From a press release issued by FGSport Group:

Yamaha GMT94 Stretch Championship Lead

Following the Suzuka 8 Hours round of the World Endurance Championship, Yamaha GMT94 have extended their lead over Suzuki Castrol to fourteen points. The French Yamaha team made the most of their visit to Japan with a third-in-class result, while Suzuki Castrol’s second hour crash cost them dearly; they had finished ahead of GMT94 in all but one of the timed sessions until then and would have expected to do the same in the race.

Yamaha Austria used their good Suzuka result to close to within five points of Yamaha Endurance Moto 38 in third place in the championship standings, with the head of the table only a good result away. The Austrians have finished in fourth place in the points at the last two rounds, and will be looking to build on that success. Yamaha Phase One Endurance also benefited from their trip to Suzuka, moving from the lower reaches of the table to within site of the top ten, and perhaps more importantly raising the team’s morale after a disappointing start to the season.

Seventy Five Points Still Available

With fifty points available to the winner at the next round of the championship – the Oschersleben 24 hours – and twenty five more points to be won at the Vallelunga 200, the championship looks unlikely to be settled before the final round in October. While nine teams have a mathematical chance of winning the championship, it looks set to go down to the wire between Yamaha GMT94 and Suzuki Castrol, with Yamaha Endurance Moto 38 and Yamaha Austria pushing them all the way.

Current World Endurance Championship Point Standings:

1. 94, Yamaha GMT 94, FRA, Yamaha YZF-R1, 99 points
2. 3, Suzuki Castrol Team, FRA, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 85 points
3. 38, Yamaha Endurance Moto 38, FRA, Yamaha YZF-R1, 56 points
4. 7, Yamaha Austria Racing Team, AUT, Yamaha YZF-R1, 51 points
5. 7, Seven Stars Honda, JPN, Honda CBR1000RRW, 38 points
6. 12, Yoshimura Suzuki Jomo Srixon, JPN, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 30 points
7. 8, Kawasaki Bolliger, SUI, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 30 points
8. 4, Suzuki Jet Team, SUI, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 30 points
9. 5, WRT-Honda Austria, AUT, Honda CBR1000RR, 28 points
10. 6, Shell Endurance Academy, GBR, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 23 points
11. 1, Yamaha Phase One Endurance, GBR, Yamaha YZF-R1, 22 points