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C Y C L E N E W S • AUGUST 9, 2006 9 The following is from FIM president Francesco Zerbi: "During the congress that will take place in Brazil from October 15-21, 2006, I will not be a candidate for the presidency of the FIM as I had decided and communicated already a year ago. After eight years as deputy president and 11 years as president, I think that my task as leader is over and I leave it to others to take care of the management of the FIM. At the time of leaving the Federation, it is my duty to thank all those who, in the course of these long years, have helped me to attain the objectives that the FIM has reached today. "First of all, the National Federations who have granted me their confidence and helped in the difficult task of changing the statutes and of adapting them to current demands; our promoters who have been and will be our foremost collaborators; the FIM administra- tion, guided in an excellent manner by Guy Maitre, who supported me with intelligence and flexibility; the manufacturers who have understood that the FIM is the only, real interlocutor between them, the authori- ties and the users of the powered two-wheelers; the teams and the riders who have united around the FIM in recognizing it as their official representative; the press who in its irreplaceable role of control and criti- cism has always been a stimulation to do better and is a formidable vehicle for communicating information about the motorcycle and of our world; finally, all the fans, because, without their enthusiasm and their sup- port, nothing would have been possible. "To all, without any distinction of roles, I send you my grateful thanks and best wishes for an even more brilliant future. As usual, I wish everyone a 'safe journey.'" Zerbi Says Goodbye T he FCC Technical Sports Racing team of Shinichi Ito and Takeshi Tsujimura successfully converted their pole position into victory in the 29th Suzuka 8 Hours, round five of the FIM World Endurance Championship. The pair completed 214 laps on their Honda, beating the record of 210 for the current circuit configuration. "I'm very happy and relieved," said Tsujimura. "I had so much trouble in the past at this race. I'm so happy to finish on top today. In the past I often thought of quitting because nothing went well. Now this has given me a lot of confidence." "This is like a dream," said Ito. "For the last three years I've suffered. I thank FCC and the team very much for holding on and working so hard. I'm almost 40 years old and I'm getting tired - but I will keep rac- ing if I can." The victory was the third for Ito and the first for Tsujimura. Ito's two previous victories were in 1997 and '98 as a factory Honda rider. Though Ito and Tsujimura rode a Honda, the FCC TSR team is com- pletely independent of Honda Motor Company and Honda Racing Corporation. It was the first overall victory for FCC TSR in 19 attempts. The win gave Honda its 10th consecu- tive 8 Hours victory and their 21st in the history of the event. Toy Story Racing had an equally flaw- less, though not as fast, race to finish sec- ond. Riders Takashi Yasuda and Yoshiteru Konishi finished one minute, 9.459 sec- onds behind FCC and wore racing suits styled after Toy Story character Buzz Lightyear. Their Honda was painted in matching colors and featured the best parts from HRC's toy box. "Right now I have both happy and sad tears," said Konishi on the podium. "It feels like a dream. It's unbeliev- able to be this close to first place. This was a very impor- tant race to me. I'm motivated to do better in the future. I'm so happy that the fans support- ed me during the race." "This is a dream for me, too," agreed Yasuda. "Riding with Konishi is fantastic and I really thank Konishi for being a mentor. Last year we were third, this year we are second, so maybe next year we will win. We are aiming for first." One minute off from Toy Story Racing and finishing third were Atsushi Watanabe and Nobuatsu Aoki on the Yoshimura Suzuki. Just as sec- ond-placed Toy Story, Yoshimura did not make any errors in the race but right from the start they lacked the absolute pace to stay with the leaders. "I was not feeling good dur- ing the race, physically," said Watanabe. "But when I was on the track I saw a lot of Yoshimura fans and that really motivated me. I will try better next year." "This was a very long and hard race - and very hot," said Aoki. "I nearly fainted after I came back to the pits. I was so hot and tired. I'm so happy now that we fin- ished the race. This is the first time I've been on the podium in the 8 Hours." Aoki surprised his girlfriend, Kazuko, with a marriage proposal from the podi- um. The top three teams all used Bridgestone tires. It was Bridgestone's first victory in the Suzuka 8 Hours. The two Seven Stars-sponsored HRC teams finished in fourth and fifth place, one lap down from the podium teams. The better of the two teams was Tadayuki Okada and Osuma Deguchi. Ryuichi Kiyonari and Makoto Tamada had troubles twice with the front tire that forced Kiyonari to make unplanned pit stops for new tires. Yamaha Austria Racing Team finished 10th overall, but first relative to the other FIM championship teams. YART cut the points gap to championship leader Suzuki Castrol from 44 to 21 points with two 24- hour races left to run. Suzuki Castrol crashed three times in the race after hav- ing a near-perfect season in 2006. Colin Edwards was the lone American in the race. Edwards retired on the fifth lap when the engine died as he was hustling his blue Yamaha to make up time lost from an accident with another rider at the hair- pin on the opening lap. Tracy Hagen Ito, Tsujimura Take Suzuka "I'm almost 40 years old and I'm getting tired - but I will keep racing if I can." - Shinichi Ito The FCC Technical Sports Racing team of Shinichi Ito and Takeshi Tsujimura won the Suzuka 8 Hours. PHOTO BY REYGONDEAU.COM