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Old 24 Jul 2000, 12:10 (Ref:25209)   #1
elephino
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World Endurance Championship

Round 4: Suzuka 8 Hours
Suzuka, 30 July 2000

The world's biggest bike race

The 500 Grand Prix and World Superbike Championship crowns may be the most
jealously contested series in motorcycle racing but the Coca Cola Suzuka
Eight Hours is undoubtedly the most prestigious bike race on this planet.

The event goes into the 21st century firmly established as an Everest in
motorcycling. All the Japanese factories contest this gruelling endurance
race, with some of the best riders in the world taking valuable time off
from their Grand Prix or World Superbike commitments to compete.

The Eight Hours may be a round of the FIM World Endurance Championship -
which takes in other events in Europe, including the Le Mans (won this
year by Costes-Charpentier-Gimbert, Honda-Michelin), Spa Francorchamps
(won this year by Deletang-Foret-Willis, Yamaha-Michelin) and Bol d'Or 24
Hours races (to be held on September, 17th)- but it is an endurance race
unlike any other. Suzuka is more like a flat-out, eight hours sprint than
a long-distance test of perseverance. That's why the world's fastest
riders feature and that's why Michelin has excelled at this unique test of
speed and stamina, winning 12 of the last 17 Suzuka Eight Hours, including
the three most recent races.

Extreme weather conditions complete the scenario. Late July is high summer
in Japan, with temperatures nudging 40 degrees and humidity over 80 per
cent. No other bike race tests riders' physical and mental states to such
an extent. Despite the withering conditions, Suzuka is also hugely popular
with fans, over 150,000 fans making the pilgrimage to enjoy the 'Midsummer
Festival', Japan's biggest biking party. This year Michelin-equipped teams
once again headline the event, with star duo Colin Edwards/

Valentino Rossi (Castrol Honda VTR1000SPW-Michelin) sure to attract a huge
amount of attention, both on and off the track. Edwards currently leads
the World Superbike series on his Michelin-equipped WSB-spec Castrol Honda
VTR1000SPW, while 21-year-old Rossi is the new kid on the 500 block,
winning his first 500 GP in Britain earlier this month, aboard his
Michelin-equipped Nastro Azzurro Honda NSR500.

The pair brings an amazingly contrasting range of talent and experience to
the Eight Hours. Edwards is a four-stroke man through and through, having
raced Superbikes since 1995, while Rossi has only ever raced two-strokes.
The former 125 and reigning 250 World Champion races a four-stroke for the
first time this weekend, though he has competed in long-distance events
before, riding minimoto endurance races when he was a kid! Edwards has
raced the Eight Hours since '95, winning the '96 event and missing the '97
race due to injury. He knows better than most that Suzuka is a huge
challenge.

"You can't really say you enjoy the race but it's a great race to do,"
says the American, nicknamed the Texan Tornado. "You only go to Suzuka to
win. Every other race I do all year, in World Superbike, I have to think
about getting points for the championship, but the Eight Hours, you're
only out to win. Nothing less." In fact Edwards admits he does get a kick
out of this most difficult races, but it's the gruelling programme of
pre-event test sessions that takes it out of him.

"Well, I kinda do enjoy the race, what I don't enjoy is all the travel.
I've come to Suzuka three times to test before the race and the travel is
a pain in the ass! I came here after Hockenheim Superbike at the start of
June, then back to Europe for the Misano and Valencia Superbikes, then
back to Suzuka for tests, then home to the States for a few days, then to
Laguna for the race, then to Suzuka again, then home, then back for the
Eight Hours, then straight to Brands Hatch. I guess the testing helps us
though. Everything we learn can help us in the Superbike championship.

"We change offset, swingarm links, all that kind of stuff, plus of course,
we do a lot of tyre testing with Michelin. It all helps. The times I've
been doing during testing are faster than I've ever gone at Suzuka, by
about a second. The bike's looking good and the tyres are looking good, I
think we can run a good race pace, and that's what the Eight Hours is all
about.

"We'll be using Michelin's new 16.5 front. In World Superbike I've only
raced with the 17 inch front on one occasion this year. And we'll be
running the 16.5 rear too, that's what I've used in most races this year.
I find I can load the 16.5 front better, so I get better turn-in and I can
carry a higher corner speed." Suzuka may be an endurance race but riders
like Edwards are searching for the limit throughout, just like they do in
sprint races.

"I never really learned to ride any other way except flat-out from green
light to chequer," he continues. "Suzuka is different though because
you're maybe passing three, four, maybe more guys a lap, and stuff
happens, like crashes, oil on the track. What you've got to do is find a
fast pace, settle into that and then maybe knock it back a notch to make
sure you keep the bike on the road.

"It's hard because the track is usually real hot and you're putting a lot
of miles on the tyres in a session, so you're drifting everywhere, front
and rear, the bike's really moving around. But it seems to do me good.
Every time I do the Eight Hours I go to Brands Hatch and win, I guess
because I'm so used to the bike sliding and moving around. You never stop
learning in this game and the more track time you have, the better you're
gonna ride."

Edwards is enjoying working with Rossi. "Valentino is good. Needless to
say, the guy's got a lot of talent and he's getting along with the
four-stroke."

And Rossi is getting along with Edwards too. "During the tests we've spent
a lot of time finding a setting we could both use," says the Italian.
"Colin is a real gentleman; whenever I've had any problems he's been
helpful. The four-stroke is very deceptive. It doesn't feel as fast as my
500 but the power delivery means the lap times are very fast." Michelin's
other big partnership at Suzuka is Japanese heroes Shinichi Itoh and
Tadayuki Okada (Cabin Honda VTR1000SPW). One of these two men has topped
the Eight Hours podium at four of the last five events, Okada winning last
summer and in 1995, while Itoh won back-to-back victories in '97 and '98.

The duo used Michelin tyres in all four victories.

"I think we have a lot of experience and we work together well," says
Okada. "The Eight Hours is a very special race, especially for Japanese
riders. It has a very high profile here and all around the world, and it's
a long race, so you feel great when you win. Shinichi and I will be doing
our best to win this one together." Other Michelin runners include World
Endurance Champion Jehan D'Orgeix, who rides a Michelin-equipped Honda
RC45 with fellow Frenchman Juan-Eric Gomez.

Of course, riders aren't the only people who play a key role at the Eight
Hours. In GPs or World Superbike, a technician's job is done once the
green light flashes on; at Suzuka immaculately drilled pit crews play a
crucial role throughout the race, changing tyres and refuelling at each
rider changeover. And repairing crash damage when necessary. Pit stops are
fast these days - under ten seconds to refuel and change front and rear
tyres. Riders also undergo intense rehabilitation between sessions,
including saline drips, oxygen treatment and sometimes even acupuncture.

Tyre choice is crucial too and complex. The early hours of the race are
usually run in claustrophobic heat but temperatures drop as the evening
draws on, the race finally ending shortly after darkness falls. Michelin's
chief of motorcycle racing Nicolas Goubert has been present at pre-event
test sessions, working with Edwards, Rossi, Okada and Itoh to produce the
perfect Eight Hours tyre.

"We completed our last tests two weeks before the race and since then
we've produced some special tyres for the event," he says. "Suzuka is a
very special race, with track temperatures sometimes over 50 degrees and
riders putting 28 laps on tyres during each session. Our tyres are
therefore of a fairly hard compound and construction. Of course, the heat
is also really bad for riders; I think Colin was the only rider to string
together more than 20 laps in testing. Everyone else gave up, that's how
hard it is!"

"It's a very specific race too, with specific demands, but what we learn
here can help us elsewhere, especially in World Superbike. This year our
main teams will run 16.5 front and rears, including 16.5 wets which will
be used for the first time."


Benchmark times

Michelin winners at the Suzuka Eight Hours
1983 Herve Moineau/Richard Hubin (Suzuki)
1984 Mike Baldwin/Fred Merkel (Honda)
1986 Wayne Gardner/Dominique Sarron (Honda)
1987 Martin Wimmer/Kevin Magee (Yamaha)
1989 Dominique Sarron/Alex Vieira (Honda)
1990 Eddie Lawson/Tadahiko Taira (Yamaha)
1991 Mick Doohan/Wayne Gardner (Honda)
1992 Wayne Gardner/Daryl Beattie (Honda)
1995 Aaron Slight/Tadayuki Okada (Honda)
1997 Shinichi Itoh/Tohru Ukawa (Honda)
1998 Shinichi Itoh/Tohru Ukawa (Honda)
1999 Tadayuki Okada/Alex Barros (Honda)

1999 Suzuka Eight Hours top three
1 - Tadayuki Okada/Alex Barros (Lucky Strike Honda RC45-Michelin), 213 laps
2 - Aaron Slight/Colin Edwards (Castrol Honda RC45-Michelin), 212 laps
3 - Akira Yanagawa/Hitoyasu Izutsu (Kawasaki ZX7RR), 212 laps


Michelin partners

Official Michelin World Endurance runners

1 -Jehan D'Orgeix (FRA) Honda Zongshen Team
Juan-Eric Gomez (FRA)

11 -Colin Edwards (USA) Honda Castrol Honda
Valentino Rossi (ITA)

16 -Simon Hanania (AUS) Yamaha Team Simon Race
Roy Chambeelain (AUS)

21 -Toshiyuki Arakaki (JPN) Kawasaki Nojima Engineering & Prot
Takashi Toda (JPN)

24 -Toshiya Kobayashi (JPN) Honda RG Niwa & Team Nobunaga Ramen
Masaki Tokuno (JPN)

33 -Shin'ichi Itoh (JPN) Honda Team Cabin Honda
Tadayuki Okada (JPN)

37 -Minoru Katsuse (JPN) Kawasaki Print Hakase Mc Craft F Arrow
Shin'ichi Arie (JPN)

51 -Yousuke Washimi (JPN) Yamaha T.Moto Kids & Katsuragawa
Kyota Fukuyama (JPN)

65 -Masataka Hayashi (JPN) Yamaha Iwata Tombo RT Jubiro
Tomohiko Kawakami (JPN)
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Old 24 Jul 2000, 15:00 (Ref:25236)   #2
Rossifumi
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Rossifumi should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
Hey Michael is there a website for news and results for the 8h of Suzuka?
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Old 26 Jul 2000, 12:39 (Ref:25792)   #3
elephino
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elephino should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridelephino should be qualifying in the top 5 on the grid
Depending on computer setup as to how odd the page will look, but there is some english there...http://www.suzukacircuit.co.jp
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Old 26 Jul 2000, 14:51 (Ref:25841)   #4
Pamella
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Pamella should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
Any use?
http://www.race24.com
http://www.race24.com/suzuka
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Old 26 Jul 2000, 15:31 (Ref:25877)   #5
Rossifumi
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Rossifumi should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
thanks Mel a lot of help!
I couldn't find any English on the Suzuka site!
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Old 3 Aug 2000, 12:35 (Ref:28047)   #6
elephino
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elephino should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridelephino should be qualifying in the top 5 on the grid
Cabin Honda's Tohru Ukawa and Daijiro Katoh took a comfortable victory in Sunday's Coca-Cola-backed Suzuka-8 Hour race in Japan after an action-packed event which ended with the VTR-mounted pair winners by more than a lap.

Katoh, 24, and 27-year-old Ukawa -- rivals in the 250cc world championship -- handed Honda its record fourth-successive win in the 23rd running of the prestigious annual race.

The first hour was a true, sprint race-style battle as Colin Edwards on the Castrol Honda fought through from ninth on the opening lap to lead after six laps. He was joined at the front by Kawasaki's Hitoyasu Izutsu, Akira Ryo on a Suzuki and the RC45 of Makoto Tamada.

The pole position pairing of Noriyuki Haga and Wataru Yoshikawa were out of the reckoning by the 16th lap when Yoshikawa crashed. A subsequent lengthy pit stop ruled the Yamaha duo out of victory.

After the first round of pit stops Valentino Rossi took over from Edwards and looked comfortable at the front on his debut in the race until the 21-year-old Italian slid off at the slow, left-hand hairpin.

"It was a stupid mistake for me to make," said Rossi. "I lost the front, I was pushing too hard when there was no need to."

Rossi rode the stricken machine back to the pits for a five-minute repair before rejoining in 35th place.

Two laps later, the safety car was introduced following a crash at the 130R corner. The incident claimed the life of 47-year-old Mamoru Yamakawa who crashed his 900cc Kawasaki and died in the ambulance on the way to Suzuka hospital. Yamakawa's death was the first in the 23-year history of the race.

Rossi's 32nd-lap crash handed the lead to Kawasaki and Izutsu's teammate Akira Yanagawa but the hard-charging Tohru Ukawa on the Cabin VTR Honda was soon leading a race he won in 1997 and 1998. Ukawa outbraked Yanagawa for the lead at the chicane on Lap 42.

Ukawa eased away at the front then handed the factory VTR over to Daijiro Katoh who fought out the third hour of the race in thrilling style with Izutsu. Ukawa and Yanagawa left the pitlane together at the start of the fourth hour and the Honda man powered through his 25 laps around the 3.64-mile track, opening up a 10-second lead at the halfway stage of the race.

Katoh increased the lead to 26 seconds in a fifth hour which also brought the end of the race for the popular Castrol Honda pairing of Edwards and Rossi. The exciting duo -- favorites of the fans at Suzuka -- had battled back and into eighth place only to be forced out when Edwards crashed at the right-hander before Spoon corner -- leaving the machine beyond repair.

"I don't know what happened," Edwards explained. "I lost the front end in the fast, downhill right, it was quick. I must have gone down at about 150 mph and when I thought I'd stopped sliding, I was about to get up and realised I was still doing about 40 mph!

"I suffered a little bit of a burn on my back from sliding," Edwards added, "but apart from that, I'm OK. I'm very disappointed because Valentino and myself could have won this race. My motivation was dented a little when Valentino crashed but I got going again and we had a probable third place to chase."

We've just been unlucky but there will always be another time," Rossi added. "I've enjoyed the event but, like Colin, I am very disappointed that we could not get a result for Honda."

Edwards was later taken to hospital suffering from mild concussion.

By the end of the fifth hour, leader Katoh had increased the lead to 26 seconds. Ukawa continued the dominance at the front of the race, taking the advantage to 44 seconds before
pitting for fuel and passing the leading machine to Katoh to start the seventh and penultimate hour.

Just 20 minutes into the seventh hour, Izutsu crashed out of second place then watched in agony as his Kawasaki cartwheeled through the gravel trap, forcing him and partner Yanagawa out of contention.

That handed second place to the Suzuki of Akira Ryo and Keiichi Kitigawa. With 50 minutes to go, Katoh pitted and handed the honors to Ukawa for the final sprint to the finish line, taking the checkered flag after maintaining his advantage of a lap over Kitigawa. The victory was Honda's
15th in the unique race and the third for Ukawa after he took his two previous wins with Shinichi Ito.

"I'm so happy to have won for a third time," Ukawa said. "It's been a difficult race for us both. Concentrating from the second hour when we took over the lead was difficult but we held on and it's difficult to believe we've done it."

Winning teammate Katoh commented, "I'm shocked. It was hard work keeping my mind on riding while I knew I could be on my way to my first Suzuka 8-Hour win. I must say thank you to Ukawa though -- I'm pleased it was him on the machine in the last hour and not me, I would have been so nervous."

Behind the Ryo/Kitigawa partnership in runner-up place was the Kawasaki duo of Peter Goddard and Tamaki Serizawa, two laps adrift in third place.

The second Cabin Honda was dealt a cruel blow before the race started as Tadayuki Okada crashed at high speed in the morning warm-up and was forced out of the reckoning with
concussion. That left teammate Ito to partner reserve rider Manabu Kamada. A third-hour crash for Ito dropped the number 33 machine from ninth to 29th.

Ito and Kamada battled back to an eventual eighth place finish while the RC45-mounted Makoto Tamada and Alex Barros also fought back following a 58th-lap crash for Tamada. The Sakurai Honda team pairing finished 43rd.

Honda Team Quotes: Team Cabin Honda: "Injured Tadayuki Okada crashed again during this morning's Free Practice. He was forced to stay out and the reserve rider, Manabu Kamata
became Shinichi Ito's partner. Ito crashed on Lap 69 at Degner Curve. Still they recovered from 30th place to 8th in the end."

Shinichi Ito: "I was pushing too hard when I crashed. Still I was lucky I did not injure myself. We tried our best to get this result."

Manabu Kamata: "I am happy that we finished within top-10. Eighth place is my best Eight-Hour race result. I want to say thank you to Ito who tried so hard during his final run. Also I want to thank the staff who arranged lap time menu according to my lap times."

Tadayuki Okada: "I feel disappointed because I couldn't race. I must appologize to both Ito and Kamata for troubling them. I will make a revenge at my next GP."

Nobuo Ono, Team Manager: "There were many troubles during the weekend but I think that is a part of endurance race. Kamata did a good job. I am happy that we finished eighth. I realized that we should never give up."

Koji Nakajima, HRC General Manager: "Both Ito and Kamata did a good job. Ito was trying too hard because he had to push and make up the times. Still eighth is not so bad."

Takuma Aoki's Sub Manager: "Kamata was a reserve rider so he didn't have much time to practice. But I think he did a good job. Both riders didn't give up after the crash and eighth is not so bad. I am happy that #4 Team Cabin Honda won the race."

Team Cabin Honda, The Winner: "Tohru Ukawa and Daijiro Katoh of #4 Team Cabin Honda won 2000 Suzuka 8-Hour Endurance Race with a record of 215 laps. This is the third win for
Ukawa and the first for Katoh."

Tohru Ukawa: "I wasn't confident of the win until I got the checkered flag because you'll never know what will happen in 8-Hour race. But we are the WGP riders fighting the championship so I knew that if there isn't any problems we can win the race. During my second session, I was
competing with Yanagawa (Kawasaki). I knew my machine was faster so it was easy for me. Katoh was also faster than Izutsu and I wasn't worried at all. I think the race was perfect for us. With my prize money, I will have a party with my mechanics!"

Daijiro Katoh: "Finally I won 8-Hour race. I can't believe it yet. Today during my first session, my tyres weren't good for the condition. During the second run, I had a good battle with Izutsu. My machine was faster on the straights so I wasn't worried at all. From the third session,
temperature decreased and it was much easier. I was a little bit nerveous when it began to rain during Ukawa's final run. With the prize money of JPY10 million? I've never had such a big money before so I think I will use it all at once!

Michimasa Arima, Team Manager: "The main reason for our win is the good combination of two riders. Also our tyres were good. It rained during Ukawa's final run but I wasn't worried at all. I knew he would do a good job.".

Kouji Nakajima, HRC General Manager: "The #4 Team won the race because the total combination among riders, mechanics and other staff was strong and also all the fans supported
us. Also #4 Team did their job according to the plan and there wasn't any troubles. Above all, the riders did a great job. I thank everyone for the support."

Results:
RIDERS TEAM LAPS
1. Daijiro Katoh, Japan /Tohru Ukawa Japan (Cabin Honda) 215
2. Akira Ryo, Japan /Keiichi Kitigawa Japan (Suzuki) 214
3. Tamaki Serizawa, Japan /Peter Goddard Australia (Kawasaki) 212
4. Yuiichi Takeda, Japan/Shinichi Nakatomi Japan (Honda) 210
5. Osamu Nishijima, Japan/Ryuji Tsuruta Japan (Kawasaki) 210
6. Shawn Giles, Australia/Osamu Deguchi Japan (Suzuki) 209
7. Noriyasu Numata, Japan /Yukio Nukumi Japan (Yamaha) 208
8. Shinichi Ito, Japan/Manabu Kamada Japan (Cabin Honda) 206
9. Kei Nashimoto, Japan/Ryuichi Kiyonari Japan (Honda) 206
10. Makoto Tokinaga, Japan/Yasuhiko Goriku Japan (Yamaha) 204
11. Mitsuo Saito, Japan/Takahiro Fukami Japan (Yamaha) 203
12. Yo****eru Konishi, Japan /Jun Maeda Japan (Yamaha) 203
13. Peter Linden Sweden / Warwick Nowland AUS (Suzuki) 203
14. Tomomi Manako, Japan/Shigeru Yama****a Japan (Kawasaki)
203
15. Toshihido Kawada, Japan/Yoshiyuki Sugai Japan (Suzuki)
203
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