Top-ten finish for Honda Endurance Racing at a dramatic 8 Hours of Oschersleben

The Honda Endurance Racing team finished tenth after a dramatic race at the 8 Hours of Oschersleben aboard the all-new Fireblade SP2. With near perfect conditions throughout the eight-hour event, Honda’s endurance specialists put in a strong performance to finish within the top-ten.

Freddy Foray started the eight hours for Honda Endurance Racing in tenth place and by the end of the first lap was down in 14th position. However, by the ninth lap Foray had broken into the top-ten.

After an hour on track at the 3.667km German circuit, Foray had taken the race lead as the team came in for the first pit stop. Losing the lead during the stop, Sébastien Gimbert took over and settled the Fireblade into third place once on track.

The next stop was slightly longer than expected when the front wheel would not go into position smoothly, but with Julien Da Costa aboard after the stop his goal was simple – take back the third place position. Da Costa set his goal and soon enough the Honda squad were back in third place with 124 laps completed.

However, disaster struck during the next stop when an issue with the rear axle held the team in the pits for over four minutes. With all eyes now on the Honda team and down in 15th place, Foray took the seat and set about making up the lost positions.

Over the course of the next five hours, the Honda Endurance Racing team put in a strong performance and masterfully made their way back into the top-ten. With a strong fueling strategy, the Honda squad was able to maximise their performance with longer stints on track.

After eight hours of racing, 310 laps completed and covering an approximate distance of 1,136km, Honda Endurance Racing crossed the line in tenth place.

The next round of the FIM Endurance World Championship takes place on 23-24 June, with a new round introduced to the calendar, the 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring.

Freddy Foray

This race is a real shame for us as I felt that a podium was possible, so you know it is a shame. All the team, not just the riders need a podium and a good result, we all work so hard so for sure it is a disappointment not to finish today with a podium. Our pace on track was not so bad, so that is a positive for the race, we were similar to SERT, which is encouraging, but we do have some work to do. The Fireblade is very good and the cooler temperatures helped us during the race, I am confident with the pace and that we were able to come back from 15th to finish tenth, but you know we always want more. So now we have to concentrate and get ready for the next round, where I hope we can produce a podium finish.

Julien Da Costa

We started in tenth place today and finished tenth. During the race we had problems yes, but we were able to fight and be with teams like SERT, which is encouraging and I felt that we could have finished on the podium. But you know this is racing and sometimes it is not meant to be. But we have the pace, so we can work on the other parts and then we will be on the podium. For me it was a hard race with my wrist, but I have good team-mates who did the job and secured us a place in the top-ten, for this race you know I was the bad guy! So for me I need to rest and make sure my wrist is OK for the next round, we have some work to do, but I am confident in the team and that we can bring it all together for Slovakia.

Sébastien Gimbert

Well you know I am disappointed with the result. I was sure in the start that we would finish on the podium, but for this race it was not meant to be. It is a shame as Oschersleben suits the Fireblade, and us but today it wasn’t possible. We struggled a lot with acceleration out of corners, but we were able to make up the gap on the straights and you know, the race pace wasn’t bad, so that is a positive. We have a month now before the next round, so we need to all work together and have the best package possible for Slovakia Ring and also Suzuka. I would like to end the championship with two podium finishes and I know that it is possible, so for now we go to work and come back stronger for the last two rounds.

Jonny Twelvetrees

After qualifying in tenth, the first stint was going well for us with Freddy aboard the CBR, the track temperatures were cooling and that was playing into our hands, the riders were riding strong and pushed hard to make their way into third place. The lap times were looking good, and in the early stages it looked like we might claim a podium. Unfortunately during the third or fourth pit stop we had a problem with the rear axle and we had to get the Fireblade into the box and spend time figuring out the problem. This lost us four minutes and we went back out in 15th place, but during the rest of the race the guys managed to get us back and into the top-ten, so credit to them and their hard work! It is disappointing and this will be one of those ‘what could have been races’, but we showed that we do have good pace and we can fight back. I am looking forward to Slovakia Ring, making some improvements and hopefully we’ll step on the podium there.