The 2021 FIM Endurance World Championship took place over a five month season this year, running from June through to October, culminating with Yoshimura SERT Motul crowned as the 2021 FIM EWC champions. Here’s how it played out:
Yoshimura SERT Motul Team won the championship
With two wins, at the 24 Heures Motos and the Bol d’Or, the new Franco-Japanese Suzuki factory team Yoshimura SERT Motul took the 2021 world title ahead of BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. The factory BMW team wrapped up their second season with a brilliant first-ever win at the final in Most after two podiums at Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Estoril.
Third overall in the 2021 FIM Endurance World Championship, Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar had an outstanding season even though they did not win any of the races. Second at the 24 Heures Motos and the 12 Hours of Estoril, the French Kawasaki team fought Yoshimura SERT Motul to the very end for third place at the final in Most. At the Bol d’Or, Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar had been fighting for a podium finish when an engine problem forced them to retire.
Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar
Fourth in the world standings behind these factory teams, VRD Igol Experiences completed their finest season since their arrival in the EWC class. The Yamaha-supported independent team forged ahead of the other privateer teams. They fought a memorable battle with BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team for 3rd place on the podium at Estoril.
Having finished fourth in the EWC class at the 24 Heures Motos, fourth overall at the 12 Hours of Estoril and 3rd in the EWC class at the Bol d’Or, VRD Igol Experiences eventually conceded defeat at the 6 Hours of Most following mechanical woes. The winners of the 2016-2017 FIM Superstock World Cup, VRD Igol Experiences entered the FIM EWC Top 5 for the first time, ahead of two factory teams.
VRD Igol Experiences
F.C.C. TSR Honda France, 5th in the 2021 overall standings, had a turbulent time of it this season. At Le Mans, the Japanese Honda team were lapping in 2nd place but dropped to 9th past the finish line as a result of an electrical problem followed by a crash. Their win at the 12 Hours of Estoril put the Honda team back in the running for the title but a mechanical problem forced them to withdraw at the Bol d’Or and put paid to their hopes of winning the world crown. A crash at Most distanced them even further from the 2021 overall podium.
YART–Yamaha Official EWC Team’s sixth place in the 2021 FIM EWC standings belies the performance of the Austrian factory team. The Yamaha #7 took pole position in three of the season’s four races. Yoshimura SERT Motul alone were able to get ahead of YART on the starting grid of the Bol d’Or. But YART–Yamaha Official EWC Team were almost never able to maintain their chances of winning to the end: they retired at the 24 Heures Motos and the Bol d’Or and crashed towards the end of the race at the 12 Hours of Estoril.
YART
Their epic duel with BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team for the win at the 6 Hours of Most was their finest performance. YART–Yamaha Official EWC Team finished second at Most, seven hundredths of a second behind the winner, with Marvin Fritz beating the lap record four times in the final half-hour of the race.
Seventh in the overall standings, Moto Ain made a noteworthy entrance into the EWC class after winning the FIM Superstock World Cup twice in a row. The French Yamaha-supported privateer team began by retiring at the 24 Heures Motos but caught up and scored important points with a 5th place at Estoril and 2nd place at the Bol d‘Or. A crash at Most prevented them entering the overall Top 5 in their very first season in the EWC class.
Moto Ain
Eighth in the 2021 classification, the independent German team Motobox Kremer Racing had their finest season since 2010, when they finished sixth. As is often the case, the orange Motobox Yamaha crossed the finish line in every race. The team delivered their finest performance at the Bol d’Or, finishing 9th overall and winning points for finishing 4th in the EWC class.
ERC Endurance-Ducati have been working on developing their Panigale V4R for endurance racing since last season. They began the 2021 season with a 5th place in the EWC class at the 24 Heures Motos. They finished in the Top 6 in the EWC class at Estoril and at Most. At the Bol d’Or, like half of the field, ERC Endurance-Ducati were forced to retire. But the Ducati earned its stripes as an Endurance machine this season.
Maco Racing Team, 10th in the 2021 overall standings, had a shortened season because of the pandemic in Slovakia. Maco Racing Team were absent in Portugal, but scored points in the other three races.
After a brilliant fourth place last season, Wójcik Racing Team had a difficult season in 2021 with crashes and mechanical problems and finished 11th overall. But the Polish Yamaha-mounted team claimed an excellent 5th place at the 6 Hours of Most.
Despite noteworthy performances in practice and the early stages of the races, Tati Team Beringer Racing did not manage to score big. The French Kawasaki-mounted team finished 12th this season. Although they were forced to withdraw more than once, Tati Team Beringer Racing posted the fastest race laps at the 24 Heures Motos and the Bol d’Or thanks to Alan Techer.
13th overall, Team LRP Poland on BMW scored points at the finish of all the races after retiring at the 24 Heures Motos.
Bolliger Team Switzerland finished 14th after a season disrupted by being unclassified at the 24 Heures Motos due to a technical error. The historic Kawasaki team started the season with a new squad managed by the team creator’s son. They righted matters with an 8th-place finish at Estoril.
17th and last in the classification after EMRT (6th EWC at the Bol d’Or) and GT Endurance (9th EWC at the 24 Heures Motos), 3ART Best of Bike had a particularly tough year after a good 2019-2020 season. 3ART Best of Bike scored only 13 points thanks to their 10th place in the EWC class at the 12 Hours of Estoril.
2021 FIM Endurance World Championship Points (Final)
Suzuki claimed the Endurance World Championship crown overnight at the final round of the 2021 Endurance World Championship (EWC) at the Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic. Its factory-supported Yoshimura SERT Motul team delivered a faultless and calculated race.
Yoshimura SERT Motul Team
The 2021 season confirmed the superiority of the Suzuki brand in the FIM EWC. With two dominating victories at the 24 Heures Motos and the Bol d’Or 24 Hours in France, the official factory team started the fourth round, and season finale, with a comfortable lead in the championship standings. However, the team of Gregg Black, Xavier Siméon and Sylvain Guintoli, still needed to secure a good result to take the title at the 6 Hours of Most.
Yoshimura SERT Motul Team
The team had a strong start when the super-cool and fast-starting Black grabbed the holeshot from third position on the grid. Without taking any unnecessary risks but keeping a strong pressure on the team’s opponents in the championship, the French-English-born rider finished his stint by placing the Suzuki in third position as he handed over to Siméon.
The excellent and smooth work continued with Black’s teammates Siméon and Guintoli putting in consistently-fast stints. As the hours passed, some racing incidents upset the order of the leaderboard for the team’s nearest challengers, but Yoshimura SERT Motul made no mistakes.
Yoshimura SERT Motul Team – Gregg Black
The three riders settled into a strong and comfortable third position and kept a steady pace, right up until the chequered flag fell, to take the third step of the podium. In doing so, they won the 2021 FIM EWC title in convincing style with a total of 175.5 points, some 42.5 points ahead of second-placed BMW Motorrad.
Suzuki has now won a total of 20 Endurance World titles; 16 with the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT) and now the 2021 title with the new Yoshimura SERT Motul team. For the French-Japanese Yoshimura SERT Motul team, it is a crucial win in its first year of EWC participation.
Suzuki dominated the event as, in the Superstock category, the victory went to the GSX-R1000R #44 of No Limits Motor Team ridden by Luca Scassa, Alexis Masbou and Kevin Calia. The Italian team finished second in the FIM World Cup for Superstock entrants behind the BMRT 3D Maxxess Never Kawasaki squad.
Damien Saulnier – Team Manager
“We came to take the title and we hoped to get on the podium too. I have a thought for the #333 with whom we fought a great battle. At the finish there was emotion, joy and a deep gratitude for Yoshimura because this association led to impressive work. I am very proud of this team. We wanted to take as little risk as possible but still take our chances. The package with the bike, tyres and riders worked very well. Dominique Méliand entrusted me with the keys of the SERT and I am happy, in my position as team manager, to offer this team a second title.”
Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Racing Team also won Bol d ‘Or this year
Yohei Kato – Team Director
“I am very pleased and honoured to win the championship in the first year of participation as the Yoshimura SERT Motul team. We vowed to fight in this Endurance World Championship on behalf of the Suzuki Factory Team. This season has proved to be a dream come true by winning two of the world’s most famous 24-hour races, namely, the 24 Heures of Le Mans and the Bol d’Or.
“This world championship title is the first for this new team and the 20th for Suzuki. Suzuki, Yoshimura and SERT will keep working together to improve the Suzuki GSX-R1000R into an even better package. The whole team will respect each other in the spirit of one for all, all for one. I think this is the best possible result to mark the continuation of our efforts!
“Thank you to all the Yoshimura, SERT and Suzuki fans who warmly supported the new Yoshimura SERT Motul team. We pledge to attract fans to an even better championship next year and Yoshimura SERT Motul will go all out to defend its title.”
Yoshimura SERT Motul Team won the championship
Xavier Siméon
“I had a small scare during the race on an oil stain. Crashing was forbidden in this race and I was lucky to save the bike in extreme circumstances. We had less pressure than at the Bol d’Or where we had to make up the points lost in Estoril. In Most, we could make a careful race which allowed us to win this title which rewards all the team’s work.”
Gregg Black
“SERT is probably one of the best teams in endurance racing for a long time. The association with Yoshimura has paid off because we have an incredible bike. The team has done a lot of work as well as Yoshimura and it is a pleasure for us to ride this bike. The team has also often shown a good racing strategy and that’s important because it’s not always the fastest on the track who wins the championship. So I am very happy to have worked with Yoshimura and my two new teammates.”
Sylvain Guintoli
“This season was like a dream because everything went according to plan. The most incredible thing for me was to win the 24 Heures Motos and the Bol d’Or – two events that I absolutely wanted to win one day. That’s why I had the idea to join Yoshimura SERT Motul. This title is fantastic because it rewards all the work done by everyone. We arrived here with the championship in mind but also the will to be on the podium, so the contract is fulfilled!”
2021 FIM Endurance World Championship Points (Final)
Turmoil at the start of the 6 Hours of Most initially saw BMW’s Ilya Mikhalchik drop back to sixth place, however he was soon able to work his way back towards the front of the field. After 15 minutes of racing, Mikhalchik was running second, behind Mike di Meglio on the F.C.C. TSR Honda, but the BMW man then moved to the head of the field on the M 1000 RR and set about opening up a lead.
Ilya Mikhalchik
The F.C.C. TSR Honda squad were looking strong but unfortunately a crash by Yuki Takahashi a couple of hours into the race put them behind the eight ball. Then an engine problem surfaced on lap 142 that forced Josh Hook to enter the pits where the team determined that it was not possible to continue the race.
F.C.C. TSR Honda retired with engine problems
Over the course of the six hour race, which included two lengthy safety car periods, Mikhalchik and Reiterberger only surrendered the lead briefly twice.
Having said that, the closing stages were not for the faint-hearted. The #7 Yamaha from the YART team was closing all the time, however Reiterberger kept a cool head, paced the race perfectly and just managed to defend the lead and take the team’s maiden victory. After six hours of racing Reiterberger took the chequered flag by just 0.070 seconds ahead of YART’s Marvin Fritz.
Markus Reiterberger
Markus Reiterberger – Team BMW – P1
“I think that was a really breathtaking race to the chequered flag. Ilya was on the bike at the start. He overtook everyone in the first stint and we took the lead. We fancied a five-stop strategy, but for that to work you need a safety car. That is very probable at this track, and that is exactly what happened. We managed to make one stop fewer than YART, for example. I think fuel consumption was the key to success today, and the fact that we rode flawlessly. I gave it everything in my last stint and rode against the clock. That was very tough, because Marvin Fritz was really pushing behind me. It was really very close, but I did it. I am grateful that we have finally won, as the whole team has more than earned it. This is the reward for the huge amount of hard work. Thank you to the team, BMW and everyone who has supported us. This is a really nice way to end the season.”
After six hours of racing the finish was this close!
Marvin Fritz – YART – P2
“We’re happy for second place because the team really deserved a good result. For sure I’m angry and disappointed in myself for losing by such a small gap because we really wanted to win here in Most. We had a tough start, an issue which, with the unfortunate timing of the safety car, saw us lose over two minutes in total. We worked hard as a team and my team-mates rode brilliantly to recover the gap. But despite those issues we ended the race 0.070 seconds behind them, so this shows the speed we had. We need to be positive because we were only a second behind Toprak’s World Superbike time here. Looking back it was a good weekend because we were fast in practice, had an incredible qualifying and we ended the race with the fastest lap and so close to victory so we need to take this motivation, work on the areas we are struggling in the most and come back stronger in 2022.”
6 Hours of Most
2021 was the second season in the FIM EWC for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. The new BMW M 1000 RR was used for the first time this year. The team finished third in the first two races, at Le Mans (FRA) and Estoril (POR). In race three, the Bol d’Or at Le Castellet (FRA), they were forced to retire with a technical issue but the team bounced back at the Most finale to secure the win and second place in the championship.
6 hours of Most winners – BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team
Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director
“Congratulations to the team, Werner Daemen and the riders on their fantastic victory in Most. The race was a thriller, just as the whole season has been extremely exciting. We have experienced impressive fightbacks, podiums and setbacks this year. After the Bol d’Or, we were no longer in contention for the title, however it was clear that the team would give it their all in the final race here in Most. We looked very good in the test and backed that form up in the race. We knew that we had the pace to finish on the podium. To take victory at the end of such a close race is simply fantastic. It was a fantastic job from Ilya and Reiti, who was so impressive in bringing home the win, and the whole team, which worked perfectly in the garage. That is a great way to end the season. We will keep working and know that we still have a lot of challenges ahead of us. However, this is a great basis, we have a superb team, and we now head into the winter and preparations for 2022 with great motivation.”
Markus Reiterberger and the BMW Team
The winners of the 2021 FIM Endurance World Championship were the Yoshimura SERT Motul Suzuki squad. The title holders rode a controlled race for third place at Most to secure the title.
Yoshimura SERT Motul Team won the championship
Yohei Kato – Yoshimura SERT Motul Suzuki Team Director
“I am very pleased and honoured to win the championship in the first year of participation as the Yoshimura SERT Motul team. We vowed to fight in this Endurance World Championship on behalf of the Suzuki Factory Team. This season has proved to be a dream come true by winning two of the world’s most famous 24-hour races, namely, the 24 Heures of Le Mans and the Bol d’Or. This world championship title is the first for this new team and the 20th for Suzuki. Suzuki, Yoshimura and SERT will keep working together to improve the Suzuki GSX-R1000R into an even better package. The whole team will respect each other in the spirit of one for all, all for one. I think this is the best possible result to mark the continuation of our efforts! Thank you to all the Yoshimura, SERT and Suzuki fans who warmly supported the new Yoshimura SERT Motul team. We pledge to attract fans to an even better championship next year and Yoshimura SERT Motul will go all out to defend its title.”
Yoshimura SERT Motul Suzuki won the championship
That fight for third place on the podium between Yoshimura SERT Motul and Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar was almost as exciting as the nail biting fight for victory between BMW and YART. The Franco-Japanese Suzuki team (Gregg Black, Xavier Simeon and Sylvain Guintoli) fended off the attacks of the Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar (Jérémy Guarnoni, Erwan Nigon and David Checa) squad to the very end. The factory Kawasaki team wound up the third in the championship.
Wójcik Racing Team (Gino Rea, Sheridan Morais and Dan Linfoot), who ran strongly nearly the front of the field throughout, finished 5th at Most. It was their best result following a tough season.
ERC Endurance Ducati #6
ERC Endurance-Ducati (Etienne Masson, Lorenzo Zanetti and Mathieu Gines) made progress at every race this season and were 6th at the finish ahead of the first Superstock machine, the No Limits Motor Team Suzuki (Luca Scassa, Kevin Calia and Alexis Masbou).
The Czech team TME Racing took 2nd place in the Superstock class after a superb race among the Superstock front-runners. Energie Endurance 91, 3rd in the Superstock class, climbed on to the podium in class for the first time.
BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers, the winners of the FIM Superstock World Cup at the Bol d’Or, were forced to withdraw from the season finale. Thanks to their category win at Most, No Limits Motor Team claimed the runner-up spot in the FIM Endurance World Cup.
Anthony West joined the MACO Racing squad for the event and qualified well but ultimately the team finished 20-laps behind the leaders, in 17th place, but West demonstrated enough pace to have potentially put in a top ten result and acquitted himself well. Westy did go down on oil after a competitor’s bike blew an engine but no oil flags were displayed, which sent Westy down the road at over 250 km/h but the team repaired the bike in order to finish the race and secure tenth place in the championship.
Anthony West (#14) showed good enough pace for a top ten result but it was not to be. West was certainly strong enough to throw his hat in the ring for a good seat in 2022 if we wants to continue in the FIM EWC
2021 6 Hours of Most Race Results
Pos
Team…………………………………………………………………………………….
Bike
Class
Laps
Best Lap
Pit Time
1
BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM
BMW
EWC
213
1m34359
4m09.907
2
YART – Yamaha Official Team EWC
Yamaha
EWC
213
1m33.875
5m20.754
3
YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL
Suzuki
EWC
212
1m34.963
4m02.456
4
WEBIKE SRC KAWASAKI FRANCE TRICKSTAR
Kawasaki
EWC
212
1m35.174
3m55.436
5
Wójcik Racing Team
Yamaha
EWC
211
1m34.990
5m48.958
6
ERC Endurance Ducati
Ducati
EWC
211
1m35.121
8m01.306
7
No Limits Motor Team
Suzuki
SST
208
1m35.912
5m38.376
8
TME Racing
Yamaha
SST
207
1m36.567
7m22.639
9
ENERGIE ENDURANCE 91
Kawasaki
SST
203
1m37.809
6m12.422
10
Team Aviobike
Yamaha
SST
203
1m38.430
6m50.615
11
JMA MOTOS ACTION BIKE
Suzuki
SST
202
1m38.787
6m04.899
12
FALCON RACING
Yamaha
SST
202
1m38.717
5m58.161
13
Motobox Kremer Racing #65
Yamaha
EWC
202
1m38.787
6m05.798
14
TATI TEAM BERINGER RACING
Kawasaki
EWC
201
1m36.268
1m:27.102
15
Team Bolliger Switzerland #8
Kawasaki
EWC
201
1m35.841
1m:27.761
16
TEAM 18 SAPEURS POMPIERS CMS MOTOSTORE
Yamaha
SST
198
1m36.718
1m17.903
17
MACO RACING Team
Yamaha
EWC
193
1m36.097
3m:44.384
18
TRT27 BAZAR 2 LA BECANE
Suzuki
SST
190
1m39.765
20m49.854
19
Wójcik Racing Team 2
Yamaha
SST
181
1m37.460
54m52.827
20
Team LRP Poland
BMW
EWC
176
1m37.276
49m22.820
21
MOTO AIN
Yamaha
EWC
172
1m35.278
1m10:14.149
22
BMRT 3D MAXXESS NEVERS
Kawasaki
SST
174
1m37.061
12m27.724
23
VRD IGOL EXPÉRIENCES
Yamaha
EWC
145
1m35.422
24m05.223
24
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
Honda
EWC
142
1m35.158
20m21.202
2021 FIM Endurance World Championship Points (Final)
YART–Yamaha Official EWC Team were the only team to have three riders come in under the 1:33 mark at Most overnight. Thus of course it is YART that claimed pole position once again with the Austrian team ahead of BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team and Yoshimura SERT Motul, the current standings leader.
Karel Hanika – YART
On Saturday YART will have to attempt to convert this into a win after a tough season during which they were forced to withdraw twice and crashed at the end of the race at Estoril.
Mandy Kainz – YART Team Manager
“It’s been a long but good day for us. We secured another pole position, five from the last six races! I think we are well prepared for Saturday’s race. We came to Most as the team to beat and there was a lot of expectation on us to get pole position. To be honest I wasn’t so sure because we haven’t been here with the Bridgestone tyres, but they are working really well with the R1 here at Most. All three riders rode incredibly well but especially Niccolò who has been really sick over the last few days, I didn’t expect him to ride today if I’m honest! But he rode really well and like Karel and Marvin put in a brilliant lap time. All three riders managed more or less the same lap time and we were the only team to have all three riders in the 33’s, which is a confidence boost for us! The 6 Hours will be a sprint compared to the usual races this season with two 24-hours and the 12-hour, but I think we have the right bike, tyres and for sure the right riders, but all we can do now is prepare as well as we can and we’ll see what happens on Saturday.”
YART – Niccolo Canepa, Marvin Frizt and Karel Hanika
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, who once again had to do without Javier Forés after his crash during testing at the Bol d’Or, will start from 2nd on the grid with riders Markus Reiterberger, who posted the day’s fastest lap of all, a 1m33.191s, Ilya Mikhalchik and Kenny Foray.
Markus Reiterberger – Team BMW Rider
“So far, the days here in Most have been really good, and the qualifying sessions also went very well. We set the fastest qualifying lap of the entire field, which is something I am very proud of. We have consistently improved the bike, which is now in very good condition, both for a flying lap and over the full race distance. I really like the track in Most. It is very cool, but the conditions are superb for fast laps. We are excellently equipped for the race. We hope we get off to a good start, that the weather plays ball, and that we get through the race without any problems. Then we will really have a chance to challenge for the win.”
Markus Reiterberger set the quickest time of the day
After a working session in the first qualifying, Yoshimura SERT Motul’s Gregg Black, Xavier Simeon and Sylvain Guintoli posted the third-fastest time of the afternoon.
Damien Saulnier – Team Manager SERT
“The days were very busy and intense. But the results are there. This third place in qualifying is almost like a pole position; we are the first of those who have never ridden at Most! The Bridgestone tyres work well here, the riders and the Japanese technicians are satisfied, so everyone is happy. Now we remain very focused on the race. We will have to manage our lead, without making any mistakes. It would be a big mistake to think that it is a foregone conclusion. We are all well aware of that.”
Gregg Black – SERT
F.C.C. TSR Honda France will start from 4th on the grid on Saturday morning ahead of Poland’s Wójcik Racing Team in their YZF-R1, who seem very much at ease at Most.Hook was the quickest of the Honda squad but all three riders were very close on times.
Josh Hook was the quickest of the Honda riders
Then it is Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar and VRD Igol Experiences. The independent French team, who might still be able to wrest the 2021 title from Yoshimura SERT Motul, are preparing to race and seize their chances depending on what happens during the race.
Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar – David Checa
Moto Ain, ERC Endurance-Ducati and Tati Team Beringer Racing round off the Top 10 on the starting grid.
Team 18 Sapeurs-Pompiers CMS Motostore, who are 11th on the grid, were the fastest Superstock team in qualifying with riders Hugo Clère, Johan Nigon and Philip Steinmayr (who has replaced an injured Bastien Mackels).
Maco Racing will start from 12th with only two riders, Anthony West and Ondřej Ježek. Westy was 1.5-seconds faster than his team-mate, but two-seconds off the pace of pole sitters YART.
Anthony West (#14) chasing the pole setting YART entry ridden here by Karel Hanika
On Friday the track will be taken over by cars competing in the FIA WTCR races. Motorcycles will return to the track on Saturday.
2021 FIM Endurance World Championship 6 Hours of Most Qualifying Results
This weekend will see the Endurance World Championship add a new circuit to the championship, visiting the Czech Republic for the season finale at the 6 Hours of Most. The title’s still on the line too, with the battle going down to the line between a factory team and a privateer effort, with runner-up spots in both the EWC and Superstock classes also up for grabs.
FIM EWC heads to the 6 Hours of Most for the first time this weekend
That’s a battle for the 2021 FIM EWC title between a factory team with 16 titles under their belt and a privateer team who have steadily been making their way up through the ranks season after season.
A tie-up between the Japanese team Yoshimura Suzuki and Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, Yoshimura SERT Motul is a ‘new’ team in 2021, but it is a combination of two historic names in Endurance. Yoshimura – a lead player and four-time winner of the Suzuka 8 Hours; and SERT – an endurance specialist with 16 world titles and the reigning champions.
Yoshimura SERT Motul
VRD Igol Experiences, a Yamaha-supported independent team, are the only ones in a strong position to challenge Yoshimura SERT Motul for the 2021 title. VRD Igol Experiences – a perfect example of a performance-focused and cohesive team – are in their third season in the EWC class after winning the 2016-2017 FIM Superstock World Cup.
In the saddle of the Bridgestone-shod factory Suzuki, Gregg Black, Xavier Simeon and Sylvain Guintoli will focus on increasing their 36-point lead in the standings. On paper, considering their lead plus the team’s experience and level of performance, the challenger does not stand much of a chance.
VRD Igol Experiences
But anything is possible in Endurance. Florian Alt, Florian Marino and Nico Terol will go all out in the saddle of the 333 Dunlop-shod Yamaha to seize the slightest chance of winning.
Yoshimura SERT Motul have won two out of three races this season but like most of the factory teams, they had a run of bad luck in Portugal.
VRD Igol Experiences have stuck to a tried and tested method to win big points in all three races and are now in a position to possibly win their first world title. However they will also have to fend off three factory teams wanting to end the season with a win and finish on the highest possible step in the world rankings.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
F.C.C. TSR Honda France, who won at Estoril but were forced to withdraw at the Bol d’Or, are the next best placed factory backed team, only 16-points behind VRD Igol Experiences.
Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar and BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, who were also forced to withdraw at the Bol d’Or, are close behind.
Another team worth watching is the privateer Yamaha-mounted Moto Ain, who finished second at the Bol d’Or. They are sixth in the overall standings, ahead of the German team Motobox Kremer, the factory Ducati team ERC Endurance who are making progress despite being forced to withdraw at the Bol d’Or. Maco Racing Team are also continuing their progress with Anthony West, and there’s the YART–Yamaha Official EWC Team too.
YART–Yamaha Official EWC Team
Currently tenth in the world rankings, the Austrian factory Yamaha team were regularly among the front runners in tests and the early stages of races, and will try to climb onto the podium for the first time this season.
World Cup Superstock
While the FIM Endurance World Cup reserved for Superstock teams has already been won by BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers, the battle for the runner-up spots will be hotly fought.
Anthony Loiseau, Jonathan Hardt and Julien Pilot with BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers won the Superstock category at Bol d’Or
Often seen on the Superstock podium, Italy’s No Limits Motor Team are the best placed to claim second place in the overall standings. Falcon Racing and Team 18 Sapeurs-Pompiers CMS Motostore are also likely to be at the front of the field in the Czech Republic.
Free practice and qualifying will take place from 9 am onwards on Thursday 7 October in Most. During the double-header weekend also featuring a round of the FIA WTCR, the 6 Hours of Most, the final of the 2021 FIM EWC, will be flagged off at 11 am on Saturday 9 October.
Reigning World Champions Suzuki Yoshimura SERT dominated qualifying and set a new lap record on the Paul Ricard circuit to take pole ahead of the YART–Yamaha Official EWC Team and BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team during preparations for Bol d’Or 2021.
SERT set a new lap record on their way to pole position
F.C.C. TSR Honda France started from fourth ahead of VRD Igol Experiences who were ahead of two factory teams on the starting grid: Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar and ERC Endurance-Ducati.
F.C.C. TSR Honda came into the event off the back of a great victory at the 12 Hours of Estoril
41 teams started the 84th Bol d’Or but ultimately only 20 would be credited as finishing the race after crossing the finishing line and meeting the criteria of completing 75 per cent of the number of laps of the winner. Thus there was more tales of tragedy than triumph.
Crowds were back for the first time this year, and 48,000 flocked to Paul Ricard
F.C.C. TSR Honda came into the event on a high after taking victory at the 12 hours of Estoril, as did fellow podium finishers at that event, WeBike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar and the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. Ultimately, none of those three teams who occupied the top three places in the FIM Endurance World Championship Standings before this weekend, would finish Bol d’Or 2021.
2021 FIM EWC Bol d’Or Gridding up
Nor would the high-profile Yamaha Austria Racing Team, the factory backed ERC Ducati effort, Team Bolliger Switzerland or Wojcik Racing Team make it to the chequered flag in what was a war of attrition staged in high-temperatures on an unforgiving track.
2021 FIM EWC Bol d’Or
After seven and a half hours of racing, BMW Motorrad World Endurance was running in fourth position when Mikhalchik had engine issues that forced him into the pits. Team Manager Werner Daemen’s squad tried everything to continue the race but eventually had to make the decision to retire.
BMW Motorrad went unrewarded
Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director
“This obviously is a hard setback for us, also in regards of the title fight in the world championship. Another podium finish with a lot of championship points would have been possible in this 24-hour race but endurance racing once more proved that a lot can happen. Several top teams have run into issues in this very hard race, and unfortunately we have been one of them. We will now analyse in detail to find the exact cause of the issue. I want to thank the entire team and the riders for their very hard work before and at the race weekend. Now we are looking forward to the finale at Most. There, we want to attack again and fight at the very top.”
F.C.C. TSR Honda
F.C.C. TSR Honda were looking good and Josh Hook had moved the team up to third ten hours in to the race and was the fastest man on the circuit but then the Fireblade refused to proceed. By the time the bike was trailered to the pit garage they had already slipped to seventh.The team then worked on the bike for more than an hour but alas it was not enough to put them back into contention.
YART looked set to take the battle up to SERT
YART had looked set to challenge SERT for the win after building up a 20-second lead by the 11th hour only for an engine failure on the Mistral Straight to rob Marvin Fritz, Niccole Canepa and Karel Hanika of their chance for victory. For all their World Endurance success over the years, a victory at the Bol d’Or continues to elude the Yamaha Austria Racing Team.
2021 FIM EWC Bol d’Or
Mandy Kainz – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, Team Manager
“What can I say? We are very disappointed and it’s very hard to give up a win when you are leading like we were, but this is Endurance racing! The race was going to plan until we ran into an issue. The bike was running perfectly and there was no indication that something was wrong, so it was a shock to us all when we ran into a technical issue. It was a ‘full gas’ race from the start, everyone was pushing, and people were retiring everywhere. It’s unbelievable that after 11 hours were we so close to SERT and fighting for the win. We were looking forward to seeing how the race would unfold but unfortunately on the back straight the technical issue happened, and we were forced to retire.”
Niccolo Canepa – YART
The Yamaha backed Wójcik Racing Team and Wójcik Racing Team 2 also retired from the race. Wójcik Racing in the hands of Dan Linfoot, Gino Rea and Sheridan Morais was running inside the top ten before the bike threw a rod.
Both the YART and WeBike Kawasaki entries pictured here fail to finish the race
The lead Kawasaki Team, Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar, were also in a position to challenge for a podium before they had their own technical issues. Bolliger Team Switzerland Kawasaki had their engine expire.
ERC Ducati also failed to score points
The ERC Endurance Ducati entry crashed out of the race before the 11th hour mark.
Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Racing Team – Xavier Simeon
Surviving and thriving as their competitors fell by the wayside was the Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, who also set the fastest lap of the race and led for 615 of the 704 laps completed of a circuit where competitors hit 330 km/h down the Mistral Straight.
Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Racing Team – Gregg Black
SERT riders Gregg Black, Xavier Simeon and Sylvain Guintoli controlled the race, despite the rivalry with the other official teams and inclement weather conditions, which deteriorated during the night as heavy rain descended. The only hiccup for the team came around midnight when the first raindrops appeared on the circuit and Simeon was the victim of a crash that caused slight damage to the Suzuki.
The rain in the night caused all competitors problems
Back in the pits though, the technical staff carried out a fast check and repair, which allowed the #1 machine to get back on the track quickly, keeping in touch with the front runners. Shortly afterwards, the team were back in the lead again and stretched the gap hour-by-hour.
Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Racing Team
After leading the race almost from start to finish, the Yoshimura SERT Motul GSX-R1000R crossed the finish line 19 laps ahead of its main rival and, by taking pole position, the lead at the eighth and 16th hour of the race and the victory, the team collected 65 points, the maximum possible for the event. This allowed the team to move from fourth in the championship to now lead with a total of 141 points.
Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Racing Team
Damien Saulnier – Suzuki Endurance Racing Team Manager
“We are more than proud to leave with the victory and a lot of points. But in the pits, I found the race very hard; very long. I imagine that it was the same for the riders with the gaps that were widening, it’s psychologically hard to keep up. It’s a race I’ll remember! This victory gives us comfort and security for the end of the season. But we must not rest for now, because the race of Most will be also difficult on a circuit which we do not know. We’ll have to stay careful and very focused because the points are difficult to win, but easy to lose.”
Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Racing Team
In second place 19 laps behind the leader, Moto Ain got on the podium in their very first season in the EWC class thanks to Randy de Puniet, Robin Mulhauser and Roberto Rolfo. They ran a flawless race with only a minor crash towards the end.
Randy de Puniet, Robin Mulhauser and Roberto Rolfo took second place with MotoAin
Third at the finish, four laps behind Moto Ain, BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers wrote their name in history. It is rare to find a Superstock team on the podium of a 24-hour race. The last time a Superstock team was on the podium of an FIM EWC race was at the 2014 Bol d’Or. In the saddle of their Kawasaki, Anthony Loiseau, Jonathan Hardt and Julien Pilot led the Superstock class practically throughout the race. BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers stayed in the lead for 621 of the 681 laps completed in this category.
Anthony Loiseau, Jonathan Hardt and Julien Pilot with BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers won the Superstock category
The podium of the 84th Bol d’Or was also noteworthy for its diversity. It featured three manufacturers, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki, and three tyre manufacturers – Bridgestone, Dunlop and Michelin.
2021 FIM EWC Bol d’Or
Proving that today’s Superstock bikes hold up well against the official EWC machines, two other Superstock teams finished in the Top 5. RAC41 ChromeBurner were fourth and the only Honda past the finish line. No Limits Motor Team (Suzuki) were in 5th place.
Anthony Loiseau, Jonathan Hardt and Julien Pilot with BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers won the Superstock category
VRD Igol Experiences finished 6th overall. Florian Alt, Florian Marino and Nico Terol had been in the Top 5 in the early stages of the race before crashing and having to mount a recovery. The independent Yamaha team won the points for the 3rd-ranked team in the FIM EWC. This puts them in second place in the standings behind Yoshimura SERT Motul, the new leader on the eve of the season finale at Most.
VRD Igol Experiences finished 6th overall with Florian Alt, Florian Marino and Nico Terol
11 of the 20 machines past the finish line were Superstocks. OG Motorsport by Sarazin and Falcon Racing finished a noteworthy 7th and 8th, ahead of two EWC teams, Motobox Kremer Racing and Maco Racing Team.
Crowds were back for the first time this year, and 48,000 flocked to Paul Ricard
Aussie Anthony West joined the MACO Racing Team for the event and will also ride for the team at the 8 Hours of Most next month before returning to Australia to continue his ASBK campaign.When the rain came down in the middle of the night Westy was the quickest rider on track at one stage of the race. He also had to push the bike back to the pits after running out of fuel but ultimately his efforts were rewarded with a top ten finish.
Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Racing Team
The 2021 Bol d’Or also marked the return of the public for the first time since late 2019 and 48,000 spectators attended the Paul Ricard circuit for the event.
Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Racing Team
The 84th edition of the Bol d’Or was the third round of the FIM EWC 2021 season. The final round, the 8-hour race at Most in the Czech Republic, will be held on 9th October.YART and F.C.C. TSR Honda are still in with a chance of taking the title as just as this Bol d’Or showed, anything can happen in Endurance racing…
Anthony West is jetting his way to Slovakia at the moment as he prepares to join the MACO Racing Team for the 84th Bol d’Or on 18 and 19 September at Le Castellet. West will also ride for the team at the 8 Hours of Most next month before returning to Australia to continue his ASBK campaign.
2021 FIM Endurance World Championship Calendar
While other teams tested this week on the Paul Ricard circuit that hosts the Bol d’Or, Westy will be going in cold ahead of riding the team’s Dunlop shod YZF-R1. He will join Frenchman Gregory Leblanc and 28-year-old German Marc Moser in the MACO Racing squad.
The 40-year-old does have some previous good form in Endurance racing though including a victory in the Superstock class at Le Mans 24 Hour in 2014.
Having performed particularly well a few days ago during private tests on the Paul Ricard circuit, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team and Yoshimura SERT Motul are the favourites to win the Bol d’Or. The official BMW and Suzuki teams dominated the proceedings and broke the previous Endurance track records.
Despite Yoshimura SERT Motul’s win at the 24 Heures Motos and a 3rd-place finish for BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, race incidents and crashes at the 12 Hours of Estoril in July slowed their progress in the provisional standings. They are currently 3rd and 4th respectively.
Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar, the current leader of the FIM EWC halfway through the season, get to Le Castellet with a narrow 5-point lead over F.C.C. TSR Honda France, the winner of the 12 Hours of Estoril.
The French Kawasaki team and the Japanese Honda team will have to hold off a climb back up by the BMW and the Suzuki but also by two other factory teams, YART–Yamaha Official EWC Team and ERC Endurance-Ducati.
The experienced and high-performance YART–Yamaha Official EWC Team will be the most dangerous. Mandy Kainz’s team took pole position at Le Mans and Estoril but had bad luck in the race. The Yamaha #7, the third-fastest in the private tests in early September, is hence also one of the favourites to win the Bol d’Or.
ERC Endurance-Ducati are continuing to develop their Panigale V4R and progressing ever further from one race to the next. Ducati have rejigged their line-up because of Louis Rossi’s injury. He has been replaced by Lorenzo Zanetti, a Ducati test rider who knows the Panigale inside out.
The leader of the independent teams’ standings, VRD Igol Experiences, keep progressing. At the 12 Hours of Estoril in July, the independent French team conceded 3rd place to BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team a few minutes from the finish. 5th in the overall standings, VRD Igol Experiences will once again challenge the factory teams.
Another prominent privateer team is Tati Team Beringer Racing whose Kawasaki performs particularly well on the track. 4th on the starting grid at Le Mans and 5th on the grid at Estoril, Tati Team Beringer Racing once again stood out during the private tests at Le Castellet. All that is missing is success in a race. They had to withdraw after crashes at Le Mans and a spectacular collision at Estoril.
Other private teams to watch out for are Moto Ain who are building up experience in the EWC class, the solid Bolliger Team Switzerland, and Wójcik Racing Team.
National Motos and BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers are neck and neck in the Superstock class but the competition is jostling for position. Team 18 Sapeurs-Pompiers CMS Motostore and Team 33 Louit April Moto were the fastest in the private tests. No Limits Motor Team and Pitlane Endurance who are in the Top 5 of the FIM Superstock World Cup provisional standings.
The first timed free practice sessions will take place on the Paul Ricard circuit on the morning of Thursday 16 September.
The Suzuka 8 Hours has been officially cancelled, with the season now wrapping up with the 8 Hours of Most on October 9 in the Czech Republic, which replaces the 8 Hours of Oschersleben originally scheduled for earlier this year.
Scheduled to take place on 7 November in Japan, the Suzuka 8 Hours has been cancelled because of the health crisis worsening in Japan over the past few weeks.
The Suzuka 8 Hour has been axed from the 2021 calendar
The 8 Hours of Most – the final of the 2021 FIM EWC and the FIM Endurance World Cup – will take place in the Czech Republic on Saturday 9 October as part of a car and motorcycle double-header with a WTCR race.
Following consultation with local authorities, the Suzuka 8 Hours organizer Mobilityland, the FIM (International Motorcycling Federation) and Eurosport Events, the FIM EWC promoter, have decided to cancel the Suzuka 8 Hours. The race will be back in July 2022.
The new European race at Most replaces the race at Oschersleben, initially scheduled to take place in May 2021.
After the Bol d’Or to be held on 18 and 19 September at Le Castellet, the maiden edition of the 8 Hours of Most on 9 October will be the 2021 final of the FIM Endurance World Championship and the FIM Endurance World Cup. The points will be increased by 150 per cent as per the regulations, meaning 45 points are available for the winner of the race in each class.
Jorge Viegas – Président of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
“Unfortunately, what we feared the most has now happened. An exponential increase in the number of people infected with COVID-19 in Japan after the Olympic Games means that the Japanese Government will now not permit the Suzuka 8 Hours to go ahead as planned, despite the enormous efforts made by Mobilityland and Eurosport Events. On behalf of the FIM I would like to offer a word of optimism for the future, since I am confident that this flagship event will come back stronger than ever. And when it does, we will be there together with the MFJ, Mobilityland and Eurosport Events. In order to maintain the number of events, we will activate plan B with a race at Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic on 9 October. It will be a mixed car and motorcycle event as it was in Slovakia and Malaysia two years ago.”
Most held the WorldSBK Round 6 earlier this year and will host the 8 Hours of Most which will be held Saturday 9 October
Kaoru Tanaka – President Representative Director of Mobilityland Corporation
“We had been preparing for the “Coca-Cola” Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race, which was to be held for the first time in two years, but the difficult decision has been made that we have no choice but to cancel it. It is a very regrettable outcome for us to be forced to cancel the Suzuka 8 Hours for the second consecutive year, because it is a very important race event for everyone. But we will continue to prepare for the Suzuka 8 Hours in 2022 and strive to make it an even more attractive event than ever for the fans and all those concerned.”
François Ribeiro – Head of Eurosport Events
“We are resigned to having to cancel the Suzuka 8 Hours after consultation with local authorities. I share Mobilityland’s disappointment and that of endurance teams, fans, sponsors and broadcasters, who all wanted to have a season finale at Suzuka in early November. We will remain in Europe after the Bol d’Or for an 8-hour race on 9 October on the Most circuit, which has just hosted the WSBK. Eurosport Events will go all out together with the FIM to ensure the race is a success.”
2021 FIM Endurance World Championship 12 Hours of Estoril
12 Hours of Estoril
It was a busy start to the 12 Hours of Estoril as Gregg Black took the early lead on the SERT Suzuki ahead of Mike Di Meglio on the F.C.C. TSR Honda and the BMW mounted Javier Fores. YART had completely dominated qualifying but Marvin Fritz was slow out of the blocks in seventh.
12 Hours of Estoril
The leading trio of SERT, Honda and BMW immediately started to break away from the field and Di Meglio slid the Honda through to the lead on lap two. Fores then took the lead on the BMW after passing both Black and Di Meglio.
Honda, Suzuki, BMW
Fritz was slowly working his way forward and by the 15-minute mark had joined that leading trio. The YART entry passed the SERT bike, then the Honda after setting a new fastest lap on lap ten. Fores had a three-second lead on the BMW M1000RR and kept the YART YZF-R1M at bay until around the 50-minute mark where it became clear that the rear Dunlop on the BMW had nothing left to give.
Fritz reclaimed the ground he had lost at the start
YART entered the pits at 53 minutes for fuel and fresh rubber and Canpea took the controls of the YZF-R1M but the bike refused to fire at first which cost them a couple of extra seconds. The SERT Suzuki had caught and passed the BMW on track by the 55-minute mark.Honda then took their pit-stop followed by the BMW.SERT were the last to come in at the 59-minute mark where Black handed over to Xavier Simeon.
Canepa mounts the YART YZF-R1M
At the end of the second hour SERT led BMW by 47-seconds.That all changed in the next 30-minutes though as Foray fell on the BMW which promoted YART up into second place.
BMW spent more than four-minutes in the pit garage repairing the M1000RR before they rejoined the race in 19th position.
BMW lost a few minutes in the pits as the M 1000 RR was repaired
Karel Hanika on the YART YZF-R1M had started to close in on the SERT GSX-R1000R being ridden by Sylvain Guintoli. The pair were both riding brilliantly and navigating lapped traffic, the gap between them ebbing and flowing accordingly as they threaded their needles through the traffic. Then 2-hrs-45-mins into the race Guintoli lost the front while leading which handed the race lead over to Hanika and his YART squad then chose that moment to call him into the pits where he handed over to Marvin Fritz. Guintoli had picked up the GSX-R1000R and rode straight into the SERT pit garage for repairs.
Suzuki technicians replaced the right clip-on and various other components while the bike was in the garage, they lost around six-minutes in the pits before rejoining the race in 15th place.
SERT lost six-minutes in the pits
The track temperatures had been hotting up as the race progressed and riders were really starting to slide around towards the end of their stints as the tyres wore.
Just before the three-hour mark Josh Hook pitted the F.C.C. TSR bike to hand over to Mike Di Meglio. The Honda squad were in third place, 30-seconds behind the WeBike SRC Kawasaki squad while YART in-turn led the Kawasaki by just under 30-seconds.
Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda
Four-hours in and YART led F.C.C. TSR Honda by a lap and the WeBike SRC Kawasaki was now in third place, a further 35-seconds behind. SERT had worked their way back up to tenth place and Simeon was on the GSX-R1000R. Niccolo Canepa was on the leading YART bike, Takahashi was on the Honda while Nigon had the controls of the WeBike SRC Kawasaki.
F.C.C. TSR Honda led the race at the five hour mark by a lap over YART. SERT were back up to eighth while BMW Motorrad Endurance were recovering well from their early mishap and were now up to 11th place.
At the halfway mark Josh Hook had just completed his second stint on the F.C.C. TSR Honda and handed the reins over to Mike Di Meglio. That saw the Honda squad relegated back to third while YART led the WeBike SRC Kawasaki. SERT were now up to sixth and BMW in eighth.
Niccolo Canepa went down and with it the chances of victory for YART were gone
YART looked to be on course for victory but a mistake by Niccolo Canepa when struggling with worn tyres half-an-hour into the second half of the 12-hour race put himself and the YZF-R1M on the deck.
It took a few minutes for the bike to be transported back to the pits in a van. Once back to the garage it took the YART technicians anotherten-minutes or so before they eventually rejoined the race in 19th place.
Niccolo Canepa went down and with it the chances of victory for YART were gone
Then just after the seven-hour mark Xavier Simeon crashed the SERT bike, colliding with the then fourth placed Tati Team Beringer Kawasaki which put them out of the race.
Of the fast runners now only the WeBike SRC Kawasaki and the F.C.C. TSR Honda had not been down the road and the pair were now first and second while the VRD Igol Experiences entry was now the leading Yamaha in third place.
WeBike SRC Kawasaki
An important ten championship points are awarded to the team leading the race at the eighth hour and those vital points went to WeBike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar as at that juncture they led the race by a lap over the F.C.C. TSR entry and were now the new favourites for victory. BMW Motorrad had done a brilliant job to claw their way back up to fourth. YART were 14th and SERT down in 24th.
Mike Di Meglio
By the tenth hour F.C.C TSR Honda had reduced the gap to the WeBike SRC Kawasaki to less than six-seconds.The VRD Igol Yamaha was still holding down third place ahead of BMW while SERT were now 20th.
Then with just over 90-minutes left in the race Erwan Nigon ran out of fuel on the leading WeBike SRC Kawasaki and he was left to push the bike to a recovery point.
That handed the lead to Yuki Takahashi on the F.C.C. TSR Honda and while the Kawasaki was being returned to the WeBike SRC pit garage the VRD Igol swept through to second place. The Kawasaki did get back out in time to rejoin the race in fourth place, Davide Checa back out on the ZX-10R behind the BMW Motorrad entry.
YART
As the race entered its final hour the F.C.C. TSR Honda led the VRD Igol Yamaha by two-laps and the WeBike SRC Kawasaki was back up into third place ahead of BMW.The Moto Ain Yamaha was in fifth ahead of the leading Superstock entry of BMRT 3D Kawasaki. The ERC Ducati was in seventh place ahead of the Bolliger Switzerland Kawasaki and National Motos Honda.
ERC Ducati
Josh Hook took the controls of the F.C.C. TSR for the final 53-minutes of the race with a two-lap lead and the 28-year-old Aussie had the honour of taking the chequered flag and victory for the French squad. It had been a very trying start to the event for the team but they worked through their problems to become competitive and thus this victory will be very sweet indeed.
VRD Igol Experiences Yamaha were still in the reckoning for second place late in the race but a mistake a few laps from the end meant the Florian Alt, Florian Marino and Nico Terol triumvirate just missed out on a podium. Marino had been under increasing pressure from Guarnoni on the WeBike SRC Kawasaki towards the end of the race and that was what forced his mistake. The pair had been tussling at close-quarters as they un-lapped themselves from the leading Honda with ten-minutes left in the race. Marino then ran off with only four-minutes remaining while taking that battle for second place back up to Guarnoni and by the time he was back on track he had been relegated to fourth place as Markus Reiterberger swept past on the BMW.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France the victors
The WeBike SRC Kawasaki entry of Guarnoni, Nigon and Checa claimed second place, a lap behind the Honda entry while BMW claimed the final step on the rostrum. Again the German squad (Fores, Reiterberger, Foray) recovered from problems to climb back up the order to a good result just as they had done at the Le Mans 24 Hour which shows the strength of the squad. Reiterberger had the speed in that final stint to have put the team up to second place but he was held up while trying to un-lap himself from Hook which prevented him from getting on fighting terms with Guarnoni on the final lap.
WeBike SRC Kawasaki entry of Guarnoni, Nigon and Checa claimed second place
Moto Ain (Randy de Puniet, Robin Mulhauser and Roberto Rolfo) claimed fifth ahead of BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers Kawasaki (Guarnoni, Nigon, Checa) who along with scoring sixth outright also took the Superstock class victory ahead of the ERC Endurance Ducati EWC (Gines, Rossi, Masson) entry and Bolliger Team Switzerland Kawasaki.
BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers Kawasaki were sixth outright and won the Superstock category with Guarnoni, Nigon and Checa
Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar go to the top of the 2021 FIM EWC standings with that second place finish while F.C.C TSR Honda move up to second place, five-points behind the Kawasaki squad. BMW Motorrad hold down third place, two-points behind Honda while SERT slip to fourth in the championship.
The next race of the FIM Endurance World Championship season will take place on the Paul Ricard circuit in France for the 84th edition of the Bol d’Or on September 18 and 19th.
Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
“Everybody did such a great job, we didn’t make any mistakes, we focused on our pace and just keep it throughout the race. For sure that we were lucky today but at the end we won, we knew our potential, and consistency paid off. Huge thanks to the team for the great work during the whole week.”
Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
Mike Di Meglio – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
“After a tough week, finishing in this way is a great reward. It’s all about endurance, you must never give up. I asked if I could attack in my last stint and that allowed us to put pressure on our opponents, some of whom made mistakes. We gave it all and we went all the way, it’s incredible.”
Mike Di Meglio
Yuki Takahashi – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
“It was very hard for us since the beginning of the week but everyone has worked well to solve problems one step at a time. Today we gave it all and I am very happy for this victory.”
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director
“Congratulations to the whole team on another fantastic performance. It was a real thriller and history repeated itself. It was similar to Le Mans: leading shortly after the start, then a setback, then moving up the field to finish on the podium. We weren’t quite able to race at our pace in the first stint with the cool track temperatures. Things went really well from the second stint and our pace was definitely good enough to win. Unfortunately, Kenny fell and we dropped down to P20. Everyone did a magnificent job in the ensuing race to catch up. Our pace was really good down to the wire, but realistically we wouldn’t have done better than P4 or P5. But the other teams also experienced a few dramas, so the battle for P2 to P4 was really close in the end. We had to change the brakes, which was planned, but the final two stints from Xavi and Markus were incredibly strong so we really piled the pressure on the rider in third place. To end up finishing in P3 less than one second behind second place – after the fall at the beginning – we have to be pleased with that result. We saw that we had the pace required to win. Now we are in a very good starting position for the rest of the season, and our motto for the Bol d’Or in September is ‘full attack’. After all, we are still in with a chance of winning the world championship. We still have some work to do, but have a very good team, a very good bike, and the potential to become even better. I’d like to thank the team, they did a fantastic job, were great in the pit stops, and I’m happy that we could mark Werner Daemen’s 50th birthday by gifting him this podium.”
BMW lost a few minutes in the pits
Mandy Kainz – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, Team Manager
“What can I say? Life is unfair and sometimes racing is even more unfair! It was a crazy race from start to finish for everybody, we didn’t get the result we wanted but it is what it is. The conditions were really warm and pushed everybody to their limit. Eventually Honda won as they controlled their pace really well. Our plan was to win the race, unfortunately one mistake cost us the victory. We managed to finish the race, we were competitive, and we’ll look to return to winning ways in Bol d’Or.”
Damien Saulnier – SERT Team Manager
“This race has proven once again that in Endurance, nothing is ever decided in advance. We came here with points ahead, a lot of hope, a well-functioning team and three fast riders. At the start of the race, we showed our potential. And then, a few hours later the result is completely different. It’s racing, with its ups and downs. It’s up to us to reverse the trend at the Bol d’Or.”
