While the 5.821km Suzuka circuit itself was opened in the September of 1962, the Suzuka 8 Hour first came about in 1978.
It quickly became the most important race for production based bikes in the world.
American duo Wes Cooley and Mike Baldwin won that inaugural duel on July 30, 1978, on a Yoshimura backed GS1000 Suzuki.
Australia planted its flag at Suzuka in 1979 when a Team Honda Australia squad consisting of Tony Hatton and Mick Cole rode a CB900 to victory.
New Zealand took their first top step on the rostrum the following year when Kiwi Graeme Crosby partnered with American Wes Cooley to win the race on a Yoshimura GS1000 Suzuki.
While the race was a Japanese affair largely contested between Nippon manufacturers, it was not untiul 1982 that Japanese riders themselves tasted the champagne. That year the race was reduced to six hours due to an incoming typhoon and standing atop the podium were Shigeo Iijima and Shinji Hagiwara.
1985 Suzuka 8 Hour winning RVF750
Wayne Gardner won the first of his quartet of Suzuka 8 Hour victories in 1985 while sharing the riding duties on the RVF750 Honda with Masaki Tokuno. Gardner went on to win again the next year, 1986, while partnered with Dominique Sarron.
1987 was the first time Yamaha took top honours and it came thanks to the talents of Kevin Magee, who became the fourth Australian to win a Suzuka 8 Hour. Magee won in partnership with German Martin Wimmer in 1987, the following year, 1988, the Horsham Hurricane’s victory was taken in conjunction with a then 28-year-old Wayne Rainey. The American also won his first 500cc GP race victory that year.
Wayne Gardner and Mick Doohan won in 1991 on an RVF750 Honda.
Daryl Beattie then shared the victory podium with Gardner in 1992 on the Oki Honda Racing Team RVF750.
New Zealand’s Aaron Slight then won three on the trot with a different partner each time. The first victory in 1993 coming on a Kawasaki with Scott Russell, followed by two wins on the RC45, the first with Doug Polen and the second with Tadayuki Okada.
1993 also signalled the change from F1 or TT style motorcycles as the premier category at the Suzuka 8 Hour to ‘Superbikes’.
Colin Edwards and Noriyuki Haga put Yamaha back on top in 1996 before Honda then went on a ten-year winning streak that stretched all the way from 1997 through to 2006.
Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards won the 2001 Suzuka 8 Hour
The first three of that decade long Honda winning streak were won on RC45s, the next four on VTR-SP twins, including Valentino Rossi’s 2001 victory with Colin Edwards on the Cabin Honda VTR-SP1, while the Fireblade took top honours in 2004/05/06.
2006 – Suzuka 8 Hour – Takeshi Tsujimura
Yukio Kagayama and Kousuke Akiyoshi broke Suzuki’s 24-year drought in 2007.
Yukio Kagayama – 2007 Suzuka 8 Hour
Carlos Checa and Ryuichi Kiyonari put the Fireblade back on top in 2008.
Carlos Checa and Ryuichi Kiyonari – Suzuka 8 Hour – 2008
2009 saw the introduction of three-rider teams and another all-Japanese victory for Yoshimura Suzuki.
2012 Suzuka 8 Hour winners Kousuke Akiyoshi, Tadayuki Okada and Jonathan Rea
2010 saw Honda’s Fireblade kicked off another winning streak that carried right through to 2014.
2013 Suzuka 8 Hour winners Takumi Takahashi, Michael Van der Mark and Leon Haslam
Winners for Honda in this period included Leon Haslam, Takumi Takahashi, Jonathan Rea, Takaaki Nakagami, Tadayuki Okada and Michael Van der Mark.
2015 marked a new era of domination by the Yamaha Factory Racing Team and the YZF-R1M.
Katsuyuki Nakasuga – Suzuka 8 Hour – 2015
Japanese hotshot Katsuyuki Nakasuga has been part of all those victories while Pol Espargaro (2015/16) helped him to two, as did Alex Lowes (2016/17), while Bradley Smith (2015) and Michael Van der Mark (2017) played their parts in Yamaha’s recent string of success also.
Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Pol Espargaro – 2015 Suzuka 8 Hour
In 2018, Nakasuga again partnered with Alex Lowes and Michael Van der Mark and the trio went on to claim Yamaha’s fourth successive victory.
Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes and Michael Van der Mark victorious at the 2017 Suzuka 8 Hour
Suzuka 8 Hour Most Successful Riders
Only five riders have taken four victories at the prestigious race. Wayne Gardner (1985-1986-1991-1992), Ryuichi Kiyonari (2005-2008-2010-2011), Shinichi Itoh (1997-1998-2006-2011), Katsuyuki Nakasuga (2015-2016-2017-2018), Michael Van der Mark (2013-2014-2017-2018).
The most successful rider at the Suzuka 8 Hour is Tohru Ukawa. The Japanese rider has five victories to his name (1997-1998-2000-2004-2005). All five were won on Honda machinery, two on the RC45, one on the VTR1000 and two more on Fireblades.
2004 Suzuka 8 Hour – Tohru Ukawa
Suzuka 8 Hour Most Successful Manufacturers
Honda are the leading manufacturer with 27 wins. Next best is Yamaha with eight victories while Suzuki have five wins.
Ryuichi Kiyonari – 2008 Suzuka 8 Hour
Kawasaki has only ever won the prestigious event once and that was some 25 years ago when Aaron Slight and Scott Russell piloted a ZXR750R to victory.
Dorna’s new MotoE category was sparked into life at Jerez over a three-day test but unfortunately half the sessions over the course of the extensive testing program were affected by adverse weather conditions.
It was only the initial taste for the fairly high-profile line up that has been put together for the inaugural MotoE season that will compete in the 5 races that will be staged in conjunction with selected MotoGP events in Europe across 2019.
Angel Nieto Team’s Energica MotoE machine
Dorna has suggested that race distances will be around seven to ten laps in duration, which equates to around a third of that raced by the MotoGP category.
From their brief taste of the Energica supplied control bikes, teams are already suggesting that battery management and engine temperature control will be some of the key deciding factors that will decide the outcome of those races.
Lucio Cecchinello put this image out on his Instagram account that shows some of what is behind the fairings of the new MotoE machines
The first MotoE race will be staged at Jerez in May and will then go on to support the French Grand Prix at Lemans before heading to Sachsenring in July and the Red Bull Ring in August before the five-race series concludes at Misano as part of the San Marino Grand Prix.
At this test some riders are sharing a single bike across a two-rider team which, along with limited battery life and long recharge times, means that riders in some cases are only got a handful of laps in each day.
Bradley Smith (One Energy Racing) topped the timesheets on day two and lowered the new e-bike benchmark to 1m50.265, a marker that was not beaten on day three due to rain. In fact, no rider bettered their times on the third and final day of testing due to inclement weather.
Moto2 bikes were also on track overnight with their new Triumph engines and the top four all lapped in the 1m41s. As a gauge of relative performance, the top quartet of MotoE riders lapped in the 1m50s. With limited set-up time and familiarisation so far for the electric bikes, you would imagine that by mid-season next year that differential might perhaps half when progress really starts to be made.
Bradley Smith
Bradley Smith – P1 overall
“I’m very happy with the work we’ve done today. We set a fast lap in the morning session, and I’ve felt better and better with the bike. In the afternoon we had mixed conditions on track, and it was good to have references for mapping and try out different setups to see what else we can work on for next March. In the last session there were a lot of puddles; we went out with slicks and were very competitive again. I’m very satisfied with this first test, as we have always been among the fastest riders and we have more and more knowledge about the bike. We know which direction to take and what to do to improve. I really enjoyed myself with my new team, and I’m looking forward to coming back to Jerez in March!”
Bradley Smith
In Sunday’s more difficult conditions it was Marc VDS rider Mike Di Meglio who proved quickest. The Frenchman took first late in the day with a 1’52.160, seeing him pull ahead of another solid day for Smith by a little over a tenth in the damp conditons.
Marc VDS rider Mike Di Meglio
Hervé Poncharal’s Tech3 will field Frenchman Kenny Foray in the MotoE series and the pair worked together across the three days at Jerez to get a feeling for the Energica machine and the Tech3 boss, who is never short of a word, was especially enthusiastic about the new category.
Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 Team Manager
“It was a very exciting three days’ test for Tech3 E-Racing. We were feeling like the pioneers of a new era. This bike is so different to everything we’ve been used to and honestly, we didn’t know what to expect as a team, our riders and the whole grid. After a few laps, everybody had a big smile on their face, no matter the conditions; every rider was very pleasantly surprised about how the bike behaved. This is a proper racing bike and I think Energica, Enel, Dorna – the MotoE team lead by Nicolas Goubert – did a great, great job and I would like to thank all of them. We enjoyed a trouble free three days of test, the riders were having fun on their bikes and it’s fun to watch. The corner speed, they can carry is unbelievable. The riders were happy about how the bike behaved, because even though it’s heavy, it didn’t feel heavy, the grip was amazing and the corner speed is closer to a Moto3 than a MotoGP bike. It’s a new way of riding, but young riders like Eric Granado, experienced riders like Sete Gibernau, Endurance riders, Moto2 and MotoGP riders, everybody who was there had great fun. I believe this is going to be much more exciting and interesting than what most of the people think. We are glad and proud to be part of it. This is the very beginning, but the level is already quite high and good enough to deliver exciting racing. I wish good luck to Energica and everybody involved in that project and I’m quite sure that the next test here in Jerez the bike will be eve more competitive and the riders will be quicker. We just can’t wait to be back on track with the MotoE!”
Kenny Foray
The LCR squad are another high profile team getting in early on the MotoE developments and will contest the new series with Randy De Puniet and Niccolò Canepa, the pair were eighth and tenth respectively on combined times across the three days of testing.
Randy De Punie
Randy De Puniet – P8 overall
“The first test with the MotoE bike was really interesting, although we have been a little unlucky with the weather. There wasn’t too much time on track, and for the teams with two riders like us, the organizers provided only one bike available to share for this first test session. That meant we had to change things around a lot and we got less time than the teams with only one rider. Despite this, the feeling was good, and the pace was also good. We are confident, and given that this was the first time with the team the atmosphere was great. My team-mate is cool so I think we can do good things next year. There are still two more tests before the first race next year. We have time to improve, and by then we will have one bike each which will make working easier and allow us to improve our lap times. As things stand, it’s already good.”
Randy De Punie
Niccolò Canepa – P10 overall
“I’m really happy with these first days of testing and the first contact with the MotoE bike and the LCR E-Team. It was a fantastic experience, despite the unfortunate weather and the fact that Randy and I had to share a bike. We enjoyed ourselves and first impressions were positive. We were quite quick throughout and got to find out a lot about the bike, and we’re still not getting 100 percent out of it so we will have to work hard in the other two winter tests to adapt it to my riding style. I’m sure the championship will be entertaining and we will be able to fight for the top positions. Thanks to the LCR E-Team team and their crew who have done some excellent work this week. I can’t wait to get together again for the next test!”
Niccolò Canepa
There will also be an Aussie on the inaugural MotoE grid with 25-year-old Josh Hook riding for Alma Pramac Racing alongside highly experienced team-mate Alex De Angelis. The pair were somewhat constrained by only having one machine to share between them and finished the test ninth and eleventh respectively.
Josh Hook
Josh Hook – P9 overall
“It’s been a very interesting day. The bike surprised me with its ease of riding even though there are many aspects that we will have to work on. Having only one bike was not the ideal condition but from the next tests we will be able to start working on the set-up”.
Josh Hook
Alex De Angelis – P11 overall
“The feelings are positive even if, especially in my case, the weather has not given me a hand. Basically, I was able to ride in “almost” dry conditions in just one session and I enjoyed it. I can’t wait to get back on track in March to have all the sessions at disposal and start working with the team.
Alex De Angelis
Teams and riders were not just getting their heads around new and very different machinery than they had ridden before, but also were getting up to speed with new rubber. Specially designed, the front tyres are a derivative of MotoGP tyres but the rears have more of a Superbike background.
The fronts need to support the heavy bikes under braking, whereas the rears need to warm up quickly for the shorter race distances in the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup. With the different characteristics of each, that made it something very new for each rider out on track – regardless of their racing experience.
MotoE Testing – Jerez – November 2018
The next MotoE Official Test will take place on the 13th, 14th and 15th of March in Jerez – which also hosts the first ever round of the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup next season.
The initial baby steps for the fledgling MotoE category continued at Jerez overnight. A dry start to the day saw times start to tumble before rain hampered progress for teams as they prepare for the inaugural FIM Enel MotoE World Cup.
Moto2 bikes were also on track overnight with their new Triumph engines and the top four all lapped in the 1m41s. As a gauge of relative performance, the top quartet of MotoE riders lapped in the 1m50s. With limited set-up time and familiarisation so far for the electric bikes, you would imagine that by mid-season next year that differential might perhaps half when progress really starts to be made.
At this test some riders are sharing a single bike across a two-rider team which, along with limited battery life and long recharge times, means that riders in some cases are only getting a handful of laps each day.
Teams are suggesting that battery management and engine temperature control will be some of the key deciding factors that will decide the outcome of the 5 races that will be staged in Europe for the inaugural MotoE season.
It was Bradley Smith (One Energy Racing) who topped the timesheets on day two and lowered the new e-bike benchmark to 1m50.265.
Bradley Smith
That was a full 1.5-second improvement over Friday’s fastest time set by 23-year-old Niki Tuuli. The Fin had to settle for second quickest behind Smith on day two.
In third there was Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), just over a tenth off Tuuli, with Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) another tenth and a half in arrears in P4. Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) completed the top five, but a little further back.
Mike Di Meglio
Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing), meanwhile, was sixth fastest but from his time set on Friday, just ahead of Kenny Foray (Tech3 E-Racing).
Kenny Foray – P7
“I think we already learned a lot yesterday, so this morning we tried a lot of things, especially on my riding style. We could see, that it was immediately better and I have the feeling the second day is always easier. We were beginning to work on the setting, but when the rain arrived we didn’t have any chance anymore to confirm it on track. So, the second and the third session were quite useless. In the end, we didn’t do too many laps, which is a pity. I really hope for good weather tomorrow.”
Kenny Foray
Randy De Puniet (LCR E-Team) put in the fastest time of the final session but couldn’t improve, and was down in eighth on Saturday
Josh Hook (Alma Pramac Racing) and Niccolò Canepa (LCR E-Team), completed the top 10.
Josh Hook – P9
“It is a fascinating experience and for this, I would like to thank again the Alma Pramac Racing team that gave me this opportunity. The feeling increase lap by lap and the performances are really interesting. There is still a lot of work to be done, for example on braking points, but the feeling is very positive”.
Josh Hook
On Saturday, Jesko Raffin’s (Dynavolt Intact GP) Energica Ego Corsa was ridden by Marvin Fritz as Raffin returned to Valencia for the season final of the FIM CEV Repsol Moto European Championship in which he’s already taken the crown.
There’s one more day of MotoE testing to go in Jerez, although the weather forecast looks in doubt that teams will get to make progress.
10-seconds off Moto2 pace but a lot of speed to be found
High-profile MotoE riders sparked up their mounts for the first time in Spain overnight in company with the official Moto2 testing schedule ahead of season 2019.
The fastest time from the first outing for the MotoE machines came from Ajo Motorsports rider Niki Tuuli, a 1m51.721. That opening day benchmark nearly ten-seconds slower than the fastest Moto2 time of the day recorded by Lorenzo Baldasarri, as a new chapter also started for Moto2 with the move to Triumph engines for season 2019.
Clearly, these are only the first baby steps for the MotoE machines, but with high-profile teams and highly skilled riders, Dorna is certainly providing this new class with every chance of success.
Angel Nieto Team’s Energica MotoE machine
Many riders would have liked to have turned a lot more laps but were restricted by battery capacity and recharge times, as at this test many of the two-rider teams only had one machine at their disposal to be shared by two riders.
Former WorldSSP podium finisher and Moto2 rider Niki Tuuli (Ajo Motorsport MotoE) topped the times on Day 1 of three, setting a quickest time of 1:51.721.
Moto3 laptimes had tumbled dramatically after the first runs, and by the end of play Tuuli, a previous WorldSSP podium finisher, proved fast enough to beat 2017 European Moto2 Champion Eric Granado (Esponsorama Racing) by 0.121s.
Former Grand Prix rider Randy de Puniet (LCR E-Team) completed the top three with only 0.185 splitting the trio.
Randy de Puniet (LCR E-Team)
Bradley Smith is another high-profile current riders to be taking on MotoE in 2019, alongside his new official test role as development rider for Aprillia MotoGP, the Brit will race MotoE with the One Energy Racing Team and was 0.618 off the top on his first outing.
Bradley Smith
Bradley Smith
“I am happy to have completed my first laps on the MotoE bike. The first session was in the wet, so it was a good opportunity to compare it to the feeling in the dry conditions that we had later. I am positively surprised with the handling of the bike and the way it has performed here at Jerez. We have to work out which steps we need to take to improve everything and evaluate the result of each step. So far everything we have seen has been positive; now we need to analyse the work we have done on this first day and make a plan for tomorrow. We were in the top three for the majority of the day, now we have to work out a way to be the fastest, which is the objective.”
Bradley Smith
Alex De Angelis (Alma Pramac Racing) was just 0.064 behind Smith in P5. The much anticipated return of former MotoGP frontrunner Sete Gibernau, meanwhile, saw the 45-year-old hit the ground running and only just over a second off the top.
Sete Gibernau
World Endurance Champion Josh Hook was P14 and shared the Alma Pramac electric bike with team-mate Alex De Angelis as the Australian got his first brief taste of MotoE machinery. Hook finished up in P14 just behind fellow WEC regular Kenny Foray who made his debut with the new Tech3 MotoE squad.
Kenny Foray – P13
“Everything was totally new for me today and I also didn’t know the track very well yet. So, the first laps I spent to learn the track and then I started to try to find a feeling, after being on a 1000cc machine all the time. Lap by lap, I enjoyed it more and more, but I know, I still have to work a lot on myself to adapt my style, especially to improve my corner speed and some other things. I have to admit, it’s not easy, but it’s a lot of fun!”
Kenny Foray
Josh Hook – P14
“I had a great time. If I have to be honest, I was impressed by the power delivery of the bike when accelerating, but mainly the most impressive thing was how easy the bike is to ride. After two laps I was already pushing hard. I wanted to lap more but the battery doesn’t allow it”.
Female road race sensation María Herrera is also taking on the new challenge of in an Ángel Nieto squad alongside team-mate Nico Terol. Terol was the faster of the two on day one after completing ten laps with a best effort of 1’54.192. Terol had the opportunity to ride the bike here on the occasion of the Spanish Grand Prix earlier in the year and is confident that there is plenty of room for improvement over the next two days of the test.
Nico Terol – P12
“I did seven laps in the final session of the day, after watching my team-mate in the other two. I didn’t have the set-up how it needed to be – it was very soft on the front and I couldn’t brake how I wanted. On the fourth lap I set my best time and I am sure I could have gone faster but tomorrow I will have two sessions back to back and I’ll be able to give more and get more out of the bike.”
Nico Terol
María was riding the Energica machine for the first time and was sixteenth fastest in her debut appearance on the bike she will race in 2019. The Spanish youngster reported a good feeling from her first laps of the Spanish track and already has some ideas on how to adapt her riding style to the specific demands of this new machine.
María Herrera – P16
“The first feeling with the MotoE bike is good, the acceleration is quite smooth and it reminds me of a 600 – you have to keep the corner speed up because you can’t be aggressive on the gas. I have to understand the best way to get this bike stopped with the weight it has, which will be one of the main points of focus, as well as the inertia in corner entry, having never ridden a bike like this before. I didn’t ride much today, only the first two sessions, but I am keen to get the bike set up how I like it and seeing how far we can go with it.”
María Herrera
Teams and riders were not just getting their heads around new and very different machinery than they had ridden before, but also were getting up to speed with new rubber. Specially designed, the front tyres are a derivative of MotoGP tyres but the rears have more of a Superbike background.
The fronts need to support the heavy bikes under braking, whereas the rears need to warm up quickly for the shorter race distances in the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup. With the different characteristics of each, that made it something very new for each rider out on track – regardless of their racing experience.
Lucio Cecchinello put this image out on his Instagram account that shows some of what is behind the fairings of the new MotoE machines
Yamaha resurgent as Vinales from Iannone, Dovi wins
Riders and Team managers talk the Phillip Island GP
Maverick Vinales – P1
“This is the best feeling ever, honestly! We‘ve been in the dark all year, and suddenly we came into the light! I couldn‘t show my potential in the previous races, but today I could. Being first in Australia is always amazing! It‘s the best track ever, and I like to be at the front there. To win here and break this long none winning period of Yamaha is unbelievable! I was riding on the bike like I was in FP4. I got a really good feeling from the bike, so I knew I could maintain 1‘29s. That‘s what I did for most of the middle of the race. I tried to escape as far as I could, because I knew my tyre wasn‘t going to last until the end. I knew opening that gap would be difficult, I had some moments with some riders, and some shaking on the bike – I was struggling, but I still made it through anyway. It was amazing! I have to say ‘thank you’ to the team, because this weekend they worked for the win. We will try to be the best and we‘ll try to work in a good way. We don‘t want to lose the concentration, because we don‘t know what will happen in Malaysia, but for sure the level of motivation will be high after this weekend.”
Maverick Vinales
Andrea Iannone – P2
“I’m really happy, especially as we were at the top almost all weekend long, and this gives us a lot of positivity. We worked together on improving my feeling with the bike and it meant I was able to finish really close to the top. I felt able to win but it was a hard fight with the others and I was losing ground with them. When I managed to overtake them and keep them behind I realised I couldn’t catch Viñales, so I just tried to defend and manage the tyres. At the end I pushed at 100% to make sure I could get 2nd place.”
Andrea Iannone
Andrea Dovizioso – P3
“I’m really satisfied with the way the race went. Even though we knew we had good speed, managing to get a podium here is another thing. I’m pleased I got myself immediately into an ideal position in the race, because if you start from the third row here at Phillip Island anything can happen, as we saw. Instead with a bit of luck I immediately managed to make up some positions and after a few laps I was first: I never expected that! Then I had a chance to manage the tyres and reach the end of the race in a good state, even though we were all in trouble a bit. I’m very pleased with the work we’ve done here: Phillip Island was a fundamental test to understand our level of competitiveness and now we know we have made a good step forward over last year.”
Andrea Dovizioso
Álvaro Bautista – P4
“At the end of a difficult weekend in which I crashed three times, this fourth place is a great reward for me. To come into a new team and step onto a new bike at a circuit like this was for sure not going to be easy, but I think we’ve worked well together, making steps forward in every session. I started the race really focussed and relaxed because I had no real targets to aim for, except for enjoying riding the Desmosedici GP18. After quite a complicated start, I was able to soon catch up with the leading group and fight for the front positions. In the last few laps I made a few small mistakes and lost contact with Dovizioso and Iannone, but in any case I’m very happy with my overall result, especially for the team and for Ducati, whom I would like to thank once again for the trust they have shown in me.”
Álvaro Bautista
Alex Rins – P5
“It was an interesting race and I was able to learn a lot. During the first part, when I was inside the group, I was feeling good but then when I got the contact from Maverick I lost a lot of ground and it cost me a lot because the group got away, but this is racing. I also lost further time trying to overtake Miller. But we want to focus on the positive points, and there were many, for instance the way I was able to battle with Rossi and defend my 5th place. We’re going to Malaysia with good feelings and we are prepared, so we hope for another nice result there.”
Alex Rins chases down Vinales and Rossi
Valentino Rossi – P6
“Unfortunately from the first lap I already started to slide a bit too much on acceleration. I lost some grip compared to yesterday and this morning. It’s a shame because for sure we wanted to try to do better. I tried to ride smoothly and manage the tyres, but unfortunately after 15 laps I was in trouble, because when exiting left corners I had too much spin. We need to understand why this happened and then try to improve, but having Maverick win a race is good news for the team and Yamaha, because it gives great motivation.”
Valentino Rossi
Jack Miller – P7
“If I have to be honest I was expecting a little more but I am still happy with this result and being the first Independent rider. I got off to a good start even though I honestly didn’t think I would be in the lead so early. In the middle of the race I tried to save my tyres but in the end I didn’t have any room to attack the podium group.”
Jack Miller
Franco Morbidelli – P8
“I am very happy with this result, my personal best result in MotoGP. We did a god job to exported the situation with riders going out of the race. Our tyre choice was the right one and I had good pace especially from half-race and I was able to get into the tope ten. I want to thank my crew for a great job this weekend to sort out the set-up of the bike for the race.”
Franco Morbidelli
Aleix Espargaro’ – P9
“On the straight, I was in the slipstream of a lot of riders and at a certain point, a piece of Marc’s bike struck my left hand. I began to feel pain, but fortunately in MotoGP we only use the clutch for the start, so I was able to finish the race. We’ll assess the situation in view of Malaysia. After a less-than-easy weekend, in warm up we made a big step forward and in the race I was able to ride very incisively. This is demonstrated by the fact that we lapped faster than in qualifying, but unfortunately on the final laps, the soft rear tyre began to suffer and I was unable to hold onto eighth place. In any case, the result is good, considering the hard work done this weekend with two different bikes.”
Aleix Espargaro – AJRN Image
Bradley Smith – P10
“We did a good job. We saw Phillip Island as an important weekend for KTM because we knew the bike would work quite well here. The team did a fantastically because the main aim of the weekend was to try and set up the bike as best as we could to look after the rear tyre. It meant we had to sacrifice qualification a little bit yesterday but it paid off today. I had a great first lap to come from sixteenth to eighth and then tried to hold the position for as long as possible. Unfortunately towards the end I just didn’t have anything left for Morbidelli or Aleix. Sepang now and it is a difficult track but I think we have some good confidence and the bike has a good setting and it working well for me. I’m optimistic we can keep the same level and take some good points.”
Bradley Smith
Karel Abraham – P11
“We have to be happy with this race, we have doubled our points score for the season in just round. I am happy to have had the chance to ride the Ducati GP17, I could see how much potential the bike has but you also have to consider that it is difficult for any rider or chief mechanic to find the perfect set-up for a new bike in just one weekend. In any case we have done a good job and you could see that at the start of the race, when I felt really good. After that the bike started to slide and pump, I changed the mapping and it helped for a couple of laps but then it started again. I didn’t want to use the last two maps because they are for emergency use and we still had a lot of laps to go. The riders behind me were closing in and I wanted to push harder but I couldn’t get any more out of the bike. In the end, luckily, I managed to stay ahead of them.”
Karel Abraham
Danilo Petrucci – P12
“It’s really a shame. I felt like I had a great feeling right from the warm-up. I went on track very focused and made my best start in my career. Unfortunately at turn two I had a problem with the clutch. I am really sorry but these are the races: once it is the rider who makes a mistake, another time it is the bike that betrays you. We’ll try again in Sepang.”
Danilo Petrucci
Scott Redding – P13
“I am happy with the way the race went. To be honest, I didn’t expect it. Even in warm up, I didn’t have any particularly good feeling. Apparently, staying in the slipstream of the other riders helped me warm up the front tyre better. Maybe in terms of pace I could have done a bit better too, but when I found myself leading the group, I began to have some difficulties. In any case, I battled, overtaking Nakagami on the final lap and bringing home important points. A few crashes helped, but we did a good job anyway turning a complicated situation around.”
Scott Redding
Takaaki Nakagami – P14
“It was a difficult weekend. The weather conditions were a little bit better than yesterday, they were less windy and the track temperature was getting higher and higher. We decided to go with a soft compound on the rear and I think that was the correct choice, but I really struggled in the last ten laps. The lap times were quite strong and I couldn’t find the race pace I wanted. In the end I got into the points which is very good, but I was expecting a better result here so now we have to think about the next one in Sepang and try to be more consistent over the weekend.”
Takaaki Nakagami
Xavier Simeon – P15
“I have a lot of problems with the clutch and once again, my start was horrible. I was last again, but this time at least I was able to recover some positions on the first lap. The bike was very good and I had the pace to fight between eleventh and fifteenth position. Ten laps from the end though, the left flank of the rear tyre was destroyed and I had to slow down. Therefore I’m a little bit disappointed. The weekend has been very good and I always felt strong, but we depend too much on tyre wear. Apart from this, I’m super happy about achieving my first MotoGP point and I want to thank my team because they helped me a lot since I got on this bike. In Malaysia we have to improve the start and work more with the tyres for the race. I hope to have fun again like here and score more points.”
Xavier Simeon
Tom Luthi – P16
“I had a good rhythm for the first ten laps and could stay with the group I was in so I’m little disappointed for this result. But then I lost a lot of edge grip and could not keep corner speed in the fast left-hand corners and I was struggling with understeer and that’s where I lost too much time. I’m disappointed to be 16th again and just miss some championship points.”
Tom Luthi
Jordi Torres – P17
“The race has left me with a bad taste in my mouth. This morning in the warm-up I felt pretty strong and we had a very promising pace. But it was more windy in the race and tyres maybe did not reach the right working temperature on the first laps because twice I was close to a crash when I tried to push. This affected my confidence and I wasn’t riding comfortably throughout the race. I know what I have to do to go fast, but I lacked the confidence to do it. At least I’m gaining experience in every race and I hope things will go better in Malaysia. Sepang is a very long circuit and I’ll have to learn many things in a short time, because the other riders have done lot of kilometres over there. The heat will also be a new challenge for me. I hope to my level of fitness is high enough.”
Jordi Torres
Mike Jones – P18
“I just wanted to give my best and finish the race, and we achieved our objective. I am very happy and grateful to the Ángel Nieto Team for the opportunity to race in MotoGP in front of the Australian fans. It has been an incredible experience, the power of the bike is crazy and the braking force is unreal. It has been a physically demanding weekend because this is such a different bike to anything I have ridden before.”
Mike Jones
Marc Marquez – DNF
“At first I didn’t understand exactly what had happened, but I was angry because I felt the contact from the rear. I couldn’t continue the race because my seat was broken and moving around. It was impossible to ride. When I arrived in the garage and saw the video, I understood. It was just a race incident because at that point of the track, we arrive really fast, over 300 km/h. I was behind Jack Miller when I braked even a bit later than usual, and then I felt the impact. Zarco had taken the slipstreams from the two of us. You may think he could have considered that, but for me it’s just a race incident and I already spoke with him. What I can say is that today I feel really lucky, and the most important thing for me is that both me and Johann are okay. Today I was really focused, and the race was going as expected. I led for a couple of laps, and then I decided to stay in the group and wait a bit. I had the pace and I felt I was able to fight for the win. It’s unlucky that we got a zero here at Phillip Island, but if next year I can win the title in Japan again and have another DNF here, I’ll sign up for that! Now let’s focus on the next race.”
Damage to Marc Marquez’s Honda
Dani Pedrosa – DNF
“It has been a difficult weekend. We never had a good feeling over the three days, and unfortunately I crashed out of the race. I wasn’t in a good position, and then I lost the front in the braking point after the straight—quite a big crash, as it’s a fast point. Anyway, we just have to move forward, hoping to have a better race next Sunday.”
Dani Pedrosa
Hafizh Syahrin – DNF
“Until lap 19 I had a good race. I just lost the front because I tried to close again on Miller. In the straight it is just impossible, as the Ducati just passes very easily. The guys and myself, we are already working very hard with our package, which is a bit different to the rest of the Yamahas. I was fighting with the faster group in the front, but it was just technically impossible to keep up with them, although I was pushing very hard. It’s a great pity to crash on the 19th lap. Anyway, we keep pushing, working hard and believing in ourselves because my team and me work very hard to be strong in the race. We tried to use our speed for a good result, but in the end we didn’t have a chance to fight with the rest of the riders in front.”
Hafizh Syahrin
Johann Zarco – DNF
“It was a bit cold today, but the sunshine made it a nice day. Starting from third position was a good advantage. I got a good start, but in the second corner I slide with the rear and a few guys had the same, I lost a few positions, but then I was really feeling quite ok to attack and try to overtake. I’m happy about the feeling that I was strong and did some good passes. After a few laps, I was still feeling pretty good, I got the slipstream of Jack Miller and Marc Marquez was also there. We were going so fast and when we were braking for corner one, I touched the rear wheel of Marc and totally flew away. I had a big crash, but I’m okay, which is the most important thing, as that crash was really fast It’s a shame about the race, because finish the race would have been important for the independent riders’ championship, but I didn’t. The crash was big and I am sorry that Marc could not finish the race. Thank you to my team, because the bike was competitive today! I did a mistake and I need to make up for it on the next two rounds.”
Johann Zarco
Pol Espargaro – DNF
“I was super-angry because I think we worked well this weekend and did a lot of laps with the tyres front and rear and we put the Soft options for the race thinking it would be OK. For some reason after six-seven laps it started to drop and I couldn’t open the throttle. After a few more laps it was dangerous to ride the bike so I had to stop. I don’t know what else to say. We made all the processes and procedures to know the tyre 100% but it looks like it can be a lottery. We’ll talk to Michelin and try to learn from this.”
Pol Espargaro
Davide Brivio – Suzuki ECSTAR Team Manager
“This has been another very good day for our team, we took another podium, the second in a row and the third in 4 races. Andrea had a great battle with many riders and was able to finish 2nd. Because of this big battle it was hard to catch the leader, but anyway, it was a good race and we scored our 7th podium of the season. Alex finishing 5th was also very positive, Top 5 is really important to us. I really hope we can continue like this for the last two rounds of the season and thanks again to everybody involved for always working hard, especially on difficult times.”
Andrea Iannone
Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
“What a thrilling and dramatic race! Maverick is always strong at the Phillip Island circuit, and he once again outdid himself in Australia today. He really deserved the victory, because he had been strong the entire weekend. It‘s a great feeling for the team to secure a win again – we have all been working so hard for this. It‘s not just us who have been waiting, but also our fans, so this is as much for them as it is for us. It was a pity that Vale wasn‘t able to join the podium, because he was showing great potential for the majority of the race. It would have been great to have him up there too. He and his crew have also been pushing to the maximum, but sixth place was really the best he could do today due to tyre wear at the end of the race. Overall this weekend has been a great moral boost, because both riders were competitive, so we‘re all looking forward to the next round, the Grand Prix of Malaysia, in just a week‘s time.”
Maverick Vinales with crew chief Roman Forcada
Hervé Poncharal – Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team Manager
“There are some days you wish what you see is a dream – or rather a nightmare. But unfortunately, what we saw today was reality. We had high hopes with a great Qualifying from both of our riders, Johann on the front row and Hafizh with his best ever Qualifying in 10th. The start was difficult as usual, it was a big pack as we saw in the other two classes and clearly, Johann was trying to find his way through the field after a bit hectic lap one. We could see that he was really fast and I think he wanted to use the advantage of the soft-soft choice he had made for front and rear and that was quite intense until that incident, which was unbelievable. When you see a rider going down at such a high speed – I think he touched the ground at 280 km/h – for the few seconds following the incident, you just hope nothing bad will happen. Johann had a really good reflex and although his bottom is quite sore, he was strong to walk back to the garage and be still fully fit and ready to race the next round. That was a big thing. Unfortunate for the fans and the racing overall, Marc and Johann were out of the race, which made it less exciting. So, our focus went on Hafizh, who was behind the leading group until he slowly los the contact. But he was still holding on a good eighth position and we were quite happy because although he was loosing ground he was still keeping a good pace and he crashed without any warning, without really understanding why. That was the end of our weekend. Both of our riders could have been really strong and both of them get no points, which is a big disappointment. I know you always have to keep up the ‘never-give-up-attitude’, but today it is hard, also with Remy in the Moto2 class. The only good thing is, our riders are fit, ok and we have a race next week.”
Remy Gardner
Mike Leitner – KTM Team Manager MotoGP
“Race conditions can be difficult here and so can tyre choice. It went quite well for Bradley and he ran where he we think we can be – between 8-10. We lost ninth position by four hundredths of a second: it was very close. A shame for Pol. He had a different tyre choice but then other riders also had that selection. In the middle of the race he had a very big drop which is not usual and he had to stop. So we need to analyse what happened. He should have also been able to fight for the top ten. We’ll go to Malaysia now and try to make it happen.”
“Phillip Island is always a big challenge and this year was certainly no different. The strong gusting winds and cold temperatures made it difficult for everyone, but the whole Michelin team worked in a very professional and methodical way with the riders to make sure the tyres which were best suited to the conditions and riding styles were used today. Despite the challenges, the race was very exciting and it is good for Michelin to have another winner, both rider and manufacturer, and it is also pleasing to see all six manufacturers in the top-ten and three different ones on the podium. We are constantly striving to give tyres to all that they can use to the best of their abilities, so having results such as this are very rewarding. The Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix is a very big occasion on the company’s calendar and this has been another great event. We have again learned a lot about the toughest track of the year and this will enable us to come back even stronger next year.”
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