A TRIPLE YAMAHA WIN AT OSCHERSLEBEN

After winning the 24 Heures Motos in April, GMT94 Yamaha secured victory at the 8 Heures of Oschersleben following an epic duel with YART Yamaha Official EWC Team. The two factory-backed Yamahas came in ahead of private team Maco Racing Team, also on a Yamaha.

GMT94 Yamaha chalked up its third consecutive win in Germany, crossing the finish line at the 8 Hours of Oschersleben less than 31 seconds ahead of YART Yamaha Official EWC Team. The two factory-backed R1 bikes once again staged a thrilling duel throughout the race. GMT94 Yamaha ended up the winner despite a stop-and-go for non-compliance with the refuelling procedure at the tail end of the race. But the penalty galvanized Christophe Guyot’s riders: David Checa set a new lap record of 1’26.814.

David Checa, Niccolò Canepa and Mike Di Meglio are an unbeatable trio right now on their Dunlop-shod R1. The Bridgestone-backed YART Yamaha Official EWC Team had no choice but to bow to their rivals’ sheer determination, all the more so since Broc Parkes and Kohta Nozane covered practically all the stints between them. Marvin Fritz, who had sustained injuries at Assen as well as during testing in Oschersleben, was unable to shore up YART’s chances of winning. “GMT94 Yamaha were stronger than us today,” Broc Parkes and Kohta Nozane admitted.

The duel for third place

Another duel played out – for third place – between Bolliger Team Switzerland and Maco Racing Team. The two machines, both on the verge of running out of fuel, chose two different strategies a few minutes from the finishing line. Kawasaki Bolliger opted for a pit stop, whereas Maco Racing kept on going, attempting to eke out its last few drops of fuel. Their bet paid off for Greg Junod, Marko Jerman and Anthony Dos Santos, who took Maco Racing Team’s Yamaha to the third step of the podium.

After starting the race from the bottom of the standings because of a tyre puncture, F.C.C. TSR Honda began a climb back up, and finished in 5th place. Gregg Black and Josh Hook rode the Honda #5 for practically the entire 8 hours, as Damian Cudlin was hampered by back pain. The Japanese team’s grit in Germany won them the Anthony Delhalle EWC Spirit Trophy.

An out-and-out battle in the Superstock class

After battling for the Superstock podium from start to finish, Moto Ain CRT (Yamaha) won its trial of strength with Völpker NRT48 Schubert Motors by ERC despite being hit with a one-minute penalty towards the end of the race because of faulty headlamps. Yamaha Viltaïs Experiences won third place in the Superstock class despite a starting grid crash.

The championship gets harder to call

These three Superstock teams came in ahead of Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, which crossed the finish line ninth. Vincent Philippe got the holeshot, then took a spill early on in the race. But Suzuki Endurance Racing Team still tops the FIM EWC world championship rankings, with a seven-point lead over GMT94 Yamaha.

Honda Endurance Racing – 10th past the chequered flag – had a transmission ring gear issue. Another Superstock trio – Tati Team Beaujolais Racing, Ecurie Chrono Sport and GERT56 HMT by RS Speedbikes – finished 11th to 13th, ahead of Team April Moto Motors Events. Gregory Leblanc and Gregory Fastré ran the Honda #50 as a two-man team, since the injured Mathieu Lagrive was unfit to race.

And, after scoring a remarkable third place on the starting grid, the BMW-mounted Team LRP Poland withdrew following Lukas Trautmann’s spectacular crash.

Next race on the calendar: the 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring on Saturday 24 June.

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

Top-ten finish for Honda Endurance Racing at a dramatic 8 Hours of Oschersleben

8 Hours of Oschersleben

Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, Germany

The Honda Endurance Racing team finished tenth after a dramatic race at the 8 Hours of Oschersleben aboard the all-new Fireblade SP2. With near perfect conditions throughout the eight-hour event, Honda’s endurance specialists put in a strong performance to finish within the top-ten.

Freddy Foray started the eight hours for Honda Endurance Racing in tenth place and by the end of the first lap was down in 14th position. However, by the ninth lap Foray had broken into the top-ten.

After an hour on track at the 3.667km German circuit, Foray had taken the race lead as the team came in for the first pit stop. Losing the lead during the stop, Sébastien Gimbert took over and settled the Fireblade into third place once on track.

The next stop was slightly longer than expected when the front wheel would not go into position smoothly, but with Julien Da Costa aboard after the stop his goal was simple – take back the third place position. Da Costa set his goal and soon enough the Honda squad were back in third place with 124 laps completed.

However, disaster struck during the next stop when an issue with the rear axle held the team in the pits for over four minutes. With all eyes now on the Honda team and down in 15th place, Foray took the seat and set about making up the lost positions.

Over the course of the next five hours, the Honda Endurance Racing team put in a strong performance and masterfully made their way back into the top-ten. With a strong fueling strategy, the Honda squad was able to maximise their performance with longer stints on track.

After eight hours of racing, 310 laps completed and covering an approximate distance of 1,136km, Honda Endurance Racing crossed the line in tenth place.

The next round of the FIM Endurance World Championship takes place on 23-24 June, with a new round introduced to the calendar, the 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring.

Freddy Foray 111

This race is a real shame for us as I felt that a podium was possible, so you know it is a shame. All the team, not just the riders need a podium and a good result, we all work so hard so for sure it is a disappointment not to finish today with a podium. Our pace on track was not so bad, so that is a positive for the race, we were similar to SERT, which is encouraging, but we do have some work to do. The Fireblade is very good and the cooler temperatures helped us during the race, I am confident with the pace and that we were able to come back from 15th to finish tenth, but you know we always want more. So now we have to concentrate and get ready for the next round, where I hope we can produce a podium finish.

Julien Da Costa 111

We started in tenth place today and finished tenth. During the race we had problems yes, but we were able to fight and be with teams like SERT, which is encouraging and I felt that we could have finished on the podium. But you know this is racing and sometimes it is not meant to be. But we have the pace, so we can work on the other parts and then we will be on the podium. For me it was a hard race with my wrist, but I have good team-mates who did the job and secured us a place in the top-ten, for this race you know I was the bad guy! So for me I need to rest and make sure my wrist is OK for the next round, we have some work to do, but I am confident in the team and that we can bring it all together for Slovakia.

Sébastien Gimbert 111

Well you know I am disappointed with the result. I was sure in the start that we would finish on the podium, but for this race it was not meant to be. It is a shame as Oschersleben suits the Fireblade, and us but today it wasn’t possible. We struggled a lot with acceleration out of corners, but we were able to make up the gap on the straights and you know, the race pace wasn’t bad, so that is a positive. We have a month now before the next round, so we need to all work together and have the best package possible for Slovakia Ring and also Suzuka. I would like to end the championship with two podium finishes and I know that it is possible, so for now we go to work and come back stronger for the last two rounds.

Jonny Twelvetrees

Team Manager

After qualifying in tenth, the first stint was going well for us with Freddy aboard the CBR, the track temperatures were cooling and that was playing into our hands, the riders were riding strong and pushed hard to make their way into third place. The lap times were looking good, and in the early stages it looked like we might claim a podium. Unfortunately during the third or fourth pit stop we had a problem with the rear axle and we had to get the Fireblade into the box and spend time figuring out the problem. This lost us four minutes and we went back out in 15th place, but during the rest of the race the guys managed to get us back and into the top-ten, so credit to them and their hard work! It is disappointing and this will be one of those ‘what could have been races’, but we showed that we do have good pace and we can fight back. I am looking forward to Slovakia Ring, making some improvements and hopefully we’ll step on the podium there.

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

 Yamaha in a League of Their Own After Clean Sweep in Oschersleben

Yamaha had the perfect day at the 8 Hours of Oschersleben, round three of the 2017 FIM Endurance World Championship, as they completed a lockout of the podium and also took victory in the Superstock class. The GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team made it two race wins in a row after an epic 8-hour duel with the YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, taking victory by just 30 seconds in the end. The Mako Racing Team completed a Yamaha 1-2-3 by snatching the last step on the podium in the dying moments and the MOTI AIN CRT Team made it a clean sweep by winning the Superstock class.

After their amazing race-long duel at the last round in Le Mans, it was another incredible battle in Germany, with the GMT94 and YART teams in a league of their own at the front for almost the entirety of the race weekend. There was nothing to split the teams after practice and qualifying and the race was no different. Despite identical machinery, different tyres, different pit stop strategies, plus a stop and go penalty meant the teams constantly traded places at the front during the race on Saturday.

The GMT94 team started from pole position with Niccoló Canepa taking the honours. The Italian began steadily, making it into the first corner in third, then steadily upping his pace during the opening laps. After ten minutes, he had taken the lead of the race and he set about extending an advantage at the front. Twenty minutes into the race, YART’s Brock Parkes had closed in on his back wheel and for the next few laps, the two did battle, before Parkes got past. Canepa carried on riding consistently good lap times before handing over to David Checa just before the hour mark. The experienced Spaniard immediately took the lead back, before the safety car made a brief appearance. When the green flags were waved, Checa did not look back and opened up a 30-second advantage over the YART team.

Two hours into the race Checa handed over to Mike Di Meglio and the Italian rode valiantly in his first race at the circuit, although Parkes was closing him down lap by lap. When the teams came in for their third pit stop Di Meglio’s lead was down to 16s, David Checa getting back on the R1 for his second stint. Checa once again put the hammer down, opening up a 40-second lead by the time he handed the reins back to Canepa at the halfway point. The Italian increased this to a minute, then managed the gap brilliantly, and when he came in to swap with Checa again, with three hours to go, the GMT94 team held a 55-second advantage. Checa re-joined 1.9s behind Parkes, put passed the Australian in just a few laps, taking the lead on track with the YART team still having to pit.

Unfortunately, the team were then given a stop and go penalty for having their lights on while refuelling during the pit stop. Checa amazingly kept lapping in the 1:27’s, over one and half seconds quicker than anyone else at the time, in an effort to reduce the effect of the penalty. He opened their advantage to over a lap before he came in to hand over to Canepa during their seventh pit stop. The Italian immediately served their penalty, re-joining the race 17s behind the YART team. He closed this gap down to 10 seconds before the YART team made a pit stop, and once more GMT94 were in the lead, this time by 55 seconds. Canepa stretched the advantage again, even with the fading light, but then made the team’s eighth pit stop. He handed over to Checa once more for the final stint, with the Spaniard re-joining two seconds behind the YART Team. He quickly took Fritz for the lead, lapping in the 1:26s again, and opened up a 15-second gap with an hour to go. This became a one minute lead after the GMT94 team made their final pit stop, and the experienced Spaniard brought it home for his team, even affording himself the luxury of a fuel stop with twenty minutes to go.

He went on to cross the line in darkness 30.587 seconds ahead of Parkes, once again the finest of margins after 318 laps and more than 1166km raced. This, added to their victory at Le Mans, means it is now two wins in a row for the team and it also meant a hat-trick of victories at Oschersleben. The GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team are now second in the standings with 101 points, just seven points behind the championship leaders. To round off a great weekend for the GMT94 team, they also completed the ‘perfect’ triumvirate of pole position, race win, and fastest lap, thanks to Checa’s 1:26.814.

YART’s Broc Parkes started the race from second on the grid, heading into the first corner in fourth. The Australian lost no time in making his way to the front, battling and overtaking Canepa on lap 17. He opened up a lead of three seconds, before coming into the pits for the first time, Fritz jumping on the R1. Almost immediately passed by Checa, the German rode bravely, still feeling the after-effects of his crash at Assen in WorldSBK. An hour later he passed the baton back to Parkes after pit stop number two, trailing the GMT94 team by 30 seconds. The Australian continued where he left off, reducing the gap to the leader by 14 seconds in his second stint, meaning that when he handed over to Kohta Nozane, the gap to the GMT94 team was just 16 seconds.

This weekend was the Japanese rider’s first visit to the track and he found a steady rhythm to keep the GMT94 team and David Checa within sight, although he could not match them for pace. When he handed the R1 back to Parkes just after the halfway point, the YART team were one minute down on GMT94. Once again, the Australian got down to business, but despite his best efforts he could not close the gap in any significant way, and when the GMT94 team re-joined the track after their fifth pit stop he was passed by Checa for the lead. YART came in for the fifth time a few laps later, Nozane taking over, but by now they were over a lap behind. But crucially the YART team had been able to ride longer stints thanks to the durability of their Bridgestone tyres and could make one less pit stop than their rivals. This, combined with GMT94’s stop-and-go penalty, meant the race was not over yet. When GMT94 came in for another pit stop, Nozane took over the lead and extended it to 10 seconds, before it was time to come in himself. He swapped with Frits, the German rider re-joining in second, now 55 seconds behind the GMT94 team.

Fritz pushed and inherited the lead when the GMT94 team made their eighth pit stop with just over an hour to go. It was short-lived, as he lost out to a refreshed Checa in the next few laps, and when he handed over to Parkes for the final stint after the team’s seventh pit stop, the Australian had the seemingly insurmountable task of trying to make up a lap with less than an hour to go. He pushed, but despite closing the gap in the latter stages of the race due to Checa’s fuel stop, after an epic 8-hour duel Parkes and the YART team crossed the line in second. Consecutive podiums mean the YART Team is now fourth in the championship standings with 86 points, just 22 points behind the leaders.

The Mako Racing Yamaha Team of Greg Junod, Marko Jerman, and Anthony Dos Santos made it three R1s on the podium after a late charge saw them take third with just two minutes to go in the race, meaning Yamaha now lead the constructor’s championship by 33 points. Completing the clean sweep the MOTO AIN CRT Team of Hugo Clere, Alexis Masbou, and Robin Mulhauser took the Superstock victory to make it the perfect day for Yamaha and they now lead the class by 6 points.

Up next is round four of the 2017 FIM Endurance World Championship, the 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring, on the 23rd-24th June.

David Checa

GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team

“In endurance, you never know what will happen. It is never over until the very end, when you have crossed the finish line, and the YART team pushed us all the way. We had a stop and go penalty, and so we had to push to win the race. I’m very happy for the team, for my teammates, Yamaha and Dunlop.”

Mike Di Meglio

GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team

“We changed strategy because of the stop and go. It was my first time here, I was not as familiar with the circuit as my teammates, but I did everything I could. The important thing is that we won the race. It’s the second consecutive victory of the season, we have to continue like that, the team is doing a great job.”

Niccoló Canepa

GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team

“It was an incredible race! This is the second time I have come here and it is a second victory for the team. It really is a dream team. I had to attack very hard to compensate for the penalty. I am super happy, I thank my team, my teammates and Yamaha for this incredible victory!”

Christophe Guyot

GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team Manager

“This circuit has always been very successful for us, it is our 6th victory here. The Germans are motorcycle enthusiasts and it is a great joy to win at Oschersleben. Our Yamaha R1 worked perfectly. The drivers produced an incredible pace during the 8-hour race. Dunlop tyres have once again proven their longevity and excellent performance.”

Broc Parkes

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team

“All three GMT94 riders were strong. Every time I got on the bike I tried to do my best, but they are a very good team. We didn’t have the best lead up to this race, with Marvin’s injury and a crash in the morning. Kohta did well, and all the guys put in good lap times, but overall, we just weren’t strong enough here in Oschersleben. It’s what it is. We missed the win, but it’s not like Le Mans, where we felt we could have won. We need to work for the next race in Slovakia, so we can fight for the win.”

Marvin Fritz

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team

“It was a hard race. First I have to say sorry to my teammates and my team, as I was not 100% fit. It was great to be back riding after being in a coma for seven hours just three weeks ago and injuring my ribs. I am extremely grateful for all the good people around me who helped to make this happen. We were struggling from Thursday, but we improved every day and in the race, Broc did a really good job in his four stints, he was really fast. My last stint was better than my first, but we struggled, and I struggled the most I think. Despite this, it was a great result and we are looking forward to the next race in Slovakia.”

Kohta Nozane

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team

“I tried my best, but it was very hard to keep with the GMT94 team on my first visit to this track. They were so fast, it was very hard for us to beat them today. The whole team put in a great effort and it is a good result for Yamaha. I look forward to Slovakia so I can get back on my R1 and fight for the win.”

Mandy Kainz

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team Manager

“We made a very good race again, and it’s a great result. Considering Kohta had never ridden here and that fact that Marvin was still recovering from his crash, I think we made a really good race. GMT94 deserved the victory, but we did our best and fought them all the way to the end, and we are happy with this second position.”