Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128168
with the will to win (see Briefly ... ), and third was the best Barros could salvage after his disengaged teammate allowed other riders to pass at will. "I think this is a good result for the team, their first podium," said Barros in the post-race press conference, carefully avoiding mention of his teammate. Barros had topped the time charts every day of the meeting, and in the race he proved his mettle again by setting the fastest lap. "This is the present for me," Barros said. "I make provisional pole, pole, and the fast lap of the race. My job, this time I do. I'm happy. I ride 100 percent, the best I can do. Honda should be happy with what I did today." Barros' strong ride in the last hour resulted in the closest top-three finish in 8 Hours history, with 48.735 sec- with Okada and Tamada until the blue Suzuki started puffing blue smoke in the sixth hour. "We were ready to fight, but this DNF is really regretful," said Rye. "What I regret most was not being able to break down Honda." Kawasaki stayed away from Honda's killing field altogether. Though no press release was issued addressing the question, Kawasaki dropped their domestic Superb ike effort in 2002 and switched their focus to MotoGP. The Suzuka 8 Hours is the circus stop on the FIM World Endurance Championship Series. Five teams vying for the FIM Endurance crown were at Suzuka, competing in the Super Production class. Zongshen Team 2 (Stephane Mertens and Warwick Nowland) and Team 9 (Bruno Bonhuil and Igor Jerman) finished first and second in SP, and seventh and eighth overall. These results lifted Zongshen Team 2 to first in the FIM championship, with 67 points. Zongshen Team 9 is third in the championship with 50. Corona Extra EBSCO Suzuki finished a fine 10th overall and third in Super Production, on the same lap as the Zongshen bikes. Riders Jordan Szoke and Adam Fergusson, both Suzuka rookies, learned the technical track quickly and were out-lapping the other Super Production teams in practice and qualifying. In the final hour, Szoke had to watch the Zongshen Suzukis disappear down the straights, as the drive chain on the Corona Extra Suzuki was jumping over the dull teeth on the rear wheel's sprocket. American Jason Pridmore rode to an 18th-overall finish with Englishman Mike Edwards on the Suzuki QB Phase One Endurance team. The team's lap times were good enough to place them in the top 10; however, the radiator started leaking during the warm-up lap and the team did not take to the track until the race was nine minutes old. The QB Phase One team is now second in the FIM championship with 56 points. Former 8 Hours winner Doug Polen entered his first motorcycle race since an episode with pancreatitis sidelined him in 2000. Polen easily found his old form, but finding a riding partner proved far more of a challenge. When Mike Smith missed his flight from the U.S., Polen and team principal Sam Yamashita were sent walking the paddock looking for a co- onds covering the podium. It was also the fourth time that the first three were all on Hondas. Yamaha showed up with an economical effort of one factory bike piloted by their two All-Japan Superbike Championship riders Wataru Yoshikawa and Takeshi Tsujimura. The pair were rewarded with fourth place after a steady ride, but unfortunately had to watch the Hondas overtake them twice on the track. They simply had no answer for the Hondas, even when Honda had their boys riding with one hand behind their back. Another outpaced Yamaha, this one a semi-factory YZF-R7 Superbike with veteran Norihiko Fujiwara and youngster Tekkyu Kayo, finished fifth, five laps down from the Hondas. As last year, Suzuki went with only one team. Riders Akira Ryo and Yukio Kagayama could not stay up with Edwards and Kato, but could ITop left) Colin Edwards (left) and Daijiro Kato (right) switch during one of the team's six pit stops. (Left) Kato (11) and Edwards had to compromise on suspension settings, as Edwards outweighs the diminutive Japanese rider by 30 pounds. n e _ so • AUGUST 21,2002 29