2024 EWC 3rd Round Suzuka 8Hours Final July 21st Report

2024年7月27日 20:33

July 21st, 2024

Third Time's the Charm After Le Man and Spa. Finished 2nd in SST Class! Superb Podium Finish at Home Race.

Team Étoile finished the 3rd round of 2024 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) 18th overall and 2nd in SST Class at our home race, the Suzuka 8Hours.

After the morning warmup session and a pitwalk for the fans, Roberto Rolfo, Hikari Okubo, and Yudai Kamei were ready for the race. At 11:30AM local time, 8hour-long race had finally kicked off. Hikari Okubo opened throttle from 19th on the grid and maintained good position.

It was known from the previous test sessions that higher the tarmac temperature, the higher the risk of a crash. Team Étoile's strategy was not to catch the top SST teams, but rather to keep the stable average pace throughout the race.

The strategy was to go with Hikari, Rolfo, and Yudai, in order for 3 cycles with total of 8 pit stops. Hikari kept the class top position throughout the first stint, but after the first stint Team Étoile stayed at 2nd or 3rd position as the race went by.

Things have changed towards the end of the race as Team Étoile was running at 3rd position. The gap from the 2nd position has come down to a point where it could be possible to overtake.
Strategy has changed. Team Étoile decided to call for the last pitstop earlier than originally planned to have Yudai push hard until the end of the race, which has worked out exactly as anticipated. Yudai managed to steal the 2nd position in the second sector of the very last lap.

Yudai maintained the 2nd position until the end, and Team Étoile managed to step on the podium in front of the home fans at Suzuka. Overall 4th in the championship, and there is a chance for Team Étoile to become the series champion in SST class depending on the result of the final round at Bol d'Or.
Not a lot of time left until then. Team Étoile to keep working for the race ahead.

For all the fans supporting us whether through the screen or on sight, your support has helped us get through the season so far and get this amazing result at Suzuka 8Hours. Thank you all.

Rider Yudai Kamei

"It was quite a tough race. Especially in the beginning the tarmac temperature was too high and we saw many riders crashed. Usually you would leave a bit of margin in this condition but the gap from both the SST team ahead and behind us was always small, so I had to keep pushing. I'm happy I could stay focused until the end of the race."

"The SST team ahead of us was about 20 seconds away when I started the last stint. I saw a possibility that we might catch up, then I figured it is wiser to push in the first half of my stint rather than the second half considering the fact that it only gets darker and more difficult to ride towards the end of the race. At the end I could catch up and steal the second position in the final lap."

"I'm very happy with the result. It is always special to step on to the podium. Every little detail that we did as a team throughout the race has led to this second position, and I'm happy that I could contribute to it."

"In terms of the championship point, we have some gap from the top but it is still possible to become the world champion depending on the result of the final round. We"ll do our best, and I hope we can end the season with a positive vibe."

Rider Hikari Okubo

"I led the SST class in the first few laps after the start but figured I was pushing too much, so I changed my strategy to more for a better average pace. My decision was right, a few other SST teams with a faster pace started to crash, and we could finished the first stint in the first position."

"If we could have done something better, that would be the average pace throughout the 8 hours. The top SST team was on average about 0.5 sec quicker than our average per lap, but nevertheless it is true that we were so close to the top and that is positive. We are one of the permanent teams, so finishing second as oppose to third is a massive gain for our championship. I believe finishing second at Suzuka was the best possible result for where we are now, so I'm very proud of this result.
For me personally, I saw Suzuka 8Hours for the first time when I was five, and that was one of the life-changing moment for me to pursuit the career in a motorcycle racing. So it was phenomenal to step on the podium myself."

"It is very important that we still have a chance to become the SST class champion. It keeps the motivation of the whole team very high. We'll keep pushing"

Rider Roberto Rolfo

"It was always in my bucket list to ride in Suzuka 8Hours so I'm very happy. We worked so well as a team throughout the week, and the podium at the end was just more than what I could ask for. I want to thank everyone in the team."

"The bike felt really good, and I enjoyed all of my stint. The last stint for me was difficult to push because of the bright sunset. We saw many teams crashed so I'm happy I could manage my pace."

"The view from the podium was fantastic with all the people on the main stand holding a colorful light and the near-full moon coming up from the ocean. What a vibe, it was a wonderful experience."

"Overall I enjoyed my stay in Japan. I used to come here for MotoGP so very happy to be back. Very good place, very nice experience. I would love to come back again."

Team Owner Takashi Ichikawa

"I'm especially happy about two things. Firstly, we finished the race trouble free. Secondly, the podium. For the first stint, we focused on not pushing too much and maintain a stead pace to avoid crash considering the high temperature on the tarmac. At the end we finished the first stint class-top."

"From the second stint we just kept our own pace with no clear target, but towards the end when we were running in the third position, we saw a potential to steal the second position. We told Yudai about it before he went out for the final stint and just let him do his thing. After all, he managed to overtake the rider ahead in the final lap. It is great to end the race with such excitement, and overall I'm happy with how everything went from the start to the end."

"It is just our third race, and we managed to step onto the podium especially at our home race. We've made a big step forward here at Suzuka in terms the championship, so in Bol d'Or we would like to push even harder to gain as much championship point as possible."

"This year is the first for the SST class to be official recognized. Being able to get on the podium and spray champagne in such special year is amazing, I could not ask for this.
I was also very touched to see so many fans visiting our pit throughout the weekend. I was not aware of how recognized Team Étoile is, and all these support from our fans is and will always be positive for the team. I would like to say thank you to everyone. "

EWC 2024 Season Race Schedule

1st round: Le Man 24 hours (France, Le Man): Aprl 18th ~ 21st
2nd round: Spa 8 hours (Belgium, Spa Francorchamps): June 6th ~ 8th
3rd round: Coca Cola Suzuka 8 hours (Japan, Suzuka): July 18th ~ 21st
4th round: Bol d'Or 24 hours (France, Paul Ricard Circuit ): Sept 12th ~ 15th

Gallery

この記事が気に入ったらサポートをしてみませんか？