12 Hours of Portimao
FIM Endurance World Championship
Autodromo Internacional Algarve, Portimao, Portugal
June 9, 2016
Qualifying Session One Results:
1. YART Yamaha Official EWC Team (Broc Parkes 1:46.651/Marvin Fritz 1:46.755/Ivan Silva 1:48.130), Yam YZF-R1, Superbike, 1:47.178
2. SRC Kawasaki (Gregory Leblanc 1:47.749/Matthieu Lagrive 1:47.496/Fabien Foret 1:46.757), Kaw ZX-10R, Superbike, 1:47.334
3. GMT94 Yamaha (David Checa 1:47.791/Niccolo Canepa 1:47.907/Lucas Mahias 1:47.315), Yam YZF-R1, Superbike, 1:47.671
4. F.C.C. TSR Honda (Damian Cudlin 1:47.619/Kazuma Watanabe 1:47.761/PJ Jacobsen 1:47.799), Hon CBR1000RR SP, Superbike, 1:47.726
5. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Vincent Philippe 1:48.556/Anthony Delhalle 1:47.257/Etienne Masson 1:47.727), Suz GSX-R1000, Superbike, 1:47.846
6. Parkalgar Racing Team (Miguel Oliveira 1:48.437/Miguel Praia 1:47.756), Yam YZF-R1, Superbike, 1:48.096
7. Team 3ART Yam’Avenue (Louis Bulle 1:48.485/Alex Plancassagne 1:49.108/Lukas Trautmann 1:47.634), Yam YZF-R1, Superstock, 1:48.409
8. Team April Moto Motors Events (Gregg Black 1:48.157/Gregory Fastre 1:48.894/Alex Cudlin 1:48.623), Suz GSX-R1000, Superbike, 1:48.558
9. Honda Endurance Racing (Julien Da Costa 1:48.879/Sebastien Gimbert 1:48.444/Freddy Foray 1:48.704), Hon CBR1000RR SP, Superbike, 1:48.675
10. Maco Racing Team (Gregory Junod 1:48.900/Marko Jerman 1:49.348/Anthony Dos Santos 1:47.940), Yam YZF-R1, Superbike, 1:48.729
More, from a press release issued by FIM Endurance World Championship:
The YART Yamaha Official EWC Team clocked the day’s best performance at Portimão, wresting the lead in the first qualifying session from Team SRC Kawasaki and GMT94 Yamaha.
Austrian squad YART Yamaha Official EWC Team has picked up provisional pole thanks to the combined best lap times from its three riders and the fastest qualifying time, with Broc Parkes posting a 1’46.651 lap. Together with Marvin Fritz and Ivan Silva, he took the Yamaha #7 to the top of the standings, distancing current FIM EWC championship leader Team SRC Kawasaki by a whisker. Close behind within the same second were GMT94 Yamaha, F.C.C. TSR Honda, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team – and Parkalgar Racing Team, despite the loss of Miguel Oliveira, who was still being given medical treatment when it was time for his qualifying session after he crashed in free practice. The 2015 Moto3 world championship runner-up was back on the circuit this afternoon, and is expected to set his lap during the second round of qualifying tomorrow morning.
Team 3Art Yam’Avenue once again proved to be the best Superstock team. Louis Bulle, Alex Plancassagne and Lukas Trautmann came in 7th, behind the top teams, ahead of Superstock rivals Team Louit Moto 33 Traqueur, Junior Team Le Mans Sud Suzuki and Yamaha Viltaïs Experiences.
This being the first-ever race on the Portimão circuit, all the teams are having to do a lot of adapting and bike set-up tweaking. This could well upset the standings at tomorrow’s second qualifying.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
SUZUKI ENDURANCE READY FOR PORTIMAO 12-HOUR
Jun 9th, 2016
Reigning Endurance World Champions Suzuki Endurance Racing Team is gearing-up for Saturday’s Portimão second round in Portugal, with the aim of putting the GSX-R1000 on the top-step of the podium.
SERT riders Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Etienne Masson currently lie fifth in the rankings, 19 points adrift of the series lead, with three rounds remaining following their heroic comeback through the field to fifth position after crashing at the opening round at Le Mans in April.
The Algarve International Circuit in the south of Portugal is a new fixture on the 2016 EWC calendar. It sits in the scenic hillside, 20kms above the coastal resort of Portimao, which is towards the western-edge of Portugal’s Algarve. Hosting consecutive World Superbike races since the circuit’s unveiling in 2008, the ‘rollercoaster’ layout is famed for its undulating nature and 15 multi-directional turns, providing a challenging and exhilarating ride for the 30 Endurance (EWC) and Superstock (SST) teams entered this weekend.
In today’s opening practice sessions, SERT scored a provisional fifth-place, just 0.668 off Pole Positional going into this evening’s night practice: Philippe, taking part in the first session, recorded a lap-time of 1:48.556, Delhalle followed with a 1:47.257; and then Masson took the last session with a time of 1:47.727, averaging-out at 1:47.846 for the three French riders.
With six Suzuki GSX-R-mounted teams competing, Team April Moto Motors Events positioned eighth in the EWC class and Superstock team, Junior Team LMS Suzuki, third in the SST class and 14th overall.
SERT will continue to test various setting’s on the Yoshimura-powered GSX-R1000 in tonight’s practice that begins at 20:00 local time, ready for tomorrow’s busy schedule that begins at 10:00hrs and then an evening ‘warm-up’ at 18:00hrs for the final shake-down testing.
The first edition of the 12 Horas de Portimão will be flagged-off at 9:30hrs local time on Saturday.