Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

UKAWA AND KYONARl By Ohru Ukawa and Ryuichi Kyonari won the 5uzuka 8 Hours on Sunday as their Seven Stars-sponsored Honda led a Honda sweep of the top six positions. The duo completed 204 laps, three more then their nearest rivals. The pair's superlative performance moved Ukawa ahead of Wayne Gardner in 8 Hours wins with a total of five. It was Honda's ninth consecutive victory and 20th success in the 28 Suzuka 8 Hours run to date. "I did it!" exulted Ukawa in Japanese from the top of the podium. The race was one of deja vu as Ukawa and Kyonari sped away from 69 other teams right from the start and were never challenged. In 2004, Ukawa and teammate Hitoyasu Izutsu did exactly the same for a trouncing triumph. "Fantastic! The best machine, the best partner and the best team made it possible," praised Ukawa, a test rider for Honda's RC211V MotoGP racer. "Five wins is a great record, but I hope Ryuichi [Kyonari] will break it one day." T 36 AUGUST 17, 2005 • TRACY HAGEN It was the fifth 8 PHOTOS BY REYGONDEAU.COM race was Vermeulen's -.-' maiden ride in the Hours for Kyonari, L who normally contests the British Suzuka 8 Hours. Superbike Championship for Honda. The "My back was hurting very badly dur23-year-old finished ninth in 2000 but has ing the last half of the race," FUjiwara said. '" had painkilling injections to endure it. I had only DNF and DNS results since. couldn't even stand up properly on the "I am really happy and can't believe it," Kyonari said. "I expected a tough race, so podium after the race. When Ukawa-san left for his last ride, he said to me, 'Let's when [Yukio] Kagayama [on the do one-two finish,' and I promised myself Yoshimura Suzuki] was pushing me at the beginning, I was only thinking about [his] to take second place. Chris [Vermeulen] pace. Then I tried to concentrate on my rode conSistently, and I want to thank him race," for that." "Of course I'm very, very happy. Chris Vermeulen and Katsuaki Fujiwara Obviously, it's better to win, but these finished second on the sister Seven Stars Honda. The World Superbike stars were two guys were very, very fast, and they unremarkable in qualifying and had just were going to be very hard to beat," Vermeulen said. "I now understand that squeaked into the top 10 when it started raining at the two-hour mark. The the Suzuka 8 Hours is the most difficult race in the world. It was not so hot today, Michelin rain tires used by the Seven Stars teams were conSiderably better than the so it was not so difficult phYSically, but the other brands', and the Michelin-shod ridconditions were difficult. I was surprised ers collected the scalps of their rivals at by how much grip the Michelins had. Next week I have a race again in England will. The result was FUjiwara's best since his for World Superbike; it might be difficult to get back onto that bike. But I really third place in 1995 and followed a massive enjoyed working with the Seven Star get-off earlier in July during an 8 Hours Honda team, and the bike was really good test that caused a severe back injury. The CYCLE NEWS to ride." Underdogs Haruchika Aoki and Takeishi Yasuda completed 200 laps by avoiding the dangers that ruined the race of many faster teams to score a popular third place. ''This morning I didn't think at all that we would get third place," former double 125cc Grand Prix Champion Aoki said. "I was quite surprised to see the rain. When it started raining, Yasuda-san was trying really hard. By the time I was on the bike, the rain was a lot lighter, with the last 10 laps almost dry. I wanted to change to the slick tires, but if I pitted then we would need another pit stop to finish the race. But I don't like rain in the 8 Hours because it makes me really exhausted. It's really hard mentally. However, the rain helped me; it was my friend today." The other three Hondas in the sweep were the B team of Osamu Deguchi and Yusuke Teshima in the FCC Technical Sports effort, the Masked Riders team of Tatsuya Yamaguchi and Kazuki Tokudome, and Team Yoshiharu with riders Yoshiyuki 5ugai and Australian Josh Brookes. The

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