Eight hours, three teams, one (eventual) winner. This year’s Suzuka 8-Hours had it all, but it also showed again that the differences between Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Honda are such that each has to approach the race in different ways.
Yamaha opted for balance, Honda for an advantage in the pits, and Kawasaki on the pace of Jonathan Rea and consistency of Leon Haslam.
Episode 111 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one is another special edition from the Suzuka 8-Hours. This means that we see Steve English joined by Jensen Beeler on the mics, as they are our Suzuka specialists.
Of course, the show has to start with a discussion about who actually won this year’s edition of the Suzuka 8-Hours, as the race’s conclusion, and the few hours after the checkered flag, were anything but straight-forward.
In what will surely go down in history as the most frantic and confusing conclusion to the Suzuka 8-Hours ever recorded, the Yamaha Factory Racing Team won its fifth straight victory at the iconic Japanese endurance race.
The result, which wasn’t clear until moments before the podium ceremony, sees the Red Bull Honda team on the second step, followed by the F.C.C. TSR Honda squad, which also finished second in the FIM EWC standings.
Episode 89 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and in it we see David Emmett, Steve English, and Jensen Beeler on the mics, as we cover the 2018 WorldSBK Championship season.
The conversation starts with the champions, Jonathan Rea and the Kawasaki Racing Team, and we discuss how this has become the wining package in the WorldSBK paddock, especially with the contrasting fortunes of Tom Sykes.
The discussion includes a short interview with Leon Haslam, as he got his leg over the KRT-spec superbike during the Jerez post-season test.
Honda is making waves in the World Superbike paddock for next season, as HRC has pulled its support from the Ten Kate team, and is instead creating a factory team inside the garage of Althea and Moriwaki, who will jointly run the Red Bull Honda WorldSBK racing effort.
Contracted to HRC, Leon Camier will remain on the Honda CBR1000RR SP2 next season, and he will be joined by Ryuichi Kiyonari. Possessing the correct passport, this news means that the 2019 season will mark nearly a decade’s worth of time since Kiyonari last started a World Superbike race.
As we understand it, Althea Racing will run the logistics and hospitality of the new Honda WorldSBK team, while Moriwaki will handle what happens in the pit box and out on track.
Where this news leaves the Ten Kate team remains to be seen, though the championship is currently without representation from Suzuki, Aprilia, and MV Agusta – the latter making its plans to leave WorldSBK racing clear, earlier this year.
Jake Gagne is under no illusions about the remainder of the 2018 WorldSBK season; he’s racing for his future. The American has had a challenging rookie campaign, and it is almost certain that he won’t be retained by the Red Bull Honda squad for next year.
That being so, the San Diego native is excited to get back on track this weekend in Portimao, and use the final four rounds of the season as a springboard for his future.
“It’s been a hell of a ride,” said a smiling Gagne. “It’s no joke racing in WorldSBK. I don’t think that I’ve not shown what I can do yet. I’ve not reached my potential yet because there’s so much for me to learn.”
“Whether it’s bike, tires, or tracks ,you’re going up against riders and teams that have that experience. It takes time to learn and there’s a lot to learn. It’s a huge step from MotoAmerica, and it’s bigger than I thought beforehand.”
“I knew that I was jumping in at the deep end but the depth is so much better. The bikes and the variables with them are more complex. In MotoAmeica, I didn’t have to change much other than a click or two because I’d just go out there and ride my ass off. Here you have to think about so much more. In Moto America, I was thinking about 10 or 15 things, but here its 50 things!”
That level of complexity surprised Gagne. Coming from the Moto America Championship, the Honda rider feels that even the top teams and riders in the domestic series would struggle to make the adaptation. The resources available to riders and teams are so much greater at the world level.
For Gagne the switch was even more pronounced, with his American squad having been severely outgunned when compared to the likes of Graves Yamaha or Yoshimura Suzuki.
“I’ve been slammed into the ground a bunch of times this year, but I’ve enjoying it and I’ve learned a lot. The approach you need to takes for racing at this level and what you need to do to set the bike up have been the biggest lessons.”
“Obviously I’d prefer to have some better results, but I want to try and finish the season as strong as I can. I’ve made some mistakes but these guys are the best in the world.
“In terms of my riding, I was probably a bit too pumped up coming into the year. Riding harder isn’t always riding better or riding faster. That was always my style, and I know that sometimes it means that I go backwards or it develops some other issues for me, so it’s been important to relax, stay calm and understand the bike better.”
“I know that being at the limit all the time isn’t the best thing all the time. I’ve learned how I need to set the bike up with chassis or suspension changes and obviously the electronics. I’ve never had to deal with so many variables that can be changed.”
Gagne admits that the biggest variable that needed to be changed at times throughout the season was his mentality. Knowing what to expect and having the confidence to let the weekend come to him has taken time. It takes five years to get five years experience in any job, but Gagne has tried to shortcut some of his inexperience by riding to the absolute limit.
At times he has looked ragged, at times he has looked quick. His home round at Laguna Seca has been the high point because his experience at the Californian circuit meant he knew what to expect. Knowing how the bike should feel is necessary for any rider to go fast, but for a rookie that’s even more the case. At Laguna Gagne was able to claim two top ten finishes.
“Your mentality is so important, and how I approached the weekend and tried to over-ride the bike was an issue. I know that turning myself down to 90% can make a big difference to my performance and consistency, and being able to set the bike up. I need to think about the bike over the stint more than thinking about corner by corner.”
“Throughout the season I know that I’ve been able to give everything I possibly could on every day. I know that each day that I could have done things differently but I also have no had regrets at the end of any day.”
“My crew have always been very supportive and for the last four rounds the target is to get closer to the top ten. I know that I can do better but there’s so many pieces that you have to put together.”
“I know in the last few rounds that I was riding too hard, but two Top 10 finishes at Laguna at least was good. It was the best of the year and obviously knowing the track helped and having last year’s data to compare it to helped. It was an easier start to the weekend because rather than playing catch-up I knew what to expect. I’ve raced at Portimao, Magny-Cours, and Qatar so I know what to expect there.”
Gagne certainly didn’t know what to expect when he made the move to Europe and WorldSBK. Despite having raced in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, he had spent little time outside the US. When racing in the Rookies Cup, he travelled to and from America, but this year he made a point to travel, explore and live in Europe.
“I’ve definitely stepped out of comfort zone this year. In Rookies Cup, the maximum time I spent in Europe was about a month because I stayed in the US as much as possible. I was always with my family at that time, but this year I’ve been on my own and stayed in Europe for months at a time.”
“It’s been really cool because even though San Diego is the best city in the world, it’s been a lot of fun to live in Holland and see some other countries. It’s not just about the airport and the track now because I’ve seen cities this time and tried to enjoy it as much as I can. I’m here to race bikes, but I’m a person too and it’s important to see some cool shit too!”
“I’ve no real regrets about this year. It’s not part of my personality to be honest. The past is the past and you need to learn from it and move on. I’ve learned a lot this year! I’ve had a few too many big crashes from getting a bit too excited, but it’s no joke racing in WorldSBK. You’ve got to push to keep up with them,
“I know my ass is on the line for next year, and that I’ve got to keep learning and finish the year strong. I don’t want to have any regrets. I want to be able to look back and be proud. I want to stay in WorldSBK, but I don’t know what will happen for next year. I’ll try my best and make some headway to get some good results. If I can’t be back in WorldSBK, it’ll probably be back to America for me.”
Photos: © 2018 Jensen Beeler / Asphalt & Rubber – All Rights Reserved
Episode 81 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and in it we see Steve English and Jensen Beeler on the mics, as they talk a little bit more World Superbike action, before the season returns from its nearly two-month long summer break.
In the show, the boys talk about some of the big stories going on in the World Superbike Championship right now, and we chased down a number of riders to get their perspective, while at the Laguna Seca round.
As such, the show includes interviews with Tom Sykes, Alex Lowes, Eugene Laverty, Jake Gagne, and Jonathan Rea. The topics cover things like the rider silly season, the new rules for the year and how they’ve affected the race results, and how to improve “the show” in WorldSBK.
Of course the show is full of behind-the-scenes insights and analysis, which should be a welcomed resource for both seasoned World Superbike followers, and those who have missed many of the season’s races.
As always, be sure to follow the Paddock Pass Podcast on Facebook, Twitter and subscribe to the show on iTunes and SoundCloud – we even have an RSS feed for you. If you like the show, we would really appreciate you giving it a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!
Episode 78 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and in it we see Steve English and Jensen Beeler on the mics, as they discuss both this year’s Suzuka 8-Hours endurance race.
Perhaps the most important race to the Japanese manufacturers, the Suzuka 8-Hours is seeing a return to its former glory, with several manufacturers putting together truly factory teams.
The show covers this new dawn for the Suzuka 8-Hours race, as well as the action on the track, of which there was plenty. It may have been eight-hours long, but this was a proper sprint race, with only 30 seconds separating first and second place.
On the show we are also joined by Jonathan Rea and Michael Laverty, who shed a ton of insight into what it’s like riding the Suzuka Specials, the differences in tires at the Japanese track, and what it takes to win this iconic race. You won’t want to miss those conversations.
All in all, we think you will enjoy the show. It is packed with behind-the-scenes info, and insights from teams and riders in the Suzuka paddock.
As always, be sure to follow the Paddock Pass Podcast on Facebook, Twitter and subscribe to the show on iTunes and SoundCloud – we even have an RSS feed for you. If you like the show, we would really appreciate you giving it a review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!
The 2018 Suzuka 8-Hours is in the books, and it was one to remember. In a lot of ways, this was Suzuka back in its heyday. Factory bikes, world-class riders, and a flat-out sprint race between the best of the best.
It was a shame that the weather interrupted what had looked set to be a classic 8-Hours. With Jonathan Rea hitting the deck in the treacherous conditions, it took a potential race-winner out of contention, and ended three and a half hours of toe-to-toe, bar-to-bar between Kawasaki and Yamaha.
For the first time since 2015, Yamaha was challenged, but Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark weren’t rattled.
Prior to the race Van der Mark joked that “I don’t get scared on a bike, I scare the others!” and on Sunday the two-time WorldSBK race-winner certainly wasn’t scared of the reputation that Rea brings as a three-time world champion.
The Dutchman’s opening stint was superb, and his fight with Rea was something unlike any seen we have at the 8-Hours in recent years. When they pitted, it was up to Lowes and Leon Haslam to continue the fight and that’s exactly what happened.
Over the course of those opening hours, we were treated to the full spectacle of motorcycle racing, and it was everything it should be. With that in mind, here are some of the biggest talking points of the 2018 Suzuka 8 Hours.
Yamaha Factory Racing made history at the Suzuka 8-Hours today, claiming their fourth consecutive victory in the great race.
This Japanese endurance race has become one of the biggest spectacles on the motorcycling calendar, and there were moments of today’s 199 laps that would have felt like an eternity for Michael van der Mark and Alex Lowes.
With Katsuyuki Nakasuga ruled out with a shoulder injury following a crash in yesterday’s practice session, the burden fell on his teammates to deliver success.
They duly did, but not until they had overcome a huge challenge from Kawasaki.
