Honda's TT Legends team were forced to pull out of their debut Suzuka Eight-Hours in the early part of this morning after a problem with the rear wheel apparently saw John McGuinness having to push their Fireblade back to the pitlane from the hairpin.
McGuinness, Cameron Donald and Keith Amor each did a stint on the bike in soaring temperatures of over 35 degrees, and while they are disappointed not to have finished, they can certainly be proud of what they have achieved.
"It was a real honour to start the Suzuka 8-hour and the majority of my first stint went well. The problem with the endurance-specific rear wheel system kicked in with two laps to go and I had to push the bike back from the hairpin – I was definitely huffing and puffing when I got back," said the Morecambe missile.
"We got back out but unfortunately the issue continued so we had to stop. It’s disappointing but we gave it our all and we have to be proud of that. The conditions here are incredibly tough. Our next stop for endurance is Le Mans so we just have to focus on that."
