SBK, Haslam: "In 2017 my dream is a hat trick at the Suzuka 8 Hours"

He was chasing the third win in the historic Endurance race in the land of the Rising Sun. Unfortunately, Leon Haslam was unable to get the better of the Yamaha Factory bike ridden by the Nakasuga-Lowes-Espargarò trio. He had to settle for second place, but in the eyes of many fans, the memorable heated duel with Haga will  be forever etched. Passing and repassing between the Kawasaki and Suzuki which, in the end, highlighted the potential of the Green Team standard bearer.

In fact, the English rider shows his satisfaction: “Second place is not bad as results go – he said – it was an exciting race that took a lot of focus, especially in the duel with the Suzuki. I think that the entire team did a perfect job – he added – the tyres were also perfect. Maybe we struggled at a few points, but we were able to limit our difficulties.”

Even for Haslam the Yamaha was uncatchable: “We knew what our rivals' potential was – he continued – Even in practice the Yamaha demonstrated great pace.” So, the third win at the 8 Hours has been postponed: “Obviously bringing home a third win is still the goal – he concluded  – I hope to be back again next year and we'll all have another go at it together.”