Hook claims endurance world title at Suzuka

Australia has added yet another name to its list of world champions, with Josh Hook's FCC TSR Honda France team – also comprising fellow riders Freddy Foray and Alan Techer – claiming top honours in the 2018 Endurance World Championship with a fifth-place finish at the title finale, the Suzuka 8 Hours (July 26-29).

The team, also the first Japanese effort (albeit in partnership with Honda France) to claim the EWC title, crossed the line aboard its Honda CBR1000RR after eight hours with 196 laps to its credit, the effort enough to secure the championship with 171.5 points.

That left GMT94 Yamaha (David Checa, Niccolò Canepa and Mike Di Meglio) in second place in the championship with 158.5 points, with Honda Endurance Racing (Yonny Hernadez, Sébastien Gimbert and Erwan Nigon) rounding out the top three on 127 points.

Hook, understandably, was ecstatic with the victory.

"We have done our best all season for this moment," he said.

"We have raced in each event to win. All of our hard work has come together today, with us becoming the champions, so I'm so happy. I'd like to thank the whole team from the bottom of my heart."

Meanwhile it was Yamaha Factory Racing that secured its fourth straight win in the Suzuka 8 Hours itself.

In claiming the victory at Suzuka, the team comprising Japan's Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Briton Alex Lowes and Dutchman Michael van der Mark faced a massive challenge even before the race began, as Nakasuga was forced to retire due to a shoulder injury sustained in a crash in practice.

However, Lowes and Van Der Mark kept their cool and rode consistently aboard the Yamaha YZF-F1, despite changeable weather conditions and numerous pauses for yellow flags and safety cars throughout the event.

The team faced stiff competition from pole-sitters Kawasaki Team Green (Jonathan Rea, Leon Haslam, and Kazuma Watanabe), just seconds separating the pair over numerous laps, while after eight hours it was Red Bull Honda with Japan Post (Takumi Takahashi, Takaaki Nakagami, and Patrick Jacobsen) threatening for the lead.

When it came down to it, however, it was Yamaha Factory Racing across the line in first, just 30 seconds ahead of Red Bull Honda with Japan Post, and one lap ahead of Kawasaki Team Green.

"Alex and Michael raced really well right from the start against our chief rivals, which were also fielding riders from the World Superbike Championship and from the British Superbike Championship," said Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager, Wataru Yoshikawa.

"I actually think that helped them focus right off the bat. The weather kept changing all the time during the race and our team obviously doesn't have a bird’s-eye-view of the circuit, so we believed in the skills and judgement of our riders, and that worked really well for us."

Related reading:
Seven Aussies in 2017 Suzuka 8 Hours

As for other Aussies in this year's Suzuka 8 Hours, the Honda Asia-Dream Racing team with Troy Herfoss finished the event in seventh, while the BMW Motorrad39 team, with Damian and Alex Cudlin, finished in 13th.

Reigning ASBK champ Josh Waters finished in fourth place in the Superstock class, while Anthony West (Eva RT Webike Trickstar Kawasaki), Broc Parkes (YART Yamaha) and Aaron Morris all failed to finish the grueling event.

For full details and Suzuka 8 Hours results, click here.