2014 Suzuka Eight Hour: Haslam takes back-to-back wins .

Pata Honda World Superbike star Leon Haslam has become the first British rider to win the prestigious Suzuka Eight-Hours twice after taking victory with his MuSashi HARC-Pro Honda team today despite pulling a muscle in his groin with two hours left in a contest that was twice subject to heavy rain and cut to six hours and 55 minutes because of a startline downpour. 

But it was heartbreak for Haslam’s WSBK team-mate Jonathan Rea, who was riding for the FCC-TSR Honda squad. Team-mate Kosuke Akiyohsi crashed out of a whopping lead, breaking his leg and heavily damaging their Fireblade but managed to ride back to the pits. The incident handed the lead to MuSashi. 

Rea’s team managed to get the Irishman and Lorenzo Zanetti back into the race but they re-joined in 47th place and 16 laps down with no hope of winning. This is the second year in succession Rea’s team-mate has crashed out of the lead with Ryuichi Kiyonari the culprit in 2013. Rea finished in 40th.

Haslam, meanwhile, had to watch as Michael Van Der Mark and Takumi Takahashi did the final runs to the flag, winning by over a minute to take the historic victory and fastest lap of the race of 2'08.620 on the team’s 141st circuit.

Yoshimura’s first-string team of Randy De Puniet, Josh Waters and Takuya Tsuda took second place from the pole position set yesterday even though Waters was on the verge of disqualification when his headlight refused to come on at the first time of asking.

The final rostrom spot went to Team Kagayama. Veterans Yukio Kagayama and Noriyku Haga were joined this year by Moto2 front-runner Dominique Aegerter and this rostrum will have done the Swiss rider’s chances of a MotoGP spot the power of good. The top three teams this year are the same as in 2013.

Josh Brookes brought the factory Monster Yamaha team home in fourth place. With a couple of hours left to run, team-mate Broc Parkes was forced to pit early with broken quickshifter and despite efforts from the two Aussies and their Japanese team-mate Kats Nakasuga, who set the team’s fastest lap 2’09.037 in his last stint, they just couldn’t make up the gap to third.

Fifth place went to the Moriwaki team, who led off the line while Tommy Bridewell’s YART team bagged tenth place at his first time of asking. He teamed with veteran Aussie Wayne Maxwell. Scotsman Jimmy Storrar ended in 25th place while Honda Endurance finished in 33rd.

MotoGP legend Kevin Schwantz didn’t turn a wheel as his Shell Advance Yoshimura team had to retire on lap six when Nobu Aoki crashed heavily in the rain at 130R and was taken to hospital. His condition has not been revealed.