Jul 2, 2013
2013 MFJ All Japan Road Race Championship Series Round Four: Racer Takumi Takahashi takes second place on the MuSASHi RT HARC-Pro, supplied with Akebono brake system
Round four of the MFJ All Japan Road Race Championship Series for the JSB1000 class was held on June 30 at Tsukuba Circuit in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. MuSASHi RT HARC-Pro (rider: Takumi Takahashi, Honda CBR1000RR), to which Akebono supplies the braking system, finished in second place.
In the qualifying round the previous day, rider Takahashi finished in seventh place with setup of the motorcycle not going as expected. In the final race, Takahashi started in the fifth position, but climbed to fourth place in the fourth lap and third place in the fifth lap. At that point, rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga, who was ahead of Takahashi, pulled out of the race due to mechanical problems, thereby positioning Takahashi in second place. From there, Takahashi shortened the gap between him and rider Takuya Tsuda, who was in first place, but unfortunately was not able to overtake Tsuda and finished the race in second place.
At the completion of this race, Takahashi was ranked in the top spot based on rider points.
After the race, Takahashi commented, "I finished seventh in the qualifying round, so at the start of the race I intended to aim for the front. However, as was the case in the previous race, I made some mistakes at the start and ultimately wasn't able to take the lead position. Tsukuba is a small circuit, so I knew there would be many times in which I could be in danger of being lapped, and unfortunately, I wasn't able to successfully make up the lap delays to pass the lead rider. Next is the Suzuka 8-Hour Endurance Road Race, so I'm going to refocus and do my best."
The 36th "Coca-Cola Zero" Suzuka 8hours Endurance Road Race, 2013 FIM Endurance World Championship Series Round 2 in which Takahashi will participate will be held July 25 - 28 at the Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture.
Akebono participated in JSB1000, the top category of the All Japan Road Race Championship Series, from 2004 to 2008. In the 2011 season, Akebono took part for the first time in two years, and in the 2012-2013 season, too, Akebono is supplying the brake system for the MuSASHi RT HARC-Pro.
RACE DATA
Weather: Fine
Course: Dry
Laps: 30 (1 lap: 2,070 m)
Spectators: 17,100
