2011 FIM Endurance World Championship
The second day of Suzuka 8 Hours, Round 3 of 5 in the 2011 FIM Endurance World Championship, got underway Friday for the first qualifying sessions.
Just as it did on Thursday, the Yoshimura Suzuki team lead after all three Friday qualifying sessions were complete, with GSX-R 1000 pilot Yukio Kagayama the only rider to post under the 2:08 mark.
Kagayama’s best lap on Friday was a 2:07.884, with Honda FCC TSR’s Kosuke Akiyoshi posting a 2:08.260 and Honda-mounted Musashi RT Harc Pro’s Makoto Tamada third quickest with a 2:08.962.
As for the reigning the Endurance World champions, the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team was 14th fastest (three team riders combined) in Friday’s qualifying session. The Honda TT Legends team, which fields John McGuinness, Keith Amor and Cameron Donald, was in 20th place.
About Suzuka 8 Qualifying:
The Suzuka 8 Hours is the only round on the FIM Endurance World Championship calendar that incorporates special regulations: The best individual lap time determines the starting grid – and not the average time from the teams’ riders, as with other rounds of the series.
Suzuka also has a “Top 10 Trial” – a Superpole-style head-to-head session – where the two best riders from the best 10 teams go back on track to race for the final starting grid. The Top 10 Trial is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 15.30 and Sunday’s third-round World Championship Suzuka 8 Hour race begins at 10:30 a.m. local time (GMT + 9).