【#51 Vesla Racing TEC2&YSS】achieved both fuel efficiency and speed, winning by a landslide!
Before the start, the machines lined up on the grid in preparation for the 25th "Mote Endurance" race after the pre-start check, morning pre-race briefing, and free practice. The weather was clear on Sunday as well, with lower humidity compared to the usual August event, but the sun was strong and the temperature rose up to 27 degrees.
The race started with a Le Mans-style start, divided into two groups. Taking the hole shot was #67 Riding Sports & Fire 67's Toru Ukawa, starting from 4th on the grid. Following behind were #51 Vesra Racing TEC2 & YSS, #10 Team Denden Maru 10, #32 Team SANMEI, #78 Team PWF, and #47 PROGRESS Garage Harada Himeji, all starting from pole position. They all went through the second corner and started to climb.
The opening lap was won by #67 Riding Sports & Fire 67, followed by #51 Vesra Racing TEC2 & YSS, #32 Team SANMEI, and #78 Team PWF in 4th place. However, at this point, the two cars in 7th and 8th place, #117 Seven Stars with Upraise & Section and #74 Rank Up Racing, picked up the pace and joined the battle for the top spot. Behind them, #66 Attack TSC & DF Noris, #67 Riding Sports & Fire 67, and #51 Vesra Racing TEC2 & YSS were fighting for 3rd place.
As the first hour passed, one by one, the cars entered the first pit stop. At the 1 hour and 10 minute mark, the car that was leading, [#117 ★Nanatsuboshi with Uprize & Section], pitted in. Taking over the lead was [#51 Vesra Racing TEC2 & YSS]. From here, they balanced fuel efficiency and speed, and even when they had to give up the lead during a pit stop, they still maintained the initiative. [#51 Vesra Racing TEC2 & YSS] made their first pit stop at the 1 hour and 20 minute mark, on the 35th lap. Among the top teams, [#10 Team Dendenmaru Car 10] was the last to pit in, finally heading towards the pit at the 1 hour and 20 minute mark.
Afterwards, #74 Rank Up Racing and #62 MASSA-R also take the lead, but #51 Vesra Racing TEC2&YSS quickly regains the top spot and extends their lead.
A fall occurred after 4 hours and 47 minutes, causing the machine to remain on the course and resulting in the introduction of the safety car. The safety car ran for approximately 19 minutes, but did not have a major impact on the race.
And the top runner [#51 Vesra Racing TEC2&YSS] made their final pit stop after 5 hours and 47 minutes. After refueling and changing tires to ensure their best condition, rider Takao Fukuda, who became the checkered rider, left the pit. With a flawless run, marking the fastest lap with 21 minutes remaining, they completed 169 laps with an overwhelming speed, leaving the second place team 3 laps behind and securing the victory.
"The team members each did what they had to do and we were able to secure the victory. It was good that we were able to adapt to the situation while keeping an eye on fuel efficiency. In the end, we found out that we had enough gasoline, so we were able to run at full speed and even set the fastest lap, which was great. We were able to get revenge from last year and I am grateful to Tech 2's Fujihara-san for controlling the situation and Gachapin (player Akito Sato) for leading the team," said player Fukuda.
In the rear, each team was experiencing a mix of emotions. With 1 hour remaining, #67 Riding Sports & Fire 67 brought in former MotoGPTM rider, Mr. Ukawa. Starting from 11th place, he began a fierce comeback with consistent 2 minute 15 second lap times, matching the top riders.
On the other hand, 【#62 MASSA-R】 who was in third place, pitted in, but after the safety car came in, they checked the fuel tank and saw that there was enough fuel, so they only did a rider change and went back out, but unfortunately ran out of gas. They managed to make it back to the pit, but dropped down significantly in position.
And behind the #135 B.S.C.with Young Machine 135, who fought hard and finished 3rd overall on the BMW G310, is #67 Riding Sports & Fire 67's Ukawa, who is closing in. The gap is getting smaller with each lap, and finally with 15 minutes remaining, #67 Riding Sports & Fire 67 moves up to 3rd place, but their impressive run ends here.
In 2nd place was [#74 Rank Up Racing], followed by [#67 Riding Sports & Fire 67] in 3rd place. [#135 B.S.C. with Young Machine 135] finished in 4th place and took the victory in the G310R class. In 7th place was [#47 PROGRESS Garage Harada Himeji], who became the first winner in the newly created ZX class this year. In 8th place was [#61 Nakamura Engine Research Institute], who at one point was running in 3rd place overall, and took the top spot in the CBR class. In the R25 class, [#87 CLUB Green Bird +P & FAST] finished in 18th place, while in the WS class, [#75 Riding Sports & Fire 75] finished in 35th place, and in the Ninja class, [#97 Motitech 97] finished in 47th place, each taking the victory in their respective classes.