Australian Broc Parkes has expressed satisfaction with Yamaha Austria Racing Team’s (YART) sixth place finish at the 2019 Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan, despite setting a target of landing inside the top five.

The squad was initially classified inside the top five, however in a dramatic FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) finale where leaders Suzuki Endurance Racing Team crashed and caused a red-flag in the closing moments, the results were amended and YART was credited P6.

The strong showing amongst the factory teams meant Parkes’ team was able to secure fourth in the EWC rankings, which comes after two DNFs, one victory and one podium.

“For me it’s not been so easy this week, but then in the race my lap times during my stints were really good and I could keep the pace,” said Parkes.

“From a team perspective, we did everything we possibly could to beat home one of the factory bikes and to be in the top six, which was great, even if our target was top five ahead of the race. I have amazing teammates and an amazing team, and I’m confident we’ll be even stronger next season.”

The 2019/2020 FIM Endurance World Championship commences on 21-22 September for the Bol d’Or 24 Hours in France.