Pelumba negara, Zaqhwan Zaidi kembali menyertai saingan Suzuka 8 Hours selepas dua tahun ia tidak dianjurkan disebabkan wabak COVID-19 yang melanda dunia.
Zaqhwan yang baru selesai menjalani ujian dua hari di Litar Suzuka, Jepun berkata, dia berpuas hati dengan keputusannya, lagi-lagi ini merupakan kali pertama pasukan Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA menguji jentera.
“Selesai dua hari ujian Suzuka 8 Hours,” kata Zaqhwan. “Gembira dapat kembali ke sini selepas dua tahun tidak berlumba di Suzuka. Terima kasih Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA kerana usaha gigih dilakukan.
“Ia bukan mudah buat kami kerana ini adalah motosikal baharu yang belum pernah kami uji sebelum ini tetapi saya percaya kami boleh menjadi lebih kuat pada minggu perlumbaan 8 jam nanti.”
Perlumbaan Suzuka 8 Hours 2022 kembali berada dalam kaledar FIM EWC dari 5 hingga 7 Ogos ini.
Pertandingan ini pernah menyaksikan nama besar sukan permotoran dua roda memenanginya seperti Wayne Rainey pada 1988, Eddie Lawson (1990), Mick Doohan (1991) dan Valentino Rossi (2001).
Dalam sesi ujian, Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA yang disertai Zaqhwan dan Gerry Salim menamatkan sesi ketiga dengan berada di kedudukan ke-14 sebelum ke-18 terpantas pada sebelah malam.
The inaugural 8 Hours of Sepang FIM EWC (Endurance World Championship) concluded with YART Yamaha taking home the win at a very wet and drama-filled race. After a long delay which saw the race cut down to less than half, the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT) managed to extend their EWC championship lead up to 15 points (79 points total) in the second race of the series with a P5 finish. (more…)
The Yamaha Sepang Racing Team will start from pole position at the 8 Hours of Sepang inaugural FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) race.
Riders are Hafizh Syahrin, Franco Morbidelli and Michael Van Der Mark.
The race starts at 1pm tomorrow.
The Yamaha Sepang Racing Team will start from pole position at the 8 Hours of Sepang inaugural FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) race. The team consists of riders Hafizh Syahrin, Franco Morbidelli and Michael Van Der Mark. Syahrin and Morbidelli are MotoGP riders, while van der Mark rides for the factory Yamaha WorldSBK outfit. The team’s #21 Yamaha YZF-R1 is prepared by YART and shod with Bridgestone tyres. They are competing in the premier Formula EWC class.
Morbidelli on the #21 Yamaha YZF-R1. Photo credit FIM EWC
Such a great means the team is poised to gain victory in their “home” race. A win would make up for Morbidelli’s disappointment of finishing in 5th after qualifying second fastest in the Malaysian MotoGP. Besides that, it’ll be a great confidence boost for Hafizh Syahrin as well after being dropped by the Red Bull KTM Racing Tech 3 MotoGP team for 2020.
Hafizh Syahrin and Morbidelli in the pits. Photo credit FIM EWC
The second qualifying session started at 7pm yesterday. The FIM EWC uses combined qualifying times to determine the grid positions. The 10 fastest goes through to the Top 10 Trial shootout, which is like the Superpole format. The teams then put forth their fastest rider for a single flying lap to determine grid positions 1st through 10th.
Thailand’s Somkiat Chantra of Honda Asia Dream Racing set the gauntlet by posting an eye-popping time of 2m 05.440s. That took the team from 9th to 1st. One of Somkiat’s teammate is Malaysia rider Zaqhwan Zaidi who took part in the Suzuka 8 Hours in July.
But Morbidelli, the current MotoGP rider for the Yamaha Sepang Racing Team struck back with a 2m 04.647s lap. The Italian’s effort was a valiant fight given an early crash.
Qualifying third was the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team, who were previous champions in the series.
The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team did well again to qualify in 4th. Remember, this is only their first season in the FIM EWC since 2015.
By contrast, the championship leading Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT) ended qualifying in 11th.
The Superstock class saw titanic battles for the starting grid up and down the field. In end, it was the Japanese team Tone RT Syncedge 4413 BMW who prevailed, just beating out French based Moto Ain. The former was team were the fastest at the Suzuka 8 Hour, while the latter was last season’s FIM Endurance World Cup winner.
We were given access to the BMW Motorrad FIM Endurance World Championship Team’s pit.
There we saw the BMW S 1000 RR endurance racer.
The 8 Hours of Sepang FEWC race is happening this weekend.
BMW Motorrad announced that the new BMW S 1000 RR will be entered in the FIM Endurance World Championship last year, just prior to the start of the 2019-2020 season.
The decision seemed to have justified itself when the team finished third overall in the season opener at the 24-hour Bol D’or race in France.
We’ve published an article on some of the technical rules for the FEWC, but of course, who wouldn’t want to see the bikes up close? Well, we were given access to the team’s pits and bikes, thanks to BMW Motorrad Malaysia.
First of all, we were surprised how “open” all the teams were in FEWC. There was no giant separators to hide the insides of the pits, bike parts were in the open, riders walked about nonchalantly without being mobbed.
Walking into the BMW pit, there were fuel tanks on top of a transport case. These tanks feature extensions underneath and to the rear. The rear portion is placed under the rider’s seat. A 24-litre capacity is allowed in FEWC so the teams need extra space to store all that fuel.
But sitting right there in the middle was a stripped out 2019 BMW S 1000 RR. It was sitting on paddock stands without its wheels, seat cover and fuel tank.
Since refuelling need to be lightning quick, all teams use the dry break refuelling system. There are those with two couplings, the rest are with single couplings. Why two holes? Air from the tank exits through one hole while fuel flows through another. Doing this speeds up the fueling process.
Team manager Werner Daemen greeted us and went on to explain about the bike. (Greeted by a team boss? Never happened in MotoGP.)
There are pitstops for fuel, tyres and rider change (and also crashes). As such, every attachment on the bike is made for quick release. Both wheel axles/spindles needed only three turns to be extracted. Consequently, tyre swaps take only 3 seconds!
The footrests, foot pedals, clip-ons and levers are also quick release systems. Their cable and hose attachments have quick-release couplings that can be twisted on and off.
Looking at the handlebar, there’s a button which says “START.” Yes, the bike’s starter is in place. That’s because riders will line their bikes on one side of the track, then run over from the opposite side. They then have to start their bikes and get going. This endurance tradition lives one.
Daemen pointed out the brakes. The team uses Nissin brakes instead of the usual Brembo. We’ll leave the good/bad arguments to the riders but it shows that there’s room for other manufacturers to shine in the FEWC.
We noticed the gorgeous swingarm. A closer inspection showed that it’s made by Suter, who were once involved in Moto2 racing.
Suter also makes the swingarm for the BMW S 1000 RR HP4 Race, but the swingarms on these race bikes were custom made.
We walked over to the other two bikes. One was crashed yesterday and the rider suffered some shoulder injuries.
Here, we could look right into the engine compartment. The huge airbox was still attached and the ECU sits atop it. The ECU is available to BMW customers who wish to race in endurance. However, instead of unlocking more of the engine’s power, it’s programmed to provide better fuel efficiency and engine reliability. Endurance racing is about strategy and who can be the fastest on a consistent basis, rather than an all-out horsepower battle like in MotoGP.
The rep explained that the riders love the new BMW S 1000 RR engine as it produces a lot of midrange torque. He says that this is due to the BMW ShiftCam variable valve timing/lift system.
It’s this midrange grunt that propels the bike and rider out of corners, not top-end horsepower. If you look at SIC’s layout, there are only two areas that require high horsepower i.e. the rear and front straights, while the rest are made up of short “chutes” leading into other corners. In fact, the torque helps the bike to build speed much quicker when exiting corners, translating to higher speeds down the straights. Remember our article?
It has to be said here that the FEWC is a production-based series. That means the racebike must be essentially be the same as the homologation street bike. It also means that the engine architecture and capacity; frame design and material must be exactly be the same.
The FIM scrutineered the bikes and stamped the parts such as the frame.
As we mentioned before, the FEWC is where a proper tyre war takes place. This is where Dunlop, Bridgestone and Pirelli duke it out to produce the best tyres in terms of grip and durability.
The overall objective of all these rules is to encourage manufacturers to produce bikes and products that the buying public can benefit from.
The second round of the season is now in Malaysia at the Sepang International Circuit. Called the 8 Hours of Sepang, the race will play the role as the qualifier for the Suzuka 8 Hour season-finale for “part-time” teams. It means that these teams will compete alongside the regular teams of the FEWC.
So do make your way over to the Sepang International Circuit for this grand event. More details on the SIC webpage.
Remember, the FIM Endurance World Championship is coming to Malaysia.
Called 8 Hours of Sepang, the race will be held from 13th to 15th December 2019.
Here are 10 basic points to get you up to speed.
Rejoice! Because the FIM Endurance World Championship (FEWC) is coming to Malaysia.
But what’s the race about, other than taking longer to complete than the usual MotoGP and WorldSBK race? What are the technical rules governing the bikes? What type of bikes do they race?
Let’s start with some details of the Malaysian round.
1. 8 Hours of Sepang
Photo credit FIM Endurance World Championship
The event is officially known as 8 Hours of Sepang and happens from 13th to 15th December 2019. But since it’s the first time the FEWC visits Malaysia, the event will be a double-header for both motorcycles and cars. The 8 Hours of Sepang for FEWC will begin at 1pm and end at 9pm on 14th December.
The good news is you can watch all the FEWC, World Touring Car Races (WCTR), Formula 3 Asia and Formula 4 Asean sessions and races for just one ticket price.
Please visit the Sepang International Circuit’s website for more ticketing details and prices.
2. Special role of 8 Hours of Sepang
The 8 Hours of Sepang has a special role (besides being a new round to score more points): It will serve as the qualifier round for part-time teams to the season finale Suzuka 8 Hours.
3. What is the FEWC
As the term “endurance” suggests, the races test the physical and mental resolve of riders and team members, besides the reliability of the machines throughout the race. There are pits stops and teams can repair crashed bikes and send them back out.
There are a number of race durations throughout the year i.e. 8 hours, 12 hours and 24 hours. As such, each team must have at least two riders. A third backup rider is permitted.
4. Run!
There are qualifying sessions, of course. However, the riders don’t start the races by sitting on their bikes. Instead, the bikes are lined-up along the pit wall with the riders lined up on the opposite side. At the drop of the flag, they run to their machines, start them up and off they go.
5. There are pit stops
Racing for such extended periods require pitstops, of course. The bikes will come in for fresh tyres, fuel and to exchange riders. Brake pads are also replaced usually during the 12-hour and 24-hour races.
But get this: Only four persons are allowed to work on each bike on the “hot” pit lane. Should the rider help, he is considered one of the four. Having an extra person will incur a hefty penalty.
So, unlike MotoGP mechanics who “sign off” the bikes until after the race, endurance racing mechanics must be on their toes at all times. It’s not uncommon to see them running around like mad rabbits especially when they need to fix a crashed or malfunctioning bike.
6. Who wins?
The races are limited by time, not by a predetermined number of laps. So, the team who accomplishes the highest number of laps within that period is the winner.
Should more than one rider be on the same lap at the end of the race, the first rider to cross the finish line is the winner.
So, endurance racing rewards not who has the fastest bike or rider, but one who’s fastest on a consistent basis.
7. What are the technical rules?
There’s just too many to fit in here, as listed in the FIM’s rulebook. But these are the main points.
The FEWC is a production-based racing series.
Superbikes is the short answer, but the homologation model cannot exceed the retail price of € 40,000 (including taxes).
Only four-stroke engines are permitted.
Engine capacity limits are 600cc to 1000cc for 4 cylinders; 750cc to 1000cc for 3 cylinders; 850cc to 1200cc for two cylinders.
The frame must be in the dimensions and material of the homologated bike.
The field is divided into two classes: The premier EWC Formula and Superstock.
The former allows upgrades to the forks, rear shock, swingarm, brakes, radiator and exhaust. Teams can soup up the bike’s performance, but the rules are still very restrictive i.e. the piston, rings conrod must all be stock. Maximum fuel load is 24 litres. Minimum weight is capped at 175 kg (when weighed at the end of the race!).
On the track, the EWC Formula bikes wear their race numbers on black backgrounds and have white-light headlamps.
As for the Superstock class, the bikes can be differentiated by race numbers of red backgrounds and use yellow headlights.
If modifications in the EWC Formula class are restricted, the Superstock bikes are practically taken from the showroom floors. However, ECU remapping, fuel injector replacement, clutch reinforcement and replacement of the exhaust silencers (not full system) are allowed. Maximum fuel load is 24 litres. The minimum weight for Superstock machines is 168 kg, at the end of the race.
There are other sub-rules for races that include nighttime or do not.
Limiting the number of modifications encourages manufacturers to produce better roadgoing bikes that can be obtained by the public, rather than ultra-exotics that no one could afford.
8. What tyres do they use?
The FEWC is where you find a proper tyre war. Instead of sticking to one brand of control tyre, Bridgestone, Dunlop and Pirelli duke it out here. The series encourages tyre makers to produce grippy yet high mileage tyres.
9. Which motorcycle manufacturers are involved?
Currently, Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, BMW and Kawasaki are racing full time. Ducatis are entered without Ducati Corse involvement at the moment.
10. It’s currently the 2020 championship season
Suzuki Endurance Racing Team won the Bol D’or 24-Hour 2019
The FEWC season follows a different timetable compared to possibly all other racing series. Instead of beginning in the early part and concluding at the end of the year, the FEWC season begins in September and ends in July of the following year.
For the 2019 – 2020 season, the championship began with the Bol d’Or in France, then to 8 Hours of Sepang in Malaysia, over to the 24 Heures du Mans Moto at Le Mans back in France, followed by the 8 House of Slovakia Ring in Slovakia, then the 8 Hours of Oschersleben in Germany, and finally the Suzuka 8 Hours.
Conclusion
So, do book your tickets early for this prestigious event. It’s certainly a bang for your buck!
Will a Ducati Corse factory team join the Endurance World Championship and Suzuka 8-Hours?
The manufacturer is now supporting privateer teams in the championship.
Ducati didn’t shoot down the idea but outlined that it’ll be a large challenge should they decide to.
Ducati obtained significant results in their comeback bid in the WorldSBK with the Ducati Panigale V4 R (Alvaro Bautista’s cock ups notwithstanding) this season. But will a factory Ducati Corse team join the Endurance World Championship and Suzuka 8-Hours?
The designer of the Ducati 916, the late-Massimo Tamburini had envisioned to race his creation in endurance events including the prestigious Suzuka 8-Hours. That’s why he gave the bike a single-sided swingarm. In fact, he admitted that the 916’s swingarm was heavier than the regular twin-spar swingarms of its contemporaries, but it facilitates faster rear wheel changes.
The design became a Ducati signature and tradition which is carried on all the way to the latest high-end Panigales including the Ducati Panigale V4 R.
Point is, endurance racing is missing in Ducati’s motorsports dossier.
Italian magazine GPOne.com spoke to Ducati Corse Sporting Director, Paolo Ciabatti about such prospects. Ciabatti didn’t kill the idea outright but gave a “not yet.”
The 2020 EWC season has begun and Ducati will participate only in a supporting role.
“In my opinion, if we ever decide to participate in the Suzuka 8-Hours in an official way at Ducati, it will be our own project which will require a great deal of effort,” he told GPOne. “We have to plan test on the track when it is available; we have to field the best riders available in the Ducati family; and then we have to think that to win there, the Bridgestone tyres must be used.”
“A challenge in the challenge. It is fascinating, but if Ducati decides to participate, it will do so to fight for victory.”
What he meant by “our own project” means that it’ll be Ducati Corse factory effort and not in partner with endurance race teams.
MotoGP rider Franco Morbidelli will join the PETRONAS Sepang Racing Team squad for the FIM Endurance World Championship round in Sepang International Circuit.
He will join two other riders namely Hafizh Syahrin and four-time Suzuka 8 Hour endurance winner Michael van der Mark.
The round will take place from 13th to 15th December 2019.
MotoGP rider Franco Morbidelli will join the PETRONAS Sepang Racing Team squad for the FIM Endurance World Championship round in Sepang International Circuit.
Morbidelli’s draft ends months of speculation that he will be one of the riders for the Sepang stint. He will join two other riders namely Hafizh Syahrin and four-time Suzuka 8 Hour endurance winner Michael van der Mark.
The squad will be supported by the YART Yamaha EWC squad who were former winners of the EWC. As such, the three riders will play their parts in riding the Yamaha YZF-R1.
The 2020 EWC opens with the Bol D’or in France before heading to Sepang for the second round from 13th to 15th December 2019. However, the Sepang round has a large significance to the EWC as it will form the qualifying round for “irregular” EWC teams to qualify for the Suzuka 8 Hour race.
Additionally, the race also features an FIA World Touring Car Cup round back-to-back.
Morbidelli expressed his concerns about riding in an endurance race. “I’m curious to see how an endurance race format suits me, and am really looking forward to it.”
Team Principal Dato’ Ahmad Razlan Ahmad Razali is confident about the team’s prospects given the two MotoGP riders in addition to a multiple Suzuka 8 Hour winner. “We have faith that Franco, Michael, Hafizh and YART will deliver and we’re targeting the very top step of the podium.”
BMW Motorrad confirmed their participation in the 2020 FIM Endurance World Championship (FEWC).
They will campaign the new BMW S 1000 RR.
The 2020 season starts next month with the Bol D’Or 24-hour race.
BMW Motorrad confirmed their participation in the 2020 FIM Endurance World Championship (FEWC) with full factory support. They will enter the new BMW S 1000 RR, of course.
BMW’s Big Four Japanese rivals, namely Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki are already enjoying much coverage in the series.
The German factory will join forces with the MRP team, who’ve an extensive record in working with BMW on the world stage. It’s also reported that the team will use Dunlop tyres. However, the rider line-up has yet to be announced. The FEWC is the currently the only world-stage motorcycle racing series which allows tyre manufacturers to compete.
The FIM Endurance World Championship seems to be gaining in popularity lately. This is because the series consists of bikes that are relevant to those you and I can buy at a dealership. Heck, the bikes even have working electric starters and working lights!
On the other hand, MotoGP bikes are fully prototype machines, like Formula 1 in auto racing. While much technology has trickled down to road bikes, components don’t have the same designs and may not necessarily use the same materials. The advertising copywriting may say, “Inspired by our extensive technology in MotoGP racing,” but that’s as far as it goes. Or they could produce something so exotic like the Honda RC213V, yet it’s way out of reach among 99.99999% of us mortals.
What about the World Superbike Championship (WorldSBK)? Forget it. They may look like, feel like and even smell like road bikes but their electronics rival MotoGP.
The 2020 FEWC season begins next month (September) with the Bol d’Or 24-hour race in France, followed by the Eight Hours of Sepang from 13th to 15th December. There will be another three races next year to complete the 2020 championship.
The FIM has confirmed Malaysia as a new round for the Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC).
The 8-hour race will be held at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) on 7th December 2019.
The Malaysian round will also serve as the qualifying round for “part-timers” to join the permanent FIM EWC teams at the Grand Finale in the Suzuka 8-Hours.
Speaking of Zaqhwan Zaidi and the Honda Asia-Dream Racing team’s great result in last weekend’s Suzuka 8-Hours endurance race, the FIM has confirmed the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) as one of the venues for the 2019 and 2020 FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC).
The announcement was made during the Suzuka 8-Hours race, along with a change in the FIM EWC’s program.
The SIC round will serve as a qualifying event for the Grand Finale at Suzuka, Japan. It will have the same format as the Suzuka 8-Hours, including a Superpole Top 10 Trial and ends after nightfall. That means Asian teams who wish to take part in the Suzuka event will have to qualify through the SIC round. This is to create a parity for the FIM EWC’s permanent teams. The permanent and Japanese teams will be invited to SIC and the cost will be covered by Eurosport Events.
Also, as we mentioned earlier about coverage, the Discovery Group had stepped in to provide televised coverage on all five continents.
Sepang International Circuit CEO, Dato’ Ahmad Razlan Razali said, “Based on a public survey that SIC conducted for 3 months last year, we are pleased that this FIM EWC series was voted by Malaysians as an event they would like to see at SIC as a replacement for Formula One. We are also pleased that the Sepang International Circuit will be the qualification round for Japanese and Asian teams for the grand finale at the iconic Suzuka 8-Hours.”
Dato’ Ahmad Razlan Razali during the press conference – courtesy of fimewc.com
This is very exciting news for Malaysian motorcycle sports fans, indeed. It is time we pit our national riders against the world. It’ll also be interesting to foresee the Malaysian Superbike Championship teams taking part in this prestigious FIM Endurance World Championship event.
The FIM EWC Sepang round will be held on 7th December 2019.
Zaqhwan Zahidi and his teammates steered their Honda Asia-Dream Racing Team to a well-deserved 7th place.
They finished ahead of many works factory teams.
The results meant they finished on position higher than they did in 2017.
Malaysian rider, Zaqhwan Zaidi and this Honda Asia-Dream Racing Team teammates Tory Herfoss from Australia and Andi Farid Izdihar of Indonesia achieved an incredible 7th position at the prestigious Suzuka 8-Hours endurance race over the weekend.
Troy Herfoss, Zaqwan’s teammate – Courtesy of fimewc.com
Suzuka circuit typically plays host to the final round to the FIM Endurance World Championsip (EWC). Since the circuit is Honda-owned, the Honda Asia-Dream Racing Team’s result was even sweeter.
But it was not easy as it seemed. The 5.821-km Suzuka Circuit is challenging in itself, featuring corners upon corners that lead into one another in combination with slow and fast sections, forcing the riders to be on top of their game without places to rest. Now throw in 63 other bikes into the mix.
If having to contend with that many man and machine on the track and pits wasn’t enough, the weather played tricks on the field this year by being unpredictable at best. There were top-class riders who crashed when they caught out by a rainstorm.
In fact, the circuit was lashed by a typhoon which brought 170 km/h winds with it the night before, but repair crews worked through the night to fix the damaged facilities. (Respect to the Japanese for their hardwork.)
Start of the Suzuka 8-Hours – Courtesy of fimewc.com
“It’s a lot harder this year due to unpredictable weather,” said Zaqhwan afterwards. Honda Asia-Dream Racing team manager, Zulhelmi Ahmad said he noted that the weather had impacted the team’s temperament, but it didn’t sway them from their determination of achieving a Top-10 position at the finish.
“It’s not an easy feat to get P7!” exclaimed the joyful 23-year-old Zaqhwan Zaidi. The team had started from 12th on the grid.
Into the R130 – Courtesy of fimewc.com
However, the aforementioned Zulhelmi Ahmad, who is also Boon Siew Honda’s Motor Sports manager, admitted that he has mixed feelings about the results, “I can’t say that I am delighted with the result today as we failed to reach our full potential.” The team could’ve finished on position higher if not for a botched pit stop. “But we cannot ignore the fact that the team did better this year in terms of overall timing and we finished one position above (last year’s P8),” he continued.
The Honda Asia-Dream Racing team finished the tough race with a total time of 8h00m:05.666s compared to the winner’s time of 8h00m:01.728s, with just 4 laps down. They will definitely do better next year.
The signature ferris wheel at Suzuka – courtesy of fimwec.com
Before we end, and before anyone starta slagging off the 7th place result and the Suzuka 8-Hour Endurance race, let us provide some background.
The Suzuka 8-Hours endurance race actually began in 1978 for prototype TT-F1 (Tourist Trophy Formula One) motorcycles, but as superbikes became more and more popular through the years, the FIM scrapped the TT-F1 class altogether to the benefit of a production-based race.
Also called the Suzuka 8-Hours, the race is an immense event all by itself, usually attracting between 85,000 to 100,000 race fans.
As such, motorcycle manufacturers pay lots of attention to the race and they will field top riders from MotoGP, World Superbike, All-Japan Superbike, and among other prestigious championships around the world to pair up as teams of 3 riders each. Check through the Suzuka 8-Hours history and you’ll come across great names such as Wes Cooley, Mike Baldwin, David Aldana, Fred Merkel, Wayne Gardner, Wayne Rainey, Scott Russel, Aaron Slight, Doug Polen, Noriyuki Haga, Colin Edwards, Mick Doohan, Carlos Checa, Casey Stoner, Jonathan Rea, and even Valentino Rossi (in 2001 when he partnered Colin Edwards to win the race).
Rossi at 2011 Suzuka 8-Hours – Courtesy of LAT Images
So what Zaqhwan Zaidi said is right, to come home in 7th ain’t easy, given the level of competition. The Honda Asia-Dream Racing team had actually finished behind F.C.C. TSR Honda France, who are the 2018 EWC Champion and one of the regulars in the GP scene; while finishing ahead of the Moriwaki and Yoshimura Suzuki works teams.
FCC TSR Honda France – Courtesy of www.honda.co.jp
The problem with many racing series around the world, apart from MotoGP, is due to lack of telecast in mass media, resulting in most people being misinformed. But keep in mind that it doesn’t mean the race isn’t prestigious if it isn’t televised.
Anyhow, let’s celebrate our national rider, Zaqhwan Zaidi and Honda Asia-Dream Racing team’s great result. We hope there will be more from the likable rider and team.
