Another podium for F.C.C. TSR Honda France and victory for National Motos Honda in Superstock
Circuit de Spa-FrancorchampsStunning performance from all five Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP in the 24H SPA EWC Motos
F.C.C. TSR Honda France clinched a second podium at the Belgium track, and after the win in the Le Mans season opener, the Honda #1 is determined to fight to renew the championship title.
Starting from fourth place on the grid, Josh Hook made a great start, immediately joining the front group and battling for first place during the first hours of the race.
Honda’s endurance specialists put in a series of fast stints without any single mistake in the race and constant lap times. However, entering the last quarter of the race, a technical issue surrounding the exhaust, forced the Honda #1 to enter the pits for five minutes and rejoin into third place.
Despite a few drops of rain at the end of the race, Honda’s endurance specialists did not let up in their efforts and claimed another podium finish after two clocked laps of the fast Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France is second in the standings after collecting 54 points, with a total of 117, just one point behind the leader. The next round will be held from August 4 to 6 at the Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan.
National Motos Honda took an incredible and well-deserved win, leading the race from the first quarter of the race. The Honda #55, with very consistent and solid laps, and no mistakes, took the victory that places them third in the standings..
Honda No Limits repeated the third-place podium as in Le Mans after starting the race from ninth place in the Superstock category.
Chromeburner-RAC41-Honda was in second place most of the race, fighting for the lead during some hours. Chris Leesch had a crash early in the morning on a tricky, moistened track that forced him to enter the pits and rejoin in fourth place. Chromeburner-RAC41-Honda missed out the podium again as happened in Le Mans, but collected very valuable points that place the Fireblade #44 in the front of the Superstock standings.
Honda Viltaïs Racing was qualified in fifth position on the grid, and with a very good pace, the Fireblade #333 was placed in fourth position until the eight hours of racing. Some technical problems with the oil filter and the petrol pump forced the French team to enter the pits and rejoin the race in the 20th position.
Following the fighting spirit and outstanding performance of the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, the team had an incredible comeback, crossing the finish line in 10th place overall (7th in the EWC class) that places the team 5th in the championship.
We had an excellent start to the race with some good battles and some fast stints. Unfortunately, we had a technical issue surrounding the exhaust, but we can be satisfied with the weekend. Everyone did a great job to help us gain as many points as possible for the championship.
It's a good result for the championship. The race was great because we were fighting for victory for a long time with some very tight gaps. We had a little problem in the morning, so in the end it was good to get 2nd place. A 24-hour race is always difficult. My team-mates were fast and the team also worked well. At Suzuka, with a fast bike, we can hope for a good result to keep fighting for the title.
We had a good race. We knew we had the pace to fight at the front. And even though we were a little slower than the leader, we had one less pit stop, so anything was possible. But endurance is unpredictable. We showed that we are fast and that the bike and tyres work well. By finishing 2nd we've taken some big points for the championship, even if we've lost the lead by one point. I enjoyed the bike throughout the race, so I'm looking forward to Suzuka!
