T
h e F C C Technical Sports
Racing team of Shinichi Ito
and Takeshi Tsujimura rode a
flawless race from pole posi-
tion to score victory in the
29th Suzuka 8 Hours, round five of the
FIM World Endurance Championship.
The pair led 192 of the 214 laps they
completed 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 racing 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
Suzuka Circuit
Suzuka, Japan
Round 5
July 30, 2006
AUGUST 16, 2006 • C Y C L E N E W S
64
World Endurance Championship
BY TRACY HAGEN PHOTOS BY DAVID REYGONDEAU
Shinichi Ito (778)
and Ryuichi Kiyonari
almost collide as the
Suzuka 8 Hours gets
started in Japan.
Colin Edwards (45),
meanwhile, is slow
to get going on the
factory Yamaha.
Shinichi Ito (778),
Ryuichi Kiyonari (7)
and Tadayuki
Okada (11) battle
early in the race.
