Australia’s Damian Cudlin has taken the lead in the 2011 Endurance World Championship after claiming his best ever finish at the Suzuka 8 Hours Race inJapanon the weekend.
The BMW Motorrad Team of Gimbert, Nigon and Cudlin entered the race trailing championship leaders Suzuki Endurance Racing Team by 2 points, but a determined effort saw them dominate their rivals in Japan, securing 4th place at the finish; 4 laps ahead of SERT in 9th.
Entering the BMW S1000RR into the Suzuka 8 Hour for the first time, the BMW Motorrad Team had a lot to learn in the limited practice sessions, however after making rapid progress with every outing, the team secured a slot in the Top 10 Superpole Shoot Out which determined the starting positions for the famous event.
With rain interrupting Cudlin’s attempt at a fast lap in Superpole, Frenchman Erwan Nigon was put in charge of securing the team’s grid position, and he stormed to a 2.09.5 minute lap time and sensational 7th place. Having achieved their best ever starting position at the Suzuka 8 Hour event, the BMW Motorrad Team then elected Cudlin to start the race who’d shown impressive speed on race rubber all weekend.
Bursting from his grid position, Cudlin made a tremendous start and ran as high as 5th in the opening laps before finding a comfortable rhythm in a group of 3 riders battling for 6th. Riding with speed, security and intelligence, Cudlin turned the team’s fastest lap of the race before bringing the bike back for Gimbert at the first round of stops.
“The start procedure seemed to drag on forever and while I was sitting in the sweltering heat all I wanted to do was go racing.” Cudlin explained. “The last time I started a race it was a bit of a disaster when I couldn’t start the engine, so I was focused on getting it right this time. Thankfully I made a clean start and put in a solid first stint. I spent the whole hour riding around with fellow Aussie Wayne Maxwell which kept us both entertained!”
Continue reading ‘Cudlin leads World Championship after Suzuka success’
