Sepang 8 Hours - Top 10 Trial Results
MotoGP's Franco Morbidelli blasted&nbs🍷p;to pole position for t🐲he 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 eachไ 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 endur🐻ance race ℱby 0.793s on Thursday evening.
The ten leading teams after Qualifying 2 had advanced to the Superpole-style Top 10 Trial, held under floodli🦩ghts, 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 ne💮w to EWC-night riding and the Superpole format - the former Moto2 champion comfortably toppled long-time pole holder Somkiat Chantra.
— FIM EWC (@FIM_EWC)
The new Sꦚepang 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 t𒈔he 2019/2🧸020 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?&ꦐnbsp;"No, I'll be at the pool!"
Morbidelli is competing for the home Sepang team, alongside fellow grand prix rider and local hero Hafizh Syahri♛n plus WorldSBK star Michael van derꦿ 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 Marque𒉰z’s injury issues.
