If 2017 edition is remembered as the one were many records were beaten, 2018 24 Heures Motos will be remembered as an edition full of incredible events. It had never happened, at least in the past few editions, to see so many different teams in first position, so many important retirements and so many mistakes and what proved how incredible this year’s race was is the final result. Honda finished the race with two teams in first and second place, something we hadn’t seen since 1986.
F.C.C. TSR HONDA WINS AT LE MANS – Honda hadn’t won 24 Heures Motos since 2006, but this year the pause came to an end thanks to F.C.C. TSR Honda, three times winner of Suzuka 8 Hours (2006, 2011, 2012) and dominating team in All Japan Superbike. In 2016, invited by Eurosport Events, the Japanese team debuted in FIM Endurance World Championship by taking part in 24 Heures Motos, where they scored a wonderful and unexpected podium finish. At their third season in FIM EWC, Technical Sports Racing aims for the title and the unexpected win at Le Mans is crucial for the championship standings. F.C.C. TSR Honda, which has entrusted logistics to the Catalan Bruno Performance and is supported by Honda France, won a race that has always been seen in Japan as a synonym for challenge. A historic achievement, made possible by the riders Freddy Foray, Alan Techer and Josh Hook, signed by Team Manager Masakazu Fujii, clearly emotional for the win. Thanks to this wonderful perfomance, now F.C.C. TSR is leading the championship standings…ad they’re doing it with the “old” Fireblade!
HONDA: OLD AND NEW GENERATION – Yes, because F.C.C. TSR Honda won with the “old” Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, while Honda Endurance Racing (team owned by Honda Motor Europe) ranked 2nd with the new Fireblade SP2. The Japanese team wanted to get as many points as they could at Bol d’Or and Le Mans and so they decided to continue with a motorcycle they already know, a reliable and still competitive one. And finally they were rewarded…
AN INCREDIBLE RACE – F.C.C. TSR Honda France took the win thanks to a clean race conduct and so they rose again after the crash they had at Bol d’Or. This time the Japanese team triumphed also thanks to the mistakes made by other teams’ riders. If Le Castellet was exhausting for motorcycles, Le Mans was exhausting for riders and what we saw is an incredible sequence of mistakes, made by some of the best FIM EWC riders. The list includes, for example, Mathieu Gines (SRC Kawasaki, who fell after just one hour) and Marvin Fritz (who later crashed with YART Yamaha while he was leading the race), but the most unexpected mistake of the race was made by David Checa: GMT94 Yamaha was dominating the race like in 2017, but the Spaniard’s crash ruined everything and so the reigning Champions had to content with 10th place. You wouldn’t expect this from such an experienced rider, but in Endurance everything can happen…