SUZUKI WINS LE MANS ENDURANCE FINALE
Defending 13-time World Endurance Champions Suzuki Endurance Racing Team turned its 2014 season around with a stunning display of speed and consistency to win the final round of the series on home soil at the Le Mans 24-Hour race in France today; as Suzuki’s Junior Team LMS clinched the FIM Superstock World Cup.
Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle, Erwan Nigon and reserve rider Damian Cudlin leapt from fifth place to second overall in the series after collecting a maximum 60-points in the 37th-running of the Le Mans event: The GSX-R1000-mounted Le Mans-based team, winners of the title for the four previous seasons, took the lead early on Saturday evening after multi-time Le Mans winners SRC Kawasaki crashed-out and was forced to retire.
From there-on, SERT – under the guidance of long-term Manager Dominique Meliand – was never headed, adding an extra 10-points at each of the eight and 16-hour stages in the race; which gave the team a total of 60 points. SERT clocked-up a total of 812 laps, two ahead of newly-crowned World Champions Yamaha Racing GMT 94 Michelin, despite SERT being given a ride-through penalty for an alleged pit-lane speed infringement. In the end, SERT took 28 pit-stops, one more than Yamaha GMT and third-placed Monster Energy YART; while fourth-placed Superstock race winners Qatar Endurance Racing Team took just 25 pit-ins.
It was SERT’s first win of the four-round series; a season plagued by bad-luck, crashes and injuries: Philippe crashed at the opening Bol d’Or round in April which forced the team to retire. He missed the following race at Suzuka in Japan, but stand-in rider Cudlin proved a worthy replacement, although the team suffered another set-back at round three at Oschersleben in Germany when Delhalle slid-off on the opening lap, putting them at the back of the field. But they heroically fought-back to sixth position at the flag to claim 21 crucial points.
Coming into Le Mans, SERT was 47 points behind leaders Yamaha GMT 94 and finished the season 37 adrift as its main rival rode a near-faultless race. Third overall in the series was Team Bolliger Switzerland, four-points behind SERT, with National Motos (Honda) fourth on 80 points.
GSX-R1000-mounted Team R2CL – Tyco Suzuki International Road Racer Guy Martin, Gareth Jones and Gwen Giabbani – finished the race in fifth position with 790 laps; and making-it four Suzukis in the top-10 was Starteam PAM-Racing in 10th position overall and third in Superstock.
In the hotly-contested Superstock class, Le Mans-based 2013 series runners-up Suzuki Junior Team LMS celebrated and an emphatic victory, clinching the title on 134 points; 38 clear of Qatar Endurance Racing Team (Kawasaki).
Managed by Damien Saulnier, team riders Baptiste Guittet, Etienne Masson and Gregg Black rode a calculated race, taking no unnecessary risks, to finish second on the day – two laps behind QERT’s Anthony West, Alex Cudlin and Mashel Al Naimi – on 800 laps to seal victory.
Vincent Philippe – SERT:
“I haven’t won here for 11 years and 2014 was a very difficult year for SERT and also for me. It is very special to win here today. On Friday, we would have never fancied our chances to win but we will be back fighting in 2015.”
Erwan Nigon – SERT:
“It’s my first win in a 24 hour race! I’d like to give a special mention to the team, my fellow riders and all their hard work. The track was tricky this weekend, but we managed to avoid any pitfalls.”
Anthony Delhalle – SERT:
“It’s really nice to win at home. I live just 15 minutes away from the circuit and I have been watching riders on the Circuit-Bugatti since I was a kid. This is the third time I’ve tried for a win and it’s finally paid off.”
Dominique Méliand – SERT Team Manager:
“It’s a bit early to talk about 2015 but this win at the end of the season will open a few doors for us. We have already received congratulations from Japan!”
Baptiste Guittet – Junior Team LMS:
“We were aiming for the title but I made a small mistake this morning which cost us two laps.”
Etienne Masson – Junior Team LMS:
“The QERT riders were in a class of their own here. We couldn’t follow Anthony, who rode a fabulous first session!”
Gregg Black – Junior Team LMS:
“For me it’s been a successful season with the title in the French Superbike Championship and now the Superstock World Cup!”
Le Mans World Endurance 24-Hour Results: 1 SERT – Philippe/ Delhalle/ Nigon (Suzuki GSX-R1000) – 812 laps, 2 Yamaha Racing (Yamaha) 810, 3 Monster Energy YART (Yamaha) 804, 4 Qatar Endurance Racing Team (Kawasaki) 802, 5 Junior Team LMS Suzuki – Guittet/ Masson/ Black – (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 800, 6 National Motos (Honda) 794, 7 Penz13.com Racing Team (BMW) 792, 8 Team R2CL – Jones/ Martin/ Giabbani (Suzuki GSX-R1000) – 790, 9 Metisse JLC Moto (Metisse) 788, 10 Starteam PAM-Racing – Lucas/ Hardt/ Longearet (Suzuki GSX-R1000) – 788.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:
Yamaha Take 2014 World Endurance Championship Victory
The Yamaha Racing GMT94 Michelin Yamalube team has taken title victory in the 2014 FIM World Endurance Championship with the Yamaha YZF-R1. Riders David Checa, Kenny Foray and Mathieu Gines made the last race of the season count yesterday, working tirelessly through the night to score second on the podium in the gruelling 24Heures du Moto at Le Mans.
With several teams in the running for the title in the run up to last weekend’s race everything was to play for in the toughest road race in the world. The French team employed a brilliant strategy, working carefully through the practice and qualifying sessions to focus on their overall set up.
Having qualified in fifth position the team then dropped over 40 places in the first lap of the race when a crashing rider collided with David Checa. Luckily he was uninjured and the following incredible team effort then saw an unstoppable climb up the ranks. As the team rode through the night their skills and the abilities of the Yamaha YZF-R1 where put to the test as they swapped between rain and slick tyres to battle the changing elements. As dawn broke the team were securely in second place and held it to the race finish, closing the distance to the lead bike with every lap.
The podium finish delivered an impressive point score of 50 to take the team’s total to 141 points in the final standings, 37 ahead of their closest rivals.
GMT94 were not the only Yamaha team to put the R1 on the podium as the Yamaha Austria Racing team also put in an incredible ride to take third on the Le Mans podium. Riders Broc Parkes, Sheridan Morais and Michael Laverty started the weekend in style, securing third on qualifying with their R1.
Despite a small crash by Broc Parkes the team were consistently one of the fastest on track, quickly rising to third position and holding it to the line through the wet and dry circuit challenges for their hard earned podium finish.
YART’s third place gives them 43 points, taking their total to 70 in the final standings and placing them in sixth overall for the 2014 Championship.
David Checa
Yamaha Racing GMT94
“To be on the gravel after 24 seconds of race and to be world champion after 24 hours really demonstrates how difficult the competition was! But I feel lucky to be here. That was a near miss – things could have changed dramatically! We made a very regular season. Even if we did not manage to get it, we were always aiming for victory and this world champion title is a great reward.”
Kenny Foray
Yamaha Racing GMT94
“It is my fifth season with the GMT94 team and we’ve been expecting this moment from a very long time! It is the result of hard work and a close team with whom I feel really great. I will be happy to share this title with each member of the team, my family, my friends and all the people who were supporting us in the good moments and in the difficult ones during all those years.”
Mathieu Ginès
Yamaha Racing GMT94
“My first season with the GMT94 ends on a high note. I knew that the team had a strong potential, I knew my teammates and Michelin before joining the team. I certainly do not regret my choice because it was an extraordinary human adventure with a fantastic technical staff.”
Christophe Guyot
Yamaha Racing GMT94 Team Manager
“I would just like to say that I am very happy for the riders, David Checa Kenny Foray and Mathieu Gines are top riders. The bike is really good and the team worked really hard every day since the beginning of the season to get this title. Many people are behind us, it is so important that everybody believes in the team, bike and riders. This is especially true in endurance, when you are in difficulties and you start from last position and three laps behind everybody else. You can’t do anything without top riders. For me all three 100% deserve the title, they are the best Endurance riders in the world, I am very proud of them for this achievement. I also need to say thank you to all at Yamaha for their support in helping us achieve this amazing result.”
Eric De Seynes
Operational Director, Yamaha Motor Europe
“This title rewards the quality of the involvement of a team, a spirit and professionalism that merged with the special features of Endurance. Yamaha was able to evolve in this championship thanks to a common motivation, to a bike, the R1, that has been significantly developed during the last three years. World Endurance is a production road-racing championship that allows us to operate our bikes in the hardest conditions and also to get closer to our customers. It is a beautiful image for the motorsport.”
FIM World Endurance Championship Final Standings
1 Yamaha Racing – GMT 94 – Michelin 141
2 Suzuki Endurance Racing Team 104
3 Team Bolliger Switzerland #8 100
4 National Motos 80
5 SRC Kawasaki 72
6 Monster Energy Yamaha – YART 70
7 Honda Racing 63
8 Team Motors Events April Moto 60
9 Team R2CL 54
10 Flembbo Leader Team 47