Published June 16, 2024

2024 FIM EWC Round 2 — 8 Hours of Spa | Race Report (8 June) · 6th in SST Class

Sixth in the SST class, with the goal of finishing achieved — and the top result among the BMW teams.

On Saturday 8 June, the second round of the 2024 FIM EWC season — the Spa 8 Hours — held its race. Team Étoile had taken SST class pole the day before and started from 10th overall.

The start was a little slow, but Kazuki Watanabe joined the fight at the front of the SST class before handing over to Hikari Okubo. At the end of Okubo's stint the bike showed signs of fuel starvation and finally stopped on the pit lane, so it had to be pushed back to the pits.

The roughly five-minute loss dropped the team to 26th overall and 14th in SST, but it pressed on after switching to Yudai Kamei. Repeating the Watanabe–Okubo–Kamei rotation three times from the start, the team took on only fuel at the last stop, with Kamei completing a double stint to the finish.

First and foremost, the team achieved its goal of finishing, taking 6th in the SST class from pole. Overall, it ended the race 13th from a 10th-place start.

Thank you for all the support from Japan. The next round is the team's home race, the Suzuka 8 Hours. We'll aim even higher, so please keep cheering us on.

Rider & team principal comments

Rider

Yudai Kamei

“I could run all three of my stints at the times the team set, so I'm happy we achieved our goal. We had the pace to be in the SST class win fight, so it's frustrating — but considering we retired last round, finishing while fighting back through trouble was really good.”

“I didn't expect to be given the anchor role, so I was happy to take the checkered flag at the end.”

Rider

Hikari Okubo

“We're still a new team, so trouble comes with the territory; it was good that we could find a fix and run the rest with no trouble and no fuel-starvation symptoms. Of course, without the fuel issue a podium was possible, but for now I'm simply glad we finished, and I hope we can carry it into the next round, the Suzuka 8 Hours.”

Rider

Kazuki Watanabe

“For the team, we ended last round at Le Mans halfway through, so even though this is a shorter eight-hour race, being able to turn the race we built together into a result is a milestone, I think. The team will work on the issues that came up and their fixes, and I want to give feedback so my own precision improves too.”

“I'll ride for a different team at the Suzuka 8 Hours, so my next race with the team will be the Bol d'Or 24 Hours. There I'll feel again the difference and difficulty between an 8-hour and a 24-hour race, so I'll do what I can as a rider to overcome that and turn it into a result, and I hope it leads to the result the team wants.”

“In the best sense, this isn't the potential of a first-year team. We finished 6th, but we clearly have the potential to aim for the top three, and taking pole in qualifying was nothing other than the team's strength — so I think this is an exciting team for the Bol d'Or finale, and over a longer span too.”

Team Principal

Takashi Ichikawa

“Unfortunately we retired partway through the Le Mans 24 Hours last time, so for the second round, the Spa 8 Hours, our internal goal was simply to finish. Achieving that and getting ourselves to the starting point we wanted was very good.”

“We lost about five minutes to fuel starvation, which was worth two or three more laps; with those, I think a podium was within reach. Fuel strategy is one of the great pleasures of endurance racing, so I want to properly fix what didn't work this time and carry it well into the Suzuka 8 Hours.”

“Few permanent teams come from Europe to Japan, and being supported as a Japanese team among them is a real joy. We're still in our first year, starting from low recognition, but through social media and other channels I think we're gradually becoming known. Riders who raced in All Japan Road Racing until last year, and others who race on the world stage, will ride the eight hours at Suzuka too, so please support us all.”