MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

The day is done and the battle is won. Yamaha claimed their third consecutive Suzuka 8 Hours on Sunday. The victory put a stamp on their dominance of the one race each year that the Japanese manufacturers place more emphasis on than any other. We take a look at the Yamaha Factory Racing Team's YZF-R1.

It's often said that endurance racing is the last bastion of design and technological freedom in motor sport. Whether it was Audi's decision to use a diesel engine on four wheels or the current breed of two-wheeled endurance bike, it's clear that there is plenty of innovation on the grid.

At this weekend's Suzuka 8 Hours, the Yamaha Factory Racing Team fielded arguably the most advanced YZF-R1 on the planet. With open regulations for electronics, a tire war and plenty of scope for innovation in the rulebook, the machine raced by Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark is very different to their regular WorldSBK mount.

Smooth day at Suzuka for Yamaha as they wrap up a third consecutive 8 Hours success

Vince Lombardi once said that he “firmly believes that any man's finest hour is that moment when he has worked his heart out for a good cause and he lies exhausted on the field of battle. Victorious.”

The day is done, the battle is won, and for a third consecutive year Yamaha lifted the Suzuka 8 Hours trophy. It was a dominant performance by the Number 21 crew, and in the aftermath they sat and enjoyed their success. They weren't exhausted, but for Alex Lowes, Michael van der Mark, and Katsuyuki Nakasuga, this was the final moment of their 2017 Suzuka.

Sitting in their paddock office the trio of riders were relaxed but the emotions of the day were starting to take hold. For Van der Mark it was the realization that for a third time he had stood on the top step of the podium. It was a case of “job done” for Lowes, whose trio of stints were a superb display of speed, consistency, and maturity. Nakasuga joins Van der Mark as a three-time winner, and his status as the King of Suzuka is retained. Indeed, it was his opening stint that laid the foundations of their success.

Yamaha claimed a third Top 10 Shootout victory on the bounce at Suzuka today, but the Yamaha Factory Team know that there's still plenty of work to do to claim victory at the Suzuka 8 Hours

There are no team sports quite like motorsports. Fans focus their attentions on the rider on track, but it truly is a team effort that drives performance. At the Suzuka 8 Hours teamwork becomes even more important, and how a trio of riders work together and gel can become the deciding factor between winning and losing.

For the last two years the faces in the Number 21 Yamaha crew have changed. Katsuyuki Nakasuga has been a constant in their run of success and the Japanese rider helped claim pole position once again for the team. Nakasuga will turn 36 next week, and with Alex Lowes having also shown a great turn of speed on his lap the team are well placed for the race.

Yamaha retained its vice-like grip on the Suzuka 8 Hours by leading the way in qualifying ahead of this weekend's 40th edition of the legendary race but Honda's consistency could be a real threat.

Alex Lowes was the pacesetter for the Factory Yamaha Team with the WorldSBK star setting his fastest ever lap of the Japanese circuit. His 2m06.4 was marginally faster than his teammate, Katsuyuki Nakasuga and afterwards Lowes was pleased with their efforts and excited for the weekend.

“I'm really happy with today,” said a smiling Lowes. “I did a 2'06.4 on the same tires that we will be using for the race, so that's very positive. It's also the first time that I've done a 2'06 around here. Today was difficult in the morning because there were some damp patches, but the bike is really good here.

“I think that all three of us are doing a really good job so far this weekend and that's the most important thing. It's great to set a fast time like today and I'm pleased with how I'm riding the bike. In an 8 hour race, it's not about your pace on one lap, it's about winning across the 8 hours, and that's what we're focused on.”

On first glance the field looks to be close ahead of this weekend's Suzuka 8 Hours. Yamaha led the opening session, Honda topped the second, and there are four manufacturers inside the top five and all within a second of the pace.

It seems to be setting up for a great weekend of racing, but when you delve into the times it's clear that, while Honda has made progress, they are still playing catch up with their CBR1000RR SP2. Despite a crash for Jack Miller the 634 machine led the way in the afternoon session but with Yamaha electing to use only one set of tires in the session their true one lap pace is still unknown. Miller's crash came on what would have been his fastest lap of the day but having rolled off on his previous lap may have been caught out by a slightly cold tire. There were plenty of positives on the opening day for Honda and while they probably need to make a small step to compete with Yamaha they are in the ballpark.