Yamaha Factory Racing Team Writes History with Third Consecutive Suzuka Victory

“It’s the 40th anniversary of the Suzuka 8 Hours and I think we got a result befitting of the occasion. My teammates were great and really helped me do my best. The track conditions for my first stint were difficult. I wanted to go faster but I knew that I had to hold it in, keep calm and bring the bike back to my teammates. It was easier for me ride because I knew that even if I fell behind a bit, they would definitely be able to make up the difference. We made eight pit stops and the strategy worked very well to bring us the win. I’m also very happy that I was able to set a new record as the first Japanese rider to win the race three consecutive times.”

“I’m really happy to win the Suzuka 8 Hours again, it’s a fantastic event. I was a little bit nervous in the last hour; because these two guys did a fantastic job, we had a little bit of a lead which makes you a little bit more nervous because it’s easy to lose your concentration. The Yamaha Factory Racing Team did a fantastic job, I really enjoyed the bike, I enjoyed the experience again and I’m looking forward to coming back next year to do it again!”

“I’m really happy to be here with a different manufacturer and also win the Suzuka 8 Hours. I had two incredible years the first years I came here and two really difficult ones. This year to win with Yamaha is really special and even though the conditions today were not like usual, it was quite a lot cooler than normal so we were able to be faster! Alex and Nakasuga-san had a great pace and I also felt really good on the bike. We had a fantastic team, all three good on the bike with good pace. Yamaha did an amazing job to prepare the bike and team for this event so I will be really happy to come back next year again!”

“It is the best feeling, the best! To be honest it was 50/50, as our competitors were very strong. I am really proud to have achieved three consecutive wins with Yamaha, which is an incredible feeling! Now we must look forward and try to build on this. Getting three consecutive wins was a lot of pressure for me, but now I feel that that chapter is closed, so now maybe we can go for four wins in row!”

“First of all, I want to say thank you to my teammates and the whole team because endurance is all about sharing, and when you get to share in victory, it is perfect! We did a really good job together and the result is the championship. We didn’t believe that we could win after the Bol D’or because we were 47 points behind, so to win three races in a row is a dream! Winning the championship here at the Suzuka and getting to stand on the podium with all the fans here is an incredible atmosphere. I was lucky to be on the podium before here and that was great, but getting to stand here today as World Champions is much better!”

“It is unbelievable! Last year was my first season in the EWC and we lost out on the championship by just one point. This season we won the championship and we won three races in a row! My teammates are amazing and the bike is, honestly, incredible! The team did such an amazing job, it is fantastic and something I will never forget. To celebrate here in Suzuka like this in front of, I don’t know how many people, is really something that I will never forget. I want to say thanks to everybody, from the team, to Dunlop, Yamaha, and to my teammates. They did an amazing job all season, we didn’t make a mistake and this is something that doesn’t happen all the time! I hope to do the same next year!”

“It has been an amazing season! This is my first year in the EWC, and we won three races and are World Champions! The race here was a fantastic race for us as we had trouble with the electronics, we didn’t have traction control or anti-wheelie and yet we were still fast! It was fantastic! I am very happy; I want to say thanks to Yamaha and GMT94 for giving me this opportunity. Now, we need to continue like this. We are already thinking of the Bol D’or and next season. We want more victories and world titles!”

“This result is absolutely fantastic, we are so happy. Of course first of all congratulations to the #21 team who were in another world today. Then I’m very proud because the level of the championship is very high; today it was not possible to battle with our permanent rivals because the title was too important. The only focus was to check on them so we did a safe race. We had some little problems with the electronics but that is racing and we are lucky because we didn’t have any problems before today, apart from a little stop and go penalty! We have the World Championship title in our pocket and after three consecutive race wins I think we did well. All the Yamaha bikes did an amazing race, but the most amazing has to be the number 21!”

“We have to be happy, the four works bikes were the only bikes in front of us in the end. I think we all rode very well, we were very consistent, the times were very good and we couldn’t have hoped for any more at this race. Unfortunately, we missed out on 2nd in the championship by one position today. In general, I think we have to be positive for the season. It’s a brand-new team, with Marvin and Kohta coming in, we also had new tyres, so I think next year we will be even stronger. I think this year we were the strongest team in most races, so hopefully we can eliminate the problems and be stronger for next year. From this race, we could not have achieved anything more.”

“I feel really good. Fifth place was the best we could achieve and we made a really good race. Broc did three great stints and that was great. The start was really good and in my first stint I was a bit nervous, but I made good lap times, was consistent and didn’t make a mistake. In my second stint when we had the small problem I showed the mechanic who was standing on the pit wall, so that when I came in they could fix it very quickly. That was really good and we didn’t lose the position with Kohta fighting really hard at the end. That was the maximum we could do. When you look at the season, we were the strongest team for most races, but we didn’t have the luck to put everything together. It was a good first season for me in endurance racing and with Bridgestones, and the fact it was only Kohta’s first season as well makes us confident for next season.”

“Both my teammates Broc and Marvin did a very good job today and were very competitive. I felt my pace was ok in the race but I am a little disappointed as I felt before that I could have been a little quicker this weekend, but this is something to work towards. In the end I am very happy for the result for the team, and I want to thank YART and Yamaha for giving me this opportunity and my teammates for their hard work. Of course, I also want to congratulate Yamaha and also the Yamaha Factory Racing Team for their important third consecutive victory, and Nakasuga-san for his record of three consecutive wins for a Japanese rider.”

“To be honest, I am really happy this season is finished because we have been one of the strongest teams and so we think we can win next year! I hope we left all the bad luck in this season. The performances have been there, we have just been unlucky. Anyway, here we couldn’t really do much for the championship, as GMT94 didn’t make any mistakes, so even though we were quicker here, we had no chance to catch them in the championship unless they made a mistake. They deserved the title. I am very happy for Yamaha and Christophe Guyot. Next year I think we are one of the hottest contenders for the title!”

“It’s absolutely a great result. As usual everything possible was done to achieve it, but you never know and the competition was very strong this year. Finally it was great because each bike did the race they had to do. 21 to lead the race, 7 to make the pressure on the leading group and 94 to secure the championship, whilst managing the rival Suzuki No.1 bike. All of these three Yamaha teams did exactly the strategy they had to do. In the end a great result, but also a strong demonstration about how we try to manage races to get the correct results with all the talents we have with us.”