Sepang 8 Hours - Top 10 Trial Results
MotoGP's Franco Morbidelli blasted to pole position for the inaugural Sepang 8 Hours endurance race by 0.793s on Thursday evening.
The ten leading teams after Qualifying 2 had advanced to the Superpole-style Top 10 Trial, held under floodlights, where each team put forward their fastest rider for one flying lap.
Quickest after Qualifying 2 meant Morbidelli was last on track and - despite being new to EWC-night riding and the Superpole format - the former Moto2 champion comfortably toppled long-time pole holder Somkiat Chantra.
MotoGP's Franco Morbidelli blasted to pole position for the inaugural Sepang 8 Hours endurance race by 0.793s on Thursday evening.
The ten leading teams after Qualifying 2 had advanced to the Superpole-style Top 10 Trial, held under floodlights, where each team put forward their fastest rider for one flying lap.
Quickest after Qualifying 2 meant Morbidelli was last on track and - despite being new to EWC-night riding and the Superpole format - the former Moto2 champion comfortably toppled long-time pole holder Somkiat Chantra.
#DreamTeam #8hSepang #Top10 pic.twitter.com/pD6nJFsPXj
— FIM EWC (@FIM_EWC) December 12, 2019
The new Sepang floodlights were widely praised by riders, Jeremy Guarnori saying the lighting wasn't far off the level used by MotoGP and WorldSBK in Qatar.
Saturday's race, which is the second round of the 2019/2020 FIM Endurance World Championship, will start at 1pm.
Friday is a day off for the EWC competitors, as the cars take over the circuit. Will Morbidelli be watching tomorrow's four-wheel action? "No, I'll be at the pool!"
Morbidelli is competing for the home Sepang team, alongside fellow grand prix rider and local hero Hafizh Syahrin plus WorldSBK star Michael van der Mark. The squad are using factory bikes prepared by YART and fitted with Bridgestone tyres...
| Sepang 8 Hours - Top 10 Trial | ||
| Pos | Rider (Team) | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Morbidelli (Yamaha Sepang Racing) | 2m 5.614s |
| 2 | Chantra (Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA) | +0.793s |
| 3 | Hook (F.C.C. TSR Honda France) | +0.837s |
| 4 | Guarnoni (WEBIKE SRC KAWASAKI FRANCE) | +1.179s |
| 5 | Reiterberger (BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM) | +1.659s |
| 6 | Canepa (YART - YAMAHA) | +1.784s |
| 7 | de Puniet (Team ERC Endurance) | +1.872s |
| 8 | Kamaruzaman (BMW Sepang Racing) | +2.339s |
| 9 | Simeon (VRD IGOL PIERRET EXPERIENCES) | +2.580s |
| 10 | G.Rea (Wójcik Racing Team) | No Time |
| SEPANG 8 HOURS - QUALIFYING (COMBINED) | ||
| POS | RIDERS (TEAM) | AVERAGE |
| Top 10 progressed to Trial, the rest line-up on the grid as follows... | 2m 4.429s | |
| 11 | Philippe/Masson/Black (Suzuki Endurance Racing Team) | +3.013s |
| 12 | Hoshino/Atsumi/Ishizuka (TONE RT SYNCEDGE 4413 BMW) | +3.456s |
| 13 | Rolfo/Mulhauser/Clere (MOTO AIN) | +3.627s |
| 14 | Hedelin/Masbou/Perret (TECMAS BMW GMC) | +3.848s |
| 15 | Leblanc/Uramoto/Tsuda (SUZUKI JEG - KAGAYAMA) | +3.854s |
| 16 | Szkopek/Ellison/Hanika (MACO RACING Team) | +4.098s |
| 17 | Stamm/Suchet/Walraven (Bolliger Team Switzerland) | +4.119s |
| 18 | Debise/Okubo/ (National Motos) | +4.154s |
| 19 | Kerschbaumer/Glöckner/Bijsterbosch (GERT56 by GS YUASA) | +4.173s |
| 20 | Westmoreland/Linfoot/Nigon (MOTORS EVENTS) | +4.248s |
| 21 | Techer/Denis/Enjolras (TATI TEAM BEAUJOLAIS RACING) | +4.293s |
| 22 | Boulom/Gamarino/Manfredi (Team 33 Coyote Louit Moto) | +4.629s |
| 23 | Scassa/Kemmer/Vitali (No Limits Motor Team) | +4.669s |
| 24 | Baggi/Boscoscuro/Rosso (Team Aviobike) | +4.679s |
| 25 | Loiseau/Hardt/Pilot (BMRT 3D MAXXESS NEVERS) | +4.924s |
| 26 | Lussiana/Berchet/Plancassagne (3ART- MOTO TEAM 95) | +5.063s |
| 27 | Yanagawa/Ito/Izutsu (KRP SANYOKOUGYOU & will raise RS-ITOH) | +5.147s |
| 28 | Konno/Seller/Morais (Team R2CL) | +5.278s |
| 29 | Sekiguchi/Sakai/Nagoe (TEAM PLUSONE) | +5.686s |
| 30 | Antiga/Tessels/Bonnot (Rac 41) | +5.905s |
| 31 | Sano/Okamura/Higashimura (TEAM HANSHIN RIDING SCHOOL) | +6.091s |
| 32 | Fastré/Buchner/Godfrey (MOTOTECH EWC TEAM) | +6.182s |
| 33 | Vincon/Bühn/Lewandowski (Team LRP Poland) | +6.242s |
| 34 | Pellizotti/Granzottto/De La Rosa (PITLANE ENDURANCE) | +6.544s |
| 35 | Kodama/Tokudome/ (Team Kodama) | +6.833s |
| 36 | Nekvasil/Bos/Friedrich (HRT 100 - Hertrampf Racing Endurance) | +6.980s |
| 37 | Thöni/Dangl/Walchhütter (Bertl K. Racing Team) | +7.079s |
| 38 | Szkopek/Pasek/Biesiekirski (Wójcik Racing Team 2) | +7.096s |
| 39 | Charpin/Diguet/Hugot (OG MOTORSPORT BY SARAZIN) | +7.181s |
| 40 | Dehaye/Ströhlein/Ortiz (Motobox Kremer Racing #65) | +7.488s |
For comparison…
Official Sepang WorldSBK records:
Best lap:
Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki 2m 2.246s (2016)
Fastest race lap:
Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki 2m 3.637s (2016)
Official Sepang MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Fabio Quartararo FRA Yamaha 1m 58.303s (2019)
Fastest race lap:
Valentino Rossi ITA Yamaha 1m 59.661s (2019)
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
