Suzuka 8 hours 31 juli 2016

El Pollo Diablo

El Pollo Diablo

MF veteraan
14 jul 2007
7.122
104
Drechtsteden
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What is the Suzuka 8hours?
The Basics
Starting Scene

The Suzuka 8hours Endurance Race is a part of the FIM World Endurance Championship. It is one of the most famous motorcycle race in Japan, and spectators come from all over the world to witness this race. The number of spectators that come to Suzuka during raceweek is significantly high, and is one of the biggest race in Japan.

70 teams, from full factory teams to privateers will qualify for the race Friday. Top 10 qualifying teams will move on to the Top 10 Trial on Saturday, where 2 riders from each team will run a one lap qualifying run. The better time of the 2 riders will decide the top 10 grids of the race. Each team (entry) will comprise of either two or three riders.

The race starts at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday and continues of 8hours, ending at 19:30.

The race goes on for 8hours. This means that qualifying is not as important as sprint races, where the race lasts for only one stint. The why do riders still aim for pole position? Glory and Pride.

Winning the pole position at Suzuka 8hours, is nothing but glory and pride for the riders. It is true that a better grid position has more advantage. But in a 8hours race, and with a Le Mans starting method, where the starting rider literally runs to the machine and start, a few positions down does not affect the outcome of the race. But getting into the Top 10 Trial, and winning the pole position is as important as winning the race for many riders. Being a Suzuka "Polesitter", means that his name will be remembered in the history of the sport.


Considering the time lost during a pit stop, the speed of the pitwork is very important to win the Suzuka 8hours. During a stop, the team will have to refuel, change tires, and change riders. A loss of time can mean that the rivals overtake the teams position, but a fast stop can mean that the team may be able to overtake rivals.

Most teams will make strategies for a 8-time pit stop. This means that in each stint, the rider will have to run 23-25 laps. However, top teams will go for a 7-time pit stop, with each rider going 27-28 laps every stint. It is said that to win Suzuka, the team will have to go for a 7-time pit stop.

Then why don't all the teams go for a 7-time pit stop? It is because of the engine power. The engine power of top teams are high, and that allows them to set the engine with lower power to conserve energy that allows them to go with a 7-time stop and still have enough power to lap fast. However, the non-factory teams need to keep the engine setting to a high power one to compete with the factory teams. But by doing this, the fuel consumption becomes higher, and thus, won't be able to run a 27-28 lap stint.

This is one point that the fans normally miss. The laptime on the lap of the riders coming into the pit, and going out of it, is crucial in keeping the position during the race. When coming in, riders slow down to come into the pitlane. There is a 60kmh speed restriciton after the pitlane line, but it is the speed until that line that makes a world of difference. Some riders may start slowing down right after 130R, but some riders slow down right before entering the pit road. This can lead up to about a 10-second difference. That is a lot of loss.

It is the same situation for the inlap after pit work. Many riders cannot go at full speed immediately on the lap after the pit stop. They need to warm-up the tires and check if there is anything wrong, so it is difficult for them to go run 100% on the inlap. Even among the top teams, the time difference of an inlap can lead up to 20 seconds.

So, if you are 10 second slower coming in, and 20 second slower going out, there is a 30-second difference with the fastest rider doing the same. Even if you are 1 second faster on every lap, it will take 30 laps to cover this difference, meaning that the rider will not be able to catch up within that very stint.
The Final Laps in the Dark: Is it the stint for the star rider?

The Suzuka 8hours Endurance finish is scheduled at 19:30. The sun normally sets about 18:30, so the final hour is raced in the dark. Lights on the bikes are on, and this is one of the most exciting hour of the race. It is the finale of the race, and the winner will be decided at 19:30. It is the moment where all spectators and teams remember.

So do the star rider of each team ride this last stint? Not really. Running after the sun sets at 300kmh is not an easy thing to do. The vision gets narrower, and the scenery changes drastically. It can be very scary for riders who never raced in the dark. So the laptime of the riders running this stint becomes significantly slower than that of laps under the sun.

From this reason, the teams choose the riders that are experienced riding in the dark. This tends to be the star rider of the team, but it does not only mean that it is because they are the star rider, but because they are experienced riding after the sun sets.
Klik om te vergroten...

Michael v.d. Mark doet ook mee! Hayden ook, alsmede andere grotere namen.

Suzuka 8hours - SUZUKA CIRCUIT


Iemand die een live stream weet? Zit dan op m'n vakantieadres :P
 
Laatst bewerkt:
Cool, ik ben benieuwd. Altijd wat lastig te volgen geloof ik, zendt Eurosport er niks van uit?
 
ik had hem vorig jaar gedownload (usenet). Hopelijk is ie er dit jaar weer.
 
Top dat Eurosport dit weer uitzend. Vorig jaar genoten van het tactische spel van deze race. Heerlijk
 
Ik heb de eerste supporter al gehoord die er heen gaat. :}
(weet alleen nog niet of zijn afwezigheid hier bekend mag zijn :+ )
 
Michael zijn helm voor dit weekend, gemaakt door Aldo Drudi (helmdesigner van Rossi)

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Laatst bewerkt:
Over het algemeen vind ik helmen van Drudi echt niet mooi, inclusief deze. In deze tijd moet daar toch wat meer van te maken zijn. `al vind ik de Rotterdam skyline van Bo een uitzondering. !
 
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