When it comes to the finale of the FIM Endurance World Championship, it doesn’t quite feel right not seeing regular teams lining up against factory backed outfits at Suzuka, but the 12 Hours of Estoril certainly produced some thrilling racing at the weekend!
After their victory of the Le Mans 24, Bridgestone backed FCC TSR Honda had put themselves back in the title hunt ahead of the trip to Portugal for the final race of the season.
However, it was fellow Bridgestone supported team Yamaha Austria who came out all guns blazing in qualifying to start from pole position.
The YART trio of Karel Hanika, Marvin Fritz and Niccolò Canepa were on fire for much of the race, but Marvin’s poor start and two broken footpegs saw them dragged into a battle with F.C.C. TSR Honda France’s Josh Hook, Freddy Foray and Mike di Meglio which captivated fans for pretty much the whole second half of the race.
At the chequered flag the two teams were separated by less than 25 seconds, with Marvin Fritz’s 1:39.353 fastest lap coming right towards the end of the contest.
Unfortunately the Bridgestone 1 – 2 on the podium wasn’t quite enough for either team to take the title, although YART did leapfrog the Honda squad to finish second overall in the standings despite some real challenges this season.
The FIM Endurance World Championship has been a key proving ground for Bridgestone as they continue to develop their latest high performance tyres including the Battlax V02 Slick, which now includes two dual compound rear options in key sizes.
