Success in Suzuka for S1000 RR

On a virtually standard RR a Japanese-based team of S1000 RR riders has contested the world-famous Coca-Cola Zero Suzuka 8 Hours Road Race and landed in a respectable 18th place.

In scorching 38 degree heat and with track temperatures of around 60 degrees Celsius, the ‘Tras@G-TRIBE+881OR’ team crossed the finish line on their #135 BMW S 1000 RR after having finished 201 laps within 8 hours and in front of an incredible 56,000 spectators.

This excellent result from the ONLY BMW team in the race is worthy of celebration because the trio of riders were on the first European machine to finish the 2010 Suzuka 8 Hours. Their score was therefore the BEST finish of any non-Japanese manufacturer in a race that has only ever been won by the Japanese manufacturers.

The Suzuka 8 Hours race is held every year at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan and been taking place since 1978. It is regarded by the Japanese manufacturers as arguable the most important motorsport event of the year where teams of two or three riders compete against each other and the clock which keeps running for the entire 8 hour race.

Past winners include MotoGP stars such as Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards, with this year’s event attracting top riders such as three-times Suzuka 8 Hours winner Ryuichi Kiyonari, Superbike World Championship regular Jonathan Rea, current Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship top runners Igor Jerman and Gwen Giabbani, and BMW S 1000 RR test and development rider Steve Martin.

Having achieved a class victory in the 2006 Suzuka 8 Hours on the K 1200 R, and repeated this feat at Honda’s Motegi circuit in 2007 on the HP2 Sport, the ‘Tras&G-TRIBE+8810R’ team made the journey to Suzuka with regular riders Toda Takashi and Saito Eiji, and with the addition of team newcomer Takada Hayato.

At pit stops, the RR team worked efficiently and fast ensuring the final finishing position of 18th which after more than eight hours in the saddle and a reasonable climb up the ladder over 200 laps of the circuit – meant that this was the top finish among the non-Japanese manufacturers.

During the race, the RR’s top speed of 284 km/h through the speed traps was comparable to the many factory machines in this prestigious endurance race. Furthermore, because the team only had three months to get their RR ready for endurance competition, this remarkable result is evidence again of the high potential of the S 1000 RR as an excellent base model for racing, even in its stock form.

The final word went to team director Noburo Muto: “We are highly satisfied with the result achieved at Suzuka, bearing in mind the short preparation time and the fact that we were competing against nearly factory bikes using basically a standard S 1000 RR off the shelf!”

Taking top honours in the 33rd edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours race was the MuSashi RT Harc-Pro Honda team of Riyuichi Kiyonari, Takaaki Nakagami and Takumi Takahashi. The three riders took the victory with 215 laps completed in a time of 8 hours, one minute and 13.428 seconds, giving Honda its 22nd win in the prestigious event, as well as a historic sweep of the podium.