ROAD NEWS

Honda CBR1000RR-R SP( try saying that without pretending to sound like a pirate) took what was eventually a pretty dominant win. Sure, Yamaha Racing Team kept them honest but in the end, the team of Takumi Takahashi and Johann Zarco was just too strong. Making the win even more impressive was the duo sharing riding duties in a two-man effort, where many teams had three riders. The win adds another to Takahashi’ s record as the rider with the most Suzuka 8 Hour victories, cementing his legend status even more. Riding in darkness as well as the heat of the day, temperatures rocketed to 37 degrees for much of the race. Then there was the humidity. Hydration played a key role, as did amazing pit stops by the Honda HRC team, who never missed a beat all race. Many of the teams noted the extreme conditions for an endurance race was way harder to factor into their strategies than they anticipated and for the riders, they all looked completely spent at the end. Zarco and Takahashi were also aware of the Locatelli / Miller late charge on the Yamaha but kept their cool, metaphorically speaking, and managed the gap via pit boards to perfection, bringing the‘ Blade home to an enthusiastic Japanese crowd. For those who have never watched, the Suzuka 8 Hour is massive in Japan and is seen as a badge of honour if you win in front of the home crowd, not to mention the other Japanese manufacturers …

KIWI RIDER 81