F.C.C. TSR Honda France sealed victory at the 8 Hours of Oschersleben for round four of the 2018/2019 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) in Germany.

The Honda squad finished ahead of Team SRC Kawasaki France – who now lead the points standings – and VRD Igol Pierret Experiences.

The podium was starting to look like a done deal, with four of the favourites battling it out in the lead from the race start, when big drama shook things up an hour and a half before the finish at Oschersleben.

YART Yamaha’s engine failure while they were locked in battle with F.C.C. TSR Honda France for the win caused Honda Endurance Racing, then in fourth place, to crash, throwing the end of the race wide open.

F.C.C. TSR Honda France, the 2018 race winner, triumphed this year with Australian Josh Hook, Freddy Foray and Mike Di Meglio. The Kawasaki riders Jeremy Guarnoni, David Checa and Erwan Nigon made it to the second step of the podium. Most importantly, they lifted the factory Kawasaki to the top of the provisional standings in the run-up to the grand finale at Suzuka.

For VRD Igol Pierret Experiences and riders Florian Alt, Florian Marino and Xavier Simeon, their third-place podium finish was as good as a win. YART’s DNF meant Australian Broc Parkes was unable to record a result. The EWC now heads to Japan for the season finale, the Suzuka 8 Hours, on 28 July.

Detailed results