Motorcycle Endurance Race Won by Wimmer

Martin Wimmer of West Germany and Kevin Magee of Australia won the Suzuka eight-hour motorcycle endurance race Sunday, while pole-position starters Wayne Gardner of Australia and Dominique Sarron of France did not finish.

Riding a Yamaha YZF750, Wimmer and Magee covered 200 laps over the 3.67-mile Suzuka International Racing Course in 8 hours 1 minute 30.045 seconds.

More than 143,000 spectators saw Garry Goodferow of New Zealand and Japan’s Katsuro Takayoshi, riding a Suzuki GSX-R705, come in second. They also covered 200 laps but were 1:20.076 behind the winners.

The American pair of John Kocinski and Cal Rayborn, on a Yamaha YZF750, finished third, covering 198 laps.

Gardner and Sarron were gunning for their third straight victory at Suzuka, but Sarron fell twice after the pair had covered 141 laps, officials said.

The two riders on each of the 61 teams took turns during the race, the fifth leg of the World Endurance Championship.