F.C.C. TSR HONDA FRANCE WINS BOL D’OR

Reigning world champion F.C.C. TSR Honda France beat YART Yamaha by a mere 54 seconds to win a race packed with drama until the very last lap. Yamaha Wepol Racing completed the podium at the first round of the 2018-2019 FIM EWC.

The FIM EWC world champions lived up to their title by starting off the new season with a win at the Bol d’Or. On the Paul Ricard circuit, F.C.C. TSR Honda France’s riders Freddy Foray, Josh Hook and Mike Di Meglio snatched victory from YART Yamaha’s Broc Parkes, Niccolò Canepa and Marvin Fritz. There was a mere 54-second gap at the finish between the Japanese Honda and the Austrian Yamaha, which had started from 2nd and 3rd position respectively on the grid.

Wepol Racing pulled off a surprise third place. The Penz13 squad, who finished 2nd at the 2017 Bol d’Or on a BMW, had switched to Yamaha on the eve of the 2018 edition. “We got our first look at the bike on Tuesday, just before the race,” says Mathieu Lagrive, who partnered with Daniel Webb and Sheridan Morais to ride the Yamaha #13.

Wepol was involved in a lengthy battle with Bolliger Team Switzerland (Kawasaki), who finished at the foot of the podium thanks to riders Roman Stamm, Sébastien Suchet and Jonathan Hugot.

Never over till it’s over in Endurance

Suzuki Endurance Racing Team were often in the lead, but various technical gremlins and a capricious clutch caused Vincent Philippe, Etienne Masson and Gregg Black to drop back to 5th at the finish.

Other favourites too saw their podium hopes go up in smoke, like Team SRC Kawasaki France. The final act of the drama-filled race came when Randy de Puniet, Jérémy Guarnoni and David Checa’s Kawasaki suddenly developed electrical problems, as a result of which they finished 7th after leading the race during the night and in the early morning.

The intensity never let up: from the 10 seconds separating the 3 teams in the lead 5 hours into the race to the 30-second gap between the podium contenders 3 hours from the finish. At the finish, 5 different manufacturers were represented in the Top 6 of a race marked by incessant lead changes.

A Superstock in 6th place

As in the EWC class, the Superstock podium was international. German team Gert56 rapidly took the lead when Team 33 Coyote Louit Moto, the initial leader in class, had an engine problem. The Gert56 Superstock BMW with Julian Puffe, Stefan Kerschbaumer and Filip Altendorfer finished this year’s Bol d’Or in 6th place overall. Franco-Japanese squad Webike Tati Team Trick Star (Kawasaki) took 2nd place in Superstock with riders Julien Enjolras, Kevin Denis and Osamu Deguchi. The team had also won the 2017-2018 FIM Superstock World Cup.

Italian squad No Limits Motor Team (Suzuki) won 3rd place in Superstock with riders Eddy Dupuy, Luca Scassa and Michael Mazzina, additionally winning the Anthony Delhalle EWC Spirit Trophy for putting up a determined fight throughout the race.

Unlucky players

Not all of the teams who started from the top positions on the grid were able to finish the race. ERC-BMW Motorrad Endurance were 4th on the grid, but gave up shortly after nightfall following a collision and crash two hours into the race.

Honda Endurance Racing also threw in the towel on Sunday morning because of major engine problems.

SET Racing got itself noticed among the FIM EWC rookies for a fine performance. The all-new Swedish team had settled into 10th place after starting from 30th, but withdrew at noon on Sunday with a broken engine.

69,000 spectators on the Paul Ricard circuit

69,000 spectators watched the 82nd Bol d’Or under the sunny Provençal sky: 1,000 more than the 2017 edition.

Next race on the 2018-2019 FIM EWC calendar: the 24 Heures Motos on 20 and 21 April 2019 on the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans.

More, from a press release issued by Honda Endurance Racing:

Valiant effort by Honda Endurance Racing at the Bol d’Or

Bol d’Or

Circuit Paul Ricard, France

The Honda Endurance Racing team showed the utmost levels of teamwork, grit and determination during the 82nd Bol d’Or, taking the lead of the 24-hour test of man and machine at just after midnight before experiencing heartbreak.

Round one of the 2018-2019 FIM Endurance World Championship got underway at 3pm yesterday at Circuit Paul Ricard and Honda’s endurance specialists Sébastien Gimbert, Gregory LeBlanc and Erwan Nigon dug deep in the early stages of the 24-hour race, making up places from their starting position in sixth.

With consistent lap times aboard the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 and slick pit stops from the Honda crew, the team had moved into second place at the eight-hour stage, collecting nine championship points. It was just after midnight when they took the lead and, pushing on, built a 43 second advantage over second place.

At 1.08am Gimbert returned to the pit reporting an issue with the machine and it was all hands on deck as the team worked hard to discover that a cylinder head bolt had broken. They were then left with two choices; retire or try to repair and get back to racing.

Over the next six hours and 20 minutes the Honda team made a valiant effort, stripping the engine and working to repair the damage. As the sun started to rise across the circuit, the Fireblade roared into life and at 07.27am LeBlanc left the garage.

With all eyes on the Honda squad LeBlanc completed a stint and swapped with teammate Nigon. However Nigon returned to the pit after experiencing a loss of power and at just before 09.00am this morning, after 330 laps and 17 hours and 49 minutes of racing, the heart-breaking decision was made to retire from the race.

Despite the result the Honda Endurance Racing team leave the Bol d’Or with their heads held high after leading one of the most prestigious endurance racing events and showing superb teamwork throughout.

Sébastien Gimbert 111

Today has been difficult, firstly it wasn’t so bad before midnight we were first and in a very good position; we had good strategy and good race pace. We continued to lead for some time but then we had a problem and I had to return to the pit. It turned into a big problem with the bolt, the mechanics worked so hard and we returned to the race this morning with Greg. He started well and then Erwan took over, but we started to have problems with the power and it was too much to continue, the Bol d’Or is very high speed and we cannot risk. My dream for sure is to win here and before the race I said it would be my last Bol, but now it is necessary to return next year!

Erwan Nigon 111

Every time it is bad when it is the end of the race and especially when you have been in first position, but you know this is racing and endurance isn’t easy! But we have good news as we performed well, we had good race pace and we were at the top for some time. We have a lot of information and have learnt a lot, the team were amazing and worked so hard to get us back out this morning, so I would like to thank them. Although we end early we do have a lot to be happy about and now we move on stronger.

Gregory LeBlanc 111

We have had a good and bad race, the good was that we were first after 11 hours and honestly I think and hope we could win! We had the level and speed on track, and we had a good advantage over second place with 40 seconds plus they had to stop, so we would have moved ahead further. Séb discovered the problem and the team worked for over six hours to get fixed, I restart and I rode for an hour and I felt some loss of power and Erwan also felt the same. We were down in 44th place after the time in the garage and it would have been very difficult to make many places up across the remainder of the race. But you know this is racing and it does happen, we were not the first team to experience a problem and we won’t be the last.

Jonny Twelvetrees

Team Manager

We had a really good build up in the week consistent improvement with the set-up, the riders’ feeling and the economy of the bike, and everyone was feeling positive coming into race day. We set out as we always do with solid pace and gradually building our way into it. We made our way into the top three and then into the lead, where we thought we could execute our strategy and make a play for the win. But unfortunately one of the things that go hand-in-hand in endurance are mechanical problems, and this is what we had today with the cylinder head bolt. Once back in the garage it turned out very difficult to remove and we had to strip the engine, we thought about retiring but decided we should do everything we can to stay in the race, whilst we had the chance, so we repaired and got back on track. Unfortunately the bike started showing issues with Erwan and with the amount of work we had already done it was very difficult to diagnose and we felt it was right to retire. It wasn’t an easy decision as the mechanics worked so hard throughout. All the riders were superb and also the mechanics, we have proved that we do have what it takes to win, maybe next time with a little bit more luck.

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

 Stunning Second for YART Yamaha in Bol d’Or Thriller

The YART Yamaha Official EWC Team made a stunning comeback this weekend in the 2018/19 EWC season opening round, the 24 Hour Bol d’Or race. Riders Marvin Fritz, Broc Parkes and Niccolò Canepa delivered an heroic performance to complete the exhausting race in second position.

It was Marvin Fritz’s first opportunity for the YART team to both start and end the EWC race, the young German enjoying the unique pleasure of the Endurance start process, running across the track to jump on the YART Yamaha R1 race bike.

The first hours unfolded to plan, but disaster was to trike with newly joined team member Niccolò Canepa crashing as the dusk gathered on the Paul Ricard circuit. Despite losing nearly the entire engine’s oil capacity, Canepa was able to make it back to the pit as the safety car took to the track. With the clock ticking down the YART team delivered a miracle and were able to get the R1 back on track in record time, re-joining in 27th position.

With any chance of a race victory now impossibly distant, the team’s focus was now switched to completing the 24 hours and taking as many points as possible for damage limitation to their title hopes. The night hours flew past, with Fritz, Canepa and Parkes making steady inroads into the gap to the front pack, gradually moving up despite losing all electronic rider aids as a result of the crash. As dawn broke at 7am the team were incredibly back to 6th place and looking more determined than ever.

As victory became a more realistic target, so the team’s pace increased even further, Australian Parkes scoring the fastest lap of the race some 500 laps in! As the morning wound on, the team were able to reach second position and had established a race-winning pace that put them on target to catch and pass the leaders. With a better fuel strategy to support them, they were unfortunate to be denied the opportunity to make it a reality as the final safety car of the 24hour race came out, dashing hopes of a win.

YART Yamaha eventually brought it home in 2nd position, having made a dramatic comeback from a serious crash and mechanical repair, taking 2nd in the title challenge as the season begins and scoring 33 provisional points.

On top of an incredible performance by YART this weekend, the teams benefiting from Yamaha’s extended support program in the FIM Endurance World Championship got off to a flying start. YART shared the podium with Germany’s WEPOL Racing who were amongst the first to sign up for the added Yamaha support program and finished the first round of the season in third. France’s Yamaha Viltaïs Pierret Experiences put in a consistent performance throughout the marathon race as well, finishing 15th overall and taking home 6 points from the event. The Maco Racing Team of Slovakia put in a solid performance, finishing the 24-hour race just outside of the points but with excellent experience to build on. French outfit 3ART were putting in solid lap times for the first 12 hours of the 2018 Bol d’Or as well, but unfortunately had to retire shortly after the half way point was reached. Moto AIN also had to retire earlier in the race. With four more races to go in the season, the Yamaha supported teams are all looking forwards to getting back on the track and putting more points on the board.

Broc Parkes

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team

“It’s frustrating that the safety car came out at the end, the leaders had no fuel left, one more lap and we would have had them, but to be fair at 5pm yesterday I thought we were going home! To come back from where we did to get the finish we did is great. The team worked really well, when we had the problem and came back, it was bigger than expected but they worked super fast and got us back out there, we never gave up and it worked out.”

Marvin Fritz

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team

“My teammates did an amazing job, everyone rode perfectly. After Niccolò’s crash our R1 was repaired super fast. Luckily there was a safety car and so we could get back out and into 27th position. We were so far back that we aimed just to finish, but the race turned into something very different. I made my first Endurance start yesterday which was really special and I was able to finish the race as well, so a big thanks to the team for this.”

Niccolò Canepa

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team

“I’m really happy, everything worked well and my teammates are consistent. It was a crazy race, from the beginning to the end. After three hours I thought it was over but we were able to come back and fight for potential victory at the end. Every stint we were catching them and finally we got down to 10 seconds and we were one second a lap faster with 45 minutes to go. It would have been possible to pass them, unfortunately the safety car arrived at the worst possible moment, but that’s Endurance!”

Mandy Kainz

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team Manager

“We didn’t give up and we pushed until the end, finally the boys made it. In endurance everyone has problems, so it was expected that we had an issue, No one has no problems in a 24hrs race! Niccolò’s crash left a hole in the bike and we lost nearly all the oil! After the crash we had no electronics for traction control, wheelie control etc. which makes it an amazing performance by the boys. It was a fantastic job by the crew as well to get the bike repaired and back out there as quickly as possible. Without the last safety car we could have closed in on the leader for the win, our boys were fresh and ready for it. It’s a great start to the championship for us, and a great result for Yamaha.”

More, from a press relase issued by Honda Pro Racing:

Victory for F.C.C. TSR Honda France at the Bol d’Or

Bol d’Or

Circuit Paul Ricard, France

F.C.C. TSR Honda France have kicked off the 2018-2019 FIM Endurance World Championship in fine style today, winning the prestigious Bol d’Or after 24 hours on track and completing 698 laps of the 5.673km circuit.

With riders Freddy Foray, Mike Di Meglio and Josh Hook, the team fought hard aboard the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade having dropped back into 15th place at one point, after a small issue that caused them to pit for longer than usual.

Digging deep and pushing hard lap by lap, the Honda trio continued to make up places and scored extra championship points at the eight and 16-hour stages in 10th and sixth places. Towards the end of the race they had the podium in their sights moving into third and then into second.

Victory was the next step and the riders took this challenge in their stride taking the lead with three hours to go. With a careful pit stop strategy and having created a safe distance from the team behind, F.C.C. TSR Honda France crossed the finish line victorious.

Meanwhile the Honda Endurance Racing team with riders Sébastien Gimbert, Gregory LeBlanc and Erwan Nigon showed the utmost levels of teamwork, grit and determination taking the lead of the 24-hour test of man and machine at just after midnight before experiencing heartbreak.

At 01.08am Gimbert returned to the pits and the team discovered that a cylinder head bolt had broken. The Honda squad quickly got to work stripping the engine and working to repair the damage. At 07.27am they returned to the track, but after experiencing a loss of power and at just before 09.00am this morning, the heart-breaking decision was made to retire from the race.

Fellow Honda teams in the 24-hour battle included National Motos who finished 18th after completing 660 laps and the Zuff Racing Team finished overall in 16th, but placed sixth overall in the Superstock classification. The RAC41 team sadly retired from the race shortly before midnight.

The next round of the FIM Endurance World Championship takes place at the 24 Heures Motos on 20-21 April 2019.

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Pres Office:

SUZUKI FIGHTS BACK TO FIFTH AT BOL D’OR 24 HOUR ENDURANCE

Suzuki Endurance Racing Team fought back to fifth position at the Bol d’Or 24 Hour Race that ended today in France, overcoming a technical problem in the closing hours and losing its chance of victory.

Always within a podium position throughout, the new SERT GSX-R1000 with Vincent Philippe, Etienne Masson and Gregg Black onboard, led many laps and also officially topped the field at the seventh, eighth and ninth hours of the race, gaining extra race points in the process.

But within four hours from the finish, SERT was forced to pull-in and make an unscheduled pit-stop with a technical issue that lost them several laps, but the 15-time EWC Champions came out fighting and clawed back towards the top and the race continued to the flag.

In 24 hours of demanding racing at the new Paul Ricard Circuit in France, SERT scored a total of 691 laps and with a total of 28 pit-stops.

In Superstock, Italian squad No Limits Motor Team (Suzuki GSX-R1000) took third place with riders Eddy Dupuy, Luca Scassa and Michael Mazzina additionally winning the Anthony Delhalle EWC Spirit Trophy for putting-up a determined fight throughout the race.

Unfortunately, Junior Team LMS Suzuki was forced-out in the closing stages after being in the top of the SST class for most of the race.