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Le Mans 24 Heures Motos practice underway

June 9, 2021 mcnews Leave a comment

2021 FIM Endurance World Championship
24 Heures Motos

The FIM Endurance World Championship returns to action with the opening round or 2021, the 24 Heures Motos at the legendary Bugatti, Le Mans.

The Bugatti Circuit, located in Le Mans, France, was constructed in 1965 and featured on the World Endurance calendar for the first time in 1978. At 4.185km in length, Le Mans is the third-longest circuit on the 2021 calendar but by far one of the toughest.

Unpredictable weather conditions, as well as a mixture of low, medium and high speed corners, heavy braking zones, elevation changes and fast changes of direction, makes the 24-hour race one of the most demanding races on the calendar.

Defending World Endurance Champions Yoshimura SERT Suzuki field a four-rider team of Gregg Black, Xavier Simeon, Kazuki Watanabe and Sylvain Guintoli – Suzuki’s MotoGP test rider. SERT were fourth quickest overnight in the opening Free Practice sessions ahead of the season opener.

Damien Saulnier – Team Manager

“We are all really happy to start this season. It’s good to get together, hear the bike and see it ride. Our riders needed some time to get back in shape but by the end of the day everyone has found their bearings. We are in the top five with a bike fitted with racing tyres, which is very positive. We have an excellent package with the Yoshimura technicians who know this GSX-R1000R perfectly well, a SERT team specialised in Endurance, good tyres and a trio of fast riders who are discovering and progressing together. So everything looks good for us.”

Yoshimura SERT Suzuki field a four-rider team of Gregg Black, Xavier Simeon, Kazuki Watanabe and Sylvain Guintoli

Honda’s endurance specialists F.C.C. TSR Honda France will feature riders Josh Hook, Mike Di Meglio and new recruit Yuki Takahashi, targeting the top step of the podium aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, where they claimed victory last year. With two victories at the 24 Heures Motos for Di Meglio and Hook, the F.C.C. TSR Honda France squad are quietly confident of holding the trophy again at the prestigious 24-hour race but have some pace to find as they were only seventh quickest overnight.

Josh Hook

“It has been a long wait, which is not good for us because it has been a long time since we’ve been to the track racing, but finally, we are underway, so we are really looking forward to that. From the test, it was very positive in all conditions the bike is working very well and from what I’ve heard from the team, in that little bit extra time that we had, they made some improvements with the electronics which is the part we were struggling, so it is a step in the right direction. This time of the year, the weather is going to be warmer, so definitely it is going to be more physically on the bike, so we’ll see.”

Other Honda powered teams competing in the event are National Motos and RAC 41 Chromeburner, both in the Superstock category. National Motos have moved into the Superstock class this season, with their aim to win the FIM World Cup aboard the Fireblade SP with a new ride line-up of Guillaume Antiga and Kévin Trueb who join Frenchman Stéphane Egea, who has been with the team since 2017.

YART Yamaha EWC Team are also set to start their 2021 campaign this weekend, eight months after victory in the final round of the 2019/2020 season in Estoril, Niccolò Canepa, Karel Hanika, and Marvin Fritz are raring to get their 2021 season underway as the series returns to the iconic Bugatti Circuit in north-western France this weekend. They were second quickest overnight.

Mandy Kainz – YART Yamaha Team Manager

“We feel ready for the first round but 24-hour races almost make their own rules! To win you need to be clever but also lucky, so we will try to be clever and we know both our bike and riders are very good. But a 24-hour race is a 24-hour race and anything can happen so we need to hope for that bit of luck too! If we are clever and the luck is on our side, we are confident we can fight for the victory.”

For Werner Daemen’s BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team it is their second year in the endurance world championship after a strong maiden season. The new #37 bike in action is the BMW M 1000 RR. The regular riders Markus Reiterberger (GER), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) and Xavi Forés (ESP), as well as Kenny Foray (FRA) as the fourth rider make for an experienced, strong rider line-up.

At the official Pré-Mans Test at the end of March, the team set the best time with new record laps with the BMW M 1000 RR on both days, and backed that up overnight by topping the opening Free Practice sessions held overnight and is now eager to build on that performance at the first race weekend of the season.

Werner Daemen – BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team Manager

“I think that we are better prepared for Le Mans than last year, so I’m expecting a good result. We are very happy with the new BMW M 1000 RR and the pre-test at Le Mans was superb for us. All our riders are in top form. We are ideally positioned with Ilya, Markus and Xavi as our regular trio, and I can honestly say that with Kenny we have the fastest reserve rider in the world. He proved that once again last weekend, when he finished second in the French championship. Now the team is working on fine-tuning every detail. I’m looking forward to the race, and if everything goes according to plan, we should be up there at the front.”

The Wójcik Racing Team are also in high spirits ahead of the upcoming season. Two podiums in 2020 rewarded them with a fourth-place finish in the overall standings. Adam Stepien’s team will field the experienced Gino Rea, 36-year-old Sheridan Morais and the 2019 World Supersport Champion, Randy Krummenacher, giving the team an ultra-strong and crucially an experienced rider line-up for 2021 on the Yamaha YZF-R1.

The Moto Ain team will compete in the Formula EWC class after taking back-to-back championships in the FIM Endurance World Cup. Team principal  Pierre Chapuis has chosen former 250cc and Moto2 Grand Prix race winner Roberto Rolfo, Swiss rider Robin Mulhauser and French veteran and MotoGP podium finisher Randy de Puniet on another YZF-R1.

A new independent team joined in the fray at the front end amid the factory teams overnight. Tati Team Beringer Racing posted the 3rd-fastest time in FP1 with a 1:36.514 lap on their ZX-10R. The team are heading into their third season in the EWC with big ambitions.

Patrick Enjolras – Tati Team Beringer Manager

“We’ve just worked on the new Kawasaki electronics with dedicated engineers. Now we know we have a very good machine.”

Among privateer teams capable of giving the factory outfits a run for their money are VRD Igol Experiences, Moto Ain who are debuting in EWC after two back-to-back FIM Superstock World Cup wins, Maco Racing and 3ART Best of Bike, all four Yamaha-mounted.

Despite the 24 Hours Motos being held behind closed doors due to the global pandemic situation, the 44th edition will see 50 teams battling on track.

Ducati have an iron in the fire with ERC Endurance and were tenth quickest overnight

The 24 Heures Motos officially gets underway on Thursday 10th June with free practice, qualifying and night practice. The final positions on the starting grid will be determined after the last qualifying sessions, which takes place on Friday 11th June.

The FIM EWC 2021 consists of four events in France, Portugal and Japan. After the opener at Le Mans, the season continues on 17th July with the 12 Hours of Estoril in Portugal. The 24-hour classic ‘Bol d’Or’ will be held at Le Castellet (FRA) on 18th/19th September, before the season draws to a close with the 8-hour race at Suzuka, Japan on 7th November.

WeBike SRC Kawasaki France TrickStar were fifth quickest overnight

Wednesday LeMans Test Combined Times

Pos	Team	Bike	Cat	Time/Gap
1	BMW MOTORRAD	BMW	EWC	1:36.260
2	YART – Yamaha Official	Yamaha	EWC	+0.206
3	TATI TEAM BERINGER	Kawasaki	EWC	+0.254
4	YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL	Suzuki	EWC	+0.518
5	WEBIKE SRC KAWASAKI TRICKSTAR	Kawasaki	EWC	+0.775
6	VRD IGOL EXPÉRIENCES	Yamaha	EWC	+0.903
7	F.C.C. TSR Honda France	Honda	EWC	+0.922
8	MOTO AIN	Yamaha	EWC	+1.175
9	MACO RACING Team	Yamaha	EWC	+1.330
10	ERC Endurance Ducati	Ducati	EWC	+1.498
11	3ART BEST OF BIKE	Yamaha	EWC	+1.557
12	BMRT 3D MAXXESS NEVERS	Kawasaki	SST	+1.845
13	Team LRP Poland	BMW	EWC	+2.292
14	TEAM 18 SAPEURS	Yamaha	SST	+2.462
15	National Motos	Honda	SST	+2.675
16	Team Bolliger Switzerland #8	Kawasaki	EWC	+2.708
17	Wójcik Racing Team 2	Yamaha	SST	+2.796
18	Wójcik Racing Team	Yamaha	EWC	+2.879
19	JMA MOTOS ACTION BIKE	Suzuki	SST	+2.937
20	TEAM 33 LOUIT APRIL MOTO	Kawasaki	SST	+2.956
21	RAC41-CHROMEBURNER	Honda	SST	+3.162
22	METISS	Metiss	EXP	+3.178
23	Motobox Kremer Racing #65	Yamaha	EWC	+3.184
24	OG MOTORSPORT BY SARAZIN	Yamaha	SST	+3.423
25	Team Aviobike	Yamaha	SST	+3.462
26	Aprilia Le Mans 2 Roues	Aprilia	SST	+3.805
27	FAST TEAM RACING	Kawasaki	SST	+3.824
28	JUNIOR TEAM LMS SUZUKI	Suzuki	SST	+3.881
29	PITLANE ENDURANCE	Yamaha	SST	+3.900
30	No Limits Motor Team	Suzuki	SST	+3.978
31	FALCON RACING	Yamaha	SST	+4.239
32	TEAM Univers racing/ACRacing	BMW	SST	+4.257
33	TEAM LH RACING	Yamaha	SST	+4.680
34	TEAM GT ENDURANCE	Yamaha	EWC	+4.784
35	Slider Endurance	Yamaha	SST	+4.810
36	Space Moto	Suzuki	SST	+5.204
37	TEAM RACING 85	Kawasaki	SST	+5.234
38	Mana-au compétition	Suzuki	SST	+5.261
39	ENERGIE ENDURANCE 91	Kawasaki	SST	+5.281
40	TRT27 BAZAR 2 LA BECANE	Suzuki	SST	+5.451
41	Moto sport endurance #20	Yamaha	SST	+5.487
42	MOTOSTAND ENDURANCE	Kawasaki	SST	+5.523
43	TMC 35	Yamaha	SST	+5.763
44	PLAYERS	Kawasaki	SST	+5.831
45	Z RACING	Suzuki	SST	+6.200
46	TEAM 202	Yamaha	SST	+6.408
47	Fullgas Racing Team	Kawasaki	SST	+7.815

Entry List

N°	Team	Rider	Bike	Cat
l1	YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL	BLACK Gregg	Suzuki	EWC
4	TATI TEAM BERINGER	TECHER Alan	Kawasaki	EWC
5	F.C.C. TSR	HOOK Joshua	Honda	EWC
6	ERC ENDURANCE	GINES Mathieu	Ducati	EWC
7	YART	HANIKA Karel	Yamaha	EWC
8	TEAM BOLLIGER	WALRAVEN Nigel	Kawasaki	EWC
11	WEBIKE SRC TRICKSTAR	GUARNONI Jérémy	Kawasaki	EWC
14	MACO RACING	LEBLANC Grégory	Yamaha	EWC
15	LE MANS 2 ROUES	BOUÉ Marco	Aprilia	STK
18	TEAM 18 SAPEURS	CLERE Hugo	Yamaha	STK
20	MOTO SPORT ENDURANCE	SIMON Anthony	Yamaha	STK
22	TEAM 202	PARRET Florent	Yamaha	STK
23	UNIVERS RACING / AC RACING	MEUNIER Léo	BMW	STK
24	BMRT 3D MAXXESS NEVERS	LOISEAU Anthony	Kawasaki	STK
27	TRT27 BAZAR 2 LA BECANE	ERUAM Cyril	Suzuki	STK
30	TEAM GT ENDURANCE	LAGEON Camille	Yamaha	EWC
33	TEAM 33 LOUIT APRIL MOTO	GAMARINO Christian	Kawasaki	STK
34	JMA RACING – ACTION BIKE	CARRILLO Cyril	Suzuki	STK
35	TMC 35 – PMO	BILLEGA John Ross	Yamaha	STK
36	3ART BEST OF BIKE	ESCUDIER Nicolas	Yamaha	EWC
37	BMW WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM	REITERBERGER Markus	BMW	EWC
40	FAST TEAM RACING	BOUVIER DAVID	Kawasaki	STK
41	RAC 41 CHROMEBURNER	FASTRÉ Grégory	Honda	STK
44	NO LIMITS MOTOR TEAM	SCASSA Luca	Suzuki	STK
45	METISS JBB	PONS Gabriel	Metiss	EXP
51	TEAM MOTOSTAND ENDURANCE	REGOUBY Baptiste	Kawasaki	STK
53	MANA-AU COMPETITION	RICHARD Jérôme	Suzuki	STK
55	NATIONAL MOTOS	EGEA Stéphane	Honda	STK
65	MOTOBOX KREMER RACING	DEHAYE Geoffroy	Yamaha	EWC
66	OG MOTORSPORT BY SARAZIN	HEDELIN Camille	Yamaha	STK
71	Z RACING	SCAGLIARINI Nicola	Suzuki	STK
72	JUNIOR TEAM LMS SUZUKI	RENAUDIN Martin	Suzuki	STK
73	TEAM SPACE MOTO	ROCHE Charles	Suzuki	STK
77	WOJCIK RACING TEAM	REA Gino	Yamaha	EWC
85	TEAM RACING 85	JACOB Kévin	Kawasaki	STK
86	PITLANE ENDURANCE – JP3	PELLIZOTTI Maxim	Yamaha	STK
90	TEAM LRP POLAND	VINCON Dominik	BMW	EWC
91	ENERGIE ENDURANCE 91	NAPOLI Christian	Kawasaki	STK
94	TEAM LH RACING	FONTANELLE Benjamin	Yamaha	STK
96	MOTO AIN	ROLFO Roberto	Yamaha	EWC
101	AVIOBIKE	BOSCOSCURO Andrea	Yamaha	STK
116	KINGTYRE FULLGAS RACING TEAM	DEJEAN Arnaud	Kawasaki	STK
119	SLIDER ENDURANCE	CORTOT Charles	Yamaha	STK
121	FALCON RACING	CHEVALIER David	Yamaha	STK
156	PLAYERS	DE KIMPE Arnaud	Kawasaki	STK
333	VRD IGOL EXPERIENCES	ALT Florian	Yamaha	EWC
777	WOJCIK RACING TEAM 2	SZKOPEK Marek	Yamaha	STK

N°	Team	Rider	Bike	Cat
1	YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL	SIMÉON Xavier	Suzuki	EWC
4	TATI TEAM BERINGER	SUCHET Sébastien	Kawasaki	EWC
5	F.C.C. TSR	YUKI Takahashi	Honda	EWC
6	ERC ENDURANCE	ROSSI Louis	Ducati	EWC
7	YART	FRITZ Marvin	Yamaha	EWC
8	TEAM BOLLIGER	BÜHN Jan	Kawasaki	EWC
11	WEBIKE SRC TRICKSTAR	NIGON Erwan	Kawasaki	EWC
14	MACO RACING	BOULOM Enzo	Yamaha	EWC
15	LE MANS 2 ROUES	PARISSE Emmanuel	Aprilia	STK
18	TEAM 18 SAPEURS	NIGON Johan	Yamaha	STK
20	MOTO SPORT ENDURANCE	LE BRAS Youenn	Yamaha	STK
22	TEAM 202	CREUSOT Amandine	Yamaha	STK
23	UNIVERS RACING / AC RACING	MEUNIER Lucas	BMW	STK
24	BMRT 3D MAXXESS NEVERS	HARDT Jonathan	Kawasaki	STK
27	TRT27 BAZAR 2 LA BECANE	BRUNET LUGARDON Cyril	Suzuki	STK
30	TEAM GT ENDURANCE	CROIX Karl	Yamaha	EWC
33	TEAM 33 LOUIT APRIL MOTO	SANCHIS MARTINEZ David	Kawasaki	STK
34	JMA RACING – ACTION BIKE	BONNET Julien	Suzuki	STK
35	TMC 35 – PMO	DIARD Maxime	Yamaha	STK
36	3ART BEST OF BIKE	LAGRIVE Mathieu	Yamaha	EWC
37	BMW WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM	MYKHALCHYK Illya	BMW	EWC
40	FAST TEAM RACING	CHERON Hervé	Kawasaki	STK
41	RAC 41 CHROMEBURNER	TESSELS Wayne	Honda	STK
44	NO LIMITS MOTOR TEAM	MASBOU Alexis	Suzuki	STK
45	METISS JBB	GOETSCHY Jonathan	Metiss	EXP
51	TEAM MOTOSTAND ENDURANCE	NOEL François	Kawasaki	STK
53	MANA-AU COMPETITION	JOUIS Bruno	Suzuki	STK
55	NATIONAL MOTOS	ANTIGA Guillaume	Honda	STK
65	MOTOBOX KREMER RACING	STRÖHLEIN Stefan	Yamaha	EWC
66	OG MOTORSPORT BY SARAZIN	PERRET David	Yamaha	STK
71	Z RACING	SCAGLIARINI Mattia	Suzuki	STK
72	JUNIOR TEAM LMS SUZUKI	RAYMOND Guillaume	Suzuki	STK
73	TEAM SPACE MOTO	BRARD Christophe	Suzuki	STK
77	WOJCIK RACING TEAM	SHERIDAN Morais	Yamaha	EWC
85	TEAM RACING 85	HERAULT Jérémy	Kawasaki	STK
86	PITLANE ENDURANCE – JP3	SARRABAYROUSE Alex	Yamaha	STK
90	TEAM LRP POLAND	KRZEMIEN Kamil	BMW	EWC
91	ENERGIE ENDURANCE 91	NAPOLI Federico	Kawasaki	STK
94	TEAM LH RACING	CRONIER Nicolas	Yamaha	STK
96	MOTO AIN	MULHAUSER Robin	Yamaha	EWC
101	AVIOBIKE	AUBRY Jean-Edouard	Yamaha	STK
116	KINGTYRE FULLGAS RACING TEAM	HENRIQUES David	Kawasaki	STK
119	SLIDER ENDURANCE	MARMONT Clément	Yamaha	STK
121	FALCON RACING	EISEN Théo	Yamaha	STK
156	PLAYERS	THIBAULT Matthieu	Kawasaki	STK
333	VRD IGOL EXPERIENCES	MARINO Florian	Yamaha	EWC
777	WOJCIK RACING TEAM 2	BERGMAN Christoffer	Yamaha	STK

N°	Team	Rider	Bike	Cat
1	YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL	GUINTOLI Sylvain	Suzuki	EWC
4	TATI TEAM BERINGER	ENJOLRAS Julien	Kawasaki	EWC
5	F.C.C. TSR	DI MEGLIO Mike	Honda	EWC
6	ERC ENDURANCE	MASSON Etienne	Ducati	EWC
7	YART	CANEPA Niccolò	Yamaha	EWC
8	TEAM BOLLIGER	PELLIJEFF Jesper	Kawasaki	EWC
11	WEBIKE SRC TRICKSTAR	CHECA David	Kawasaki	EWC
14	MACO RACING	LAMBRECHTS Bram	Yamaha	EWC
15	LE MANS 2 ROUES	DUPUY Eddy	Aprilia	STK
18	TEAM 18 SAPEURS	LUSSIANA Matthieu	Yamaha	STK
20	MOTO SPORT ENDURANCE	OLLIVIER Jimmy	Yamaha	STK
22	TEAM 202	MEJANE Bastien	Yamaha	STK
23	UNIVERS RACING / AC RACING	QUETEL Jimmy	BMW	STK
24	BMRT 3D MAXXESS NEVERS	PILOT Julien	Kawasaki	STK
27	TRT27 BAZAR 2 LA BECANE	GIRARDET Hugo	Suzuki	STK
30	TEAM GT ENDURANCE	DUFOUR Paul	Yamaha	EWC
33	TEAM 33 LOUIT APRIL MOTO	PEROLARI Corentin	Kawasaki	STK
34	JMA RACING – ACTION BIKE	CUDEVILLE Maxime	Suzuki	STK
35	TMC 35 – PMO	LE BAIL David	Yamaha	STK
36	3ART BEST OF BIKE	BERCHET Morgan	Yamaha	EWC
37	BMW WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM	FORÉS Javier	BMW	EWC
40	FAST TEAM RACING	DAGAULT Manu	Kawasaki	STK
41	RAC 41 CHROMEBURNER	LEESCH Chris	Honda	STK
44	NO LIMITS MOTOR TEAM	CALIA Kevin	Suzuki	STK
45	METISS JBB	RIZZA Ludovic	Metiss	EXP
51	TEAM MOTOSTAND ENDURANCE	HUGUEVILLE Alexis	Kawasaki	STK
53	MANA-AU COMPETITION	TRUEB Samuel	Suzuki	STK
55	NATIONAL MOTOS	TRUEB Kévin	Honda	STK
65	MOTOBOX KREMER RACING	COLLIAUX Benjamin	Yamaha	EWC
66	OG MOTORSPORT BY SARAZIN	PLANCASSAGNE Alex	Yamaha	STK
71	Z RACING	ECCHELI Davide	Suzuki	STK
72	JUNIOR TEAM LMS SUZUKI	SUCHET Valentin	Suzuki	STK
73	TEAM SPACE MOTO	LOUAUT Olivier	Suzuki	STK
77	WOJCIK RACING TEAM	KRUMMENACHER Randy	Yamaha	EWC
85	TEAM RACING 85	BACHELIER Marc	Kawasaki	STK
86	PITLANE ENDURANCE – JP3	PARASSOL Adrian	Yamaha	STK
90	TEAM LRP POLAND	LEWANDOWSKI Bartlomiej	BMW	EWC
91	ENERGIE ENDURANCE 91	CHOY Martin	Kawasaki	STK
94	TEAM LH RACING	HEMMER Lothaire	Yamaha	STK
96	MOTO AIN	DE PUNIET Randy	Yamaha	EWC
101	AVIOBIKE	KEMMER Christopher	Yamaha	STK
116	KINGTYRE FULLGAS RACING TEAM	HAUSER Ludovic	Kawasaki	STK
119	SLIDER ENDURANCE	BUISSON Dylan	Yamaha	STK
121	FALCON RACING	MILLET Loïc	Yamaha	STK
156	PLAYERS		Kawasaki	STK
333	VRD IGOL EXPERIENCES	TEROL Nicolás	Yamaha	EWC
777	WOJCIK RACING TEAM 2	FILLA Michal	Yamaha	STK

N°	Team	Rider	Bike	Cat
1	YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL	WATANABE Kazuki	Suzuki	EWC
4	TATI TEAM BERINGER		Kawasaki	EWC
5	F.C.C. TSR		Honda	EWC
6	ERC ENDURANCE	BARRIER Sylvain	Ducati	EWC
7	YART	LAVERTY Michael	Yamaha	EWC
8	TEAM BOLLIGER	BRENNER Marcel	Kawasaki	EWC
11	WEBIKE SRC TRICKSTAR		Kawasaki	EWC
14	MACO RACING	SVITOK Tomas	Yamaha	EWC
15	LE MANS 2 ROUES		Aprilia	STK
18	TEAM 18 SAPEURS		Yamaha	STK
20	MOTO SPORT ENDURANCE	DUBOURG Freddy	Yamaha	STK
22	TEAM 202		Yamaha	STK
23	UNIVERS RACING / AC RACING	MULHMEYER Philippe	BMW	STK
24	BMRT 3D MAXXESS NEVERS	MANGE Romain	Kawasaki	STK
27	TRT27 BAZAR 2 LA BECANE	STOLTZ Régis	Suzuki	STK
30	TEAM GT ENDURANCE	GUILBOT Thomas	Yamaha	EWC
33	TEAM 33 LOUIT APRIL MOTO	STOLL Clément	Kawasaki	STK
34	JMA RACING – ACTION BIKE		Suzuki	STK
35	TMC 35 – PMO		Yamaha	STK
36	3ART BEST OF BIKE		Yamaha	EWC
37	BMW WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM	FORAY Kenny	BMW	EWC
40	FAST TEAM RACING	PICOT Sébastien	Kawasaki	STK
41	RAC 41 CHROMEBURNER		Honda	STK
44	NO LIMITS MOTOR TEAM		Suzuki	STK
45	METISS JBB		Metiss	Experimental
51	TEAM MOTOSTAND ENDURANCE	VIELLARD Antoine	Kawasaki	STK
53	MANA-AU COMPETITION	POTILLON Simon	Suzuki	STK
55	NATIONAL MOTOS		Honda	STK
65	MOTOBOX KREMER RACING		Yamaha	EWC
66	OG MOTORSPORT BY SARAZIN		Yamaha	STK
71	Z RACING	BONIFACIO Nico	Suzuki	STK
72	JUNIOR TEAM LMS SUZUKI	LAMIRE Alexis	Suzuki	STK
73	TEAM SPACE MOTO		Suzuki	STK
77	WOJCIK RACING TEAM		Yamaha	EWC
85	TEAM RACING 85		Kawasaki	STK
86	PITLANE ENDURANCE – JP3	FORAY Joseph	Yamaha	STK
90	TEAM LRP POLAND		BMW	EWC
91	ENERGIE ENDURANCE 91		Kawasaki	STK
94	TEAM LH RACING	NACIMIENTO Erik	Yamaha	STK
96	MOTO AIN		Yamaha	EWC
101	AVIOBIKE	GESSLBAUER Geri	Yamaha	STK
116	KINGTYRE FULLGAS RACING TEAM	BERGERON Lionel	Kawasaki	STK
119	SLIDER ENDURANCE	DILLER Charles	Yamaha	STK
121	FALCON RACING	ROBERT Hugo	Yamaha	STK
156	PLAYERS		Kawasaki	STK
333	VRD IGOL EXPERIENCES	WESTMORELAND James	Yamaha	EWC
777	WOJCIK RACING TEAM 2	WIELEBSKI Artur	Yamaha	STK

Source: MCNews.com.au

News

8 Hours of Oschersleben cancelled | EWC now four rounds

May 2, 2021 mcnews Leave a comment

2021 FIM Endurance World Championship

The 8 Hours of Oschersleben has been cancelled, after the initial postponement due to COVID restrictions in Germany, from original the May 23 date.

Since then, the FIM, Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, Eurosport Events, the promoter of the FIM EWC, and the organisers of the race in Germany have been working together to reschedule the 8 Hours of Oschersleben on the 2021 calendar.

H Oschersleben FCC TSR Honda France — 8 Hours of Oschersleben dropped from 2021 FIM EWC calendar

Their priority was to offer teams a new calendar compatible with their logistical organisation, which would take into account the other date changes, of the 24 Heures Motos (12 and 13 June) and the 12 Hours of Estoril (17 July), as well as the organization of the Bol d’Or on 18 and 19 September and the Suzuka 8 Hours on 7 November.

The other priority was to find a date that would give the event the most international visibility after the end of the Tokyo Olympic Games. In light of these requirements, the only suitable date was mid-August.

24 Hours of Le Mans 2020 — 24 Hours of Le Mans

Despite these joint efforts, unfortunately the Oschersleben circuit was unable to cancel its previously undertaken commitments for that date. As a result, the 8 Hours of Oschersleben will not take place during the 2021 FIM EWC season.

François Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events

“We genuinely regret being unable to include the 8 Hours of Oschersleben on the 2021 calendar. Oschersleben has been part of the FIM EWC races since 1999. It is also an important race for German and East European teams, of which an ever-increasing number are entering the championship.”

Jorge Viegas, FIM President

“Despite the fact we could not find an alternative date for the traditional 8 Hours of Oschersleben, we look forward to welcoming back this race next year. In the meantime, the remainder of the 2021 FIM EWC calendar will be run as is planned, but keeping in mind that we must maintain flexibility until we are over with the pandemic. We sincerely thanks everyone involve for the continuous efforts. Please stay strong!”

2021 FIM EWC Calendar (Updated May 1)

Round	Event	Date
Round 1	24 Heures Motos, France	12-13 June
Round 2	12H of Estoril, Portugal	17 July
Round 3	Bol d’Or, France	18-19 September
Round 4	Suzuka 8 Hours, Japan	7 November

Source: MCNews.com.au

News

Five-race 2021 Endurance World Championship announced

December 30, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

The 2021 FIM Endurance World Championship schedule will feature five races spanning five nations, with the season kicking off at Le Mans in France with the 24 Heures Motos in mid-April. 2021 will also see three major races return to the calendar after being postponed in 2020.

Jorge Viegas – President of the FIM

“Once again we will do everything possible to ensure that the FIM Endurance World Championship has a worthy calendar, one that can offer all the protagonists a balanced and exciting competition. Even if the pandemic is not over, the FIM and Eurosport Events are continuing to work tirelessly to deliver an unforgettable show thanks to the ongoing support of the organisers and National Federations in each country.”

Following the last race of the 2019-2020 season in Portugal last September, the 2021 season of the FIM Endurance World Championship will open in France on 17 and 18 April with the 24 Heures Motos at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans.

The 8 Hours of Oschersleben is scheduled for Sunday 23 May in Germany. Then the FIM EWC will once again stage the Suzuka 8 Hours, to be held in Japan on Sunday 18 July just before the start of the Tokyo Olympics.

The Bol d’Or will take place on the Paul Ricard Circuit at Le Castellet in France on 18 and 19 September. As in 2020, the 12 Hours of Estoril wraps up the 2021 season in Portugal. The race will be held on Saturday 16 October at the circuit near Lisbon.

François Ribeiro – Head of Eurosport Events

“We have not put the pandemic behind us as yet, but ensuring the sport’s continuity remains a priority for 2021. Every single race will take place as scheduled whatever the conditions of spectator attendance at the circuits, and the 2021 calendar will help teams keep their costs in check. All of the championship’s big classic races are back to offer fans an exciting show ahead of the first-ever 24H de Spa Motos in June 2022.”

2021 FIM EWC Provisional Calendar

Round	Location	Date
24 Heures Motos/Le Mans	France	17-18 April
8 Hours of Oschersleben	Germany	23 May
Suzuka 8 Hours	Japan	18 July
Bol d’Or (24h)/Le Castellet	France	18-19 September
12 Hours of Estoril	Portugal	16 October

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle Racing, News

Yuki Takahashi joins Josh Hook at F.C.C. TSR Honda

November 8, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

2021 FIM Endurance World Championship

F.C.C. TSR Honda France announce 2021 team

The F.C.C. TSR Honda France team, of the FIM Endurance World Championship will go into the 2021 season with a new three rider line-up, with Yuki Takahashi joining Australian Josh Hooks and Frenchman Mike di Meglio, with the line-up announced at Suzuka.

Josh Hook on the F.C.C. TSR Honda in France this year

Yuki Takahashi, who caught the eye in the GP250 (5th in 2008) and subsequently in Moto2, has also made his mark in the JSB 1000 Superbike championship (fifth in 2018), and recently won the first All Japan Superstock 1000 title in the new category the Japanese championship introduced in 2020.

Most importantly, Yuki Takahashi has a strong track record in the Suzuka 8 Hours. He climbed the third step of the 2010 Suzuka 8 Hours podium with F.C.C. TSR Honda, and finished second in 2012 in the saddle of Toho Racing with Moriwaki’s Honda. He then continued racing with Moriwaki, regularly finishing in the top 10 at Suzuka.

Yuki Takahashi

“I’m thrilled to join the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team. As a child, my dream was to become world champion. I have MotoGP and World Superbike experience. I’ll do my utmost to become the world champion in the FIM EWC with this team.”

Yuki Takahashi has now signed up to be a full-season FIM Endurance World Championship rider alongside another two of the sport’s great champions.

27-year-old Josh Hook, who won the 2017-2018 FIM EWC title with F.C.C. TSR Honda France, stepped onto the Suzuka 8 Hours podium for the Japanese team in both 2015 and 2017.

Mike di Meglio is the team’s final rider, and was the GP125 world champion in 2008, not to mention a Moto2 and then MotoGP rider, and has been proven a force to be reckoned with in EWC since 2017.

Josh Hook and Mike di Meglio campaigned the F.C.C. TSR Honda France Fireblade to third in this year’s championship, taking victory at 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as second at the 12 Hours of Estoril, ending the season just six-points off second placed YART, while trailing SERT by 24-points.

The 24 Heures Motos victory in August on the 2020 CBR1000RR-R’s was its maiden outing, with F.C.C. TSR Honda France aiming to reclaim the world title with their new line-up in 2021, on the new machine.

F.C.C. TSR Honda France with new CBR1000RR-R at the 2020 24 Heures Motos

Masakazu Fujii – Team Manager of F.C.C. TSR Honda France

“Yuki Takahashi took part in our tests in Japan before the 24 Heures Motos. This project was not on the cards back then. But you have to make constant progress and try to improve the entire team – the riders, the machine and the technical crew – to win. Yuki Takahashi is an excellent rider, with a personality I relate to and appreciate. This project will further strengthen our East-West collaboration.”

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle Racing, News

Josh Hook wins 24 Hours of Le Mans with F.C.C. TSR Honda

August 30, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

24 Hours of Le Mans 2020

Endurance World Championship

[embedded content]

The Japanese-backed F.C.C. TSR Honda France team have clinched victory at Le Mans, ahead of Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar and Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, with SERT continuing to lead the championship standings with a 40-point lead.

F.C.C. TSR Honda France top the 24 Hours of Le Mans from SRC KAWASAKI France and SERT

Three different constructors and three different tyre manufacturers stood on the 2020 24 Heures Motos podium. Bridgestone-shod F.C.C. TSR Honda France notched up their second win at Le Mans with riders Josh Hook, Freddy Foray and Mike di Meglio.

At the end of the first eight hours of the 43rd edition of the 24 Heures Motos, F.C.C. TSR Honda France were still holding on to first place and scored the 10 bonus points awarded after the first third of the race. The team spent the whole night at the front of the pack, maintaining the lead over their rivals, to collect a further 10-point bonus at the end of the 16th hour. During the night, Di Meglio even set the race lap record with 1’36.985. The trio of riders did not make any mistakes during this picture-perfect race and eventually crossed the line taking the chequered flag to win the 24-hour race.

Making their first outing on the track using Michelin tyres, Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar defended their second place to the last thanks to Jérémy Guarnoni, Erwan Nigon and David Checa. They finished one lap ahead of Dunlop-shod Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Etienne Masson, Gregg Black and Xavier Simeon), who held second on hour four, before settling into third overnight.

Unfortunately, two hours from the finish, Black was involved in a collision with a lapped rider and needed to come into the pits for a quick repair and after five minutes, the team – headed by Damien Saulnier – was back on track in third position; a position they held until the flag.

Following a crash early on in the race, YART Yamaha pushed hard to get back into the leading pack. Throughout the night, YART were the quickest team on track, taking advantage of the grip provided by the Bridgestone slicks in the cooler, dry conditions. Chasing down fourth position, Hanika powered through a wet Sunday morning before Canpea took over as the track dried out, closing the gap to BMW in fourth, catching and passing them with just over three hours to go.

YART’s podium chances were reignited with two hours remaining after a crash for the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, who were running second at the time. Despite the best efforts of the Czech rider, he couldn’t match the pace of the repaired Suzuki, who strapped on the dry tyres while Hanika was still on wets. YART Yamaha turned their attention to bringing the bike home in fourth, which they were able to successfully do. YART’s Karel Hanika, Marvin Fritz and Niccolò Canepa finished in fourth place, five laps behind the winners.

BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, solidly anchored in fifth place, lost their position after Ilya Mykhalchyk crashed at the tail end of the race. The factory BMW team were unable to cross the finish line and therefore not classified. The late-stage drama enabled F.C.C. TSR Honda France to shoot up to second place in the provisional championship standings.

It also benefited VRD Igol Pierret Experiences, who inherited fifth place, ahead of 3ART Best of Bike and Polish team Wójcik Racing Team, which included Australian Broc Parkes alongside Gino Rea and Axel Maurin – who became winners of the EWC Dunlop Independent Trophy.

Suzuki Endurance Racing Team now leads the standings from F.C.C. TSR Honda France, with Yamalube Yamaha EWC Official Team by YART third overall.

As a result of the fickle weather and constantly changing track conditions, the teams were under pressure for the entire 24 hours of this year’s race. Stray showers in the final stages of the race forced the teams into some chancy tyre strategy.

The race also threw the FIM Endurance Championship open. Five of the six factory teams are grouped together at the top of the provisional standings with less than a month to go for the final, which will play out on Saturday 26 September at the 12 Hours of Estoril in Portugal.

Ducati is missing from that group, despite some great performances by Team ERC Endurance all weekend long. The German team did their utmost to stay within striking reach of the leading pack at Le Mans. But they ran into a number of problems, running out of fuel, crashing more than once and experiencing technical issues, ultimately withdrawing at the end of the night with an electrical problem.

A BMW team won for the first time this season by dint of running a flawless race in the Superstock class with riders Stefan Kerschbaumer, Lucy Glöckner and Toni Finsterbusch. GERT56 by GS Yuasa’s win ahead of No Limits Motor Team and Moto Ain also throws open the FIM Superstock World Cup. Moto Ain, who finished on the podium despite multiple crashes, still top the provisional standings, but the points gaps are narrower on the eve of the final at Estoril.

GERT56 by GS Yuasa’s win ahead of No Limits Motor Team and Moto Ain in the Superstock

Two other teams in this category lost their chance at the overall win. BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers and Wójcik Racing Team withdrew after several crashes.

The only Aprilia-mounted team, local squad and 24 Heures Motos regular Aprilia Le Mans 2 Roues, were given the Anthony Delhalle EWC Spirit Trophy. After Nelson Major crashed, Eddy Dupuy and Marco Boué pushed on throughout the night as a two-man team to keep Aprilia in the race. The Aprilia #15 crossed the finish line in 27th place with Nelson Major making a comeback to take the pressure off his teammates. Their combative spirit won them the trophy launched in memory of Anthony Delhalle.

Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda France – P1

“It was an unbelievable race! We headed in this weekend with the new bike, the team had only few months to prepare it and we arrived here and got the job done. The new Honda Fireblade SP is amazing, straight out of the box it’s already competitive and surprised us all, riders and team, because we went faster on that bike than on any other bike directly. We kept on improving the bike and we arrived in Le Mans with a bike that was able to win the race, and we knew that from the start. A massive thank you to the team and our partners that worked so hard to get this new bike up and running. They deserve this victory and I’m happy that Freddy, Mike and myself were able to do it!”

Freddy Foray – F.C.C. TSR Honda France

“When you look back, you realise that the Fireblade made its first steps and won the race today. I just want to say a big thank you to this team for achieving an incredible performance because at the start of the week we didn’t know what to expect from a bike that started from scratch. Sharing this with the team and my teammates is fantastic too. I would like to congratulate Mike for riding really well and also Josh who was injured and made it through to the end. This is the second win we’ve shared here with the team and it’s great. A few weeks ago we didn’t even know if it would be possible to race because of the sanitary situation and today we are in Le Mans and we won the race, it’s just magic!”

Mike Di Meglio – F.C.C. TSR Honda France

“It was a crazy race! Right from the start I thought that the race pace would be much faster, and as we were starting from a new machine I was ready to accept to let my rivals go. I made a good start and I was second behind Gregg Black, who I quickly overtook at the end of the first lap, and then I started to ride with my own pace. I was quite surprised to see that I was able to build up a gap so I calmed things down a bit during the first stint. When a few competitors started to make mistakes with the tricky conditions, we chose to stay focused on our pace. Then during the night, I started to understand how the bike worked and to have fun with it, and I set quite good lap times. The team did a really fantastic job on the new Fireblade SP, we trained as much as we could during the whole Covid period and we won in the end, that’s great.”

Damien Saulnier (Team Manager) – Suzuki Endurance Racing Team – P3

“For sure, we are always aiming for victory but after this very complicated race, with changing weather conditions and many twists and turns, I’m really satisfied with this third place, especially since it’s a great deal for us in the championship. We are still leading the championship but it’s not over yet. There is still one race left and in Endurance you never know what can happen until you cross the finish line! Once again, I would like to thank all the technical staff and the riders for the great work they did. I am very proud of them. I would also like to thank the ACO and Eurosport Events for the organisation of this event in a complex sanitary context. And last but not least, a big thank you to our sponsors for their strong support despite the difficult year that we have all experienced.”

Karel Hanika – YART Yamaha EWC Official Team – P4

“It’s a bitter pill to swallow. We were, of course, aiming to be higher in the standings. I’m very sorry for the crash in my first stint. I felt good on the bike, and when the rain came, I didn’t feel like I was pushing, but when I arrived at the corner, there was more water than I expected and slipped off breaking the handlebar. We lost a lot of time, but from there we did our best, each rider was strong and the team did a great job. We were the fastest on the track, we could do 1:37s, but in the end, we did well to come back to P4 – not the podium we were hoping four but got good points. We are still able to fight for the championship in Estoril, but it’s tough to go to Portugal with no trophy here in Le Mans. I want to thank the team for standing by me, it’s my first crash in an Endurance race, but we all stuck together and did our best to recover. Bridgestone supported us a lot, Yamaha has made a great bike, so I thank everyone in our team, and we can bounce back stronger in Estoril.”

Broc Parkes – Wójcik Racing Team – P7

“We got it! Team 77 after 793 laps finish the legendary 24 Heures Motos race in a great seventh place! We also won the Dunlop Trophy. Unfortunately, after 14 hours of the competition due to the failure, the Polish National Team fell off 🇵🇱 777, but the boys also showed an amazing class. Thank you! See you in four weeks in Estoril at the FIM EWC final.”

24 Heures Motos – 24 Hours of Le Mans Results

Pos	Team	Man.	Total Time	Gap
1	F.C.C. TSR Honda France	Honda	24:00:57.502	–
2	WEBIKE SRC KAWASAKI France TRICKSTAR	Kawasaki	24:02:33.761	+2 Lp.
3	Suzuki Endurance Racing Team	Suzuki	24:02:16.192	+3 Lp.
4	YART – YAMAHA	Yamaha	24:00:57.952	+5 Lp.
5	VRD IGOL PIERRET EXPERIENCES	Yamaha	24:01:22.949	+17 Lp.
6	3ART BEST OF BIKE	Yamaha	24:01:31.651	+22 Lp.
7	Wójcik Racing Team	Yamaha	24:01:56.358	+23 Lp.
8	GERT56 by GS YUASA	BMW	24:01:25.036	+30 Lp.
9	No Limits Motor Team	Suzuki	24:02:38.348	+33 Lp.
10	TEAM MOTO AIN	Yamaha	24:01:35.646	+35 Lp.
11	MACO RACING Team	Yamaha	24:02:31.068	+35 Lp.
12	Team 33 Coyote Louit Moto	Kawasaki	24:00:57.532	+37 Lp.
13	Motobox Kremer Racing #65	Yamaha	24:01:16.290	+42 Lp.
14	Team LRP Poland	BMW	24:01:15.464	+46 Lp.
15	JMA MOTOS ACTION BIKE	Suzuki	24:01:28.446	+47 Lp.
16	OG MOTORSPORT BY SARAZIN	Yamaha	24:00:58.400	+50 Lp.
17	AM Moto Racing Competition	Kawasaki	24:00:57.755	+51 Lp.
18	Slider Endurance	Yamaha	24:00:59.403	+51 Lp.
19	Junior Team Suzuki LMS	Suzuki	24:01:02.702	+60 Lp.
20	Tati Team Beaujolais Racing	Kawasaki	24:01:19.602	+61 Lp.
21	Team Bolliger Switzerland	Kawasaki	24:02:32.660	+61 Lp.
22	Falcon Racing Rennes Motos	Yamaha	24:02:50.441	+62 Lp.
23	Dunlop Motors Events	Suzuki	24:02:05.843	+70 Lp.
24	ENERGIE ENDURANCE 91	Kawasaki	24:01:03.985	+75 Lp.
25	British Endurance Racing Team	Suzuki	24:03:15.523	+75 Lp.
26	Aprilia Le Mans 2 Roues	Aprilia	24:01:03.067	+85 Lp.
27	Moto Sport Endurance	Yamaha	24:02:38.731	+88 Lp.
28	TEAM 202	Yamaha	24:01:03.683	+96 Lp.
29	ATLANTIC RACING TEAM	Honda	24:01:04.140	+128 Lp.
30	TEAM RACING 85	Kawasaki	24:01:46.649	+140 Lp.

2020 Endurance World Championship Standings

Pos	Team	Man.	Nat.	Points.
1	Suzuki Endurance Racing Team	Suzuki	FRA	127
2	F.C.C. TSR Honda France	Honda	JPN	87
3	Yamalube Yamaha EWC Official Team by YART	Yamaha	AUT	82
4	BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM	BMW	BEL	82
5	TEAM SRC KAWASAKI FRANCE	Kawasaki	FRA	80
6	Wójcik Racing Team	Yamaha	POL	70
7	VRD IGOL PIERRET EXPERIENCES	Yamaha	FRA	62
8	3ART BEST OF BIKE	Yamaha	FRA	62
9	MACO RACING Team	Yamaha	SVK	46
10	Tati Team Beaujolais Racing	Kawasaki	FRA	35
11	Team Bolliger Switzerland	Kawasaki	SUI	30
12	Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA	Honda	JPN	28
13	Team LRP Poland	BMW	POL	27
14	TECMAS BMW GMC	BMW	FRA	26
15	National Motos	Honda	FRA	22
16	Yamaha Sepang Racing	Yamaha	MAS	20
17	BMW Sepang Racing	BMW	MAS	14
18	ERC-Endurance	Ducati	GER	14
19	Motobox Kremer Racing #65	Yamaha	GER	13
20	SUZUKI JEG – KAGAYAMA	Suzuki	ESP	12
21	TEAM PLUSONE	BMW	JPN	11
22	MOTOTECH EWC TEAM	Yamaha	BEL	11
23	British Endurance Racing Team	Suzuki	GBR	11
24	Team R2CL	Suzuki	FRA	10
25	Zuff Racing Honda Swiss Team	Honda	SUI	8
26	Bertl K. Racing Team	BMW	AUT	8
27	FSB MATT RACING	Yamaha	POR	6
28	Team Kodama	Yamaha	JPN	5
29	KRP SANYOKOUGYOU & will raise RS-ITOH	Kawasaki	JPN	4
30	EMRT	Yamaha	FRA	4

Source: MCNews.com.au

News

Hickman joins BMW FIM EWC Team for Le Mans 24 Hour

August 26, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

Hickman gets last minute call up for Le Mans

The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team will receive support from a big name in the BMW Motorrad Motorsport family at the “24 Heures Motos” in Le Mans (FRA). Peter Hickman (GBR) will be the fourth rider for the #37 BMW S 1000 RR in Le Mans. He joins the team and its three regular riders Kenny Foray (FRA), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) and Markus Reiterberger (GER) at short notice.

“I’m really excited to be part of the official BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team this weekend in Le Mans”, said Hickman. “The team is fighting for the world championship and I am privileged to have been asked to contribute to the team. I have raced at three Le Mans 24-hour races before and have also raced at Slovakia, Suzuka and Qatar. So I’m not new to endurance and have always enjoyed the experience. I can’t wait to get out on the bike!”

Hickman and BMW Motorrad Motorsport have enjoyed success together for many years. The 33-year-old has won four races at the Isle of Man TT on the BMW S 1000 RR and has also won the Macau Grand Prix on three occasions.

The Englishman has also enjoyed success on the racetrack with his regular team, Smiths Racing. In the British Superbike Championship (BSB), he has secured one of the six coveted places in the “Showdown” for the title in each of the past three years. He also rode for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team at Donington Park (GBR) in the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) in 2019.

Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director

“After the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team’s successful start to its debut season, we have had to wait a very long time to finally go racing again. However, we have used the break to continue to develop the endurance version of our RR. The tests in July at Le Mans were very positive. We are well-equipped and can hardly wait to take on the challenge that is the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Anything can happen in endurance racing, so it is difficult to make any predictions before the race. However, we have done our homework and are looking to build on what we achieved at Le Castellet and Sepang.”

BMW Motorrad Motorsport. FIM Endurance World Championship FIM EWC.

The 2020 24 Heures Motos will be flagged off at 12pm this Saturday on the Bugatti circuit at Le Mans. Despite the absence of spectators, the teams are all set to race what is the third round of a 2019-2020 FIM Endurance World Championship thrown into utter disarray by the global health crisis. The race will be held closed doors for the first time since 1978, with all participants and organizing staff following strict hygiene precautions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The stakes will be even higher at the 2020 24 Heures Motos following the cancellation of the Bol d’Or and the Suzuka 8 Hours. The season finale will now play out in Portugal on 26 September at the 12 Heures d’Estoril for both the world championship title and the Superstock World Cup.

At the 24 Heures Motos, a maximum of 65 points are available for the win, with bonus points for pole position and for being in the lead 8 hours and 12 hours into the race.

At the 12 Heures d’Estoril, which as the championship final will now benefit from the bonus of 150 per cent of the points at the finish line, another 67.5 points will be available in total: the points for the win, for pole position and for the leader 8 hours into the race.

SERT GSX-R1000 riders Etienne Masson, Gregg Black and Xavier Simeon currently lead the series – recently revised from five to four rounds after the cancellation of the Suzuka 8 Hour Race in Japan.

There are a mere 15 points separating the top two teams in the provisional rankings, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team and BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. The next two teams, Wójcik Racing Team and YART Yamaha, are 31 and 36 points respectively behind the leader. VRD Igol Pierret Experiences, who are 48 points behind, also have strong ambitions, as do some of the factory teams who were unlucky in the early part of the season. Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar are 49 points from the leader and F.C.C. TSR Honda France with Aussie Josh Hook are 54 points behind, while Team ERC Endurance have to make up a 67-point gap to take their Ducati Panigale to the top of the standings.

FCC TSR Honda Sepang — F.C.C. TSR Honda riders are Mike di Meglio, Freddy Foray and Australian Josh Hook.

Thanks to their victory last time out, Mandy Kainz’s Yamaha team return to France for the latest round of the 2020 EWC championship lying fourth in the overall classification, just behind fellow Yamaha squad, Wojcik Racing. The team will be aiming to take more points at this weekend’s event; the YART Yamaha team has had previous success at the 2.6-mile French circuit, standing on the top step in 2009 and has claimed a further four podium finishes.

Sepang Hour YART Trophy — YART Yamaha won the Sepang 8 Hour

The team will field their highly experienced line-up with the first Italian FIM EWC Champion and 2017 Le Mans 24 hour winner, Niccoló Canepa, partnered with 2016 IDM Superbike Champion and previous Endurance race-winner Marvin Fritz, and former Red Bull Rookies and European Moto3 champion, Karel Hanika, who will make his first proper start with the YART Yamaha YZF-R1 at the renowned 24-hour event.

Mandy Kainz – Team Manager – YART

“For us it is going to be quite a strange race, racing in front of empty grandstands for 24 hours, but it is what it is and we’re more than ready despite not having as much pre-event testing as normal. The biggest challenge will be for our riders because, in such a long Endurance race, you’re always chasing motivation to continue, and a lot of that comes from the fans. Still, our riders are very professional and will be able to give it their all. For Le Mans, we aim to return to the championship and pick up good points to put us in the title fight at the finale in Estoril. It is a must to finish the 24-hour event if we want to be within a chance of the title in this strange year. I know we can do a good job because we have an amazing package; the bike, the Bridgestone tyres and our riders are all very strong, so I know we can do a good race.”

The Wojcik Racing Team come into Le Mans looking to fight back from a non-finish in Sepang. The team will once again run British Superbike rider, Gino Rea, Frenchman Axel Maurin, Australian Broc Parkes and Polish rider Maceli Bezulski. The polish-based Yamaha team are determined to fight for the podium to keep themselves within a title chance come the season finale in Portugal.

ARRC Sepang Test SBK Parkes — Broc Parkes

The Moto Ain Yamaha World Cup Supported Team’s trio of riders, Roby Rolfo, Robin Mulhauser and Hugo Clere will be looking to protect their lead in the Independent team and FIM World Cup standings. They currently lead the independent championship by 14 points over Wojcik Racing Team, in a Yamaha top-five lockout.

Completed in 1966, the famous 4.185km Bugatti circuit located in north-western France has seen various changes to the course. The current layout has been in use since 2008 and provides spectacular racing. Its high and low-speed corners mixed with heavy braking zones, fast changes of direction and unpredictable weather are what makes Le Mans and the 24 Heures Motos one of the most challenging and rewarding events on the calendar.

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, News

Bol d’Or 2020 cancelled | Estoril to stage FIM EWC finale

August 18, 2020 mcnews Leave a comment

FIM EWC finale to be held at Estoril

Without the possibility of hosting spectators, the Bol d’Or 2020 will not take place. The local authority, Prefecture of Var has just withdrawn permission to welcome public to the race, scheduled for September 19-20. A new event, the 12 Hours of Estoril in Portugal, will take place on September 27 in its place.

The Bol d’Or2020, the proposed finale of the current FIM EWC season, was supposed to host Endurance fans at Le Castellet in the south of France on 19-20 September.

Following the strengthening of restrictions to stop Covid-19 in France, the local authority, Prefecture of Var, has withdrawn the authorisation to welcome spectators to the event. This decision has forced Editions Larivière, the race organiser, to cancel the Bol d’Or 2020.

The 2019-2020 FIM EWC Finale will instead take place in Portugal on the Estoril circuit on 27 September.

A 12-hour race is scheduled on this international circuit near Lisbon. It will close a sporting season particularly disrupted by the global health crisis. As the FIM EWC season final event, this 12-hour race will benefit from the bonus of 150% of the points in both EWC and Superstock categories, as well as intermediate points in the standings after eight hours of racing. The 4.182km Estoril circuit has hosted MotoGP and FIM Superbike World Championship events previously. Before this final event in Portugal, FIM EWC teams will race at Le Mans for the 24 Hours Motos on 29-30 August.

François Ribeiro – Head of Eurosport Events

“We support the decision of Editions Larivière to cancel the Bol d’Or 2020 within the context of stricter restrictions related to the health situation in France. We will return to this great event in September 2021. In order to protect the interests of the championship and teams, we have made every effort to replace this final race. We are pleased to announce and offer a new battle between teams at the Estoril circuit to close the 2019-2020 season.”

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Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Floods, engine failures, flames and disqualifications mar Bol d’Or

September 23, 2019 mcnews Leave a comment

With thunderstorms and more heavy rain forecast during the night Race Direction, after consultation with the Team Managers, decided to suspend the race until 0600 the following morning, when weather conditions were predicted to improve.

The Bol d’Or then resumed on a still-damp track with the riders going out behind the safety cars in the same order as the lap before the red flag was raised to suspend the race.

F.C.C. TSR Honda France restarted in the lead ahead of Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, YART Yamaha, Webike SRC Kawasaki France, Wójcik Racing Team and Tecmas BMW GMC.

Loris Baz, stand-in rider at the Bol d’Or for YART Yamaha regular, Broc Parkes, was riding his second consecutive stint aboard the YART Yamaha YZF-R1, and had just reclaimed the race lead after a pit stop when the FCC TSR Honda ridden by Mike Di Meglio suffered an engine failure and dropped oil throughout the 180 degree Le Beausset corner.

Bol dOr FCC TSR YART Wet — F.C.C. TSR Honda suffered an engine failure which then brought down two of their main rivals

Erwan Nigon, running third aboard the SRC Kawasaki, was the first to go down on the oil closely followed by Baz, whose bike then collided with the Kawasaki. Both bikes caught fire and were almost completely destroyed before marshals managed to extinguish the flames. Fortunately, both the riders and the marshals walked away uninjured.

After dominating qualifying for the 83rd edition of the Bol d’Or at Circuit Paul Ricard YART saw their aspirations for victory go up in flames.

Loris Baz – YART Yamaha EWC

“I’m frustrated and incredibly disappointed, as you can imagine, but also relieved that the crash wasn’t more serious for Erwan, because my bike hit him and his bike so hard and then they both caught fire with him still next to them. It’s the scariest crash I’ve ever been involved in and I think they could have been a bit quicker with the safety car. It was impossible to see the oil because there were still many parts of the track that were wet and the first I knew about it was when I lost the front. To finish like this is a real shame, as the whole team has done a fantastic job, my two teammates have been so strong on the bike from the start and we had a really good pace, not just in qualifying but also in the race. The restart this morning was tough. Riding through the night is one thing, but having to sleep, get up at four in the morning and then jump on the bike at six for two stints like Niccolò did is not so easy. My first stint on slicks was good and I took a lot of time out of the FCC TSR Honda to take the lead and then pull away. Marvin was ready to take over, but I decided to double stint as I had a good feel for the track conditions, which were still quite tricky. Everything was going really well and then… I’m really sad for the team, because we were so strong, and we should have won here today.”

Bol dOr Start SERT Gregg Black — 2019 Bol d’Or

Surviving the trials and tribulations of a 24-Hour race…

Lasting until the end it was Suzuki Endurance Racing Team that tasted victory once again, crossing the finish line of the Bol d’Or one lap ahead of the Yamaha-mounted Polish squad Wójcik Racing Team, who had led the race for some time before being overhauled by Etienne Masson 19 hours in to the race.

Bol dOr Wojcik Yamaha — Wójcik Racing Team, with Gino Rea, Christoffer Bergman and Axel Maurin

Germany’s BMW-mounted Team ERC Endurance joined them on the podium, only to hours later then have their result declared null and void after post-race scrutineering and the FIM jury demoted Team ERC Endurance for non-compliance with the rule regarding fuel tank capacity.

Bol dOr Team ERC BMW Disqualified Later — The ERC BMW Team celebrated their podium only to then be disqualified due to their fuel tank being larger than permitted

Thus the ERC Endurance team had to cede their place on the podium to the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, who were making their FIM EWC debut at the Bol d’Or.

Bol dOr BMW Fuel — The fuel tank on the third place finishing BMW was found to be larger in volume than what regulations permit

17th Bol d’Or win for SERT

Suzuki Endurance Racing Team won the Bol d’Or for the 17th time with riders Vincent Philippe (for whom this is both his 9th Bol d’Or win and his last time competing in the race), Etienne Masson and Gregg Black.

Bol dOr SERT Winners Vincent Philippe Etienne Masson Gregg Black — SERT – Vincent Philipp, Etienne Masson, Gregg Black

The factory-backed Suzuki once again tasting victory – their first in the World Championship since their 2016 Bol d’Or win with Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Etienne Masson.

Suzuki Endurance Racing Team

Vincent Philippe

“I was focused on the last stint and I really appreciated that Damien allowed me to finish the race. I want to thank the new SERT for their hard work and constant improvement day after day. But I won’t forget the former team without whom we wouldn’t be here.”

Etienne Masson

“It wasn’t easy to go back on track this morning, but the bike was working well, and we quickly found the right pace. This race was very special because it was the last Bol d’Or with Vincent. We experienced very strong emotions working together and I am really happy to end this story with a victory.”

Gregg Black

“It was a very strange race. The track was very tricky, and the race direction took the right decision for the riders’ safety. We were very consistent all through the race. The team worked really well, and I want to thank them all for this victory because it’s my first victory in a 24-hour race.”

Suzuki Endurance Racing Team started the 2019-2020 FIM EWC at the top of the standings with 49 points and finished ahead of a somewhat unexpected challenger – Wójcik Racing Team.

The Polish Yamaha team led throughout the early stages of the race in the rain with riders Gino Rea, Christoffer Bergman and Axel Maurin, and subsequently held back their rivals.

Bol dOr Wojcik Racing Yamaha Podium Gino Rea Christoffer Bergman Axel Maurin — Yamaha was represented on the Bol d’Or podium by the Wójcik Racing Team, with Gino Rea, Christoffer Bergman and Axel Maurin finishing in an incredible second place aboard their YART Yamaha prepared EWC class YZF-R1.

The fratricidal duel that unfolded between two BMWs in the final stages of the race, with Team ERC Endurance (Mathieu Gines, Julien da Costa and Louis Rossi) facing off against BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team (Ilya Mikhalchik, Julian Puffe and Kenny Foray). In the end, Team ERC Endurance took the chequered flag with a 4-second lead on the factory BMW squad, but were then demoted for fuel tank size irregularities.

Bol dOr BMW World Endurance — BMW World Endurance Team

Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director

“It was a turbulent opening race with a very good result. There has never been a Bol d‘Or like it. On one hand, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team faced an additional challenge since we did not to find a good rain set-up for the chassis and electronics in the run-up. Ilya also had his first ever experience of Dunlop rain tyres in the race. In this respect, the interruption suited us. On the other hand, as a totally new project it might have benefitted us that the team and bike weren’t subjected to the usual pressures of a full 24-hour distance. But overall, it has to be said that with our speed, the pit stops, the team performance and also in terms of fuel consumption, we were on track. That shows that we have developed a super basis in the short time available. Yes, we were gifted a few places by the problems the top teams experienced, but that’s all part of 24-hour races. Toward the end of the race, we struggled with a minor technical problem which cost us the podium by four seconds. It would have been amazing, but to come away with a fourth place is still remarkable. Congratulations to our customer team ERC, who overtook us eight minutes before the end of the race, thereby securing the spot on the podium.” (These quotes were made before ERC was later disqualified, thus the factory BMW Team did in face end up with a podium result.)

Bol dOr Team BMW Endurance Ilya Mikhalchik Julian Puffe Kenny Foray — BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team (Ilya Mikhalchik, Julian Puffe and Kenny Foray)

Having started from 23rd position, Omega Maco Racing Team (Pawel Szkopek, Bjorn Estment and Karel Hanika) were 5th past the finish line, ahead of VRD Igol Pierret Experiences (Florian Alt, Florian Marino and Ricardo Brink).

Bol dOr Moto Ain — In the Superstock class it was the reigning champions Moto Ain who took the win with their SST specification Yamaha YZF-R1, piloted by Roberto Rolfo, Robin Mulhauser and Hugo Clere.

Moto Ain ran a near-flawless race to take the Superstock victoruy. The Yamaha-mounted team finished 7th to take the Superstock win, pocketing the 40 points awarded for the victory in this class as well as the 10 points awarded at each of the two intermediate stages of the race, plus 4 bonus points for being the 2nd Superstock on the starting grid.

Bol dOr MotoAin Superstock P — In the Superstock class it was the reigning champions Moto Ain who took the win with their SST specification Yamaha YZF-R1, piloted by Roberto Rolfo, Robin Mulhauser and Hugo Clere.

62,000 spectators turned out to watch the 2019 edition of the Bol d’Or despite the adverse weather conditions.

Bol dOr Superstock Podium — In the Superstock class it was the reigning champions Moto Ain who took the win with their SST specification Yamaha YZF-R1, piloted by Roberto Rolfo, Robin Mulhauser and Hugo Clere.

The next race on the 2019-2020 FIM Endurance World Championship calendar is the 8 Hours of Sepang, a new race to be held in Malaysia on Saturday 14 December as part of a double-header car/motorcycle event featuring the FIM EWC and the FIA WTCR/Oscaro.

Pos	Team	Time	Gap/Lap
1	Suzuki Endurance Racing Team	24:00:24.254	–
2	Wójcik Racing Team	24:02:08.575	1 Lp.
3	BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM	24:00:35.677	2 Lp.
4	Omega Maco Racing Team	24:01:09.525	3 Lp.
5	VRD IGOL PIERRET EXPERIENCES	24:01:49.935	3 Lp.
6	MOTO AIN	24:01:53.631	3 Lp.
7	TATI TEAM BEAUJOLAIS RACING	24:02:19.561	3 Lp.
8	TECMAS BMW GMC	24:00:51.968	4 Lp.
9	BMRT 3D MAXXESS NEVERS	24:01:00.611	4 Lp.
10	3ART- MOTO TEAM 95	24:00:45.069	6 Lp.
11	National Motos	24:01:42.315	6 Lp.
12	MOTORS EVENTS	24:02:09.532	6 Lp.
13	Wójcik Racing Team 2	24:01:10.579	8 Lp.
14	GERT56 by GS YUASA	24:01:20.346	8 Lp.
15	Bolliger Team Switzerland	24:01:50.911	9 Lp.
16	MOTOTECH EWC TEAM	24:02:16.514	9 Lp.
17	ITeM17	24:00:37.246	10 Lp.
18	No Limits Motor Team	24:00:51.584	10 Lp.
19	AM Moto Racing Competition	24:01:51.420	10 Lp.
20	ENERGIE ENDURANCE 91	24:01:37.760	11 Lp.
21	Rac 41	24:01:39.554	13 Lp.
22	PLAYERS	24:01:29.202	14 Lp.
23	SUZUKI JEG – KAGAYAMA	24:02:19.902	15 Lp.
24	JMA MOTOS ACTION BIKE	24:00:56.489	17 Lp.
25	Team 33 Coyote Louit Moto	24:01:42.055	19 Lp.
26	Junior Team LMS Suzuki	24:01:25.944	20 Lp.
27	Zuff Racing Honda SwissTeam	24:01:27.785	22 Lp.
28	GIRLS RACING TEAM	24:02:11.495	22 Lp.
29	Dunlop Motors Events	24:00:40.849	23 Lp.
30	Team LRP Poland	24:01:46.479	23 Lp.
31	FSB MATT RACING	24:00:32.067	25 Lp.
32	Bertl K. Racing Team	24:02:16.398	25 Lp.
33	PITLANE ENDURANCE	24:01:24.767	26 Lp.
34	TEAM 202	24:00:41.200	27 Lp.
35	PLR	24:00:42.576	27 Lp.
36	Pecable Racing Team	24:02:03.678	28 Lp.
37	LCR ENDURANCE	24:02:04.503	32 Lp.
38	Falcon Racing Rennes Motos	24:01:24.882	33 Lp.
39	TeamGP	24:02:06.194	36 Lp.
40	EMRT	24:00:40.111	39 Lp.
41	TRT27 BAZAR 2 LA BECANE	24:01:55.584	42 Lp.
42	British Endurance Racing Team	24:00:55.538	48 Lp.
43	LMD63	24:00:56.858	76 Lp.
44	SEIGNEUR MOTORSPORT RACING	24:00:57.237	78 Lp.
45	Space Moto 37	20:37:19.191	132 Lp.
46	F.C.C. TSR Honda France	18:09:19.174	169 Lp.
47	YART – YAMAHA	18:00:45.999	170 Lp.
48	WEBIKE SRC KAWASAKI FRANCE	18:00:04.488	172 Lp.
49	Team Aviobike	18:01:24.258	181 Lp.
50	HRT 100 – Hertrampf Racing Endurance	17:49:36.150	184 Lp.
51	METISS	18:54:55.616	188 Lp.
52	KAWASAKI CATALA ACLAM	17:37:15.013	189 Lp.
53	Team FLAM Racing / InfiniTeamMoto	17:29:48.415	195 Lp.
54	Motobox Kremer Racing #65	02:38:39.676	262 Lp.
55	OG MOTORSPORT BY SARAZIN	00:48:00.386	292 Lp.
56	Team ERC Endurance	24:00:31.399	2 Lp.

2019-20 FIM EWC Championship Points Standings

Pos	Team / Equipe	Bike	Total
1	Suzuki Endurance Racing Team	Suzuki	60
2	Wójcik Racing Team	Yamaha	48
3	BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM	BMW	42
4	Omega Maco Racing Team	Yamaha	30
5	VRD IGOL PIERRET EXPERIENCES	Yamaha	29
6	TECMAS BMW GMC	BMW	26
7	TATI TEAM BEAUJOLAIS RACING	Kawasaki	24
8	3ART- MOTO TEAM 95	Yamaha	20
9	National Motos	Honda	15
10	F.C.C. TSR Honda France	Honda	13
11	YART – YAMAHA	Yamaha	13
12	SUZUKI JEG – KAGAYAMA	Suzuki	12
13	WEBIKE SRC KAWASAKI FRANCE	Kawasaki	11
14	Bolliger Team Switzerland	Kawasaki	11
15	MOTOTECH EWC TEAM	Yamaha	11
16	Zuff Racing Honda Swiss Team	Honda	8
17	Team LRP Poland	BMW	7
18	FSB MATT RACING	Yamaha	6
19	Bertl K. Racing Team	BMW	5
20	EMRT	Yamaha	4
21	British Endurance Racing Team	Suzuki	3

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Bedlam at 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour | Kawasaki the winners

July 28, 2019 mcnews Leave a comment

Suzuka 8 Hour race report by Trevor Hedge

Images by David Reygondeau

One of the most eagerly anticipated Suzuka 8 Hour races in recent history got underway at 1230 (AEST) under hazy skies and on a hot and dry track. These conditions were in stark contrast to the torrential downpours that forced organisers to cancel the Top Ten final qualifying shootout on Saturday afternoon.

Yamaha Factory Racing Team started from pole in their quest for a fifth successive victory on the hallowed Suzuka ground, that is actually owned by Honda.

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour Start — 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour start

Japanese hot-shot Katsuyuki Nakasuga (2m05.922) was the quickest of the Yamaha Factory Racing Team trio, but team-mates Alex Lowes (2m06.629s) and Michael Van der Mark (2m07.306s), had also displayed good enough speed for the team to claim pole position, their combined time only 0.014s ahead of the second placed Kawasaki triumvirate.

The very much in-form trio of Kawasaki World Superbike riders had been led by Jonathan Rea, the fastest qualifier for the team on 2m06.495s, alongside Leon Haslam (2m06.706s), and Turk Toprak Razgatlioglu (2m06.698s).

Red Bull Honda had qualified third but Takumi Takahashi (2m06.200s) had actually been the second fastest qualifier overall behind Nakasuga. Takahashi’s team-mates Ryuichi Kiyonari (2m07.955s), and Stefan Bradl (2m07.106s), loaned their weight to the team effort that saw them qualify third.

MuSashi RT Harc-Pro had qualified fourth but were forced to start from pit-lane, after a 90-second penalty, due to a tyre rule infringement.

Yoshimura qualified fifth, led by Yukio Kagayama, then it was the Yamaha Austria Racing Team led by Broc Parkes and defending World Endurance Champions F.C.C. TSR Honda France led by Josh Hook. The top nine qualifiers all on Bridgestone rubber.

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour Start GB — Riders make the mad dash to their machines in the start of the 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

They are away!

Taree youngster Josh Hook quickly worked his way through to the front of the pack as Sylvain Guintoli and Bradley Ray gave chase, while Leon Haslam made short work of Ray to move up to third place.

Katsuyuki Nakasuga, the fastest man here during practice and qualifying, then pushed Ray further back to fifth. Takumi Takahashi was in sixth place for Red Bull Honda in these early laps of the race ahead of Niccolo Canepa, Ryosuke Iwato and Yuki Takahashi.

Sylvain Guintoli swept through to the lead on lap three but Hooky came right back at the 37-year-old French MotoGP tester.

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour Nigon GB — The 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour kicks into action!

Yonny Hernandez then threw the Honda Endurance Racing Team Fireblade down the road but eventually managed to re-mount.

Ten minutes into the race it was Guintoli from Hook, but the Aussie youngster was starting to come under sustained attack from Nakasuga, Haslam and Takahashi, the latter of which had just put in a new fastest lap of the race.

Josh Waters had started the race for MotoMap Suzuki but 13-minutes into the race the Mildura based three-time Aussie Superbike Champion went down. He eventually made it back to the pits and continued the race.

Guintoli managed to pull away from Hook and 16-minutes into the race the Suzuki man had a two-second buffer. Hook was holding down second place but had a number of high-profile riders all over his tail. Haslam briefly moved past Nakasuga to move up to third place, but the star Yamaha rider quickly reasserted his place in the pecking order. In reality though, nothing separated Hook from Haslam, Nakasuga and Takumi Takahashi as the race approached the 20-minute mark.

Niccolo Canepa had started the race for YART Yamaha and was running in sixth place ahead of Bradley Ray and Ryosuke Iwato. Yuki Takahashi had started the race for the KYB Moriwaki Honda he shares with Troy Herfoss and Tomoyoshi Koyama.

Safety Car!

Hook and his trio of fellow travellers then started closing on Guintoli only for the first safety car incident to unfold at the 26-minute mark. As per all World Endurance rounds there are actually two safety cars that join at different parts at the circuit, and importantly SRC Kawasaki France, the leaders in the World Endurance Championship, were behind the second of the safety cars, in 13th place.

Just as it seemed as though the safety car might have done Hook and F.C.C. TSR Honda a favour, Hook got mixed up in traffic at the re-start. He then did a brilliant job to quickly force his way back up to third place behind Nakasuga, while Guintoli again was off like a rocket. The Frenchman seemingly able to switch to full speed like a light switch, catching the others on the hop.

The re-start signalled disaster for the 333 VRD Igol Pierret Expériences squad when Xavier Simeon went down at Spoon Curve.

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour VRD Igol Pierret Experiences — 333 VRD Igol Pierret Expériences – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

Leon Haslam pushed Hook back to fourth place as the race approached the 45-minute mark but it was again that same group of five riders running in relatively close formation at the front of the field. Guintoli from Haslam, Nakasuga, Hook and Takahashi.

Hooky was mixing it up well and racing with with some very well proven talent and was showing the way for Honda, as some of the other well supported Honda teams and riders tripped themselves up, the 26-year-old was looking fast and solid. The strength of his performance, in front of all Honda’s top management from across the corporate and racing spectrum, should raise his stakes somewhat in the Honda hierarchy of current racers.

Just over an hour into the race Nakasuga made his move past Guintoli. The leaders then started to encounter lots of lapped traffic, it was the Japanese hotshot that sliced and diced them like a Teppenyaki chef to stretch away from his pursuers. It also started to seem that a couple of that leading quintet had backed off a little, presumably for fuel preservation purposes, playing the long game…

Or was it the ones with the real speed up their sleeve had just pulled the pin to end their session in a fast fashion and hand over the best possible position to their next team-mate in-line….

First Pit Stop!

The first two of the leading five to pit were Josh Hook and Sylvain Guintoli. Taking the controls of the F.C.C. TSR Honda from Hook at the 67-minute mark was Mike Di Meglio, while Kazuki Watanabe clambered aboard the Yoshimura Suzuki. Interviewed after getting off the bike, Hook explained that he had some front end chattering issues late in his stint, and that he had to save a few front-end loses.

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour FCC TSR Honda France — F.C.C. TSR Honda France – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

Race leader Katsuyuki Nakasuga came in on the next lap and handed over the Yamaha Factory Racing Team YZF-R1M to Alex Lowes. Inheriting the race lead when Nakasuga pitted was Takumi Takahashi on the Red Bull Honda, ahead of Leon Haslam.

Haslam was the next of that early leading group to come in but amazingly the Red Bull Honda was able to stay out for yet another lap. Haslam handed over to Jonathan Rea while Takahashi eventually handed over to Stefan Bradl.

As they settled back into the swing of things after the pit stops, and the new order started to shake out, it was Stefan Bradl leading by two-seconds over Alex Lowes.

F.C.C. TSR Honda France’s Mike Di Meglio was five-seconds behind the race leader, but ahead of Jonathan Rea and Kazuki Watanabe.

Once Alex Lowes got up to speed though he quickly reeled in Stefan Bradl, and was right on the tail of the Red Bull Honda in no time, before then backing off his pace, seemingly content to follow and conserve both fuel and tyres, but knowing that he can turn the speed on at any given moment to sprint to the front.

Jonathan Rea then slotted the Kawasaki Racing Team past Di Meglio on the F.C.C. TSR Honda to move up to third place. The World Superbike Champion quickly pulled away from the 31-year-old Frenchman.

YART had fared well from the pit-stop with Niccolo Canepa handing over to Marvin Fritz and the team ranked a strong sixth as the race approached the 90-minute mark.

Bradl and Lowes hit a lot of lapped traffic around 15-minutes later, Lowes threaded the needle better and took the lead from Lowes.

At the 1hr50-min mark Team SRC Kawasaki, the World Endurance Championship leaders, made their second pit stop and David Checa took the controls with the team down in 19th place.

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour Team SCR Kawasaki France Guarnoni GB — Team SRC Kawasaki France – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

It was more than 20-minutes later when race leader Alex Lowes handed over the reins of the Yamaha Factory Racing Team YZF-R1M to his Pata Yamaha World Superbike team-mate Michael Van der Mark.

Freddy Foray took the controls of the F.C.C. TSR Honda from Mike Di Meglio with the team still ranked in fourth place.

Red Bull Honda came in a couple of laps later and Bradl did not hand over to Ryuichi Kiyonari, the third member of the team, and the slowest qualifier amongst the team, but instead Takumi Takahashi went out for his second stint.

Troy Herfoss took the controls of the KYB Moriwaki Honda with the team in ninth place while Broc Parkes was also now out for his first stint with the YART Yamaha in sixth place. Herfoss managed to improve the standing of the KYB Moriwaki squad up to eighth place during his session.

With the situation shaking out after that second round of pit stops, and almost 2.5-hours into the race, Red Bull Honda were looking very strong. Leon Haslam had momentarily got ahead of Takumi Takahashi but the Honda man then put in a new fastest lap of the race to propel the Fireblade back into the race lead.

Traffic was causing all sorts of delays for the hard chargers up front. Some passes were harder or softer, depending on the situation at hand, but it also meant that the race pace slowed and varied, with even some of the leading riders forced back into the 2m10s from time to time.

Three Hours Down

At the three-hour mark, Takumi Takahashi still headed the field on the Red Bull Honda. His buffer, with 37-per cent of the race now behind that Fireblade SP2, was more than eight-seconds ahead of the Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10RR beneath Leon Haslam.

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour Red Bull Honda — Red Bull Honda – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

Michael Van der Mark was holding down third place on the Yamaha Factory Racing Team YZF-R1M and was now right behind Haslam.

Freddy Foray had not managed to equal the impressive early pace of Hook and the F.C.C. TSR Honda was now over a minute behind the race leader, and starting to be stalked by Yukio Kagayama on the Yoshimura Suzuki.

Broc Parkes was sixth on the YART Yamaha before coming in just after the three-hour mark and handing over to Niccolo Canepa.

Ten-minutes later Haslam handed the Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10RR back over to Jonathan Rea. Michael Van der Mark pitted the Yamaha Factory Racing Team YZF-R1M on the same lap and handed over to Katsuyuki Nakagsuga.

A lap later Josh Hook was back out on the F.C.C. TSR Honda and had his head down to try and keep Yoshimura Suzuki at bay.

Nigon throws the SRC Kawasaki down the road!

While Hook was in the pits, Erwan Nigon crashed the World Endurance Championship leading Team SRC Kawasaki ZX-10RR in a mistake that likely would have massive consequences for the outfit.

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour Team SCR Kawasaki France Nigon GB — Team SRC Kawasaki – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

SRC Kawasaki’s demise put the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team of Gregg Black, Etienne Masson and Vincent Phillipe in the box seat for FIM World Endurance Championship honours.

SERT were running in ninth place, and if they were to remain in that position at the chequered flag the FIM WEC crown would be theirs. Should they falter, and F.C.C. TSR finish well, then Hook and his Honda team-mates would be crowned World Endurance Champions for the second year running….

To confuse things a little further though Nigon had eventually got the SRC Kawasaki up and running again and rejoined the race in 16th place. It won’t be over until it is over!

Bradl back on the leading Red Bull Honda

Just after the 3hr-20mins mark Stefan Bradl was back out on the leading Red Bull Honda. The German had a lot to live up to after what been an absolutely brilliant stint by Takumi Takahashi.

Jonathan Rea and Katsuyuki Nakasuga were on track together in a battle over second and third place. The pair dropping in 2m-07s laps and fighting each other tooth and nail like it was a sprint race, and doing it while negotiating plenty of lapped traffic. Their respective pit garages would be either biting their nails or not able to watch the monitors… The duo were six-seconds behind Bradl as he got back up to speed after just getting back on the bike, but were more than a full minute ahead of fourth placed Hook.

Rea and Nakasuga continued to lap quicker than Bradl, it was not long before they were all over the back of the Red Bull Honda.

Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki Racing Team into the lead

Jonathan Rea made short work of Stefan Bradl and also got the better of Naksuga. Both riders got ahead of Bradl but it was Rea that managed to make a break after some decisive moves through traffic, combined with a metronomic series of fast laps, that saw the Kawasaki start to pull away at the front of the field. It was a deeply impressive performance by Rea, pin-point accurate, fast, and smooth.

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour Kawasaki Racing Team Rea GB — Jonathan Rea – Kawasaki Racing Team – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

2.5 hours to go and things tight at the top

Fortunes ebbed and flowed over the next stints but after more rider swaps, and with 2.5 hours to go, things were still remarkably tight at the top. Jonathan Rea was back in the saddle again after a stint from Haslam, while Stefan Bradl had just climbed back aboard the Red Bull Honda after another brilliant stint from Takumi Takahashi.

Michael Van der Mark was in the hot seat aboard the Yamaha Factory Racing Team YZF-R1M. As the new riders bedded back in to their bikes, tyres and got back up to speed, it was Jonathan Rea leading from Van der Mark by 1.5-seconds, with the Dutchman holding a similar gap over third placed Stefan Bradl.

Freddy Foray was still the highest ranked of the FIM World Endurance regulars with the F.C.C. TSR Honda in fourth place, a lap behind the race leaders, but with an 11-second buffer over the Yoshimura Suzuki of Yukio Kagayama.

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour MuSASHi RT HARC PRO Honda — MuSashi RT Harc-Pro – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

Broc Parkes was on the YART Yamaha and a further 40-seconds behind but with 30-seconds over Javier Fores on the MuSashi RT Hard-Pro Honda. The #634 Honda had been made to start from pit-lane, 90-seconds after the rest of the field due to a tyre infringement earlier in the weekend, but had done a remarkable job to be holding down seventh place.

Six Hours Down!

Jonathan Rea was leading from Michael Van der Mark by three-seconds, with Stefan Bradl now a further six-seconds down in third place.

Freddy Foray was a lap down in fourth place but was still 13-seconds ahead of Yukio Kagayama on the Yoshimura Suzuki. Broc Parkes was still out on the YART Yamaha but further behind in sixth place.

Now time for the sixth pit stop

With just under two hours remaining, some of the leading teams started to pit for their sixth stop. The first of the leaders to pit was Jonathan Rea on the Kawasaki, the Northern Irishman again handing the controls of the ZX-10RR to Leon Haslam.

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour Kawasaki Racing Team Haslam GB — Leon Haslam – Kawasaki Racing Team – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

The third member of the Kawasaki Racing Team, Toprak Razgatlioglu, preferred a much different set-up and seating position to his team-mates. Rather than compromise the settings of the machines, the team chose to concentrate on the more similar requirements of Rea and Haslam, thus Razgatlioglu was left to watch on as his Kawasaki team-mates did a sterling job on the ZX-10RR.

The next of the leaders in to the pits was the Yamaha Factory Racing Team YZF-R1M with Michael Van Der Mark handing over to Katsuyuki Nakasuga. There was a problem with the fuel cap on the Yamaha that caused a small delay for them during the pit stop.

F.C.C. TSR Honda were in shortly after with Josh Hook back in the saddle for his final stint on the Fireblade.

Stefan Bradl was the last of the top ten to pit, staying out for a lot more laps than most of his competitors.

Ninety minutes to go!

Stefan Bradl came in to hand the race leading Fireblade to Takumi Takahashi with 90-minutes remaining in the race. Was there any remote chance that they could stretch a 90-minute final stint out of that Red Bull Honda….? Or would they need a splash and dash…?

With the whole field now having made their sixth pit-stop, the race order shook itself out again and when all competitors were back up to race speed, Leon Haslam had a significant 11-second lead over Takahashi, while Katsuyuki Nakasuga was a further nine-seconds behind in third place.

Nakasuga was dipping into the 2m07s, when traffic allowed, and looked determined to use his stint to claw back as much ground as possible on the Red Bull Honda and KRT ZX-10RR in front of him.

Josh Hook was in fourth place, a lap down on the leaders, but with a 16-second buffer over Yoshimura Suzuki’s Sylvain Guintoli.

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing — Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

Takahashi gradually reeled in Leon Haslam. The Kawasaki man was carrying a wrist injury, that was forcing him to ride with a slightly less natural style, which was then bringing on some niggling shoulder discomfort. Without it would he have the speed to match the charging Takahashi? Probably not, but his shoulder pain certainly wouldn’t be helping. It took Takahashi almost half an hour to pull back that 11-seconds, but now Red Bull Honda were back in front with just over sixty minutes to go.

One hour to run!

Once past Leon Haslam, Takumi Takahashi quickly started pulling away from the Kawasaki mounted Briton. Katsuyuki Nakasuga was also closing in on Haslam, the gap was down to seven-seconds before Haslam then pulled into the pits for a tyre change, a full tank of fuel and a new rider in the shape of reining World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea.

During his earlier session the Northern Irishman had exhibited stunning speed, superior to that of Haslam, and it was now going to be interesting if Rea could start reeling Takahashi back in.

Just as that battle was shaping up though the Red Bull Honda headed into the pits with just over 45-minutes remaining. Takahashi got a new set of tyres and a tank of fuel but remained on the motorcycle.

Nakasuga had entered the pits at the same time and handed over to Alex Lowes. Now with Rea on the Kawasaki, Takahashi on the Honda and Lowes on the Yamaha, we had three of the fastest qualifying riders all on track, and all with a sniff of victory.

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour Kawasaki Racing Team — Kawasaki Racing Team – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

Jonathan Rea was straight down to business and clocking in 2m06s laps as he chased Takahashi, the gap with 43-minutes remaining was three-seconds. Lowes was a further 20-seconds back on the Factory Yamaha. All it would take though was a bad run of traffic, or a safety car, and it would be back to nothing between them…

The #10 Kawasaki piloted by Jonathan Rea took the lead with 36-minutes remaining just as Takahashi got well and truly baulked and held up by a lapped rider. It cost the Red Bull Honda man a couple of seconds and allowed Rea to immediately sprint away from the Fireblade.

In an instant it was nearly all over for Rea as a back-marker came down after clipping what looked like an errant muffler on the circuit, his sliding bike missed taking Rea out by inches. That would have been a very cruel blow but with 30-minutes remaining it served as a stark reminder that very little separates triumph from tragedy, and that anything could happen before this race was over.

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour TEAM SRC KAWASAKI France — Team SRC Kawasaki France – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

Just as wrote that line, the rain flag came out as minor patches of precipitation started to be detected around the circuit. This being Japan, that could quickly turn into a torrential downpour, or could even rain at one part of the circuit, and be dry at another part of the track…

Defending World Endurance Champions F.C.C. TSR Honda were still ranked fourth overall, with 24-seconds over Yoshimura Suzuki. Their poor start to the season though meant that disasters would have to befall Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, or Team SRC Kawasaki France would need to make another major mistake for the F.C.C. TSR Honda squad to lift the title again.

20 minutes to go! KRT have it in the bag….

Jonathan Rea had been an absolute dynamo and the seemingly tired Takahashi did not look to have enough fight left in him. The Yamaha of Nakasuga steadily reeled the Red Bull Honda in and pushed Takahashi back to third place. Meanwhile Jonathan Rea now had a 20-second lead over his pursuers and looked a shoe-in to take Kawasaki’s second ever Suzuka 8 Hour win.

Once Nakasuga was past a tiring Takahashi he pulled away from his countryman with ease.

With ten minutes remaining Rea led by 21-seconds, and Yamaha Factory Racing had more than 20-seconds over Red Bull Honda.

F.C.C. TSR Honda were still fourth and the leading team amongst the FIM Endurance World Championship regulars. The rain was holding off, but darkness had fell.

As they negotiated the now dark circuit the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team GSX-R1000R started billowing smoke, a lot of smoke. Just as SERT looked as though they would claim the World Endurance Championship, their chances had gone up in smoke.

Etienne Masson remained circulating on the track way too long before eventually pulling off onto the grass. Disaster at the final juncture, and despite an early crash in the race Team SRC Kawasaki France were now looking certain to claim the World Endurance crown and F.C.C. TSR Honda would be promoted to second.

Jonathan Rea goes down!

With 90-seconds left in the race Jonathan Rea went down, presumably on the oil spilled from the SERT bike. The red flag then came out, which meant the results would go back a lap, but can you win the Suzuka 8 Hour if you finish it on the ground…?

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM — Yamaha Factory Racing Team – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

Would Yamaha take an unlikely victory at the final hurdle?

There was confusion in all the team garages with Kawasaki Racing Team unsure if they had won. Jonathan Rea looked as though he believed he was the winner, but most of his team did not look quite so sure. Likewise, a lot of the personnel in the Yamaha Factory Racing Team had confused looks on their faces…

Yamaha announced as the winners!

There were some delays to the podium presentations as some consternation still reined up and down pit-lane. Yamaha though did not wait too long before they brought a pre-arranged wreath celebrating their fifth victory in succession.

All the commentary, both circuit and television, believed that Yamaha had won the 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour.

But, a lengthy time later….

KRT announced the winners!

After a confused, and somewhat farcical delay to the results, in this 42nd edition of the Suzuka 8 Hour, Kawasaki were once again announced as victorious as Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam piloted the KRT ZX-10RR to victory. The third member of the team, Toprak Razgatlioglu, did not ride at the event but was still part of the winning team. Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam were back at the hotel and after ordering dinner they received a phone call telling them that they had been named as the race winners…

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour Rea Haslam GB — Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam celebrate the win

Both Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam already had previous Suzuka 8 Hour victories under their belt, but both men scored their previous wins with Honda, and 2019 marks their first Suzuka victory on a Kawasaki.

This Suzuka 8 Hour win is also the first for Kawasaki since their previously one and only victory 26-years earlier, when Aaron Slight and Scott Russell piloted a ZX-7RR to victory in 1993.

Jonathan Rea

“I cannot believe what is happening really. From being dejected and feeling that everything was out of our hands, I had already gone back to the hotel, said goodbye to all the guys, with lots of tears. I was in the restaurant already, ordering dinner, when my mechanic Uri called me and said, ‘Hey, are you sitting down?’ I thought he was going to ask me to go to another restaurant – but he then told me we had won the 8 Hours. I think common sense prevailed in that one. I have no words because I am really emotional and happy. The strategy was to work on fuel consumption and race consistency and make no mistakes. I feel we executed that quite well although I got quite tired and cramped at the end. But we prepared the best way possible with the limited time we had. I am so proud to be part of the project and what an effort from KRT, KHI, KMJ who prepared for this race in two tests. During the race it is like hell, the hardest race you can ever imagine, but getting a result like this almost makes me want to come back for more. The emotional roller coaster is unreal.”

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour KRT Celebration GB — The Kawasaki Racing Team celebrate the Suzuka 8 Hour win

Leon Haslam

“From everyone being in tears to getting the news sitting in a restaurant that we actually did win it, I have no words to describe how I feel. The Suzuka 8 Hours is always one of the hardest races of the year. The effort we put in to win, from us, the team and Kawasaki means it has been a big roller coaster of emotion. When the oil went down and the situation happened at the end; words cannot describe the lows we had. But when the good news came through, the highs were just as high. In the second half of each stint I really struggled physically but the bike was working well. I am so happy and I want to thank Kawasaki for this opportunity; also the whole team, Toprak and Johnny, and we pushed as hard as we could. It is a shame that we did not get to stand on the top of the podium but the result is in and we have won the Suzuka 8 Hours.”

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour KRT Rea Haslam Toprak — Leon Haslam – Kawasaki Racing Team – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

Toprak Razgatlioglu

“Today I am very tired after watching the race for eight hours! But I am very happy for Johnny and Leon because that was an incredible job today. We are all happy and thank you to everyone. For me this was my first time here – and our team won.”

Guim Roda, KRT Team manager

“This race has been outstanding and I think for the public, the fans and everyone it has been the most incredible Suzuka 8 Hours. Yamaha, Honda and Kawasaki – the riders and the factories – have been amazing everybody and they all saw a great race. The best point is that we finally got the victory after Johnny made an incredible last riding stint. The strategy we planned was very good so at the end we got the victory.”

Yamaha second

After some of the riders being interviewed as the winners, and Yamaha team management celebrating what they thought had been victory, the trio of Michael Van der Mark, Alex Lowes and Katsuyuki Nakasuga ended up being named as second place finishers.

Red Bull Honda third

A spent Takumi Takahashi climbed the podium for Red Bull Honda alongside Stefan Bradl. The pair shared all riding duties after the third rider in the team, Ryuichi Kiyonari, failed to show competitive pace during practice and qualifying.

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour FCC TSR Red Bull Honda — F.C.C. TSR Honda & Red Bull Honda – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

F.C.C. TSR Honda were a brilliant fourth but it was not enough for them to successfully defend their World Endurance crown. Josh Hook the standout performer once again for the squad.

Yoshimura Suzuki placed fifth and MuSashi RT Harc-Pro Honda took sixth ahead of YART.

Troy Herfoss scored a top ten finish with KYB Moriwaki Honda placing ninth, just behind S-Pulse Dream Suzuki.

Aaron Morris finished 21st with R2CL Suzuki while Josh Waters finished 26th with MotoMap Suzuki.

SRC Kawasaki France World Endurance Champions

SRC Kawasaki France had done enough to lift the World Endurance Championship crown, winning the title over defending champions F.C.C. TSR Honda. Yamaha took the constructors title in the FIM World Endurance Championship.

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour Team SRC Podium GB — Team SRC Kawasaki France won the EWC crown – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

Jeremy Guarnoni

“It is unbelievable to win the championship and for me it has been the first time that I have done the full season – and we won it. We deserve it because after the Bol d’Or it was a really difficult moment for the team and me – for my head. Of course we are a bit lucky at the end but we deserve it because we made the job in Le Mans and I have two unbelievable team-mates. The team itself and the bike were – all season – really good. This weekend was a bit more difficult but Suzuka is always a strange race. We are really happy.”

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour Team SRC GB — Team SRC Kawasaki France – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

Erwan Nigon

“What a race and what a championship also. We had all weather conditions, 24-hour races are hard and early in the 2018/2019 season we had a victory at Le Mans which is always a good sign for the rest of the championship. We pushed a lot all through this year and in the end we won the championship. First time for me and I want to say thanks to the team because they worked a lot all winter to adjust the bike to make good race settings. Many thanks to my partners, my family and my incredible team-mates. We are friends also so it is a really good feeling to win it with them.”

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour SRC Podium GB — Team SRC Kawasaki France – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

David Checa

“I do not know what to say. In my first year with Kawasaki and Gilles’s team I am world champion again. It is like a dream. When you change a team it is not easy, when you change a brand it is not easy, but my team and my team-mates did a really good job. The atmosphere in the team is incredible. We are friends and for me this is the main point. When we talk and share everything for sure you push more. I believed that we could win the championship all year. The Bol d’Or was frustrating because we had a problem two hours from the end but we continued to believe. When you dream, and believe, the dream can come true – and we are world champions. Now I want to win the next Bol d’Or for Kawasaki, my team-mates and my team. We are world champions today but we have to think of the future and that future now is the Bol D’Or.”

FIM EWC Suzuka Hour TEAM SRC KAWASAKI France trophy — Team SRC Kawasaki France – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour

Pos	Team	Time	Best Lap
1	Kawasaki Racing Team Suzuka 8H	07h55m36.613	2m06.805
2	YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM	07h55m55.333	2m07.290
3	Red Bull Honda	07h56m43.340	2m07.246
4	F.C.C. TSR Honda France	07h57m14.500	2m08.271
5	YOSHIMURA SUZUKI MOTUL RACING	07h57m35.207	2m08.140
6	YART – YAMAHA	07h56m53.579	2m08.414
7	MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO. Honda	07h55m34.724	2m08.017
8	S-PULSE DREAM RACING . IAI	07h55m36.392	2m09.208
9	KYB MORIWAKI RACING	07h56m33.701	2m09.586
10	Honda Dream RT SAKURAI HONDA	07h57m21.654	2m09.481
11	Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA	07h57m12.971	2m10.362
12	TEAM SRC KAWASAKI FRANCE	07h5547.250	2m10.475
13	Honda Endurance Racing	07h57m32.889	2m09.550
13	TONE RT SYNCEDGE 4413	07h55m55.642	2m11.542
15	Bolliger Team Switzerland	07h55m58.687	2m11.757
16	Team ERC-BMW Motorrad Endurance	07h56m25.530	2m11.466
17	TEAM FRONTIER	07h57m19.062	2m11.147
18	Zaif NCXX RACING & ZENKOUKAI	07h57m20.322	2m11.386
19	OMEGA MACO RACING	07h56m01.771	2m11.462
20	TK SUZUKI BLUE MAX	07h56m02.573	2m11.372
21	TEAM R2CL SUN CHLORELLA	07h57m13.312	2m13.016
22	TERAMOTO@J-TRIP Racing	07h57m32.045	2m13.616
23	Team Kodama	07h55m40.502	2m12.753
24	Yamashina Kawasaki & AutoRaceUBE with YIC… Kawasaki	07h56m13.063	2m13.843
25	TEAM SUGAI RACING JAPAN	07h55m30.137	2m14.929
26	Moto Map SWAT	07h55m51.407	2m10.923
27	CLUB NEXT & MOTO BUM	07h57m16.123	2m14.102
28	TransMapRacing with ACE CAFE	07h57m34.718	2m15.044
29	HAMAMATSU TEAM TITAN	07h57m13.990	2m16.866
30	RC KOSHIEN YAMAHA Endurance ASEAN	07h57m17.298	2m12.360
31	au . Teluru SAG RT	07h55m39.236	2m08.289
32	ARMY. GIRL Team TJC & MF Kawasaki	07h57m38.515	2m11.914
33	Honda Koyokai DREAM Racing Team	07h55m35.135	2m17.758
34	Zaif NCXX RACING	07h55m41.461	2m13.404
35	TIO Verity	07h56m08.811	2m15.550
36	H.L.O RACING SUZUKIN	07h56m27.731	2m15.056
37	Honda EG Racing	07h56m11.412	2m16.543
38	E P S Racing GarageL8 TT45	07h56m39.610	2m16.382
39	Honda Hamayuukai Hamamatsu Escargot	07h56m03.511	2m13.433
40	HKC & IMT Racing KUNO KOGYO	07h55m58.288	2m16.854
41	MOTOBOX KREMER & Favorite Factory	07h56m10.638	2m14.231
42	Honda Ryokuyoukai Kumamoto Racing	07h56m49.091	2m12.867
43	Team de”LIGHT	07h56m23.243	2m15.121
44	TEAM HANSHIN RIDING SCHOOL	07h21m19.057	2m13.108
45	IWATA RACING FAMILY	07h57m19.958	2m15.857
46	EVA RT WEBIKE TATi TEAM TRICKSTAR	07h57m14.419	2m10.798
47	moto cubic + Motorrad Toyota + NR	07h57m40.780	2m14.566
48	K’s WORKS RACING YSS	07h56m47.472	2m17.764
49	Sinshu activation project . Team NAGANO	07h56m09.735	2m16.184
50	Honda Blue Helmets MSC Kumamoto & Asaka	07h56m28.762	2m17.456
51	MobiusGreen YAOKAWASAKI	07h56m52.974	2m13.865
52	Suzuki Endurance Racing Team	07h54m09.152	2m10.402
53	Honda Suzuka Racing Team	07h54m51.206	2m09.551
54	VRD IGOL PIERRET EXPERIENCES	07h42m10.861	2m09.839
55	Team ATJ with JAPAN POST	07h04m57.166	2m09.944
56	NIPPON SUMATRA BIO MASSE+D REX	07h55m39.900	2m14.970
57	KRP SANYOUKOGYO & will raise RS-ITOH	07h57m18.094	2m09.233
58	PLUS ONE MCRT	06h27m24.887	2m15.895
59	icu RT MOTOKIDS NAC SANYO	07h55m51.756	2m12.678
60	DOG HOUSE	07h27m12.729	2m16.382
61	Team WITH87 Kawasaki PLAZA Fukuokahigas… Kawasaki	07h57m51.318	2m14.586
62	Team BABY FACE Titanium Power Racing	0726m33.576	2m10.399
63	Wójcik Racing Team	04h22m27.285	2m11.248
64	GSM RACING	03h16m20.838	2m13.161

FIM World Endurance Championship Standings

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Strong Aussie line-up for 2019 Suzuka 8 Hours

July 25, 2019 mcnews Leave a comment

2019 FIM Endurance World Championship

Aussies all set for Suzuka 8 Hours

This weekend will see the Suzuka 8 Hours take place in Japan as the 2019 FIM Endurance World Championship grand finale, with seven Australians taking part between the 8 Hours and 4 Hours events.

Suzuka Hour QP Haslam — 2018 Suzuka 8 Hour

The Suzuka 8 Hours has run since 1978, with many Aussie racers making their mark over the years, including Tony Hatton, Michael Cole, Kevin Magee, Mick Doohan, Wayne Gardner and Daryl Beattie.

The three time Australian Superbike Champion Josh Waters lines up with the MotoMap S.W.A.T team again for the fourth year in a row, with 2019 marking Waters’ ninth year racing at the Suzuka 8 Hours event.

Suzuka Hour Preview — Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda – Image by PSP/Mateus Mjagielski

The Mildura based rider will team up with former World 250cc/500cc/MotoGP racer, Nobuatsu Aoki for the sixth time, as well as former BSB rider Dan Linfoot, former. For 2019, Waters, Aoki and Linfoot are competing in the Superstock class.

Former World Supersport and Superbike racer Mark Aitchison takes to the grid with the Will-Raise RS-Itoh Kawasaki Racing Team, with the 35-year-old having been competing in the MFJ Superbike All Japan Road Race Championship for the satellite Kawasaki squad.

Aitchison tested with the Kawasaki team for the 8 Hours Suzuka Program and his lap times were good enough to get the nod for a start this weekend. Aitchison, who hails from the Gold Coast, and his team have had two tests at Suzuka, which saw most of the European and Japanese teams present, as well as one private test.

Aitchison’s teammates for the Suzuka 8 Hours will be Akira Yanagawa, and Ryosuke Iwato, who currently rides for Kawasaki Japan as part of their factory effort.

Mark Aitchison

“The last official test was a great experience, as basically the whole EWC championship was on hand to the 8 Hours race weekend. Testing went well enough to this point, though in Japan the weather conditions are always challenging. So, it’s a matter of compromise between you and your teammates on setup. It’s Ryosuke first year as factory rider and I understand why they gave him the opportunity. He’s an extremely talented rider and his lap times at the recent test turned some heads from the top Kawasaki bosses. I think he’s got a great future ahead of him. I really love the fans energy and enthusiasm that they bring. On top of that, the event itself brings its own unique platform, which combined with spectator involvement provides such an exciting and enjoyable weekend.”

27-year-old Aaron Morris reunites with the Paris based R2CL team, in what was a last-minute call up by the team on Saturday. Morris, who is competing in the Australian Superbike Championship with the Maxima BMW team, competed with the R2CL outfit throughout the 2016 EWC championship. 2016 saw Morris and his team finishing fourth at their Le Mans debut, twelfth at Suzuka and ninth in the teams FIM EWC Championship standing.

ASBK TBG Round Morgan Park Morris Hepburn TBG — Aaron Morris – Image by TBG

Morris will certainly be up against it this weekend, with no testing and riding for the first time with his teammates, Yoshihiro Konno and Josh Elliott, while coming to terms with the Suzuki GSX-R1000R on a track which he’s admitted to be his favourite.

Aaron Morris

“I’d love to improve on my best placed finish of twelfth we scored in 2016. We didn’t have a base set up, so we starting again and with three riders it’s hard to have a direction which everyone is happy with.”

2019 marks the first time in Paul Byrne’s career that he will race at Suzuka, joining TEAM SUGAI Racing Japan for the 4 Hours event. Kazu Kuroda from K1 Racing contacted the Irishman and now Australian citizen, a few weeks ago to see if he interested in racing on the team’s Honda CBR600RR. Byrne, 34, previously worked with Kuroda back in 2016, when he was his mechanic racing the International Island Classic and the International Festival of Speed on the DMR Harris XR69.

Byrne has had to learn the 18-corner circuit, as well as get his head around riding the Aprilia RSV4 machine, a bike he hadn’t ridden before, taking part in the official three-day test.

Paul Byrne

“I mentioned to Kazu that I had an interest in doing some endurance racing in Japan and finally its all come together for the first time, which I’m really grateful for. The first day was about just learning and trying to get as many laps done as possible plus. I really enjoyed the challenge. The second day I was a lot more relaxed and I started to push a bit harder and my lap times came down. But the main objective of the test was for me to help my teammate, Sugai Yoshiyuki with feedback. On top of that I just wanted to get some laps on track to learn it ahead of this weekend.”

Other Aussies to keep an eye out for over the weekend are full-season FIM Endurance World Championship competitors Broc Parkes (YART – Yamaha) and reigning Champ, Josh Hook (F.C.C. TSR Honda France). Also contesting is current Australian Superbike Champion Troy Herfoss (KYB Moriwaki Racing Team).

Hook and the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team are currently sitting third in the Championship; with a strong fourth-fastest finish at the Official Test and topping the times at yesterday’s practice as the quickest of the full-season FIM EWC Team.

YART’s lucky number seems to be five. Currently sitting fifth in the standings and posting the fifth-fastest time at yesterday’s practice, Parkes and his teammates all were quick and consistent.

2019 Endurance World Championship Standings

Pos	Team / Equipe	Total
1	Team Src Kawasaki France	132
2	Suzuki Endurance Racing Team	127
3	F.C.C. Tsr Honda France	109
4	Wepol Racing	101
5	Yart – Yamaha	88
6	Honda Endurance Racing	79
7	Bolliger Team Switzerland	73
8	Vrd Igol Pierret Experiences	53
9	Moto Ain	45
10	Gert56 By Gs Yuasa	45
11	Bmrt 3d Maccio Racing	39
12	Fany Gastro Bmw Motorrad- By Mercury Racing	38
13	Webike Tati Team Trickstar	36
14	Team 33 Coyote Louit Moto	32
15	Junior Team Lms Suzuki	30
16	Wójcik Racing Team 2	28
17	No Limits Motor Team	28
18	3art- Moto Team 95	27
19	National Motos	25
20	Motors Events	24
21	Motobox Kremer Racing #65	24
22	Wójcik Racing Team	23
23	Team Erc-Bmw Motorrad Endurance	14
24	Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers	12
25	Team Lrp Poland	12
26	Maco Racing Team	12
27	Jma Motos Action Bike	8
28	Og Motorsport By Sarazin	7
29	Zuff Racing Team	6
30	Am Moto Racing Competition	5
31	Mototech Ewc Team	4
32	Pitlane Endurance	3
33	Gsm Racing	2
34	Slider Endurance	1
35	Falcon Racing Rennes Motos	1
36	Set Racing	1

Source: MCNews.com.au

2021 FIM Endurance World Championship24 Heures Motos

Damien Saulnier – Team Manager

Josh Hook

Mandy Kainz – YART Yamaha Team Manager

Werner Daemen – BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team Manager

Patrick Enjolras – Tati Team Beringer Manager

Wednesday LeMans Test Combined Times

Entry List

2021 FIM Endurance World Championship

2021 FIM EWC Calendar (Updated May 1)

2021 FIM EWC Provisional Calendar

2021 FIM Endurance World Championship

F.C.C. TSR Honda France announce 2021 team

Yuki Takahashi

Masakazu Fujii – Team Manager of F.C.C. TSR Honda France

24 Hours of Le Mans 2020

Endurance World Championship

Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda France – P1

Freddy Foray – F.C.C. TSR Honda France

Mike Di Meglio – F.C.C. TSR Honda France

Damien Saulnier (Team Manager) – Suzuki Endurance Racing Team – P3

Karel Hanika – YART Yamaha EWC Official Team – P4

Broc Parkes – Wójcik Racing Team – P7

24 Heures Motos – 24 Hours of Le Mans Results

2020 Endurance World Championship Standings

Hickman gets last minute call up for Le Mans

Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director

Mandy Kainz – Team Manager – YART

FIM EWC finale to be held at Estoril

François Ribeiro – Head of Eurosport Events

Surviving the trials and tribulations of a 24-Hour race…

17th Bol d’Or win for SERT

Suzuki Endurance Racing Team

2019-20 FIM EWC Championship Points Standings

Suzuka 8 Hour race report by Trevor Hedge

They are away!

Safety Car!

First Pit Stop!

Three Hours Down

Nigon throws the SRC Kawasaki down the road!

Bradl back on the leading Red Bull Honda

Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki Racing Team into the lead

2.5 hours to go and things tight at the top

Six Hours Down!

Now time for the sixth pit stop

Ninety minutes to go!

One hour to run!

20 minutes to go! KRT have it in the bag….

Jonathan Rea goes down!

Yamaha announced as the winners!

But, a lengthy time later….

KRT announced the winners!

Yamaha second

Red Bull Honda third

SRC Kawasaki France World Endurance Champions

FIM World Endurance Championship Standings

2019 FIM Endurance World Championship

Aussies all set for Suzuka 8 Hours

Mark Aitchison

Aaron Morris

Paul Byrne

2019 Endurance World Championship Standings

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2021 FIM Endurance World Championship
24 Heures Motos