Kevin Magee, Mick Doohan, Wayne Gardner and Daryl Beattie.
The three time Australian Superbike Champion Josh Waters lines up with the MotoMap S.W.A.T team again for the fourth year in a row, with 2019 marking Waters’ ninth year racing at the Suzuka 8 Hours event.
Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda – Image by PSP/Mateus Mjagielski
The Mildura based rider will team up with former World 250cc/500cc/MotoGP racer, Nobuatsu Aoki for the sixth time, as well as former BSB rider Dan Linfoot, former. For 2019, Waters, Aoki and Linfoot are competing in the Superstock class.
Former World Supersport and Superbike racer Mark Aitchison takes to the grid with the Will-Raise RS-Itoh Kawasaki Racing Team, with the 35-year-old having been competing in the MFJ Superbike All Japan Road Race Championship for the satellite Kawasaki squad.
Mark Aitchison and the Will-Raise RS-Itoh Kawasaki Racing Team
Aitchison tested with the Kawasaki team for the 8 Hours Suzuka Program and his lap times were good enough to get the nod for a start this weekend. Aitchison, who hails from the Gold Coast, and his team have had two tests at Suzuka, which saw most of the European and Japanese teams present, as well as one private test.
Aitchison’s teammates for the Suzuka 8 Hours will be Akira Yanagawa, and Ryosuke Iwato, who currently rides for Kawasaki Japan as part of their factory effort.
Mark Aitchison
“The last official test was a great experience, as basically the whole EWC championship was on hand to the 8 Hours race weekend. Testing went well enough to this point, though in Japan the weather conditions are always challenging. So, it’s a matter of compromise between you and your teammates on setup. It’s Ryosuke first year as factory rider and I understand why they gave him the opportunity. He’s an extremely talented rider and his lap times at the recent test turned some heads from the top Kawasaki bosses. I think he’s got a great future ahead of him. I really love the fans energy and enthusiasm that they bring. On top of that, the event itself brings its own unique platform, which combined with spectator involvement provides such an exciting and enjoyable weekend.”
27-year-old Aaron Morris reunites with the Paris based R2CL team, in what was a last-minute call up by the team on Saturday. Morris, who is competing in the Australian Superbike Championship with the Maxima BMW team, competed with the R2CL outfit throughout the 2016 EWC championship. 2016 saw Morris and his team finishing fourth at their Le Mans debut, twelfth at Suzuka and ninth in the teams FIM EWC Championship standing.
Aaron Morris – Image by TBG
Morris will certainly be up against it this weekend, with no testing and riding for the first time with his teammates, Yoshihiro Konno and Josh Elliott, while coming to terms with the Suzuki GSX-R1000R on a track which he’s admitted to be his favourite.
Aaron Morris
“I’d love to improve on my best placed finish of twelfth we scored in 2016. We didn’t have a base set up, so we starting again and with three riders it’s hard to have a direction which everyone is happy with.”
2019 marks the first time in Paul Byrne’s career that he will race at Suzuka, joining TEAM SUGAI Racing Japan for the 4 Hours event. Kazu Kuroda from K1 Racing contacted the Irishman and now Australian citizen, a few weeks ago to see if he interested in racing on the team’s Honda CBR600RR. Byrne, 34, previously worked with Kuroda back in 2016, when he was his mechanic racing the International Island Classic and the International Festival of Speed on the DMR Harris XR69.
Paul Byrne joins TEAM SUGAI Racing Japan
Byrne has had to learn the 18-corner circuit, as well as get his head around riding the Aprilia RSV4 machine, a bike he hadn’t ridden before, taking part in the official three-day test.
Paul Byrne
“I mentioned to Kazu that I had an interest in doing some endurance racing in Japan and finally its all come together for the first time, which I’m really grateful for. The first day was about just learning and trying to get as many laps done as possible plus. I really enjoyed the challenge. The second day I was a lot more relaxed and I started to push a bit harder and my lap times came down. But the main objective of the test was for me to help my teammate, Sugai Yoshiyuki with feedback. On top of that I just wanted to get some laps on track to learn it ahead of this weekend.”
Other Aussies to keep an eye out for over the weekend are full-season FIM Endurance World Championship competitors Broc Parkes (YART – Yamaha) and reigning Champ, Josh Hook (F.C.C. TSR Honda France). Also contesting is current Australian Superbike Champion Troy Herfoss (KYB Moriwaki Racing Team).
Broc Parkes (YART – Yamaha) – Image by PSP/Mateus Mjagielski
Hook and the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team are currently sitting third in the Championship; with a strong fourth-fastest finish at the Official Test and topping the times at yesterday’s practice as the quickest of the full-season FIM EWC Team.
YART’s lucky number seems to be five. Currently sitting fifth in the standings and posting the fifth-fastest time at yesterday’s practice, Parkes and his teammates all were quick and consistent.
