Oschersleben could pre-empt the final

Even though the Suzuka 8 Hours – the grand finale of the FIM EWC – offers the winner a 150 % increment in the number of points, i.e. 45 as compared to 30 at the 8 Hours of Oschersleben, the upcoming round in Germany on 9 June will be decisive for the world title. Japanese team F.C.C. TSR Honda France, this year’s 24 Heures Motos winner, heads to Germany with a very slight lead (just 1 point) over reigning champion GMT94 Yamaha, the winner of the 2017 Bol d’Or. The team will also have to fight to maintain its current 15-point lead over Honda Endurance Racing. A little further back – but still in the running for the win in Germany – are Czech team Mercury Racing (BMW), French squad Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, Swiss line-up Bolliger Team Switzerland and German squad NRT48 (BMW).

Other teams expected to make a strong showing at the 8 Hours of Oschersleben are French squad Team SRC Kawasaki, Austrian team YART Yamaha (winner of the 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring on 12 May) and Slovakian squad Maco Racing Team, which has had a run of bad luck this season but scored a podium at Oschersleben last year.

The field looks wide open, and the 8 Hours of Oschersleben could decide the FIM EWC title.

Superstock final will be a close contestThe Superstock bikes will be also be front and centre, as the 8 Hours of Oschersleben is the final race of the season in this category. Tati Team Beaujolais Racing has so far managed to hold on to top spot with a 7-point lead over Junior Team Le Mans Sud Suzuki and a 10-point lead over Moto Ain. All three teams had a rough time of it in Slovakia, where the top 4 Superstock teams were Yamaha Viltaïs Experiences, Atomic 68, GERT56 and No Limits Motor Team. The battle for the 2017-2018 FIM EWC World Cup will play out between all these teams in Germany.

The first official tests of the 8 Hours of Oschersleben will start at 10am CEST on Thursday 7 June on Oschersleben’s Motosport Arena. The race will be held from 1pm to 9pm on Saturday 9 June.

L’article Oschersleben could pre-empt the final est apparu en premier sur FIM EWC.

Read the original article on Fimewc.com