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The second of the new Suzuki 4:8:12 Endurance Series of three grueling circuit racing events returns to Redstar Raceway near Delmas for round 2 of the 2015 series challenge. The event, the BELL 8HR race, is the second round of the 2015 Suzuki 4:8:12 Endurance Circuit Racing series, and takes place on Saturday 20 June.  Rookie, Club and Pro teams are gearing up for the race which requires a very different strategy to the first 4-hour event held at the end of February this year. Teams now have to make provision for rapid tyre changes apart from only refuelling and swopping riders. “Attention to detail in the setup and preparation now becomes absolutely critical, and pit crews need to be on the ball,” says Suzuki Auto SA Motorcycle Sales Manager Stuart Baker. “Crew chiefs need to make crucial calls on safety critical items such as brake pads, tyre compounds and fuel strategies,” says Baker. The series that originally kicked off last year, has attracted some of the top riders in South Africa, including Superbike champions Clinton Seller, Greg Gildenhuys and AJ Venter who has just returned from the mighty Isle of Man TT. Hosting a full field of circuit racing machines piloted by teams of 3 to 4 riders, the Suzuki 4:8:12 Endurance series took off with a bang in February with a small group of pro riders on pro machines completing the most laps. Although the 4-hour was won by a BMW overall, a Suzuki matched the top lap count overall as well as in the pro class while Suzukis took the honours in all other classes. The series is open to riders from all walks of life giving novices the opportunity to break into the exciting world of motorcycle circuit racing. “The series gives newbie riders as well as experienced racers the opportunity to test and develop their ability and talent to race a bike in a safe environment as opposed to blasting down the street,” says Baker. “The Suzuki 4:8:12 Endurance series is based on the principle of legendary races such as the Suzuka 8-hour in Japan and the Bol d’Or 24-hour endurance race in France. “Teams of a minimum of three and a maximum of four riders can enter any bike of their choice. There are absolutely no restrictions. Anything goes,” says Baker, adding that each event is held under the auspices of Motorsport South Africa (MSA) which means each rider must have an MSA racing license. “Apart from that the event is open to anybody and everybody.” The competitors are divided into three categories – the pro class for experienced riders, the club class for guys and girls who have been on a circuit before, and the rookie class for motorcycle racing newbies. The endurance format of the series means it is not up to fastest lap times, but the amount of lap times during the race – this weekend for 8 hours non-stop. The 8-hour will be run in an anti-clockwise direction before the circuit will be switched to a clockwise direction for the third and final series event, the 12-hour on the 10th of October 2015. The challenging track, specially designed for motorcycles, is 4km long and has 13 turns. The easy access and excellent facilities make this the ideal choice for the Suzuki 4:8:12 Endurance series.
In addition to the main prize of the sponsored Suzuki GSXR750 the teams contesting the complete Suzuki / ODIN series will have the opportunity to win class prizes as well as contingency prizes from participating vendors, including BELL which has come forward as the day sponsor. |
