After a thriliing Slovakiaring 8 hours, it was Junior Team Le Mans Sud Suzuki (Louis Rossi, Hugo Clère and Alexis Masbou) who topped the podium in the Superstock class for near-standard bikes, ahead of the Kawasaki BMRT 3D Maccio Racing team (Anthony Loiseau, Jimmy Maccio and Jonathan Hardt). Both teams chose Dunlop tyres and the tyre choice and strategy was critical in a race that saw very changeable weather conditions.
The Suzuki was classfied 6th overall, an incredible performance for ‘stock’ bike that doesn’t benefit from the upgrades seen in the leading Superbike category.
The Slovakiaring race was the third round of the 2018/19 FIM Endurance World Championship which concludes with the Suzuka 8h at the end of July. With just two rounds to go, another Dunlop and Suzuki combination has moved to the top of the world rankings. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Vincent Philippe, Etienne Masson and Gregg Black) ran a relentless race to take second spot on the podium and build on their strong and consistent season so far by moving into the overall championship lead.
There was heartbreak for Honda Endurance Racing. Looking to build on their race leading pace and eventual second place at last month’s Le Mans 24h, the team were part of the intense battle for the lead. However, after 6h their hopes were dashed after Randy de Puniet’s crash.
Roland Wozniak, Dunlop Motorsport’s EWC Event Manager explained the importance of tyre choice in this race: “The weather created very difficult and changing conditions throughout the race. The durability of the the Dunlop tyres was very strong. Teams were able to do four stints on the front tyre and two stints on the rear despite the changeable conditions. It was a good result for Dunlop with the first 2 places in Superstock and the overall championship lead.”
The next race in the FIM Endurance World Championship is at Oschersleben, Germany on June 9th.
Source - News.Goodyear.eu