YART Yamaha Secure Sensational Second in Suzuka Top 10 Trial
The Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team put in a stunning performance throughout the two days of qualifying and smashed records in the Top 10 Trial to secure second on the grid for the 44th edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race.
The YART Yamaha team of Karel Hanika, Niccolò Canepa, and Marvin Fritz have demonstrated an intimidating pace in every session during Round 3 of the 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC), from testing on Wednesday, right the way up to the nail-biting finale that saw them miss out on pole position by just 0.190s on Saturday afternoon.
The Austrian squad got their Friday off to the perfect start by topping the morning’s Test session with a 2:06.424. They followed that up by fine-tuning their race setup during the final Free Practice, which saw them finish in fifth after setting a 2:07.736.
The action began in earnest on Friday afternoon with each rider’s first qualifying sessions. Canepa was the first out in the Blue group, and the Italian, despite suffering from a fever and not feeling 100%, set a 2:06.513 to finish second in the 20-minute session. Next up was his German teammate Fritz, who topped the Yellow session with a 2:07.084, impressively set on used tyres.
Hanika took over the #7 Bridgestone-shod YART R1 for the final qualifying session on Friday and made sure it was a strong finish for the team as he set their fastest lap of the day, a 2:06.009, to end on top of the timesheets in the Red group. The team then showcased their impressive speed in the dark by also setting the fastest time during the one-hour Night Practice with a 2:07.669.
YART’s times during Friday’s qualifying sessions meant they occupied provisional second overnight, and they made sure they came out all guns blazing on Saturday morning. Canepa immediately improved his time from the day before, setting the team’s first 2:05 lap with a 2:05.948 to top the final Blue rider’s 20-minute time attack.
Fritz continued this form into the Yellow session. With a fresh set of tyres, he went over a second faster than his time from Friday, recording a 2:05.845 to top his group. Finally, Hanika made it all three riders in the 2:05s when he finished quickest amongst the Red riders with a 2:05.870.
In an incredible display of consistency, they were the only squad with all of their riders to break the 2:06 barrier, and the trio lapped the 5.821 km Suzuka Circuit within 0.103s of each other. This also meant that by combining Fritz and Hanika’s fastest times, the YART team had secured first position for the next qualifying stage.
In endurance, the qualifying format is usually that the fastest two rider’s times are combined to give an average, which decides the grid. While this does determine the start positions for the teams eleventh and below, the leading ten teams at Suzuka face off against each other in the Top 10 Trial. This unique showdown sees each squad’s two fastest riders head out on track one after the after, riding alone and setting one flying lap each, with only the best time counting towards the final position.
Because the YART team had secured first place overall during qualifying, they got the advantage of taking to the track last after their rivals. Hanika went out for the first lap, and the 27-year-old set the pace with the weekend’s fastest time at that point, a 2:05.519, much to the delight of the team and passionate Japanese fans. It was an incredible effort and saw Hanika set his and the team’s personal best around the circuit, and it was also the fastest-ever lap time for Yamaha at the Suzuka 8 Hours.
During the second series of flying laps, YART were knocked back to second overall, which meant Fritz knew he had just one chance to beat their rivals 2:05.329 and secure pole. It went right to the wire, with the 30-year-old giving it absolutely everything and up in the first two sectors before losing time in the third, eventually setting a 2:06.115.
Agonisingly close to a memorable Suzuka pole position, the team were still delighted because, by virtue of Hanika’s record-breaking lap, they will start from second on the grid as they aim to secure their goal of a dream maiden podium at the legendary endurance race.
By qualifying in second, they also collected four of the five points on offer; plus, as the leading full-time EWC team, they extended their advantage in the overall standings to five points, with another 30 up for grabs during the race.
There will be eleven R1s lined up on the grid in total for the race, with Team Kodama qualifying in 13th after setting a 2:07.798, plus the Belgian-based KM Motos team impressed on their Suzuka debut to record a combined best time of 2:09.165 and secure the full-time EWC team 23rd on the grid.
Sunday at Round 3 of the FIM EWC involves a 45-minute Warm Up Session at 8:30 am local time (UTC+9) before the main event kicks off with the traditional running start at 11:30 am. Despite the conditions remaining dry so far this week in Suzuka, the weather is almost sure to play a part during the eight-hour race, with torrential rain and thunderstorms forecast.
Overall Qualifying Results
Top 10 Trial Results
Karel Hanika – Fastest Lap Time 2:05.519
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“We are delighted to be starting tomorrow’s race from second position. We are the only team to have all three riders in the 2:05s, and we showed the most competitive pace overall. This was my first time participating in the Top 10 Trial, so I tried to put in the best performance possible. It was a good lap time, although I think I could have gone a little bit faster in the first sector, but I gave it everything. The team is doing a great job, and my teammates are really fast. We have been focusing a lot on our race pace, which we feel confident is good, but we will see about the conditions tomorrow. We are ready, the YART R1 is working really well with the Bridgestone tyres, and we can’t wait until the race.”
Marvin Fritz – Fastest Lap Time 2:05.845
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“Qualifying was great; we can be happy with the result. We have worked hard all week to ensure we have a good feeling with the R1 and the Bridgestone tyres, and I think we are ready for the race. We actually haven’t focused on our one-lap pace that much, but Karel did an amazing time in the Top 10 Trial, and we are the only team with all three riders in the 2:05 club. I felt I could have gone quicker but lost some time in the third sector. We are happy because second is an amazing position to qualify in. Bring on the race; although the weather forecast does not look great, we feel prepared for all conditions.”
Niccolò Canepa – Fastest Lap Time 2:05.948
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“We did an amazing job today. To be so close to pole position is incredible, especially when we have been focusing much more on race pace. We all set excellent times in qualifying, and to have all three riders in the 2:05s show how strong we are as a team; plus, Karel did an amazing lap in the Top 10 Trial, so we feel ready for the race. It will be tough, of course, and the weather will play a part, but we will try our best to be on the podium and secure as many points as possible.”
Mandy Kainz
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team – Team Manager
“Today, we got the maximum from our R1, and all three riders were great. Once again, we showed we were the strongest team. Especially Karel; he put it all on the table today. His lap time was a great moment because he was really riding at the limit. YART has three fast riders; we’re ready and prepared to fight. Tomorrow, in any conditions, we have to give it our all and do our best. We won’t be racing focused on our rivals. Instead, we’ll be riding our own race. For us now, a podium finish is no longer a dream. Now, it’s our goal. We have a real chance to take the EWC title this year. We showed that we could be on the podium at Le Mans and showed that we could win at Spa. Next is the Suzuka 8 Hours. I’m really looking forward to it.”
