EWC Suzuka 8 Hours – Update after 4 hours

#33 Team HRC leads the way with #7 YART — Yamaha Official Team EWC heading the charge for the EWC regular runners as the third round of the FIM Endurance world Championship, the Suzuka 8 Hours, reaches its halfway mark. After a build-up week of alternating grey hazy humidity or rain, the skies seemingly cleared ahead of the race with the riders running across the start-finish straight to their bikes under predominantly blue skies with a picturesque clouds providing a contrast.

Whilst it was clean start from the riders and bikes, it was a poor getaway for the #7 Yamaha YZFF-R1, down as low as 22nd with Niccolò Canepa having it all to do, whilst in contrast Gregg Black on the #1 Yoshimura SERT Motul GSX-R1000R had a stormer, up to fourth on track on the first lap. [caption id=«attachment_67802» align=«alignnone» width=«800»] Ad/> FIM EWCThe EWC Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours is Go!5 HOURS AGO Ewc,8H,Suzuka,2022-Start[/caption] No sooner was the first lap done than the safety car was out for the first time after Kosuke Sakumoto on the #17 Astemo Honda Dream SI Racing CBR1000RR-R took out Naomichi Uramoto on the SDG Honda Racing CBR1000RR-R heading into T13, providing an unlucky race exit for both with their teams’ dreams of glory turning into an instant nightmare.

With both bikes needing recovery and the barriers needing repair it was a 7-lap safety car period, with the Honda NSX followed first by the #33, then the #5 FCC TSR CBR1000RR-R Fireblade with Josh Hook riding the opening stint, from the #10 Kawasaki Racing Team Suzuka 8H ZX-10R with Leon Haslam on start duties, then the SERT, followed by the #37 BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM M1000RR with Illya Mykhalchyk on board. [caption id=«attachment_67780» align=«alignnone»