YART WIN SLOVAKIA RACE

After an epic 8-hour battle filled with drama, YART Yamaha emerged the winners on the Slovakia Ring, ahead of Suzuki Endurance Racing Team and F.C.C. TSR Honda France. SERT now lead the world rankings.

The Austrian Yamaha squad have won the 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring for the second year in a row. YART Yamaha’s Broc Parkes, Marvin Fritz and Niccolò Canepa never lost the lead. After battling Honda Endurance Racing and F.C.C. TSR Honda France from the start of the race, they ended up sole leader, a lap ahead of Suzuki Endurance Racing Team. In the saddle of the Suzuki #2, Vincent Philippe, Etienne Masson and Gregg Black offered their team manager Dominique Méliand another podium after a perfectly executed race.

On the F.C.C. TSR Honda France bike, Josh Hook, Freddy Foray and Mike Di Meglio climbed back up at lightning speed to take the 3rd step of the podium. The Japanese Honda squad – the reigning champions – had slid to the bottom of the rankings, 3 laps behind the leader, after a brake problem in the early part of the race. Mike Di Meglio’s determination saw them leaping up the timesheets. After posting the fastest lap early on, he broke the track record with a 2:03.938 lap.

Wepol Racing (Sheridan Morais, Daniel Webb and Michael Laverty on the Yamaha#13) pipped VRD Igol Pierret Expériences (Florian Alt, Florian Marino and Xavier Siméon on the Yamaha #333) at the post for 4th place. Both teams kept up a fast pace, staying in the Top 10 throughout the race.

A superb Superstock race

The fastest Superstock team were all the way up in 6th place. Another epic battle saw Junior Team Le Mans Sud Suzuki (Louis Rossi, Hugo Clère and Alexis Masbou) win the day in this class, ahead of Kawasaki-mounted BMRT 3D Maccio Racing (Anthony Loiseau, Jimmy Maccio and Jonathan Hardt) and Team 33 Coyote Louit Moto (Enzo Boulom, Chris Leesch and Kevin Manfredi). Four other teams were hot on the heels of the podium finishers: Moto Ain, GERT56 by GS Yuasa, No Limits Motor Team and Wójcik Racing Team 2. An 11th-place finish enabled GERT56 by GS Yuasa to keep the FIM Superstock World Cup lead.

Suzuki Endurance Racing Team leads championship

After a lengthy battle for the lead with YART Yamaha, Honda Endurance Racing finished 8th. The British Honda and the Austrian Yamaha had been alternately in the lead for more than 6 hours when Randy de Puniet’s second crash dashed the Honda#111’s hopes of victory.

Three other high-profile teams were forced to throw in the towel at the 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring. Team SRC Kawasaki France, Team ERC-BMW Motorrad Endurance and Fany Gastro BMW Motorrad by Mercury Racing withdrew due to mechanical problems. The factory Kawasaki’s withdrawal has thrown the FIM Endurance World Championship wide open, with three different winners in three races. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team now leads the provisional world standings.

Next race on the EWC calendar: the 8 Hours of Oschersleben in Germany on 9 June.

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Sensational Second Consecutive 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring Victory for YART Yamaha

The YART Yamaha Official EWC Team put the disappointment of Le Mans far behind them today with a masterful victory in a challenging 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring. The team performed to perfection, securing a well-deserved victory, repeating their win of 2018.

Riders Broc Parkes, Marvin Fritz and Niccolò Canepa armed themselves with the best possible opportunity for victory, performing strongly in recent testing at the track and starting today’s eight-hour race from pole position. Their Yamaha YZF-R1 performed faultlessly throughout the race, giving them the perfect machine to fight for their second successive Slovakia win.

Having suffered a crash just a few days ago and subsequent pain in both shoulder and elbow, the team wisely chose to rest Australian Parkes after his first stint, with Fritz and Canepa stepping up to take on the challenge.

A strong start saw the no7 bike fighting and swapping places for the lead multiple times before establishing the front spot and settling in to a good rhythm. A stop-and-go penalty was then the first of the challenges to be faced, the resulting time loss relegating the team to second, with some nearly 30 seconds to make up to first. Unfazed, Fritz and Canepa took their turns on the R1, gradually eating the time back and taking advantage of others mistakes to re-take the lead.

The weather proved to be the other major competitor in the fight for the win, with light rain falling more than once on the circuit, making life difficult for the riders. Smooth control and calm patience saw YART deal with the changing conditions in control, and passing the finish line in first after eight hours to claim their hard-fought win.

It was another strong race for the teams enjoying Yamaha’s extended support program, with WEPOL Racing leading the way to finish fourth overall. VRD Igol Pierret Experiences Yamaha were right behind in fourth and Moto AIN bike rounded up the top ten in tenth. 3ART – Moto Team 95 worked hard to be in the points again, finishing 15h place.

Broc Parkes

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team

“It is an awesome result. I actually crashed on Tuesday and hurt my shoulder and elbow but I was able to do one stint. I felt ok, but Mandy decided to be safe and Nicò and Marvin had good pace to continue. I’m happy because with my qualifying lap I was fastest, and with my injuries I was happy just to ride the bike. It’s an awesome result for the team, a big thanks to them, and to my teammates for a great job.”

Niccolo Canepa

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team

“We really deserve this after the bad luck in Le Mans. All the team did a good job in tough conditions. It was dry and hot, then cold and wet, and then dry again so it was really crazy. We had the best strategy, no mistakes and a good system. Now the championship is open again so the next races we will see what happens.”

Marvin Fritz

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team

“It was a hard race with and the team worked amazing, my teammates were fast and the bike works really good, we made the right choices in the conditions. My second stint it was hard, less rain but not wet enough for rain tyres. It was hard to find a rhythm and not make a stupid mistake, in the end it was great and we are super happy to get a win.”

Mandy Kainz

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team Manager

“This result is fantastic, we couldn’t be happier today with the efforts of the team and the reward it has given us. Broc was able to make a good stint, but we chose to not risk too much by him continuing after his injuries a few days ago. Both Marvin and Niccolò had great pace and were honestly unbeatable today. Our bike was performing brilliantly, so thank you to Yamaha, and especially to the team who worked hard to make sure we were first. This is the perfect way to move on from Le Mans, now the championship is interesting again, so we continue and see what we can achieve.”

More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:

F.C.C. TSR Honda France fights to a heroic podium at the 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring

8 Hours of Slovakia Ring

Slovakia Ring, Slovakia

The reigning FIM Endurance World Champions, F.C.C. TSR Honda France had a heroic fight-back at the 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring today. In the third round of the 2018/2019 FIM Endurance World Championship, the trio of Freddy Foray, Mike di Meglio and Josh Hook fought their way back through the field after an early issue to finish the race in third position on the rostrum. The Honda Endurance Racing team with Randy de Puniet, Sébastien Gimbert and Yonny Hernandez equally fought hard for the victory, but suffered under tricky conditions, eventually crossing the line in eighth position.

On the contrary of the past two years of endurance racing at the Slovakia Ring, the 2019 edition was a fairly wet and tricky affair for Honda’s EWC teams. It had started with wet conditions in Qualifying on Thursday, so riders and teams welcomed the sun for today’s race day. But during the last three hours the rain started to fall on and off, and it became a gamble for pit crews and riders to judge what tyre would be best.

The race ended with a heroically fought third place on the podium for F.C.C. TSR Honda France. The team had a small issue in the early stages and whilst entering the pits, di Meglio fell in the pit entry. The quick-acting crew soon fixed the issue and sent the Fireblade back on-track, where the Honda trio soon set about picking off their EWC rivals, working through the field to cross the line in third place.

Honda Endurance Racing suffered heartache whilst fighting for the victory against eventual winners YART. De Puniet, Gimbert and Hernandez proved on track to be the fastest trio of the Endurance Championship, but pushing for victory always means being close to the limit. At first, de Puniet ran out of track and visited the gravel trap, thankfully the Fireblade was not damaged and he was able to carry on to finish his stint.

When the conditions got tricky, it was Hernandez who made the headlines. He had decided for the correct tyres, first losing ground on the opponents of YART but making it all up at the end of his stint into second place.

Towards the end of the race, de Puniet went out on a full slick set-up, but again fell victim to the weather conditions. Losing rear grip, the #111 Fireblade flipped through the gravel and in true endurance style, the Frenchman returned the bike to the pits where the mechanics made a world class job in repairing the CBR1000RR, to send Gimbert out for the final stint. In the end the squad earned another 15 points towards the World Championship finishing eighth.

F.C.C. TSR Honda France holds fifth in the World Championship, after three of five rounds, having collected 79 points. Honda Endurance Racing is in sixth position, just four points behind F.C.C. TSR. Honda France.

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

Honda Endurance Racing overcomes tricky Slovakia Ring conditions to come home eighth

8 Hours of Slovakia Ring

Slovakia Ring, Slovakia

Randy de Puniet, Sébastien Gimbert and Yonny Hernandez brought home their Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 in eighth position at the 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring. The third round of the 2018/2019 FIM Endurance World Championship was held in more than tricky weather conditions, making the push for victory on a knife-edge. But even after bad luck struck, the Honda Endurance Racing team never gave up and made it to the finish line, earning further points for the World Championship standings.

The 2019 edition of the 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring was a fairly wet and tricky affair for Honda Endurance Racing. It had started with wet conditions in Qualifying on Thursday, so riders and teams welcomed the sun for today’s race. But in the last three hours of the race rain fell on and off, making it a gamble for teams’ on what tyre choice would be suitable to go the distance.

Honda Endurance Racing’s trio proved to be the fastest of the Endurance Championship teams on track, but pushing for victory always means to be close to the limit. The trio was constantly fighting with eventual winners YART, however first to fall to the conditions was de Puniet who ran out of track and into the gravel. With no damage to the Fireblade he was able to finish his stint, with team dropping to second – 30 seconds behind the leaders.

When the conditions got tricky, it was Hernandez who made the headlines. Opting for the correct tyre choice he first lost out on the opponents of YART, but he made it all up at the end of his stint.

Towards the end of the race, de Puniet went out on a full slick set-up, but once again fell victim to the conditions. Losing rear grip the Fireblade flipped through the gravel, and de Puniet set about getting the bike back to the garage as quickly as possible. Quick work from the super-slick Honda team saw the Fireblade repaired and it was over to Gimbert to finish the race. In the end the squad finished eighth, gaining another 15 points towards the World Championship.

With three of five rounds of the 2018/2019 FIM Endurance World Championship complete, Honda Endurance Racing holds sixth position overall, having earned 75 points.

Randy de Puniet 111

For sure we are disappointed today because it is not the result we were hoping for. We were battling for the lead for almost the whole race and even in tricky conditions we were the fastest team on track. When I was out on slick tyres, it got wet and Yonny took over with soft rain tyres and we lost the first position. But he fought brilliantly to regain the first place and gave the bike back to me in the leading position. I went out again and we had put slick front and rear, but unfortunately I hit a wet patch and crashed. I am so sorry because we have a very good potential, we pushed a lot during all the race. My team and my teammates did a great job but I crashed and I am sorry for them. But this is racing – if you don’t push, you are not fighting for the victory. We now have one month to recover and to be ready for Germany and try to win there again.

Sébastien Gimbert 111

This is racing, for sure. Of course we are disappointed. It was a big fight with YART but honestly if you want to win it is just necessary to push – they pushed for the win, and we pushed for the win and I gave my everything out there – as did Yonny and Randy. The corner that Randy crashed has very low grip even in the dry and for me I had some moments there as well, even after using wet tyres. With one hour to go, we were in first position, but after eight hours we finished eighth. We got some points and that is okay, especially as we proved we are amongst the fastest in this sport again. It is not long to go until Oschersleben, so we take the positives: we have earned some points and Randy has no injury, which is the main important thing.

Yonny Hernandez 111

I am happy because all week was good for me. I think I have done a good job here and I think our team has done a really good job. We all work together perfectly and that’s important. What happened today is simply racing. We lost the win due to a crash, but I think Randy has done a great job in those tricky conditions out there – as it is always very difficult to ride with slicks in the wet. I think we have to take the positives – we were leading the race once again, had a good qualifying and we had a good week in general. I myself find my way better and better in this category. I hope in Germany we can fight for the victory again – and then hopefully until the end.

Jonny Twelvetrees

Team Manager

It’s been a tricky race with the conditions, the last two and a half hours we started to get the rain but it wasn’t real rain – it was just on and off and you could not tell if it was going to stay or not, in order to make the call to whether be brave and stay on slicks or not. We were on light wets for a while and then went back to slicks. We were looking on everyone out there, trying to call it right and to also sync that with our fuel strategy. We made our call, it looked to be the right one and it perhaps could have been a bit to aggressive, I am not sure. Randy crashed just after going out and yeah, that put us back. Maybe it was a wrong decision on our side but we were fighting for the win and this is what we had set out from the start of the week – that was what we were aiming for. Anyway, we got the bike back and the mechanics did an amazing job just getting it back – it was damaged and they got it together to send it straight back out again and we only lost 11 minutes, which is great considering the amount of work they had to do. We got some points but the main target now is to focus on Oschersleben. We have proven to everyone how fast we can go and for sure we can win Oschersleben, that’s what we are working on now.

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

SUZUKI ENDURANCE GSX-R1000 LEADS 2019 EWC – UPDATED

Suzuki Endurance Racing Team jumped into the lead of the Endurance World Championship following a brilliant performance to finish second in the third round of five at the Slovakia Ring 8 Hours in Slovakia on Saturday.

The 15-times World Champions, run by Dominique Méliand – Vincent Philippe, Etienne Masson and Gregg Black – put the GSX-R1000 into a 10-point lead over previous series leaders, SRC Kawasaki France, were forced out of the race.

The riders did not face any real issues on the tricky Slovakian circuit, where sunny weather alternated with rainy conditions, where Black set-up the pace from the beginning of the race and fastest off the grid, leading the race for several laps, and then strategically placing himself a few positions behind the leader.

Vincent Philippe:

“It was a difficult race, but we could manage it cleverly until the end. We finished with a great result and are now leading the championship. We are now very confident for next rounds.”

Etienne Masson:

“I was one of the first to ride on slick tyres when the rain stopped. It was difficult at the beginning, but it was a rewarding strategy. At the end, we finished on the second step of the podium and it’s very good to be back on it.”

Gregg Black:

“I was not so satisfied with our third place at Le Mans, but I’m very happy with this race. We were not the fastest here, but the riders were consistent, and the bike was reliable. That is rewarding in Endurance!”

So far in the 2018-2019 EWC Championship, SERT has fought back to fifth at the Bol d’Or 24 Hour opening round on September 16th, podiumed with third at the Le Mans 24 Hours on April 21st; and after running in the top-three for most of the Slovakia Ring event, took advantage of a crash by Honda Endurance in the closing stages to take second at Slovakia Ring.

The next round takes place on June 8th, the 8 Hours of Oschersleben, in Germany with the series finale, the Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan on July 28th.

Suzuki also scored success in the Superstock class with Junior Team Le Mans Sud riders Louis Rossi, Hugo Clere and Alexis Masbou putting their GSX-R1000 to the class victory. In the process, Junior Team LMS has moved into second in the series.

SLOVAKIA RING EWC POSITIONS EACH HOUR:

1hr: SERT 3rd / Junior Team Suzuki 9th

2hr: SERT 3rd / Junior Team Suzuki 6th

3hr: SERT 3rd / Junior Team Suzuki 6th

4hr: SERT 3rd / Junior Team Suzuki 7th

5hr: SERT 3rd / Junior Team Suzuki 8th

6hr: SERT 3rd / Junior Team Suzuki 8th

7hr: SERT 2nd / Junior Team Suzuki 8th

8hr: SERT 2nd / Junior Team Suzuki 6th