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
World Endurance Championship Round 4: 25th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours ~~~~~B~Y~T~RA~C~Y~H~A~G~E~N~~I~ti~~t~io~n~a:lI~y~, ~th:e~p~a~ir~b~e~tt:e~r:e:d~th:e~d~i~s~ta~n~c=e~~~four 8 Hours victories. Kato has one PHOTOS BY MARK WERNHAM record by two laps. The win was Edwards' third in the 8 Hours, and to him, the sweetest. Though the team led the last 93 out of 219 laps, a light rain came at sunset while Kato, with little Superbike experience and no night experience, was on the track for the final stretch to the finish. "For sure, the other two had been boring compared to this one," Edwards said. "I was really, really happy to win it. Weather did play a part and there was a bit of excitement there at the end. This will probably be the one that I will remember for having drama." The win was Honda's 17th in 25 Suzuka 8 Hours, and the firm's sixth in a row. With three wins to his name, Edwards joins Mike Baldwin, Aaron Slight and Tohru Ukawa as riders one stlOrt of Wayne Gardner's record of SOZUKA CITY, JAPAN, AUG. 4 hatever problem you throw at Honda, Honda seems to have an answer. Always a company to buck the trend and try something different, for the 2002 Suzuka 8 Hours, Honda figured if their riders slowed down a little they could conserve enough fuel - and, just as importantly, save their rear tires - to get through the race with six pit stops instead of the usual seven. Endurance racing, after all, is about distance, not speed. "Every year, Honda told me to go faster, faster, faster," said Colin Edwards. "This year, finally, they said, 'Oon't go that fast." Thus Edwards and teammate Oaijiro Kato didn't go as fast, didn't stop as much, and still won the race. Addi- W 28 AUGUST 21 , 2002' cue I • neVIl's previous victory, which came in 2000 with Tohru Ukawa. Honda riders Tadayuki Okada and Makoto Tamada chased Edwards and Kato all the way to second place. Though nearly a minute behind when the rain started, Tamada halved the gap by the end. Edwards swore he lost 10 years of his life watching Kato cautiously handle the rain, and Tamada trying frantically to run down the reigning 250cc World Champion. "This was my first full 8 Hours and I gained a good experience," said Tamada. "I learned a lot from Okadasan, and that is great for me." It was the second consecutive runner-up finish for Okada, a two-time champion in the 8 Hours himself. The 2002 Suzuka 8 Hours and the Suzuka 200K race in June have been the only events the 35-year-old Okada has participated in since retir- lAbove) The Le Mans.style start Is a fixture of the Suzuka 8 Hours. Doug Polen grabbed the holeshot In the event - at 42 years of age. ing from full-time racing at the end of last season. The top two teams shared the same garage, the same six-stop strategy, and the same Cabin cigarette sponsorship. However, as is common with factory teams for the Suzuka 8 Hours, they used tires from different companies. Edwards and Kato rode on Michelins, and Okada and Tamada on Ounlops. Alex Barros and Yuichi Takeda completed Honda's Suzuka 8 Hours task list by finishing third. The duo rode a near full-factory VTRI000SPW provided to the satellite Sakuri Honda. However, only Barros rode