FIM Endurance World Championship Bol d’Or 24-Hour Magny-Cours, France April 17, 2011 Final Overall Race Results: 1. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Vincent Philippe/Freddy Foray/Anthony Delhalle), Suz GSX-R1000, 814 laps 2. Team SRC Kawasaki (Julien Da Costa/Gregor Leblanc/Olivier Four), Kaw ZX-10R, 808 laps 3. BMW Motorrad France 99 (Sebastien Gimbert/Damian Cudlin/Erwan Nigon), BMW S1000RR, 803 laps 4. Bolliger Team Switzerland Kawasaki (Horst Saiger/Roman Stamm/Jerome Tangre), Kaw ZX-10R, 802 laps 5. Honda TT Legends (Steve Plater/John McGuinness/Keith Amor), Hon CBR1000RR, 796 laps 6. National Motos (Emeric Jonchiere/Lucas De Carolis/Etienne Masson), Hon CBR1000RR, 794 laps 7. YMES Folch Endurance (Bosch Ribalta/Vallcaneras/Jose Marie Luis Rita), Yam YZF-R1, 789 laps 8. Yamaha France GMT 94 IPONE (David Checa/Kenny Foray/Matthieu Lagrive), Yam YZF-R1, 785 laps 9. Metiss JLC Moto (Christopher Michel/Marc Fissette/Emman Cheron), Metiss, 781 laps 10. Team Motor Events Bodyguard AMT (Mathieu Gines/Vincent Bocquet/Emilien Humeau), Suz GSX-R1000, 779 laps 39. Monster Yamaha YART (Igor Jerman/Steve Martin/Gwen Giabbani), Yam YZF-R1, 554 laps 47. Maco Racing Team (Jason Pridmore/Gregory Junod/Gregg Black), Yam YZF-R1, 202 laps More, from a press release issued by FIM Endurance Press Office: Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, undisputed winner at the Bol d’Or ahead of Team SRC Kawasaki and BMW Motorrad France 99 The Suzuki Endurance Racing Team took the victory with a six laps margin, at the end of a race started and led until the end on a infernal pace by the top teams. This is the fourth consecutive win for the SERT at the Bol d’Or, which immediately takes an advantage in the QTel FIM Endurance World Championship with the 35 points for the win. On the official Suzuki, Vincent Philippe (who equalled the record of wins with seven victories at the Bol d’Or), Anthony Delhalle and Freddie Foray took the lead as from the start. Only the Team SRC Kawasaki could fight for the lead in the beginning of the race. The team of Gilles Stafler and his three riders, Julien da Costa, Gregory Leblanc and Olivier Four, took the brand-new ZX-10R to the end. Until the last minute, the third degree of the podium was the target of a hard-fought duel between the BMW Motorrad France 99 and the Bolliger Team Switzerland Kawasaki. The factory BMW, focusing on the relays of its two fastest riders, Sébastien Gimbert and Erwan Nigon, ended winning this fight. It is the first podium for the S1000RR in the QTel FIM Endurance World Championship. Entered last year, it was only noted in qualifying practice or in the beginning of the races. The BMW Motorrad France 99 made it real, despite problems of brakes and fuel tank which obliged to shorter relays and a last minute change of the technical crew. Reformed around Steven Casaer, it showed all its efficiency. The Bolliger Team Switzerland Kawasaki, private team runner-up in the 2010 Qtel IM Endurance World Championship, proved once again that it will have to be taken into account in 2011, with Horst Saiger, Roman Stamm and Jérôme Tangre. The podium of this 75th Bol d’Or is thus composed of three different manufacturers, Suzuki, Kawasaki and BMW, and three tyre manufacturers, Dunlop, Pirelli and Michelin. Behind this group of four, another fight opposed two Hondas. The factory machine of the Honda TT Legends, with Steve Plater, John McGuinness and Keith Amor, ended winning against the private team of the Paris dealer National Motos with Emeric Jonchière, Lucas de Carolis and Etienne Masson. Then two Yamahas follow in the classification: the Spanish one of the YMES Folch Endurance of Dani Ribalta, Pedro Vallcañeras and José Luis Rita and the factory machine of the Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone. Among the top teams, it dropped down the classification after less than one hour of race following a crash of Kenny Foray, and came back to eighth place thanks to a superb race of David Checa, Kenny Foray and Mathieu Lagrive. The Metiss JLC Moto, only motorcycle left in the Open Class, made a very good race finishing in ninth position. The Superstock class was won by the Team Motor Events Bodyguard AMT always in the leading group of this class, ahead of the Atomic Motorsport team and the Team Van Zon Boenig Motorsportschool Penz RT. The record of the number of laps covered was almost equalled, with 814 – against 815 laps covered by the SERT winner in 2009 – thanks to good atmospheric conditions and only one intervention of the safety cars on Saturday evening. Thirty-five teams were able to reach the chequered flag of this 75th Bol d’Or. Concerning the retirements, the first to be noted is the Monster Yamaha YART in the early morning following a broken engine. The Austrian Yamaha was in the leading trio since the start of the race. Another unlucky leader was the team AM Moto Racing Compétition which left the race in the middle of the night following a crash of Kevin Denis. The Suzuki 110, leading the Superstock class since the second hour of racing, was too much damaged. Before this, the Junior Team LMS, another top team of the class, had met the same fate with the crash of Baptiste Guittet. A crash also stopped the good race of the Suzuki RT Motovirus Racing in the top 15. The Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers was not able to finish its first race on a BMW following a crash, as well as the Suzukis Endurance Moto 45 and Motobox Kremer Racing by Shell Advance. Broken engines eliminated the Maco Racing Team which was running in the top 10 until 9.00 pm, and Team FMA Assurances broken connecting rod during the night. The next round (8 Hours) of the 2011 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship will be held in Albacete, Spain, on Saturday 21 May. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Suzuki Endurance Racing Team has won the opening round of the 2011 Qtel World Endurance Championship – the 24-hour 75th-Anniversary Bol d’Or at Magny Cours in France. The GSX-R1000-mounted reigning World Champions crossed the line at the 3pm finish with 814 laps completed; six laps clear of race-long rivals SRS Kawasaki (808 laps), BWM Motorrad France 99 (803) and Bolliger Team Switzerland (802). SERT riders Vincent Philippe, Freddy Foray and Anthony Delhalle dominated from the start – even though first rider off at 3pm on Saturday – Philippe – was still feeling the after-affects of a heavy fall in the morning warm-up that meant the team had to use its number two machine for the race. At the five-hour mark, SERT had clocked-up 173 laps; one more than SRS Kawasaki and BMW. Through the night, the Suzuki trio opened the gap to three laps over SRS, with the Bolliger Team Switzerland Kawasaki climbing into the top three places when BMW broke a chain. From sunrise on Sunday, SERT used its experience to gradually increase its lead – to seven laps at one stage – plus time its pit-stops precisely to bring the GSX-R1000 home to an emphatic home victory for the Le Mans-based squad. It was the team’s fourth-consecutive victory at the Bol d’Or and Philippe’s seventh, which equals the record number of rider wins. Bol d-Or Results: 1 SERT – Vincent Philippe, Freddy Foray, Anthony Delhalle (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 814 laps, 2 Team SRS Kawasaki – Julien Da Costa, Gregor Leblan, Olivier Four (Kawasaki) 808 laps, 3 BMW Motorrad France – Sebastien Gimbert, Damian Cudlin, Erwan Nigon (BMW) 803 laps, 4 Bolliger Team Switzerland – Horst Saiger, Roman Stamm, Jerome Tangre (Kawasaki) 802 laps, 5 Honda TT Legends – Steve Plater, John McGuiness, Keith Amor (Honda) 796 laps, 6 National Motors – Eme Jonchiere, Luc De Carolis, Etienne Masson (Honda) 794 laps, 7 YMES Folch Endurance – Bisch Ribalta, F Vallcaneras, Jose M Luis Rita (Yamaha) 789 laps, 8 Yamaha France GMT 94 – David Checa, Kenny Foray, Matthieu Largrive (Yamaha) 785 laps, 9 Metiss JLC Moto – Christoph Michel, Marc Fissette, Emman Cheron (Metiss) 781 laps, 10 T Motors Events Bo – Mathieu Gines, Vincent Bocquet, Emilien Humeau (Suzuki) 779 laps. More, from a press release issued by Honda TT Legends: Honda TT Legends finish the Bol d’Or in fifth The Honda TT Legends team finished its debut Bol d’Or in an impressive fifth place after a grueling 24-hour race that saw John McGuinness, Steve Plater and Keith Amor complete 796 laps of the Magny-Cours circuit, France. The event was the first round of the 2011 FIM Endurance World Championship, which the team will contest along with the Isle of Man TT and the Ulster GP. 15-times TT race winner McGuinness started the race for the all-new team from seventh on the grid. His steady and conservative first laps set the tone for the rest of the race as each rider headed out onto the circuit for their individual stints with focus and determination. The team remained in seventh position for the first section, battling in close contention with four other teams including private French Honda team National Motos. A dramatic turn of events came with the break of dawn as the Yamaha Endurance Racing Team retired due to a technical problem and National Motos suffered a brake problem forcing them back two laps. This elevated the Honda TT Legends into fifth place where they remained steady for the rest of the race, eventually finishing 18 laps behind the winning team to achieve their aim of finishing the 75th annual Bol d’Or. Keith Amor completed the final stint to bring the Firebalde past the chequered flag. John McGuinness I’m pretty happy with that to be honest. It’s strange really because we were so close to the podium and it would have been great to get there, but we’ve got to be realistic with ourselves. We’re a brand new team and top five at world level in the first championship race is absolutely brilliant. It’s been like a war not a battle, incredible really. It’s a testament to the Hondas and to the hard work of the team, maintaining the bike through the race. The atmosphere here has been amazing, right through the day and through the night what an event, what a festival and what an experience and the icing on the cake is fifth place Steve Plater The whole team has put in a massive effort and worked really hard to get ready for the Bol d’Or. It’s a very hard, steep learning curve to do a 24-hour first rather than a six or an eight-hour. All the guys have done a fantastic job so we’ve got a good base to progress from. We’ve got an awful lot to learn from this and hopefully we can come back fro the next round at Albacete being even more competitive. Keith Amor Right now I’m feeling relief, just massive relief. That was a tough race for me, it was really, really hard. The most important thing for me at the end there was to bring the bike over the finish line. We didn’t have any major problems at all during the race, no stop and goes, no unplanned pit stops it all ran very smoothly and I think that’s why we got fifth. It just shows what the guys can do. Roll on the next one! Neil Tuxworth, team manager I’m so happy for everybody in the team. Endurance racing more than any other event is a team effort and everyone has played their part tremendously. Our main objective was to finish and the second was to place in the top six and we’ve achieved both of those things so as a new team we are very pleased. Russell Benny, race manager Any successful result is a team effort and on this occasion the team have performed splendidly. Considering it’s the first event of the year and the hardest event of the year, fifth place is beyond all our expectations. Congratulations must go to all the people who contributed mechanics, timekeepers, caterers, everyone. More, from a press release issued by Steve Plater’s publicist: The Honda TT Legends team comprising of Steve Plater, John McGuinness and Keith Amor finished the first round of the World Endurance championship in an impressive fifth place at Magny Cours in France on Sunday. Based at Louth in Lincolnshire the three man team completed 796 laps of the course in the 24-hour Bol d’Or event after qualifying in seventh position. Multi TT winner John McGuinness started the race and for the team and completed some steady and conservative laps before handing over to Woodhall Spa rider Steve Plater and then Keith Amor. The riders took turns throughout the 24 hours to ride the Honda Fireblade and after running in seventh position throughout the night, the race took a dramatic turn around dawn when two teams ahead of them were forced to retire with mechanical problems which elevated the TT Legends team up to fifth place. The team continued to hold fifth position to the chequered flag to achieve their aim of finishing the 75th annual Bol d’Or. Steve Plater said: “The whole team has put in a massive effort and worked really hard to get ready for the Bol d’Or. It’s a very hard, steep learning curve to do a 24-hour race first rather than a six or eight-hour. “All the guys have done a fantastic job so we’ve got a good base to progress from. We’ve got an awful lot to learn from this and hopefully we can come back from the next round at Albacete being even more competitive.” The next round is the eight-hour Albacete event in Spain on May 21 but prior to that Plater will contest the opening round of the British Supersport championship on the Padgett’s Honda at Brands Hatch over the Easter weekend. There is one free practice on Friday with the second on Saturday followed by qualifying for race one grid positions. The 18-lap first race is on Sunday at 4.30pm ahead the feature British Supersport race run over 26 laps of the circuit at 3.40pm on Monday.