F.C.C. TSR Honda France overcame numerous troubles to finish the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race in 33rd place.

・Class / FORMULA EWC ・Machine / HONDA CBR1000RR-R
・SUZUKA circuit (JAPAN)
■Result / 33th
・Total Time / 08:00:52.745 ・LAP / 198
・TEAM STANDINGS / 11th 26pts

At 11:30 AM on July 21, under blazing sunshine and oppressive heat, the Suzuka 8 Hours officially began.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France started the race with Josh Hook as the opening rider. Starting from 8th on the grid, Hook made a strong launch and quickly settled into a solid rhythm, consistently posting competitive lap times. Maintaining a position within the top ten, he completed the opening stint before handing over to Mike Di Meglio and Alan Techer, who continued fighting within the leading group.
As the race progressed, temperatures continued to rise, and the machine began suffering from engine-related troubles. Even so, the riders continued pushing hard in order to protect the team’s championship standing.
Three hours into the race, Hook suffered a crash. Fortunately, he was uninjured and the motorcycle damage was not severe, allowing him to rejoin the race without returning immediately to the pits. The team dropped to 14th position, but by the time of the next rider change, they had recovered to 13th.
Entering the second half of the race, F.C.C. TSR Honda France encountered several additional setbacks. First, a mistake during pit work resulted in a stop-and-go penalty for Techer. Then, roughly 30 minutes later, a component failed while the bike was on track — damage believed to be related to Hook’s earlier crash — forcing an emergency pit stop. Repairs required more than ten minutes before the bike could return to the circuit.
The team rejoined in 28th place, after which Hook launched an aggressive recovery charge, lapping at a pace comparable to the leading riders and steadily regaining positions. He later handed the bike over to Di Meglio in 25th position. However, with approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes remaining, another crash occurred. Additional mechanical trouble followed, dropping the team down to 34th place.
Despite everything, F.C.C. TSR Honda France and its riders never gave up. Fighting until the very end, finishing rider Techer produced lap times comparable to the top three riders and brought the machine home in 33rd position, successfully taking the checkered flag.
The next round will be the Bol d’Or 24-Hour Race, held September 14–15 at Circuit Paul Ricard.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France currently sits 11th in the championship standings and has already begun preparations with the goal of victory in the season finale at the Bol d’Or.

Josh Hook

Because we were unable to participate in the private tests, there were many things we wanted to try, but simply not enough time to do everything. I feel sorry for the team, because everyone fought incredibly hard and gave their absolute maximum effort, yet unfortunately the result did not follow. Right now, we need to carefully analyze what we can do to come back stronger for the Bol d’Or.

Mike di Meglio

It was a very difficult race for us. We already knew the temperatures would be extremely high, and that had a major impact on the engine’s performance. The tires were working well, but the bike lacked acceleration and power. I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks, so I feel sorry that I made a mistake at a moment when I actually was not pushing hard. That mistake cost us valuable time, although by then we were already significantly behind. This was the first race with this machine, and there are still many areas that need improvement. We will work extremely hard to prepare for the Bol d’Or

Alan Techer

It has been a difficult race and a difficult season. Starting with this race, we switched to a completely new machine. Because of that, there were many new elements to deal with, and the road ahead was far from easy. For the next round, the Bol d’Or, we will aim for victory and try to finish the season on a positive note.

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