Kawasaki wins 8-hour endurance race over investigation

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish motorcyclist Toprak Razgatlioglu's Kawasaki Racing Team won Sunday's 8-hour endurance race in Japan over an investigation.

Kawasaki Racing Team was declared as the Suzuka 8 Hours 2019 winner even though their rider Jonathan Rea was unable to reach the finish line after a very late crash.

"Following a statement from the FIM race direction regarding the provisional classification, the race results have been amended. The provisional winner of the #Suzuka8hours is #10 Kawasaki Racing Team Suzuka 8H," the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) said in a Twitter post.

"Despite the crash, and although Jonathan Rea did not reach the finish line, Kawasaki Racing Team were declared the winners in accordance with the rule stating that in case the race is stopped when the red flag is waved, the standings reflect positions on the previous lap," the FIM EWC said on website.

Rea was dominating the Suzuka 8 Hours on Sunday but was off the track near the end of this race.

The Yamaha Factory Racing Team -- composed of Alex Lowes, Michael van der Mark and Katsuyuki Nakasuga -- was previously said to be the winner in Suzuka, celebrating their victory on the podium.

Kawasaki Racing Team had three riders in Suzuka, Rea, Razgatlioglu and Leon Haslam but Razgatlioglu didn't join Sunday's race.

Sponsored by world famous beverage Coca-Cola, the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race is annually held in Japan's 5.8 kilometer long (3.6 miles) Suzuka Circuit as this competition lasts for eight hours. Each team in this race has two or three riders, who change during pitstops.

After Sunday's investigation, the Kawasaki Racing Team had their first Suzuka title since 1993, ending the four back-to-back wins of the Yamaha Factory Racing Team.

Meanwhile the Team SRC Kawasaki France became the world champion of 2019 as Jeremy Guarnoni, Erwin Nigon and David Checa helped the French team earn this year's Endurance World Championship title.