Yamaha Marks its 60 Year Anniversary Celebrations at 2015 Bol d’Or
Endurance teams GMT94 Yamaha and Monster Energy Yamaha Austria Racing Team will be riding in a special yellow 60 year anniversary livery to celebrate Yamaha Motor’s 60th anniversary at this weekend’s 79th edition of Bol d’Or.
After a stunning double podium at Oschersleben, both officially supported Yamaha teams look forward to racing at Circuit Paul Ricard and aim to underline Yamaha’s 60 year racing milestone with the first endurance victory at this prestigious event since 2007.
GMT94 Yamaha’s David Checa, Kenny Foray, Mathieu Gines and Monster Energy Yamaha Austria Racing Team’s Broc Parkes, Iván Silva, Sheridan Morais, and Max Neukirchner will make their first appearance in the 60 year anniversary colours on Thursday the 17th of September during the first practice session ahead of this weekend’s 24-hour race that start on Saturday the 19th. The special colour scheme of their YZF-R1s will be similar to the livery the Yamaha’s MXGP and MX2 teams showcased at the Grand Prix of Maggiora and the special 60 Year Anniversary YZR-M1 MotoGP icon Valentino Rossi rode on at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The press will have a chance to see the yellow-and-black livery of GMT94 Yamaha and Monster Energy Yamaha Austria Racing Team YZF-R1s from up close during a special event that will take place inside GMT94 Yamaha’s pit box (no. 14) on Friday at 9AM. Their yellow bikes will be in good company at the Yamaha exhibition as racing legend Kenny Roberts’s Yamaha OW60 will also be on display, as well as a new Supersport range extension.
More, from a press release issued by Prime Factors Racing:
BOL D’OR BECKONS AS LEE JOHNSTON JOINS PRIME FACTORS RACING!
The Prime Factors Racing team head to the iconic Paul Ricard circuit in France this weekend, ready to end their debut Endurance World Championship on a high at the Bol d’Or 24hr. Joining regular riders Gary Mason, Barry Burrell and Stefan Capella will be Lee Johnston, who will be making his 24 hour racing debut.
Following the disappointment of the Oschersleben 8HR, where a crash ruled the team out, Prime Factors Racing will be looking to end their debut Superstock Endurance World Championship season on a high at the legendary Bol d’Or 24hr. Joining the team at the event will be Road Racing star Lee Johnston, who will be bringing his knowledge of the BMW S1000R as he makes his 24 hour debut. Steve Plater will also make his debut as Team Manager this weekend as the team continue to build ahead of moving into the EWC Superbike class and competing at the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT in 2016.
First run in 1922, the iconic Bol d’Or event is one of the most famous motorcycle races in the world and 2015 sees it return to the Paul Ricard circuit after an absence of fifteen years. Opening in 1970, the Paul Ricard circuit held both Formula 1 and MotoGP events before closing its doors to the public in 1999. Becoming a world famous test track for ten years, the circuit reopened its doors to motorsport events in 2009.
The 5.8km circuit is one of the most exciting on the Endurance calendar, whilst the 1.8km straight also makes it the fastest. Although not the most physical of tracks, the high speeds require intense concentration making a full 24 hour event mentally demanding.
Excited to be making his debut with Prime Factors Racing, Lee Johnston is looking forward to making his 24 hour debut, “It’s going to be a really special event and I can’t wait to get going! The Paul Ricard circuit is a legendary track so I’m looking forward to getting out on track and riding it for the first time – I’ve seen some on-board laps and it looks real fast!
Having been riding a BMW on the roads all season, the Prime Factors machine shouldn’t be too dissimilar to what I’m used to which should help us get up to speed quickly. I’m under no illusion as to what it will take but I know all the boys in the team and I understand the effort and preparation they put in so we’re going there ready to get some good results!”
Team Manager of Prime Factors Racing, Steve Plater added “This is the big one then! The Bol d’Or is not only our last endurance race of the season, but the most famous and prestigious of the year – so everyone is looking to end on a high. This will be my first event with Prime Factors as Team Manager and with the four riders we’ve got I believe we have a very strong package.
The Paul Ricard circuit is a very special circuit and I’m excited to be going back. Although Lee, Gary, Barry and Stefan have never ridden it, we’ll be testing on the Wednesday prior to the weekend so they should be able to get up to speed by the time official practice begins. Alongside challenging for the best possible position in the race, we’ll also be using this weekend to try some things ahead of our step up for 2016.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
SUZUKI AIMS FOR ENDURANCE AND SUPERSTOCK VICTORY
Suzuki Endurance Racing Team and Junior Team LMS Suzuki will start the final round of the 2015 World Endurance Championship, the Bol d’Or 24 Hour in France this weekend, as series leaders in both the World Endurance and Superstock World Cup classes and in strong contention to clinch both titles.
SERT riders Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Etienne Masson, aboard their GSX-R1000, currently hold a 23-point lead over GMT94 Yamaha after three rounds, while Junior Team LMS Suzuki riders Baptiste Guittet, Greg Black and Romain Maitre are 15 points clear of Kawasaki’s Traqueur Louit Motos 33.
A total of 54 teams have entered the 79th edition of the Bol d’Or, which after a 15-year absence, moves back to the impressive 5.8 km Paul Ricard circuit at Le Castellet on the scenic Var hillside. The last Bol d’Or in 1999 was won by then SERT riders Terry Rymer, Jehan d’Orgeix and Christian Lavieille.
For many riders it will be their first time at the circuit and returning riders will find that, although some sections of the track have remained unchanged, others have been substantially modified; like the Virage du Pont turn and the ‘S-curve’ Verrerie, which used to be taken flat out but is now tighter, meaning riders have to brake hard, making overtaking a possibility.
The return to Le Castellet has been met with excitement, but also with trepidation, because of the 1.8-km long straight where riders can hit top speeds of over 320 kph.
Following a recent test at the circuit, SERT Team Manager Dominique Méliand is sceptical as to whether the machines will be able to handle the long stretch at top speed lap-after-lap for the entire 24 hours. He said: “It’s a fantastic site for spectators, who can combine a seaside trip with an opportunity to watch the race. But as far as we’re concerned, there are plus and minus points, as there is on all the other circuits. The track has changed and the preliminary round of testing enabled us to trim the bike set-up. But the long Mistral straight will be the clincher, that’s for sure, as the bikes will be running at full revs for at least 18 seconds!”
Thirteen-times World Endurance Champions SERT take to the track tomorrow (Thursday) at 12:20hrs for the first free practice sessions, followed by the opening qualifying session at 17:40. Friday’s second qualifying session takes place at 11:00hrs with Saturday’s Bol d’Or 24-Hour race commencing at 15:00hrs.
Live coverage will be on the FIM Endurance website www.fimewc.com along with Eurosport Satellite TV and Eurosport Player.
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad France Team Penz13.com:
BMW Motorrad France Team Penz13.com ready to rumble at the Bol d’Or 24 hours of Le Castellet
Le Castellet, France. Le Castellet in Southern France is the scene of the last round of the 2015 FIM Endurance World Championship and this season’s final will be over 24 hours distance again. BMW Motorrad France Team Penz13.com is going to throw Markus Reiterberger (GER), Bastien Mackels (BEL) and Pedro Vallcaneras (ESP) in the mix once more with former MotoGP rider Lukas Pesek (CZE) standing by as reserve rider.
The first “Bol d’Or” was held in 1922 in Vaujours en Seine St. Denis, France. Between 1978 and 1999 the race for the golden bowl was held at the Circuit Paul Ricard Le Castellet already, swapping scenery from 2000 to 2014 to the Magny-Cours Circuit. This year the Bol d’Or returns to “where it belongs” as Endurance fans would call it.
The Paul Ricard Circuit Le Castellet is a new track for all three BMW Motorrad France Team Penz13.com riders as well as for the team. Even though some might have tested at the Southern France venue a couple of weeks ago no valuable data is on the board for any of the existing teams or machines taking part in the final round of the FIM Endurance World Championship. The track was re-built and has it’s original layout but not seen a Endurance race for over one and a half decades.
Today Reiterberger, Mackels, Vallcaneras and Pesek got their first impression of the track in a free test session and where surprised by the venue and especially the legendary Mistral straight – a 1.8 kilometre long back straight reaching top speeds of over 330 km/h on their BMW S 1000 RR bikes.
All Info on the Bol d’Or:
Team: www.penz13.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/penz13
Event: www.boldor.com
Series: www.fimewc.com
Live-Timing: www.fimewc.com/live-timing/
Results:http://ewc.motorstools.com/results
Markus Reiterberger
Rider
“I am looking forward to the last race of the Endurance season and with the Bol d’Or it is another 24 hours one. I’ve never been to the Paul Ricard Circuit at Le Castellet before but had quite some fun out there today. It is a fast and flowing circuit, lot’s of fun to ride. The Mistral straight for sure is something special, but I believe it’s almost too long, as we are flat out for more than 25 seconds there. Today was about learning the track but the BMW S 1000 RR already felt proper, so let’s go for it in tomorrows Qualifying sessions.”
Bastien Mackels
Rider
“I’ve never been to Le Castellet before so today’s sessions where about getting to grips with the track layout. It is a bit tricky but really fun to ride. I like the fast and flowing corners and the long straight. Maybe we can have some time to relax there during the race as 24 hours will be a long and tough one for the season ending once more. I am ready and looking forward to it.”
Pedro Vallcaneras
Rider
“As my team mates already said, today was about getting to grips with the Paul Ricard Circuit and I like the track. It for sure is interesting to ride and I think a good one for a Endurance race as you can relax a bit on the long straight. In general the track is really fluent so I think we can have some fun out there.”
Lukas Pesek
Rider
“I am happy to jump into the BMW Motorrad France Team Penz13.com squad for the second time this year. I’ve been with them at the Le Mans 24 hours already and I found them a nice bunch of people so I did not think a single second about missing this opportunity. I am looking forward to the weekend and what ever comes around, comes around.”
Rico Penzkofer
Team Principal
“We’ve come a long way this year with the 24 hours of Le Mans, the 8 hours of Suzuka and the 8 hours of Germany at Oschersleben. It is our first year in the EWC category of the Endurance World Championship and so far it has been a constant learning process for us – and I am not talking about the two new tracks we had and have to face with Suzuka and now Le Castellet, above all we had to learn a lot concerning the new and other technical requirements this category comes a long with. We’ve prepared a couple of new things since Oschersleben and I hope we can end the season on a high note on Sunday.”