F.C.C. TSR Honda France demonstrated the potential to fight for victory, but after suffering a crash, the team mounted a remarkable comeback to finish the Spa 8-Hour Endurance Race in 5th place.

・Class / FORMULA EWC
・Machine / HONDA CBR1000RR-R Fireblade
・Spa-Francorchamps circuit (Belgium)
・Result / 5th　
・Total Time / 08:01:57.915 ・LAP / 196
・TEAM STANDINGS / 10th 26pts
・Blue Rider / Josh Hook
・Red Rider / Alan Techer

Last season, Round 2 of the FIM Endurance World Championship was held as a 24-hour race. This year, however, it was newly reformatted into an 8-hour event, matching the Suzuka format, and took place at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

A total of 37 teams gathered in Belgium on June 7–8 to compete in the Spa 8-Hour Endurance Race.

After retiring from the season-opening Le Mans 24 Hours, F.C.C. TSR Honda France entered this event aiming to secure as many championship points as possible.

Qualifying delivered an excellent result. Despite the absence of Mike Di Meglio due to injury, the pace of the two remaining riders and the performance of the machine were outstanding, earning the team 2nd place on the starting grid.

The race began on Saturday, June 8 at 1:00 PM under dry conditions and clear skies. However, starting rider Alan Techer encountered trouble immediately when the engine failed to start properly at the beginning of the race. He completed the opening lap in 17th position, but quickly launched an incredible recovery. By lap 11, he had already climbed to 2nd place. During this charge, he also set a new race lap record, later improving it further to 2:20.722. Riding the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade flawlessly, he closed the gap to the leader to within six seconds.

After the rider change, Josh Hook began extending the gap behind him, but 1 hour and 10 minutes into the race, while running in 2nd position, he suffered a crash that dropped the team to 6th place. He immediately rejoined the race without returning to the pits and continued lapping at high speed to recover positions before ending his stint.

The team then decided to bring the machine back into the pit garage for repairs. After approximately seven minutes in the pits, the bike returned to the track in 25th place. Techer once again produced exceptional pace, set another track record, and recovered several positions before returning to the pits. However, further repairs became necessary, forcing the bike back into the garage once more. After several additional minutes of repairs, the team dropped back again to 25th place.

Even so, both riders and the entire team refused to give up. Maintaining an impressive pace, they fought their way back into the top ten roughly five hours into the race. Techer then set another race lap record with a stunning 2:20.166. In the closing minutes of the race, the team gained additional positions, eventually crossing the finish line in 5th place.

As a result, F.C.C. TSR Honda France left Belgium with a total of 26 championship points, placing 10th overall in the standings. The next round will be Round 3 of the 2024 FIM EWC season — the Suzuka 8 Hours — held in Japan from July 19 to 21.

Josh Hook

It was a very frustrating weekend for me. Since arriving at Spa, I hadn’t been feeling well physically, and I wasn’t able to perform at 100 percent. Even so, the team did an incredible job building a machine capable of winning the race. I’m truly disappointed with my own performance today, but I want to sincerely congratulate Alan Techer for his fantastic riding. He raised the pace exactly when it was needed most. Unfortunately, my mistake ruined what could have been a much better result for the team. For the next round at Suzuka 8 Hours, I will make sure to recover properly and arrive in much better condition.

Alan Techer

We had a few problems because of the crash, but I think we accomplished what we needed to do. We proved that we have the pace to win, and we were able to demonstrate the high potential of the team, the machine, and the tires. The bike was absolutely fantastic. I really enjoyed riding it. I want to thank every single member of the team. As for the championship points, it wasn’t as many as we had hoped for, but we still managed to score valuable points. Now I’m looking forward to testing the new machine at Suzuka in two weeks’ time.

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