Sepang 8 Hours - Qualifying (1) Results
Thursday at the inaugural Sepang 8 Hours endurance event began with Qualifying 1, where each rider took to the track for a 20-minute session as part of a 'blue', 'yellow' or 'red' group.
Qualifying 2 will take place at 14:30 local time, after which the top ten teams will progress to the Superpole-style Time Trial to decide pole position for Sunday's race.
The race, which is the second round of the 2019/2020 FIM Endurance World Championship, starts at 1pm on Saturday.
Thursday at the inaugural Sepang 8 Hours endurance event began with Qualifying 1, where each rider took to the track for a 20-minute session as part of a 'blue', 'yellow' or 'red' group.
Qualifying 2 will take place at 14:30 local time, after which the top ten teams will progress to the Superpole-style Time Trial to decide pole position for Sunday's race.
The race, which is the second round of the 2019/2020 FIM Endurance World Championship, starts at 1pm on Saturday.
The opening round, September's Bol d'Or, was won by the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team while SRC Kawasaki France are the reigning EWC title holders.
MotoGP's Franco 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 Qualifying 1 Results (Rider 'Blue') | ||
| Pos | Riders (Team) | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Morbidelli (Yamaha Sepang Racing) | 2m 3.907s |
| 2 | Hook (F.C.C. TSR Honda France) | +0.141s |
| 3 | Guarnoni (WEBIKE SRC KAWASAKI FRANCE) | +0.794s |
| 4 | Rea (Wójcik Racing Team) | +1.482s |
| 5 | Kamaruzaman (BMW Sepang Racing) | +2.220s |
| 6 | Mykhalchyk (BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM) | +2.382s |
| 7 | Parkes (YART - YAMAHA) | +2.390s |
| 8 | Alt (VRD IGOL PIERRET EXPERIENCES) | +2.529s |
| 9 | Zaidi (Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA) | +2.702s |
| 10 | Jezek (Team ERC Endurance) | +2.982s |
| Sepang 8 Hours - Top 10 Qualifying 1 Results (Rider 'Yellow') | ||
| Pos | Riders (Team) | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Syahrin (Yamaha Sepang Racing) | 2m 4.854s |
| 2 | Reiterberger (BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM) | +0.745s |
| 3 | de Puniet (Team ERC Endurance) | +1.000s |
| 4 | Bergman (Wójcik Racing Team) | +1.118s |
| 5 | Foret (F.C.C. TSR Honda France) | +1.153s |
| 6 | Nigon (WEBIKE SRC KAWASAKI FRANCE) | +1.204s |
| 7 | Marino (VRD IGOL PIERRET EXPERIENCES) | +1.229s |
| 8 | Suchet (Bolliger Team Switzerland) | +1.623s |
| 9 | Norrodin (BMW Sepang Racing) | +2.040s |
| 10 | Masson (Suzuki Endurance Racing Team) | +2.243s |
| Sepang 8 Hours - Top 10 Qualifying 1 Results (Rider 'Red') | ||
| Pos | Riders (Team) | Time/Gap |
| 1 | van der Mark (Yamaha Sepang Racing) | 2m 4.527s |
| 2 | Canepa (YART - YAMAHA) | +0.837s |
| 3 | de Meglio (F.C.C. TSR Honda France) | +0.856s |
| 4 | Chantra (Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA) | +1.238s |
| 5 | Simoen (VRD IGOL PIERRET EXPERIENCES) | +1.261s |
| 6 | Rossi (Team ERC Endurance) | +1.611s |
| 7 | Hanika (MACO RACING Team) | +2.010s |
| 8 | Black (Suzuki Endurance Racing Team) | +2.706s |
| 9 | Da Costa (BMW Sepang Racing) | +3.019s |
| 10 | Morais (Team R2CL) | +3.248s |
Fastest Wednesday Time:
FCC TSR Honda 2m 5.796s (Private Testing)
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.
