YART team member relieved to earn season-first victory.
After a less than stellar start to the 2017-2018 Endurance World Championship (EWC), YART Yamaha Official EWC Team broke through for an inspiring victory at the weekend’s Slovakia Ring 8 Hours, marking the third stop of the series.
The team managed to edge out fellow factory-supported Yamaha outfit GMT94 by a slender 31.463s, which Australian team member Broc Parkes believes an intelligent fuel stop strategy was key in granting them an opportunity to claim victory.
The win didn’t come without its challenges, as an electronic malfunction played havoc in the opening stages, although they were able to overcome the issue despite the electronics not returning to normality for the remainder of the eight-hour affair.
“We’ve been so close so many times, and something has happened to take it away form us, so this is it, it was definitely our time,” Parkes explained. “We had a problem with the electronics in the first stint, wheelie and traction control shut off, so we basically tried to turn the bike on and off during the pit stops which cost us some time but it didn’t fix it.
“In the end we had a great strategy with the fuel and GMT94 had to pit one more time so it worked for us. Big thanks to Mandy and Yamaha who put in so much effort over the winter, we’ve shown we are the fastest team on track so to put it on paper with a win is perfect. It really is a team effort that makes this result so special. Thanks also to Bridgestone for the great rubber that helped us win.”
The YART squad now sits 11th in the championship standings with two non-finishes to the team’s credit, while the next stop on the tour is scheduled for 9 June in Germany for the 8 Hours of Oschersleben.