Honda Endurance Racing ready to resume EWC challenge at Portimão
Portimão
Autodromo do Algarve, Portugal
The Honda Endurance Racing team has arrived at Portimão’s Autodromo Internacional Do Algarve, where the second round of the 2016 FIM Endurance World Championship takes place this weekend. This is the first time the Portuguese track has hosted a round of the series and Honda’s all-French trio of Freddy Foray, Julien Da Costa and Sébastien Gimbert, all know the circuit well from previous racing experiences, as well as a recent private test for the Honda squad following the 24h of Le Mans.
The second round of the EWC championship will be contested over 12 hours with Foray, Da Costa and Gimbert ready to extract the most out of their Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP machine and the many sets of high-performing Dunlop tyres at their disposal.
Action at Portimão will begin on Thursday (9 June) at 0900 with a two-hour free practice session, followed by the first qualifying session and then night practice. Qualifying two is scheduled for Friday morning with the 45-minute warm up from 1800 to 1845, while the 12-hour race will begin on Saturday at 0930am.
Freddy Foray 111
I’m really looking forward to racing at Portimão. It has been a long gap since the last race, but I guess it’s the same for everyone. I have been training a lot and I have become a father for the second time, too, so I cannot complain! Before the test we did in April I had a chance to race at Portimão in 2008: it’s an amazing track, although a little more bumpy now. We were not lucky in Le Mans, but it’s behind us now and I think a good result is possible for us this time out.
Julien Da Costa 111
I have spent most of my time during the two-month break with my usual duties as test rider for Dunlop, so I cannot say I have been away from circuits too much and I definitely didn’t get bored! We had the chance of a podium at Le Mans, but unfortunately, major issues out of our hands changed the course of our race, but that’s racing. It was the first time for me at Portimão last April and I have to say I was really impressed with the track: it’s like a roller coaster with all of its uphill/downhill sections and the blind crests, so I cannot wait to get back on track.
Sébastien Gimbert 111
I love Portimão and I’m really happy we were able to test there after Le Mans. There are a lot of technical corners and the Honda CBR1000RR seems to perform really well on this track. It’s a very physically demanding circuit and it’ll be interesting to see how the race will unfold there, as it’s still a bit of an unknown territory endurance racing wise. The wait is over, I have trained and spent some time with friends and family and now I’m ready to go!
Jonny Twelvetrees
Assistant team manager
We’re back in action at Portimão after Le Mans, which was a disappointing event, especially after running in second place for a long time. Our performance, though, showed that we have the pace and that our team is definitely capable of great things. We had an encouraging test here after Le Mans: the riders have settled in well straight away and we worked closely with Öhlins to optimise our set-up; we are now pushing forward to make good progress and be ready for the weekend. The conditions will be a lot different to April so it will be a matter of keeping the guys quick; it’s 34 degrees here so we need to make sure the bike is perfectly set up for the long distance.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha-Racing.com:
Yamaha Press on to Portimão for Endurance Challenge
After their brave performances during the opening race of the 2016 Endurance World Championship in Le Mans in April, the YART Yamaha Official EWC Team and the GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team set out to once again display the incredible potential of the YZF-R1 at the 12 Horas de Portimão, held at the Autódromo Internacional Algarve, Portugal, on June 11th.
The YART Yamaha Official EWC Team used their professional and dedicated mentality to battle their way through the 24H Moto Le Mans and deliver a truly brave performance. Riders Broc Parkes and Max Neukirchner completed the entire race as a twosome after Iván Silva suffered an unfortunate crash and injured his shoulder on his first lap. Parkes and Neukirchner had nothing to lose when they rode their Yamaha YZF-R1 from 54th to a hard-fought 11th place.
This weekend the Austrian team is ready to build on that previous performance for the upcoming challenge. With ten points collected for their brilliant effort in Le Mans, they hold 13th place in the championship standings. There will be 35 points, plus ten bonus points for the team leading at the 8-hour mark, up for grabs at the upcoming round where Parkes and Silva will welcome Marvin Fritz as a replacement rider for the injured Neukirchner.
The GMT94 team also showed a strong race pace in France during the opening round and kept going despite three crashes, until they were forced to exit the race early. For the next round riders David Checa and Niccolo Canepa will be joined by Lucas Mahias as the third rider, who shares their full focus to secure first place and gain some crucial first points for the championship.
The French team is certain that their Yamaha will be prominently featured at the front this weekend, thanks to its handling and wide torque range which perfectly suits the long Algarve International Circuit, with its 32 different possible layouts that can make it either faster or more twisty and technical. Constructed in 2008, the venue can host up to 100,000 spectators, eager to see their favourite riders give their all during 12-hours of action.
Besides the official Yamaha endurance teams, the Parkalgar Racing Team will also represent Yamaha in the EWC class. Team 3ART Yam’Avenue will also be back in action this weekend to defend their current lead in the Superstock class standings. They will be joined by the Slider Endurance team, and Yamaha Viltaïs Experiences.
Mandy Kainz – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team Manager
“We arrive at the race in Portimão with a slightly different rider line up than we had in Le Mans due to Max’s injury. We wish him a speedy recovery. This weekend Marvin will take his place and we are very glad he joined our team. Last race showed how strong YART’s team mentality is and this weekend we want to again impress with the great pace we have. We didn’t ride in Portimão last year, so this will be an interesting race, as we don’t have recent data for the circuit. Nevertheless we are confident that we will be able to hit the ground running and challenge for a top result.”
Broc Parkes – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team Rider
“It’s great to be back on the bike and together with YART! I have been doing a lot of heat training to be ready for the hot conditions here in Portimão. I think the YZF-R1 will be very good in this track with its very good power spread, which will be good on tyre wear. I’m really looking forward to racing at this track as its a new addition to the championship.”
Iván Silva – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team Rider
“I’m really looking forward to starting riding in Portimão. It’s a track that I normally enjoy, but more than anything I’m looking forward to riding the YART YZF-R1 again, for the first time in two months! I have completely recovered from the crash in Le Mans and so I look forward to giving it 100% this race weekend. The race is ‘only’ twelve hours long and our bike and all the YART riders are very fast, so I think we can be competitive here and challenge for the win.”
Marvin Fritz – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team Rider
“Last year I was already with YART in Le Castellet as their fourth and reserve rider. For this season’s 12H Portimão and 8H Oschersleben I’ll replace the injured Max. I want to wish him a speedy recovery! I think the two races that I’ll be riding will be a good opportunity for me in the Endurance World Championship. When Mandy Kainz called me I was really happy for this chance to ride for such a top endurance team and for Yamaha Racing. I’ve done already three IDM races this year, finishing as the first Yamaha and I’m currently second in the championship. I think that has been my preparation for this race. We will have around 32 degrees here, so it will be a hard and long race, but I’ll try my best and hope we can finish the race on the podium. The testing has started really well for me and the team.”
Christophe Guyot – GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team Manager
“The sun is shining on Portugal, so we are very happy. The track also suits our bike well as it’s quite wide and has a good top speed so the riders enjoy it a lot, and so do I. The last time we came here was in 2009 as a team and it has been a good circuit for us in the past. The track is fun to learn, but our riders know the track already. It’s quite difficult to get the set-up right, but I think we will all enjoy it. I think YZF-R1’s big advantage is how easy it changes direction. Its engine and our Dunlop tyres are all working perfectly. The new tyres are very good and give a good feeling and they are very consistent with the very hot temperatures that we have here.”
David Checa – GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team Rider
“We have a great package with the YZF-R1 and the Dunlop tyres for the race in Portimão. From testing we know that we can deliver a great performance here, so our aim this weekend will be to at least achieve the podium. In the French Superbike Championship I’ve been fighting for victory, which I think is the best kind of preparation for an intense race like this 12 hour endurance challenge, because of the high level and hard work that it requires to come out on top.”
Niccolò Canepa – GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team Rider
“I’m really happy to race again in endurance. After the Le Mans 24h I’m even more excited to race in Portimão. I’ve been riding the YZF-R1 every week for months now, so I feel ready. I think that we can fight for victory here in Portugal, so we will try our best! The YZF-R1 is very good in handling and this will help us a lot in the rollercoaster of Portimão. This track has also a very long straight that is perfect for YZF-R1’s power!”
Lucas Mahias – GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team Rider
“I am very happy to be a part of the GMT94 team again after two years. I’ve been preparing for this race for four weeks on a variety of different motorcycles, endurance and other specs, and I bicycled a lot. My injury that I sustained in Imola has healed completely, I have recovered 100% and I feel great. Endurance and Superbike models aren’t very different, nor is the weight that much heavier, only the tank is bigger, so the bike is still very similar to a superbike spec. The bike is unbelievable, even compared to the former YZF-R1 I rode in 2014, so I expect to win the race.”