Press release
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july 29, 2018 - Honda Pro Racing
Qualifying - Honda in the mix at the Suzuka 8 Hours
28 Jul 2018
#suzuka 8 Hours
Suzuka Circuit, Japan
FIM EWC 2018, Round 5
Qualifying for the #suzuka 8 Hours has taken place at the 5.821-km Honda-owned #suzuka circuit, with five Honda teams featuring in the top-ten. During an electrifying qualifying session this afternoon it was the Red Bull Honda by #japan Post team who scored the second fastest time (2’06.127) – 0.724s from pole position.
After rain fell overnight and with track conditions not improving in time for the usual top-ten time trial, the qualifying method for the top-ten changed this afternoon and a 40 minute session was brought in, instead of the usual Superpole format.
With blistering pace across the 40 minutes, it was the Red Bull Honda by #japan Post that scored the second fastest time with PJ Jacobsen, Takaaki Nakagami and Takumi Takahashi aboard the Fireblade. The Honda teams close behind and claiming their positions on the grid ahead of tomorrow’s eight-hour race were MuSASHi RT HARC-Pro. Honda in fourth, S-Pulse Dream #racing sixth, au Teluru MotoUP #racing Team seventh, KYB Moriwaki Motul #racing ninth and completing the top-ten was Team SuP Dream Honda.
Meanwhile Honda’s permanent FIM Endurance World Championship teams F.C.C. TSR by Honda France and Honda Endurance #racing both missed out on the top-ten, but were in the mix and had good pace against their European rivals in yesterday’s combined qualifying.
Leading the FIM EWC series and aiming to be World Champions after the eight-hour race, F.C.C TSR finished yesterday’s qualifying in 12th place with a time of 2’09.092. The goal for the race for #freddyforay, Josh Hook and Alan Techer is simple – finish in a place that will allow them to win the 2017-2018 world title.
The Honda Endurance #racing team with #sebastiengimbert, Yonny Hernandez and Erwan Nigon also enjoyed a solid qualifying session, where they finished fifth within their European EWC rivals and were 18th overall, with a time of 2’10.411.
All teams will now prepare their Fireblades for the #suzuka 8 Hours tomorrow (Sunday 29 July), which is set to get underway at 1130am local Japanese time (GMT+9).
For all the latest updates on the Honda teams throughout the race follow @HondaProRacing on Twitter.
Josh Hook
Yesterday we had good feeling with the CBR. Probably the best we have felt with all three riders on the bike for a long time, even during the tests, so we’ve come a long way with the setting and now we have something that we are all happy to race with. We will just try to focus on consistency. So far, it’s very positive. Q1 was quite difficult for me because of the red flags. In Q2 I could make some good lap times. We must be strong for the race but keep focusing on the championship. Be consistent and make no mistakes!
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
Freddy Foray
We always try to work at most on the race pace. Sincerely, we’ve come a long way. We found a solution during the race week and now everything’s going much better. Our target is not to race as fast as possible but to ride with an easy bike. We now have this Fireblade and it’s very positive. For my part, I would have preferred #racing faster, but I also know that it is not the main objective. I first want an easy bike that I feel good on it and it’s the case now. For the second qualifying, I rode in race configuration and everything went well, and I now look forward to tomorrow’s race.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
Alan Techer
It was a positive day overall because the pace was good, and my teammates did a good job. The day went well, we did not face any problems and the CBR gets better and better. With used or brand-new tyres and we are consistent, so it’s a great sign for the 8 Hours. For my part, I did not race as fast as I wanted, and I still must work on that because it’s important for Sunday. Today was a lot calmer, with just one practice session so I can fully focus and prepare for the race tomorrow.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
Sébastien Gimbert
I’m happy to come to #suzuka and race here with Honda, it’s the last race of the EWC year and we’re sitting third, which is the highest position to date for the team. I’m feeling good in myself, I am better and recovered from the injury I had at Oschersleben after a lot of treatment and rehab. Qualifying yesterday was hard, we didn’t attend the pre-test here so we are working a lot on the setting of the CBR. We did have some issues during the session, but our lap times are good and we are close to the other European bikes, so I am happy with that. We also have Yonny for this race as he replaces Greg who is injured, and he’s a good choice, he’s very fast and we all work well together with feedback. I am looking forward to the race tomorrow, it will be hard, but it’s a challenge I enjoy.
Honda Endurance Racing
Yonny Hernandez
I am happy that we were close to the European teams during qualifying; it’s difficult when there are 64 teams and the times are all so close. We are arriving at #suzuka third in the EWC standings and as long as we have a safe and careful race, I am confident we can finish the year third. I have a good team, good teammates and a good bike with the Fireblade, so I am looking forward to tomorrow’s race. Both Sébastien and Yonny are very good and fast, and I am sure come tomorrow we will have pace and can enjoy a good finish.
Honda Endurance Racing
Erwan Nigon
I am happy that we were close to the European teams during qualifying; it’s difficult when there are 64 teams and the times are all so close. We are arriving at #suzuka third in the EWC standings and as long as we have a safe and careful race, I am confident we can finish the year third. I have a good team, good teammates and a good bike with the Fireblade, so I am looking forward to tomorrow’s race. Both Sébastien and Yonny are very good and fast, and I am sure come tomorrow we will have pace and can enjoy a good finish.
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