Motul FIM Endurance World Championship
24 Heures Motos du Mans
Circuit Bugatti, Le Mans, France
April 8, 2016
Final Combined Qualifying Results:
(Teams are ranked by the average of all three riders’ best lap times)
1. Penz13.com BMW Motorrad Team (Mathieu Gines/Kenny Foray/Lukas Pesek), BMW S1000RR, Superbike, 1:38.201
2. SRC Kawasaki (Gregory Leblanc/Matthieu Lagrive/Fabien Foret), Kaw ZX-10R, Superbike, 1:38.317
3. YART Yamaha Official EWC Team (Broc Parkes/Max Neukirchner/Ivan Silva), Yam YZF-R1, Superbike, 1:38.932
4. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Vincent Philippe/Anthony Delhalle/Etienne Masson), Suz GSX-R1000, Superbike, 1:39.252
5. GMT94 Yamaha (Louis Rossi/Niccolo Canepa/David Checa), Yam YZF-R1, Superbike, 1:39.302
6. Honda Endurance Racing (Julien Da Costa/Sebastien Gimbert/Freddy Foray), CBR1000RR SP, Superbike, 1:39.698
7. Team April Moto Motors Events (Gregg Black/Gregory Fastre/Alex Cudlin), Suz GSX-R1000, Superbike, 1:39.707
8. Team LOuit Moto 33 Traqueur (Emeric Jonchiere/Anthony Loiseau/Morgan Berchet), Kaw ZX-10R, Superstock, 1:39.854
9. Team Bolliger Switzerland (Horst Saiger/Michael Savary/Gianluca Vizziello), Kaw ZX-10R, Superbike, 1:40.059
10. Junior Team LMS Suzuki (Baptiste Guittet/Romain Maitre/Robin Camus), Suz GSX-R1000, Superstock, 1:40.139
More, from a press release issued by Penz13.com BMW Motorrad Team:
Penz13.com – BMW Motorrad Team celebrates Pole Position for the 24 heures Moto du Mans
Le Mans, France. The Penz13.com – BMW Motorrad Team with riders Mathieu Gines (France), Kenny Foray (France) and Lukas Pesek (Czech Republic) at the helm of the BMW S 1000 RR celebrated the pole position for the 24 hours of Le Mans, the opening round of the 2016 FIM Endurance World Championship, today. It is the second Pole Position in the team’s history after outpacing the world on the Superstock bike at the German round at Oschersleben two years ago.
After for this year’s season some tire restrictions have been implemented the team’s target was to safe as much rubber as possible for tomorrows race and therefore to run the whole dry qualifying session on one set for all three riders. Gines and Foray did short stints of just four flying laps to hand over the BMW S 1000 RR to Pesek. The former MotoGP rider encountered some grip problems on the used tire so the team decided to go for another one, securing the pole position with that.
Gines posted a 1:37.930 giving him P2 in the group of riders 1. Foray then topped his session with a 1:38.226 effort, Pesek placed second in his group, missing the top spot by 0.006 seconds only. The Czech rider did a 1:38.449.
The average fastest lap time of the three Penz13.com – BMW Motorrad Team riders was cumulated in 1:38.201 minutes giving them the pole position by over a tenth in front of SRC Kawasaki and the Yamaha Official EWC Team YART.
The 24 heures du Mans, the 24 hours of Le Mans, will start tomorrow, 9th of April at 15:00 o’clock Central European Summer Time and will be broadcasted via Eurosport and Eurosport 2 in most European countries. Please check your local television programme for more information.
To follow the race via Live Timing, head to the official website of the FIM Endurance World Championship at www.fimewc.com.
Kenny Foray
Rider
“It is just incredible to take the Pole Position in this session. The target before the qualifying was to ride with just one tire for everybody. For our first two sessions it was perfect but for the third rider we took a new tire as we knew otherwise Kawasaki would take the pole. So it was a perfect strategy for us. But the race is more important and now all focus is on tomorrow.”
Mathieu Gines
Rider
“It was a good qualifying today. Yesterday we had some small problems and were on P30, now we have the pole. We worked more for the race, to be honest. Today I started with new tires, but I had a problem when I exited the pits and they were not warm enough. But we did our strategy and I did my three laps to save the tire for the other riders. When I saw the lap time I was happy because I had some traffic on it and had to pass some others. It is a good time for me, but I know I can go faster as well. Now the goal is to win the 24 hours. I think we have a good bike and all my team mates are riding similar to me, so I am more than confident. I hope everybody can give his best to finish in the best possible position.”
Lukas Pesek
Rider
“The qualifying was very good, just at the beginning I went out on the old tires and I had no grip at all, so we decided to change for a new one. That decision was very good and my lap times were immediately improving and it was not so bad, but I had a lot of traffic, so there would have been more possible. In the end we are happy, because we have no one in front of us tomorrow. We now just hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow.”
Rico Penzkofer
Team Principal
“I am absolutely happy that we could secure our team’s second pole position in the Endurance World Championship, our first one in the EWC-category. This is a boost for the whole team and brings in some extra motivation for the riders and everyone involved. Plus after yesterday’s qualifying session this is now some heart-balm. We are now turning our focus to the race. The big question there will be the weather so this will be decided by strategies and luck. The weather will be the key point of the race, for sure..“
More, from a press release issued by Honda:
Honda Endurance Racing to start the 24 Heures Motos in sixth position
24h Motos – Le Mans
Circuit des 24 Heures, France
The Honda Endurance Racing team will start tomorrow’s 24 Heures Motos from sixth position, after solid qualifying sessions at the 4.185km Bugatti Circuit in France.
Honda’s endurance specialists Freddy Foray, Julien Da Costa and Sébastien Gimbert experienced mixed conditions in both qualifying sessions, which saw Thursday’s installment start wet, but track conditions improved and the team’s combined times placed them fourth overall.
This morning the final qualifying session took place in dryer, but colder temperatures around the circuit. Da Costa was first out on track aboard the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP and finished seventh, with a best time of 1:39.717. Team-mate Gimbert was up next and finished his stint sixth, with a best time of 1:39.608 and Foray was tenth with his best time 1:39.770.
Finally on track for the Honda squad was reserve rider Kyle Smith who finished third with a time of 1:40.766. The World Supersport rider has impressed the team with solid times and ended yesterday’s opening qualifying P1. Combined the times from both sessions see Honda Endurance Racing sixth on the grid for tomorrow’s race.
The team and riders will now prepare for the 24-hour race, which takes place Saturday (9-10 April) at 1500 CEST.
For all the latest news on the team throughout the 24-hours follow @HondaRacingCBR on Twitter.
Neil Tuxworth
Team Manager
We have finished all qualifying and free practices and just have the warm-up left before the start of the race tomorrow. Things have gone well for the team so far and we qualified sixth overall, which we’re happy with. The team is very competitive and we’re certainly one of the teams that is capable of winning this race and being on the podium. We hope to now have a trouble free race, of course weather will play a big part in this as conditions have been very mixed so far. Everyone is working well together and we’ve had no major problems this week, and now look forward to tomorrow and getting the race underway.
Freddy Foray 111
It has been a difficult week with the weather and track conditions have not always been perfect, but we continue to work hard and will start tomorrow from sixth position. The CBR has been consistent all week and the team continues to work hard to make it perfect for us. We are confident for tomorrow, we have a few small changes to try for warm-up, but for now we relax and prepare for the 24-hours.
Julien Da Costa 111
Everything is going well for us this week so far, but it has been difficult with weather conditions; one session will be dry, the next wet and it has been very cold. But we have qualified sixth, which we are happy with and just need to get a good start in the race. The race will be half and half with the weather, so we need to take times and not be too much in a hurry. We are looking forward to the race now and hopefully we will finish strong.
Sébastien Gimbert 111
It has not been a simple week with the weather; it has not been great, one minute it rains and the next it’s dry, so it has been very difficult. Sixth for us in qualifying is good and we are pleased, but we have the potential to push harder. I’m very confident going into the race tomorrow, the CBR is a great machine and the team has worked so hard – the changes are positive. We have a few suspension settings to try for warm-up, but we’re all confident for the race ahead of us.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
SERT BEGINS WORLD ENDURANCE DEFENCE AT LE MANS
Suzuki Endurance Racing Team will start its world title defence at the opening round of the 2016 World Endurance Championship in Le Mans, France from fourth position on the grid.
Following a positive pre-season test schedule, which included topping the timesheets at the Le Mans pre-event shakedown recently with riders Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Etienne Masson, the 14-time World Champions spent free practice and today’s qualifying sessions getting the GSX-R1000 dialled-in for 24 hours of gruelling racing that is expected to take place under mixed weather conditions.
A total of 57 teams, and more than 200 riders in the EWC and Superstock classes, are entered for tomorrow’s first of four rounds; and which gets underway at 15:00hrs local time.
Following this afternoon’s qualifying, Team Manager Dominique Meliand explained SERT’s approach to free practice and qualifying. He said: “We took a studious approach to qualifying to give our bike every chance of crossing the finish line first at 3pm on Sunday.”
With three GSX-R1000s in the top-10 today, Team April Moto Motors Events riders Gregg Black, Gregory Fastre and Alex Cudlin scored seventh position on the grid with 2015 Superstock class runners-up, Junior Team LMS Suzuki (Baptiste Guittet, Romain Maitre and Robin Camus 10th and second-fastest of the SST teams.
Le Mans Qualifying Results: 1 Penz13.com BMW Motorrad (BMW) 1:38.201, 2 SRC Kawasaki (Kawasaki) 1:38.317, 3 YART Yamaha EWC (Yamaha) 1:38.932, 4 Suzuki Endurance Racing Team – Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle, Etienne Masson – (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 1:39.252, 5 GMT94 Yamaha (Yamaha) 1:39.302, 6 Honda Endurance Racing (Honda) 1:39.698, 7 Team April Moto Motors Events – Gregg Black, Gregory Fastre, Alex Cudlin – (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 1:39.707, 8 Louit Moto 33 Traqueur (Kawasaki) 1:39.854, 9 Team Bolliger Switzerland (Kawasaki) 1:40.059, 10 Junior Team LMS Suzuki – Baptiste Guittet, Romain Maitre, Robin Camus – (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 1:40.139.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Yamaha Takes Third in Le Mans Qualifying
The chilly weather was unable to stop the YART Yamaha Official EWC Team and GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team from heating up the Le Mans Bugatti circuit with today’s second qualifying action ahead of the 24 Heures Motos. The day was filled with challenges in the shape of traffic on track, deliberate tyre-strategy compromises and two crashes, but both Yamaha teams overcame all obstacles on their paths and will kick off the 2016 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) tomorrow from third and fifth place on the grid respectively.
Though they struggled in yesterday’s wet Q1 session, clocking the eighth fastest time in the combined classification, the YART team took a brave gamble in today’s dry session. Knowing that the starting position counts for very little in the 24 hour event, they decided to use only one set of tyres for the entire Q2 session, so they will have plenty to spare during tomorrow’s race. Despite not changing tyres, their pace didn’t suffer.
Broc Parkes was the first rider of the Austrian team to take the number 7 Yamaha to the Circuit Bugatti. The Australian gradually upped his pace throughout the session and climbed up to third place with five minutes of the session remaining. His 1’38.772s lap, 1.352s off the front in the classification of the first riders, set the tone for what was to come when Max Neukirchner took over.
The German rider followed seamlessly in his teammate’s footsteps by posting provisional pole on his first flying lap. The 20-minute rider two qualifying session became a duel for the lead in the standings between him and Kenny Foray, but eventually Neukirchner had to opt for conserving the tyre for the third rider and dropped to third place. His best lap was a 1’38.408s, 0.182s off the front in his session.
YART’s second qualifying was concluded with Iván Silva taking over the YZF-R1 and his fast pace brought him provisional third early on in the third rider qualifying session. However, the Spanish rider’s outing came to an end when he suffered a crash in turn 7 and was unable to continue his stint. His best time of 1’39.617 left him ninth in the rankings, 1.174s from the front.
Combined, the YART team members rode an average time of 1’38.932s and scored second place in the combined qualifying sessions classification, just 0.731s from pole.
Fellow official Yamaha EWC team, GMT94, also faced some challenging circumstances during the crowded qualifying session, but the team’s unrivaled team-spirit saw them pull through.
Endurance rookie Louis Rossi was GMT94’s first pick and impressed early on in the second qualifying session with his solid pace. He held a place in the top 3 but was pushed back to sixth place after a small crash. His best lap of 1’39.233s was 1.813s off the lead in the classification of the first riders.
Fellow EWC-newcomer Niccolò Canepa on the number 94 YZF-R1 started his fast lap shoot-out on the second bike. Though he struggled to get a feel for the second bike and get used to the endurance-qualifying structure, which has more than 50 riders on track at the same time, he improved his lap times considerably over the course of the session and eventually set a fastest time of 1’38.827s for seventh place, 1.601s from the second rider session leader.
It was then time for the ‘veteran’ to take over. The ever cool and collected David Checa was the last rider of the French team to set a hot lap during qualifying 2. His strong stint underlined his status as one of the most experienced riders in the field, as he clocked a 1’38.848s for third position in the third riders classification, 0.405s off the front.
GMT94 hold fifth place in the combined qualifying standings, having ridden an average time of 1’39.302s, 1.101s from pole.
After today’s positive results, both teams look forward to tomorrow when the 24 hours of non-stop racing action will start at 3pm local track time.
Besides YART and GMT94, also Yamaha Viltais Experience secured a place in the top 12 of the overall qualifying classifications. Consistency proved key for the Superstock team consisting of Axel Maurin, Nicolas Salchaud and Olivier Depoorter. They were the third fastest SST team on track today.
Mandy Kainz – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, Team Manager
YART Yamaha Official EWC Team’s overall classification: 3rd / 1’38.932s / +0.731s
“We had already shown that we are fast in dry conditions and today’s sessions highlight that again. We are contenders for a top position here, but in 24-hour endurance racing it ultimately always comes down to a certain matter of luck whether you will get the position you deserve or not. We decided to only use one set of tyres for today’s sessions, as our focus is not the qualifying but the overall race and we still took third place, despite Iván’s crash. We can be very satisfied with this result, especially taking into consideration that we are in front of team’s that used qualifying tyres. Tomorrow is when the real battle for the first points of the endurance season begins and the YART team can’t wait to get started.”
Broc Parkes – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, Rider
Rider one classification: 3rd / 1’38.772s / +1.352s
“The session in the morning started off quite cold and we tried to do the whole Q2 session with one set of tyres so we have more for the race. I did the best time I could in two laps and then came in and passed on the bike. Our goal was to be tyre-wise in a better position for the race, so top 3 is a good result. It depends on the conditions how we will get on tomorrow. We don’t want too much rain, we have been struggling a bit in the full wet. Our expectation is, as always, to try and win. I think in the dry our pace is as good as, or better, than everyone else’s and in the wet anything can happen. If we’re there for the end we’re there for the win.”
Max Neukirchner – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, Rider
Rider two classification: 3rd / 1’38.408s / +0.182s
“I think our qualifying wasn’t so bad. We are quite happy with a third place start for tomorrow. We only used one set of tyres for the whole Q2 session so we saved one or two tyres for the race. We are quite happy; we have a good bike and all three riders are OK. Iván was a bit unlucky to crash on the last outing, but he is OK and can ride tomorrow. We will have a brand new bike, like always when we start the 24-hour motos so we are very comfortable. Tomorrow’s race is long, but I’m hopeful that we will have more luck than last year. We’re unsure about the weather. We had some problems with the rain tyres, but if it’s dry or intermediate conditions the Pirelli tyres are working really well, so we will see tomorrow. The most important thing is that we finish the race.”
Iván Silva – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, Rider
Rider three classification: 9th / 1’39.617s / +1.174s
“I had a good start to the session and had set the provisional third fastest time. It was unfortunate that I crashed in turn 7 when I was pushing to get in another fast lap. I hurt my left hand but I seem to be able to make retracting movements with my fingers, which I need to operate the clutch. I will undergo further medical examinations later today, but I’m a 100 per cent sure I’ll be able to compete in the race tomorrow without being affected too much.”
Christophe Guyot – GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team, Team Manager
GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team’s overall classification: 5th / 1’39.302s / +1.101s
“First of all, everything is ready for the race. Of course we expected a better grid position but we had a crash with Louis during the first rider session. It was not easy for Niccolò to start under the right conditions because the bike arrived late and it was impossible to change the tyre. The bike is working very well but for in very cold condition, which it can be here around this time of year, we might have to find a different set-up. We are much better when the temperature is a bit higher, but we are ready for the race and so are the riders. If it’s warm tomorrow we will be performing much better, if it rains we will be fast and we’re also strong at night. We will see tomorrow.”
Louis Rossi – GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team, Rider
Rider one classification: 6th / 1’39.233s / +1.813s
“I’m a little bit frustrated because during all the tests and practice sessions we were very fast, but unfortunately during qualifying I lost the front in the la Chapelle corner and I crashed in the middle of the session so I didn’t make my lap. Anyway, qualifying is not the most important thing in endurance. It’s better to have this kind of situation now, because during the 24-hour moto the game is to not make any mistakes. We start fifth on the grid tomorrow and this is quite good. David will do the start and it will be strong, so it’s not a problem. I feel good for tomorrow, we did a lot of tests. The race will be long and it’s the first time for me, so I will try to enjoy it at the maximum and try to do my best and I think at the end we can deliver the goods.”
Niccolò Canepa – GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team, Rider
Rider two classification: 8th / 1’39.827s / +1.601s
“Today was not so bad, but we had some bad luck because after we crashed we took the second bike and we had a bit of a delay. I went out in the worst moment, because everybody was in and there was a lot of traffic on track. It’s not so easy to ride with fifty other bikes on track, so I couldn’t do a clear lap but I was quite fast anyway, so it was good. I think that in a 24-hour race the qualifying is not so important and we are not so far from first in fifth position, so it’s good considering the problems we had. I’m ready for tomorrow and very excited. I really enjoyed the practice session yesterday night, it was amazing. I can’t wait to start, see what happens and see it through until the end. For sure it is going to be hard, but my feelings are positive.”
David Checa – GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team, Rider
Rider three classification: 3rd / 1’38.848s / +0.405s
“Today we did some testing with different tyres and at the end we crashed testing a new tyre, this is why Niccolò changed the bike. He didn’t have a good feeling with it but for me we changed everything and I was able to set a good chrono – not in the way I wanted but it wasn’t so bad. For the race we are confident and Niccolò will be much better, because when you have another bike with the wrong tyre it’s not a good situation. We are ready and so is the bike and after 24 hours, for sure, we will be in a better condition than last year.”
More, from a press release issued by EuroSport Events:
PENZ13COM BMW MOTORRAD TAKES POLE
Penz13com BMW Motorrad will start the 24 Heures Motos in pole position at 3pm tomorrow (Saturday) on the Bugatti circuit, ahead of SRC Kawasaki and YART Yamaha. Team Louit Moto 33 Traqueur, winner of the FIM 2015 World Cup, has emerged as the best Superstock in qualifying.
The second round of qualifying on a cold but dry track at Le Mans this morning turned the line-up established in the rain yesterday upside down. The Pirelli-equipped teams, which were obviously struggling yesterday, took a dazzling revenge this morning in the new track conditions. Mathieu Gines, Kenny Foray and Lukas Pesek turned in the best performance in terms of combined fastest lap times. The riders on the Penz13com BMW Motorrad machine made up a very consistent trio, and will take up position on the grid in front of the SRC Kawasaki riders Gregory Leblanc, Matthieu Lagrive and Fabien Foret. After his crash yesterday, Gregory Leblanc posted his all-time fastest lap this morning: 1’37.420. But SRC Kawasaki also had a scare this morning, when Fabien Foret fell. The ZX-10R took quite a beating. Fabien Foret is unharmed, but for now it’s not certain he will be in the line-up at the start of the race. YART Yamaha suffered a similar fate when Ivan Silva took a toss, though he too was unscathed. However, his crash didn’t stop Broc Parkes and Max Neukirchner putting YART Yamaha 3rd on the grid.
The Suzuki Endurance Racing Team Right is lying in wait right behind these three teams, none of which made it into the top 5 last evening. “We took a studious approach to qualifying to give our bike every chance of crossing the finish line first at 3pm on Sunday,” says Dominique Méliand, SERT team manager.
SERT will be positioned on the grid in front of the GMT94 Yamaha team, who were delayed by Louis Rossi’s fall (no harm done there either), Honda Endurance Racing and Team April Moto Motors Events, which once again proved the best private team after claiming provisional pole last evening.
The best team in the Superstock class is none other than the winner of the FIM 2015 World Cup: Team Louit Moto 33 Traqueur, which will start the race in 8th place, ahead of Team Bolliger Switzerland and another odds-on favourite to win the Superstock, Junior Team Le Mans Sud Suzuki.
Back on the track tomorrow (Saturday) for the warm-up at 9.45am.
24 Heures Motos Overall qualifications results
What they say…
Kenny Foray, Penz13com BMW Motorrad rider
“We went all out towards the end of the qualifying session, when we saw the Kawaskai had crashed. But we know we’ve got to work some more on the settings in rainy conditions.”
Mathieu Gines, Penz13com BMW Motorrad rider
“We’ve shown we have a very good hand for the race. It would be great if the wheel were to turn in BMW’s favour.”
Lukas Pesek, Penz13com BMW Motorrad rider
“It’s a surprise to be in pole position, but my teammates are experienced, hardworking and very quick. The hardest thing for me was to get the handover right at night in the rain.”
Emeric Jonchière, Team Louit Moto 33 Traqueur rider
“The objective is to hold on to our 2015 World Cup. This best performance in the Stocksport category in the tests is a good sign, though we’re somewhat less comfortable in the rain.”