Suzuki Castrol 28 Points Ahead - Yamaha Austria up to Second - Yamaha Phase One up to Third - 35 Points Available at Osch...

Suzuki Castrol have strengthened their lead at the top of the FIM World Endurance Championship standings after securing seventh place at Sunday's Suzuka 8 Hours race.

Yamaha Austria finished the Japanese event in ninth place, but because only teams entered in the Superbike, SuperProduction of SuperStock classes were eligible to score points the Austrians effectively finished just one place behind Suzuki Castrol, allowing them to move up from third to second place in the championship.

Yamaha Phase One also benefited from the variety of classes entered at Suzuka, translating their eighteenth place overall to seventh place in the points, and shifting them from fifth place in the standings to third. The Shell Endurance Academy's 28th place in the race lifted them a single place in the standings, to sixth overall.

Aprilia Motociclismo Test Team scored their first points of the year at Suzuka, and Suzuki No Limits & RT Racing Team have held onto their place in the top ten despite the entry of the two wild-card Seven Stars Hondas into the standings. Kawasaki Bolliger and Kawasaki Diablo both lost out after Suzuka, losing second and fourth places respectively in the standings.

The next race in the championship is the Oschersleben 24 Hours, which takes place on the 13th and 14th of August. With 35 points available for a win at Oschersleben and memory of Suzuki Castrol's failure to finish last year's German round fresh in their minds, Yamaha Austria, Yamaha Phase One and Kawasaki Bolliger will all be hoping to make the most of the opportunity that the longest race of the year presents.

Click here for the full championship standings.

3rd August 2005