21 Jan 2018 On the same lap after 3 hours! Speed Hero 3 Hours Endurance Race

On 21 January 2018 Sunday, 2018 Speed Hero 3 Hours Endurance Race is held at Zhuhai International Circuit. It is the first race of the year at the circuit. The race attracted 24 entries with over 50 riders, including 3 female riders.

Different from endurance races for cars, the motorcycle race “Speed Hero” changes both riders and motorcycles in the race. Each entry have at least two motorcycles with 2 or 3 riders taking turns to ride. When one rider has finished a stint, he comes in and hands over the armband to his teammate who continues on another motorcycle of similar performance.

China’s first ever MotoGP rider Huang Shi-Zhao rates this race highly. “This race has attracted a lot of entrants including renowned international riders. The atmosphere is excellent, especially for young riders training it is very helpful. The most difficult part of this race is consistency, achieving similarly quick lap times over a 3 hours period, including pit stop efficiency. I really wanted to do this race, but there are too many riders in the team that want to enter, so I have to give up my race seat. It is regrettable, but even more regrettable is that the race is only 3 hours long, if the race was 6 hours long then it would be even more exciting.”

On lap 2, #13 loses control at turn 9 and goes into the gravel bed. The rider continues after receiving assistance from the marshals. As the race continues, #453 establishes the fastest lap 1:37.897. But this kind of speed is not sustainable in an endurance race, the team gets the riders to slow down a little. After 10 laps, the top 3 are all riding similar 1:39s laps.

After 15 minutes, the race organizers begin to warn the slower riders to give way to the race leaders with blue flags. After 40 minutes, the pit stops begin. As each rider is permitted a maximum 45 minutes riding time, during the pit stop, the team personnel needs to move the transponder from the incoming bike to the outgoing bike.

As the peak period for pit stops are coming to an end, #72 falls off at turn 1 with the rider injured. The race organizers show the yellow flag and send out the safety car. For the slower riders, the safety car is a lifeline that allows them to close up to the riders in front. After two laps leading the field around, the safety car retreats and the race is re-started. The closed up field brings a wave of renewed excitement to the race.

Soon more than an hour of the race is gone. The pit lane once again welcomes the second stint riders back for a rider change. The leading teams have completed 50 laps, #71 and #453 are in the leading positions, the gap between them is about 10 seconds. This is a very small gap for a 3 hours endurance race. Any mistake and the positions can be overturned.

#32 falls on the side of the circuit between turns 12-13, in a very dangerous position, the race organizers send out the safety car again to deal with the situation. The rider walks away with the help of the marshals and does not seem to be badly injured.

With 20 minutes to go, many riders decide to push. At turn 7, #11 loses control and goes off, the rider soon leaves the scene and reaches a safe position. Race organizers show a yellow flag and the fallen bike is soon cleared.

The 3 hours race soon reaches its end. #71 continues to lead with #65 one minute or so behind. #453 is still on the same lap. In CL2, #84 is in 4th place overall and is mixing it among the CL1 entries which is no mean feat.

At the chequered flag, #71 Dan Kruger/Shinjo Masahiro finished first with 102 laps, taking the first “Speed Hero” race victory. #65 Karl Roe/Richard Culpin finish second, 1:22s behind the winners. #453 Jack Ao Ieong/Lee Guo-Xiong/Lee Jun-Zheng finish third. The top 3 all completed 102 laps. In CL2, Ao Ieong Ho/Mai Zhi-Cong/Wang Yong-Jia finish fourth overall and first in class, completing 101 laps.

Racing for the first time since he injured himself two years ago, Dan Kruger said the team managed a very good strategy, allowing him and Shinjo Masahiro to lap consistently in the 1:38-39 range. Shinjo had an accident yesterday which resulted in him having a sore neck. During the race the neck became even more sore but he persisted. They are very happy to win today.

The Ao Ieong brothers finish in third and fourth places, riding with different riders. Jack Ao Ieong said, “We don’t get to race in endurance races very often, compared with usual sprint races, we need more consistent laps times. It is a great test for each rider’s concentration. For me personally, this is even more difficult and challenging than the usual sprint races.” Young brother Ao Ieong Ho said, “The feeling was okay, class victory is the result of everybody’s hard work. I usually race in a different class from my brother and we don’t exchange much. In this race we cross the finish line one after the other and it is very special. For superbikes there are not many endurance races, this is a very good practice opportunity. I really enjoyed today’s race.”