Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone wins the 8 Hours of Doha Suzuki Endurance Racing Team World Champion for the eleventh time Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone riders David Checa, Kenny Foray and Matthieu Lagrive closed the season with a first victory and hence, offered their French official Yamaha the third place of the 2011 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship at the last race, in Qatar. Reaching the end of the race through a very fast pace, BMW Motorrad France 99 finished second in Doha. For the honours, Sébastien Gimbert, Erwan Nigon and Damian Cudlin outperformed Suzuki Endurance Racing Team of Vincent Philippe and Anthony Delhalle. Nonetheless, this third place gave Suzuki Endurance Racing Team their eleventh world title, with a four point lead over BMW Motorrad France 99. The race started at a very high pace, as Vincent Philippe took the holeshot but the fight to lead was quickly shared between Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone, Monster Yamaha YART and BMW Motorrad France 99 riders. The collision between the BMW and the Monster Yamaha YART riders during the eleventh lap gave then an open shot to the Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone who then took leadership despite the pressure of the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team. Following closely, the Honda TT Legends Team took a well-deserved fifth place, due to a strong pace and pit stop management. Honda riders John McGuinness, Keith Amor and Glen Richards outperformed the Spanish Yamaha of YMES Folch Endurance with Dani Ribalta, Pedro Vallcaneras and Jose Manuel Luis Rita. Maco Racing Team, Motobox Kremer Racing by Shell Advance, the Team FMA Assurances, the Team R2CL were in a group to finish in the EWC top 15. The Bolliger Team Switzerland lost the benefits of a great start during the early stages of the race as they encountered some fuel injection problems and finished 16th overall, in an unusual 11th in EWC. In seventh position, the Yamaha of DG Sport took victory in the Superstock class, thanks to their tire management by using their set of Michelin tyres during two consecutive shifts. Their well prepared riders, Hugo Marchand, Josep Monge and Raymond Schouten managed to hold back the Suzuki of Team Motors Events Bodyguard AMT, already assured of the 2011 Superstock FIM World Cup. The Suzuki of Qatar Endurance Racing Team is back on the podium and finished in the Superstock third place ahead of the MCS Racing Ipone and Endurance Moto 45. The feminine team of Qatar Endurance Racing Team (Nina Prinz, Nikolett Kovacs and Paola Cazzola, Superstock) finished in 6th place, ahead of the BMW from Van Zon Boenig Motorsportschool Penz13 RT. Well placed from the start, the BMW lost some ground after a fuel shortage, but finished the season with a FIM World Cup second place. Some of the team favourites in the Superstock class saw their hopes for victory vanish from the beginning of the race. The Suzuki AM Moto Racing Compétition had to abandon with some fuel injection problems and their colleagues of Suzuki of No Limits Motor Team crashed, ending their season unceremoniously. More, from a press release issued by Honda TT Legends: Honda TT Legends complete 8 Hours of Doha to place seventh in Endurance World Championship The Honda TT Legends’ inaugural Endurance World Championship came to a triumphant close today with a fifth place finish in the 8 Hours of Doha at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. The resulting points take the team to seventh place in the overall standings an achievement to be proud of in its development year. Stand-in rider Glen Richards started the race and put in a blistering first stint, going from ninth to second on the timesheets after the two leading teams collided and were forced to pit. A determined John McGuinness followed this up and ended his stint in third, before Keith Amor headed out for his first session on the Fireblade. Over the next couple of hours, the team switched places within the top six before settling into fifth as darkness fell. They then held this position until the end of the race with John McGuinness crossing the line to finish the eight-hour battle for the Honda TT Legends. This is the team’s third fifth-place finish of the year it completed both the Bol d’Or and the Le Mans 24-hour in the same position to secure seventh in its first ever EWC season. Neil Tuxworth Our aim for this year was to finish sixth in the championship, but to be honest we are more than happy with seventh. It’s a great achievement in our development year and I think the whole team can be proud of what we have achieved. We have learned an incredible amount over the season and we will take all that into 2012 with the aim of becoming competitive enough to fight for the podium. John McGuinness We’ve finished three races this year with three fifths and I think that’s a fantastic achievement. Looking at the race results, you’ve got teams with massive experience and world championship titles above us so we’re the best of the rest if you like! We strung eight hours together no problem and as a team we bought the bike home. It was quite a experience to finish the race here and the 8 Hours of Qatar is another thing to tick off my list of things to do. I have to mention all the boys in the team they’ve worked mega hard and there has been a lot going on behind the scenes with the ABS project amongst other things, so thank you to them. Keith Amor It was quite an eventful end to the championship in the end. I’m really happy that the team has been able to move up to the seventh in the championship as we’ve had a few unlucky breaks this year. Glen and John did really, really well. It’s was tough to learn this track but overall it’s been a good year. I feel privileged to be part of the official Honda outfit. Glen Richards I am really happy that I’ve been able to do a half decent job. It’s always the fear of the unknown when you haven’t ridden the bike before but it’s all worked very well. The team has been fantastic and the bike was really good. We managed to get fifth in the race and move up in the championship, which the team are very happy about so I’m happy. More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad France 99: TEAM BMW MOTORRAD FRANCE 99 SEE TITLE HOPES DASHED IN QATAR A hard fought second place in today’s 8 Hours of Doha, the final race of the 2011 Endurance World Championship, wasn’t quite enough to see Team BMW Motorrad France 99 crowned as the 2011 Endurance World Champions, as third place for SERT saw them retain the title by just four points. Having dominated practice and qualifying, Sébastien Gimbert, Erwan Nigon and Damian Cudlin were confident of fighting for the win aboard the BMW S1000RR in Qatar today. Unfortunately, their hopes were cruelly dashed just 12 laps into the race when Katsuyuki Nakasuga crashed and collected race leader Gimbert on his way to the gravel trap. Four minutes lost to repairs in the pits meant that Team BMW Motorrad France 99 rejoined the race in 24th position. Nigon immediately started the fight back that would see the #99 BMW S1000RR progress rapidly through the field to eventually take the chequered flag in second place, trailing race winners Yamaha GMT94 by just 30 seconds. But those 30 seconds proved the difference between title glory and intense disappointment for Team BMW Motorrad France 99. Finishing second in the standings in only their first full season in the Endurance World Championship was little consolation for Team BMW Motorrad France 99, who were effectively eliminated from what promised to be an epic title fight very early in the race. Sébastien Gimbert: Pilot Bleu “I’m disappointed, obviously, but I’m also proud of what we did today. I was comfortable at the front of the race when Nakasuga pushed too hard and took us both out. What he was trying to do I have no idea, and I don’t think he did either. It was a risk he shouldn’t have taken. It would have been easy to have given up then, to have left the bike, closed the pit box doors and just called it a day. But we didn’t. Instead, we fought back and we came within 30 seconds of winning the championship. That is something for me, Erwan, Damian and the whole team to be proud of.” Erwan Nigon: Pilot Vert “What can I say? I’m disappointed, but this is racing. Sometimes you enjoy good luck and sometimes you endure bad luck. Today we had some luck of the bad kind, but we did our best to recover and only missed out on a dream comeback by the narrowest of margins. I’d like to say a big thank you to my teammates, Sébastien and Damian, who never gave up today, to BMW, Michelin and everyone in the team for their support and to Michael Bartholemy, for the faith and confidence he’s shown in me this year.” Damian Cudlin: Pilot Rouge “After Sébastien was t-boned by Nakasuga in the first hour of the race we regrouped, pushed on and came within 30 seconds of winning the world championship title. After 72 hours of racing this season, we lost out by just half a minute. How crazy is that? I’m bummed. There’s nothing else to say really, except thanks to everyone who made this season possible.” Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal “My feeling is one of frustration rather than disappointment. If Nakasuga came to the Endurance World Championship looking to make a name for himself then he certainly achieved that today. We fought back after the crash, lapping two or three seconds faster than anyone else on track for most of the race, but it wasn’t quite enough and we lost out by just 30 seconds at the end. We are vice-world champions in only our first full season in the championship, but that really is little consolation. We were here to win, not finish second. I’d like to congratulate our riders; Sébastien Gimbert, Erwan Nigon, Damian Cudlin and Hugo Marchand, all of whom have done a fantastic job this season. Thanks also to BMW Motorsport and to Michelin, whose unstinting support allowed us to come here to Qatar still with a shot at the title. I’d also like to congratulate SERT on retaining the championship title. I hope we’ll be back next year to do battle with them once again.” Marcel Driessen: Director, BMW Motorrad France “I am super proud of my young team. To come back from 23rd position after the crash to finish second, just 30 seconds behind the race winner, illustrates just how exceptional our team and our riders are. We missed out on the ultimate prize by the narrowest of margins today but ending our first full season as vice-champions, in a series so closely contested that we’ve had five different winners in as many races, is an achievement I’m justifiably proud of.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Suzuki Endurance Racing Team has won the 2011 FIM World Endurance Championship after a close finish at today’s final round in Qatar. With a depleted two-rider team of Vincent Philippe and Anthony Delhalle following a mid-week injury of third rider Daisaku Sakai – who turned up to support his team – the duo brought the GSX-R1000 home in third place overall in the eight-hour race at Losail to clinch it’s 11th title ahead of closest rivals BMW Motorrad France 99, who finished just ahead of the French team in second. After qualifying in fourth position, SERT’s Philippe grabbed the sprint to the lead on the opening lap ahead of Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 iPhone, BMW and Monster Yamaha YART. But the lead changed hands frequently during the opening four hours after which Yamaha made its position a permanent one at the head of the 26-rider field to secure victory with 231 laps completed. From there on, the Suzuki team made good use of pit stops and with consistent lap times – and a faultless performance by the GSX-R1000 Superbike – played a tactical race to ensure that it stayed ahead of the BMW team on points; BMW entered the fifth and final race nine points adrift of SERT in the Championship standings. The only significant position change was at the seven-and-a-half hour mark when SERT pitted, dropping the team back into third position, but with less than 50 seconds separating the three top teams, it was a well-timed manoeuvre that helped seal Suzuki’s success again at the top-level of World Endurance racing. Qatar Results: 1 Yamaha France GMT 94 iPhone (Yamaha) 231 laps, 2 BMW Motorrad France 99 (BMW) – 30.134 seconds, 3 SERT (Suzuki GSX-R1000) – 49.023 seconds, 4 Monster Yamaha YART (Yamaha) – 1 lap, 5 Honda TT Legends (Honda) – 4 laps, 6 YMES Folch Endurance (Yamaha), 7 DGS Sport (Yamaha), 8 Motors Events Bodyguard (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 9 QERT (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 10 MCS Racing iPhone (Suzuki GSX-R1000). More, from a press release issued by Honda: FIM ENDURANCE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, ROUND FIVE DOHA, QATAR. NOVEMBER 12, 2011 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CLASS RESULTS POS / TEAM / RIDERS / MOTORCYCLE / LAPS / TIME 1 / YAMAHA France GMT 94 IPONE / CHECA – FORAY – LAGRIVE / YAMAHA R 1 / 231 / 8:01:49.3 2 / BMW MOTORRAD France 99 / GIMBERT – NIGON – CUDLIN / BMW S1000 RR / 231 / 8:02:19.4 3 / S.E.R.T. / PHILIPPE – DELHALLE / SUZUKI GSXR / 231 / 02:38.3 4 / MONSTER YAMAHA YART / JERMAN – MARTIN – NAKASUGA / YAMAHA R 1 / 230 / 8:02:06.9 5 / HONDA TT LEGENDS / MC GUINNESS – AMOR – RICHARDS / HONDA CBR 1000 / 227 / 8:02:35.0 6 / YMES FOLCH ENDURANCE / RIBALTA – VALLCANERAS – LUIS / YAMAHA R1 / 227 / 8:03:47.2 7 / MACO RACING TEAM / PRIDMORE – JUNOD – BLACK / YAMAHA R 1 / 222 / 8:02:33.6 8 / MOTOBOX KREMER BY SHELL / GAZIELLO – SCHERRER – MOSER / SUZUKI GSXR / 221 / 8:02:19.3 9 / TEAM FMA ASSURANCES / DUMAIN – MORIN – MACKELS / HONDA 1000 CBR / 221 / 8:03:19.0 10 / TEAM R2CL / BRIERE – LEFORT – CAPELA / SUZUKI GSXR / 221 / 8:03:53.5 11 / BOLLIGER TEAM SWITZERLAND / SAIGER – STAMM – TANGRE / KAWASAKI ZX 10 / 220 / 8:03:38.8 12 / TEAM FMA ASSURANCES / BOULANGE – KIPP – GENESTIER / HONDA CBR / 214 / 8:03:11.3 13 / MOTOPLANETE RACING TEAM YAMAHA / YAM 74 / MECENE – FERRE – QUELLET / YAMAHA R 1 / 211 / 8:03:45.1 FINAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CLASS POSITIONS: 1 Suzuki Endurance Racing Team 109 ( World Champion ), 2 BMW Motorrad France 99 105, 3 Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone 76, 4 Team SRC Kawasaki 63, 5 Monster Yamaha YART 54, 6 YMES Folch Endurance 51, 7 Honda TT Legends 43, 8 Bolliger Team Switzerland 42, 9 Maco Racing Team 34, 10 FCC TSR Honda 30, 11 Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team 24, 12 Team R2CL 24, 13 National Motos 22, 14 TRT 27 City Bike 21, 15 Motobox Kremer by Shell Advance 20. SUPERSTOCK CLASS RESULTS POS / TEAM / RIDERS / MOTORCYCLE / LAPS / TIME 1 / DGSPORT / MARCHAND – MONGE – SCHOUTEN / YAMAHA R 1 / 225 / 03:06.7 2 / MOTORS EVENTS BODYGUARD / GINES – BOCQUET – GRARRE / SUZUKI GSXR / 224 / 02:33.9 3 / QERT / CUDLIN – AL MALKI – AL MANNAI / SUZUKI GSXR / 223 / 02:39.3 4 / MCS RACING – IPONE / PROSENIK – SAVARY – BELLUCCI / SUZUKI GSXR / 222 / 02:20.6 5 / ENDURANCE MOTO 45 / DIGUET – GANFORNINA – LAGRIVE / SUZUKI GSXR / 220 / 02:52.3 6 / QERT II / PRINZ – KOVACS – CAZZOLA / SUZUKI GSXR / 219 / 03:49.5 7 / VAN ZON BOENIG MOTORSPORTSCHOOL / FASTRE – FILLA – VOS / BMW S1000 RR / 216 / 03:28.1 8 / SP RACING 2 / LEBAIL – LAMOUR – LE PECHEUR / HONDA CBR 1000RR / 207 / 03:21.2 9 / VILTAIS RACING DIVISION / BARDET – BESNARD – ROCHET / YAMAHA R 1 / 194 / 03:18.6 FINAL SUPERSTOCK CLASS POSITIONS: 1 Team Motors Events Bodyguard AMT 118 ( World Champion ), 2 Van Zon Boenig Motorsportschool Penz13 RT 67, 3 Atomic MotoSport 59, 4 MCS Racing Ipone 52, 5 DG Sport 43, 6 Maccio Racing 43, 7 Team Endurance Moto 45 39, 8 MCP Starteam 67 32, 9 No Limits Motor Team 30, 10 Viltaïs Racing Division 27, 11 Qatar Endurance Racing Team 26, 12 AM Moto Racing Compétition 25, 13 Suzuki Junior Team LMS 22, 14 3D Endurance Moto Center 14, 15 Racing Team Sarazin 14.