The results are in: F.C.C. TSR Honda France #5 has ridden to victory in the 2017-2018 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) for motorcycles on tailored Bridgestone Racing Battlax tyres. As a partner and exclusive supplier of the team, Bridgestone is particularly proud to have contributed to this incredible accomplishment.
The FIM EWC is a worldwide championship endurance racing competition for motorcycles that consists of five races. F.C.C. TSR France #5 finished 6th at the Bol d’Or (24-hour), 1st at the 24-hour of Le Mans, 3rd at the 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring, 1st at the 8 Hours of Oschersleben and 5th at the Suzuka 8 Hours.
“On behalf of everyone at Bridgestone, I would like to congratulate the entire F.C.C. TSR Honda France team on their outstanding performance throughout the season,” says Nico Thuy, Head of Motorcycle at Bridgestone EMEA. “It’s extremely rewarding for us to see a team racing on Bridgestone tyres perform so incredibly well to win one of the most demanding championships in the motorcycling world.”
Bridgestone on the podium at the Suzuka 8 Hours
Bridgestone tyres also made an impact at the Suzuka 8 Hours. Yamaha Factory Racing Team #21 won the 8 hours of Suzuka for the 4th time in a row after an incredible battle with Kawasaki Team Green #11 and Red Bull Honda with Japan Post #33. All three teams were on Bridgestone’s Racing Battlax tyres. On top, it is the 14th time in a row that a team running on Bridgestone tyres has taken the chequered flag in first position at the prestigious race.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France #5 showed the reason for their victory in the Endurance World Championship. They completed 196 laps in the eight-hour race, with a fastest lap time of 2’09”611, earning them 5th place.
The other permanent EWC Bridgestone-backed team, YART Yamaha #7, showed very high potential in the practice sessions, finding their way into the top 10 trial session. Unfortunately the team had to retire from the race with 5 hours to go.
Mercury Racing #121, Bridgestone-backed team from Le Mans 24h onwards, came 5th position in the overall standings with a 14th position in this difficult race and finished as the 1st private team of the Endurance World Championship.
“We noticed that at Suzuka, of the 64 teams to start, 31 were running on Bridgestone tyres,” says Nico Thuy. “It’s an incredible vote of confidence so soon after our return to endurance racing. At the same time, at every single EWC race in 2018, the team to take first place has done so on Bridgestone tyres.”
Bridgestone will soon have the opportunity to extend their tally of victories. The 2018-2019 season of the FIM Endurance World Championship is due to kick off at the Bol d’Or in September.
