Bol d’Or at Magny-Cours this weekend The Teams make last minute adjustments The Bol d’Or, the penultimate round of the QMMF Endurance FIM World Championship will take place this weekend at the Magny-Cours circuit. In what is the final 24 hour round of the 2007 season, teams will begin with free testing on Thursday morning ahead of first qualifying on Thursday afternoon. For the teams hoping to take home the thirty five points awarded to the winner of this 71st Bol d’Or, Thursday will be a time for last minute adjustments. Favourite to win the round is the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team. The Suzuki n°1 bike currently sits at the top of the provisional classification of the QMMF Endurance FIM World Championship whilst the Suzuki n°2 won the prestigious Le Mans 24hrs last April. Racing the Suzuki GSX-R 1000s SERT will be the same riders as at Le Mans. Making up the n°1 team will be Vincent Philippe, Matthieu Lagrive and Julien da Costa, with William Costes, Guillaume Dietrich and Max Neukirchner once again racing the Suzuki n°2. Up against the Suzuki pair, Team Kawasaki France will race its two ZX-10Rs. The n°11 permanent team machine ridden by Steve Plater, Gwen Giabbani and Julian Mazuecos will be trying to catch up the SERT which is 32 points ahead in the World Championship classification. The task of the Kawasaki n°111 is to support the n°11 to victory at the Bol d’Or. As a result of rider injury Kawasaki France will race a different crew on the Kawasaki 111, with Erwan Nigon who rode for Endurance Moto 38 at the beginning of the season, Hugo Marchand, ex-GP 250 rider and Damian Cudlin, Sébastien Scarnato’s replacement in the Yamaha Austria Racing Team. Sébastien Scarnato, having recovered from injury at the beginning of the season, will return to ride for Yamaha Austria. Following the loss of Damian Cudlin its reserve rider to Team Kawasaki France, YART called upon endurance specialist Jehan d’Orgeix, 1999 Endurance World Champion. YART sit in third place in the provisional QMMF Endurance FIM World Championship, eight points ahead of Bolliger Team Switzerland who will race its usual team, David Morillon, Patric Muff and Horst Saiger, placed fourth at Oschersleben last month. In their fight for the highest podium place, the QMMF Endurance FIM World Championship permanent teams will have to face a number of other fierce competitors such as Yamaha GMT 94 (David Checa, Sébastien Gimbert and Olivier Four), 2004 World Endurance Champions and winners of Le Mans 24hrs in 2001 and 2005. The first round of qualifying takes place on Thursday afternoon and the night practice in the evening. The starting grid will be confirmed following second qualifying on Friday. Friday will see the traditional pit-walk, with spectators able to mingle with the riders and their bikes. The race begins on Saturday 15th September at 15.00
Practice For 71st Bol d’Or 24-Hour Starts Thursday
Practice For 71st Bol d’Or 24-Hour Starts Thursday
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