This weekend will see the Endurance World Championship add a new circuit to the championship, visiting the Czech Republic for the season finale at the 6 Hours of Most. The title’s still on the line too, with the battle going down to the line between a factory team and a privateer effort, with runner-up spots in both the EWC and Superstock classes also up for grabs.
FIM EWC heads to the 6 Hours of Most for the first time this weekend
That’s a battle for the 2021 FIM EWC title between a factory team with 16 titles under their belt and a privateer team who have steadily been making their way up through the ranks season after season.
A tie-up between the Japanese team Yoshimura Suzuki and Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, Yoshimura SERT Motul is a ‘new’ team in 2021, but it is a combination of two historic names in Endurance. Yoshimura – a lead player and four-time winner of the Suzuka 8 Hours; and SERT – an endurance specialist with 16 world titles and the reigning champions.
Yoshimura SERT Motul
VRD Igol Experiences, a Yamaha-supported independent team, are the only ones in a strong position to challenge Yoshimura SERT Motul for the 2021 title. VRD Igol Experiences – a perfect example of a performance-focused and cohesive team – are in their third season in the EWC class after winning the 2016-2017 FIM Superstock World Cup.
In the saddle of the Bridgestone-shod factory Suzuki, Gregg Black, Xavier Simeon and Sylvain Guintoli will focus on increasing their 36-point lead in the standings. On paper, considering their lead plus the team’s experience and level of performance, the challenger does not stand much of a chance.
VRD Igol Experiences
But anything is possible in Endurance. Florian Alt, Florian Marino and Nico Terol will go all out in the saddle of the 333 Dunlop-shod Yamaha to seize the slightest chance of winning.
Yoshimura SERT Motul have won two out of three races this season but like most of the factory teams, they had a run of bad luck in Portugal.
VRD Igol Experiences have stuck to a tried and tested method to win big points in all three races and are now in a position to possibly win their first world title. However they will also have to fend off three factory teams wanting to end the season with a win and finish on the highest possible step in the world rankings.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
F.C.C. TSR Honda France, who won at Estoril but were forced to withdraw at the Bol d’Or, are the next best placed factory backed team, only 16-points behind VRD Igol Experiences.
Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar and BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, who were also forced to withdraw at the Bol d’Or, are close behind.
Another team worth watching is the privateer Yamaha-mounted Moto Ain, who finished second at the Bol d’Or. They are sixth in the overall standings, ahead of the German team Motobox Kremer, the factory Ducati team ERC Endurance who are making progress despite being forced to withdraw at the Bol d’Or. Maco Racing Team are also continuing their progress with Anthony West, and there’s the YART–Yamaha Official EWC Team too.
YART–Yamaha Official EWC Team
Currently tenth in the world rankings, the Austrian factory Yamaha team were regularly among the front runners in tests and the early stages of races, and will try to climb onto the podium for the first time this season.
World Cup Superstock
While the FIM Endurance World Cup reserved for Superstock teams has already been won by BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers, the battle for the runner-up spots will be hotly fought.
Anthony Loiseau, Jonathan Hardt and Julien Pilot with BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers won the Superstock category at Bol d’Or
Often seen on the Superstock podium, Italy’s No Limits Motor Team are the best placed to claim second place in the overall standings. Falcon Racing and Team 18 Sapeurs-Pompiers CMS Motostore are also likely to be at the front of the field in the Czech Republic.
Free practice and qualifying will take place from 9 am onwards on Thursday 7 October in Most. During the double-header weekend also featuring a round of the FIA WTCR, the 6 Hours of Most, the final of the 2021 FIM EWC, will be flagged off at 11 am on Saturday 9 October.
Reigning World Champions Suzuki Yoshimura SERT dominated qualifying and set a new lap record on the Paul Ricard circuit to take pole ahead of the YART–Yamaha Official EWC Team and BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team during preparations for Bol d’Or 2021.
SERT set a new lap record on their way to pole position
F.C.C. TSR Honda France started from fourth ahead of VRD Igol Experiences who were ahead of two factory teams on the starting grid: Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar and ERC Endurance-Ducati.
F.C.C. TSR Honda came into the event off the back of a great victory at the 12 Hours of Estoril
41 teams started the 84th Bol d’Or but ultimately only 20 would be credited as finishing the race after crossing the finishing line and meeting the criteria of completing 75 per cent of the number of laps of the winner. Thus there was more tales of tragedy than triumph.
Crowds were back for the first time this year, and 48,000 flocked to Paul Ricard
F.C.C. TSR Honda came into the event on a high after taking victory at the 12 hours of Estoril, as did fellow podium finishers at that event, WeBike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar and the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. Ultimately, none of those three teams who occupied the top three places in the FIM Endurance World Championship Standings before this weekend, would finish Bol d’Or 2021.
2021 FIM EWC Bol d’Or Gridding up
Nor would the high-profile Yamaha Austria Racing Team, the factory backed ERC Ducati effort, Team Bolliger Switzerland or Wojcik Racing Team make it to the chequered flag in what was a war of attrition staged in high-temperatures on an unforgiving track.
2021 FIM EWC Bol d’Or
After seven and a half hours of racing, BMW Motorrad World Endurance was running in fourth position when Mikhalchik had engine issues that forced him into the pits. Team Manager Werner Daemen’s squad tried everything to continue the race but eventually had to make the decision to retire.
BMW Motorrad went unrewarded
Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director
“This obviously is a hard setback for us, also in regards of the title fight in the world championship. Another podium finish with a lot of championship points would have been possible in this 24-hour race but endurance racing once more proved that a lot can happen. Several top teams have run into issues in this very hard race, and unfortunately we have been one of them. We will now analyse in detail to find the exact cause of the issue. I want to thank the entire team and the riders for their very hard work before and at the race weekend. Now we are looking forward to the finale at Most. There, we want to attack again and fight at the very top.”
F.C.C. TSR Honda
F.C.C. TSR Honda were looking good and Josh Hook had moved the team up to third ten hours in to the race and was the fastest man on the circuit but then the Fireblade refused to proceed. By the time the bike was trailered to the pit garage they had already slipped to seventh.The team then worked on the bike for more than an hour but alas it was not enough to put them back into contention.
YART looked set to take the battle up to SERT
YART had looked set to challenge SERT for the win after building up a 20-second lead by the 11th hour only for an engine failure on the Mistral Straight to rob Marvin Fritz, Niccole Canepa and Karel Hanika of their chance for victory. For all their World Endurance success over the years, a victory at the Bol d’Or continues to elude the Yamaha Austria Racing Team.
2021 FIM EWC Bol d’Or
Mandy Kainz – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, Team Manager
“What can I say? We are very disappointed and it’s very hard to give up a win when you are leading like we were, but this is Endurance racing! The race was going to plan until we ran into an issue. The bike was running perfectly and there was no indication that something was wrong, so it was a shock to us all when we ran into a technical issue. It was a ‘full gas’ race from the start, everyone was pushing, and people were retiring everywhere. It’s unbelievable that after 11 hours were we so close to SERT and fighting for the win. We were looking forward to seeing how the race would unfold but unfortunately on the back straight the technical issue happened, and we were forced to retire.”
Niccolo Canepa – YART
The Yamaha backed Wójcik Racing Team and Wójcik Racing Team 2 also retired from the race. Wójcik Racing in the hands of Dan Linfoot, Gino Rea and Sheridan Morais was running inside the top ten before the bike threw a rod.
Both the YART and WeBike Kawasaki entries pictured here fail to finish the race
The lead Kawasaki Team, Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar, were also in a position to challenge for a podium before they had their own technical issues. Bolliger Team Switzerland Kawasaki had their engine expire.
ERC Ducati also failed to score points
The ERC Endurance Ducati entry crashed out of the race before the 11th hour mark.
Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Racing Team – Xavier Simeon
Surviving and thriving as their competitors fell by the wayside was the Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, who also set the fastest lap of the race and led for 615 of the 704 laps completed of a circuit where competitors hit 330 km/h down the Mistral Straight.
Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Racing Team – Gregg Black
SERT riders Gregg Black, Xavier Simeon and Sylvain Guintoli controlled the race, despite the rivalry with the other official teams and inclement weather conditions, which deteriorated during the night as heavy rain descended. The only hiccup for the team came around midnight when the first raindrops appeared on the circuit and Simeon was the victim of a crash that caused slight damage to the Suzuki.
The rain in the night caused all competitors problems
Back in the pits though, the technical staff carried out a fast check and repair, which allowed the #1 machine to get back on the track quickly, keeping in touch with the front runners. Shortly afterwards, the team were back in the lead again and stretched the gap hour-by-hour.
Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Racing Team
After leading the race almost from start to finish, the Yoshimura SERT Motul GSX-R1000R crossed the finish line 19 laps ahead of its main rival and, by taking pole position, the lead at the eighth and 16th hour of the race and the victory, the team collected 65 points, the maximum possible for the event. This allowed the team to move from fourth in the championship to now lead with a total of 141 points.
Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Racing Team
Damien Saulnier – Suzuki Endurance Racing Team Manager
“We are more than proud to leave with the victory and a lot of points. But in the pits, I found the race very hard; very long. I imagine that it was the same for the riders with the gaps that were widening, it’s psychologically hard to keep up. It’s a race I’ll remember! This victory gives us comfort and security for the end of the season. But we must not rest for now, because the race of Most will be also difficult on a circuit which we do not know. We’ll have to stay careful and very focused because the points are difficult to win, but easy to lose.”
Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Racing Team
In second place 19 laps behind the leader, Moto Ain got on the podium in their very first season in the EWC class thanks to Randy de Puniet, Robin Mulhauser and Roberto Rolfo. They ran a flawless race with only a minor crash towards the end.
Randy de Puniet, Robin Mulhauser and Roberto Rolfo took second place with MotoAin
Third at the finish, four laps behind Moto Ain, BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers wrote their name in history. It is rare to find a Superstock team on the podium of a 24-hour race. The last time a Superstock team was on the podium of an FIM EWC race was at the 2014 Bol d’Or. In the saddle of their Kawasaki, Anthony Loiseau, Jonathan Hardt and Julien Pilot led the Superstock class practically throughout the race. BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers stayed in the lead for 621 of the 681 laps completed in this category.
Anthony Loiseau, Jonathan Hardt and Julien Pilot with BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers won the Superstock category
The podium of the 84th Bol d’Or was also noteworthy for its diversity. It featured three manufacturers, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki, and three tyre manufacturers – Bridgestone, Dunlop and Michelin.
2021 FIM EWC Bol d’Or
Proving that today’s Superstock bikes hold up well against the official EWC machines, two other Superstock teams finished in the Top 5. RAC41 ChromeBurner were fourth and the only Honda past the finish line. No Limits Motor Team (Suzuki) were in 5th place.
Anthony Loiseau, Jonathan Hardt and Julien Pilot with BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers won the Superstock category
VRD Igol Experiences finished 6th overall. Florian Alt, Florian Marino and Nico Terol had been in the Top 5 in the early stages of the race before crashing and having to mount a recovery. The independent Yamaha team won the points for the 3rd-ranked team in the FIM EWC. This puts them in second place in the standings behind Yoshimura SERT Motul, the new leader on the eve of the season finale at Most.
VRD Igol Experiences finished 6th overall with Florian Alt, Florian Marino and Nico Terol
11 of the 20 machines past the finish line were Superstocks. OG Motorsport by Sarazin and Falcon Racing finished a noteworthy 7th and 8th, ahead of two EWC teams, Motobox Kremer Racing and Maco Racing Team.
Crowds were back for the first time this year, and 48,000 flocked to Paul Ricard
Aussie Anthony West joined the MACO Racing Team for the event and will also ride for the team at the 8 Hours of Most next month before returning to Australia to continue his ASBK campaign.When the rain came down in the middle of the night Westy was the quickest rider on track at one stage of the race. He also had to push the bike back to the pits after running out of fuel but ultimately his efforts were rewarded with a top ten finish.
Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Racing Team
The 2021 Bol d’Or also marked the return of the public for the first time since late 2019 and 48,000 spectators attended the Paul Ricard circuit for the event.
Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Racing Team
The 84th edition of the Bol d’Or was the third round of the FIM EWC 2021 season. The final round, the 8-hour race at Most in the Czech Republic, will be held on 9th October.YART and F.C.C. TSR Honda are still in with a chance of taking the title as just as this Bol d’Or showed, anything can happen in Endurance racing…
Anthony West is jetting his way to Slovakia at the moment as he prepares to join the MACO Racing Team for the 84th Bol d’Or on 18 and 19 September at Le Castellet. West will also ride for the team at the 8 Hours of Most next month before returning to Australia to continue his ASBK campaign.
2021 FIM Endurance World Championship Calendar
While other teams tested this week on the Paul Ricard circuit that hosts the Bol d’Or, Westy will be going in cold ahead of riding the team’s Dunlop shod YZF-R1. He will join Frenchman Gregory Leblanc and 28-year-old German Marc Moser in the MACO Racing squad.
The 40-year-old does have some previous good form in Endurance racing though including a victory in the Superstock class at Le Mans 24 Hour in 2014.
Having performed particularly well a few days ago during private tests on the Paul Ricard circuit, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team and Yoshimura SERT Motul are the favourites to win the Bol d’Or. The official BMW and Suzuki teams dominated the proceedings and broke the previous Endurance track records.
Despite Yoshimura SERT Motul’s win at the 24 Heures Motos and a 3rd-place finish for BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, race incidents and crashes at the 12 Hours of Estoril in July slowed their progress in the provisional standings. They are currently 3rd and 4th respectively.
Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar, the current leader of the FIM EWC halfway through the season, get to Le Castellet with a narrow 5-point lead over F.C.C. TSR Honda France, the winner of the 12 Hours of Estoril.
The French Kawasaki team and the Japanese Honda team will have to hold off a climb back up by the BMW and the Suzuki but also by two other factory teams, YART–Yamaha Official EWC Team and ERC Endurance-Ducati.
The experienced and high-performance YART–Yamaha Official EWC Team will be the most dangerous. Mandy Kainz’s team took pole position at Le Mans and Estoril but had bad luck in the race. The Yamaha #7, the third-fastest in the private tests in early September, is hence also one of the favourites to win the Bol d’Or.
ERC Endurance-Ducati are continuing to develop their Panigale V4R and progressing ever further from one race to the next. Ducati have rejigged their line-up because of Louis Rossi’s injury. He has been replaced by Lorenzo Zanetti, a Ducati test rider who knows the Panigale inside out.
The leader of the independent teams’ standings, VRD Igol Experiences, keep progressing. At the 12 Hours of Estoril in July, the independent French team conceded 3rd place to BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team a few minutes from the finish. 5th in the overall standings, VRD Igol Experiences will once again challenge the factory teams.
Another prominent privateer team is Tati Team Beringer Racing whose Kawasaki performs particularly well on the track. 4th on the starting grid at Le Mans and 5th on the grid at Estoril, Tati Team Beringer Racing once again stood out during the private tests at Le Castellet. All that is missing is success in a race. They had to withdraw after crashes at Le Mans and a spectacular collision at Estoril.
Other private teams to watch out for are Moto Ain who are building up experience in the EWC class, the solid Bolliger Team Switzerland, and Wójcik Racing Team.
National Motos and BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers are neck and neck in the Superstock class but the competition is jostling for position. Team 18 Sapeurs-Pompiers CMS Motostore and Team 33 Louit April Moto were the fastest in the private tests. No Limits Motor Team and Pitlane Endurance who are in the Top 5 of the FIM Superstock World Cup provisional standings.
The first timed free practice sessions will take place on the Paul Ricard circuit on the morning of Thursday 16 September.
The Suzuka 8 Hours has been officially cancelled, with the season now wrapping up with the 8 Hours of Most on October 9 in the Czech Republic, which replaces the 8 Hours of Oschersleben originally scheduled for earlier this year.
Scheduled to take place on 7 November in Japan, the Suzuka 8 Hours has been cancelled because of the health crisis worsening in Japan over the past few weeks.
The Suzuka 8 Hour has been axed from the 2021 calendar
The 8 Hours of Most – the final of the 2021 FIM EWC and the FIM Endurance World Cup – will take place in the Czech Republic on Saturday 9 October as part of a car and motorcycle double-header with a WTCR race.
Following consultation with local authorities, the Suzuka 8 Hours organizer Mobilityland, the FIM (International Motorcycling Federation) and Eurosport Events, the FIM EWC promoter, have decided to cancel the Suzuka 8 Hours. The race will be back in July 2022.
The new European race at Most replaces the race at Oschersleben, initially scheduled to take place in May 2021.
After the Bol d’Or to be held on 18 and 19 September at Le Castellet, the maiden edition of the 8 Hours of Most on 9 October will be the 2021 final of the FIM Endurance World Championship and the FIM Endurance World Cup. The points will be increased by 150 per cent as per the regulations, meaning 45 points are available for the winner of the race in each class.
Jorge Viegas – Président of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
“Unfortunately, what we feared the most has now happened. An exponential increase in the number of people infected with COVID-19 in Japan after the Olympic Games means that the Japanese Government will now not permit the Suzuka 8 Hours to go ahead as planned, despite the enormous efforts made by Mobilityland and Eurosport Events. On behalf of the FIM I would like to offer a word of optimism for the future, since I am confident that this flagship event will come back stronger than ever. And when it does, we will be there together with the MFJ, Mobilityland and Eurosport Events. In order to maintain the number of events, we will activate plan B with a race at Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic on 9 October. It will be a mixed car and motorcycle event as it was in Slovakia and Malaysia two years ago.”
Most held the WorldSBK Round 6 earlier this year and will host the 8 Hours of Most which will be held Saturday 9 October
Kaoru Tanaka – President Representative Director of Mobilityland Corporation
“We had been preparing for the “Coca-Cola” Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race, which was to be held for the first time in two years, but the difficult decision has been made that we have no choice but to cancel it. It is a very regrettable outcome for us to be forced to cancel the Suzuka 8 Hours for the second consecutive year, because it is a very important race event for everyone. But we will continue to prepare for the Suzuka 8 Hours in 2022 and strive to make it an even more attractive event than ever for the fans and all those concerned.”
François Ribeiro – Head of Eurosport Events
“We are resigned to having to cancel the Suzuka 8 Hours after consultation with local authorities. I share Mobilityland’s disappointment and that of endurance teams, fans, sponsors and broadcasters, who all wanted to have a season finale at Suzuka in early November. We will remain in Europe after the Bol d’Or for an 8-hour race on 9 October on the Most circuit, which has just hosted the WSBK. Eurosport Events will go all out together with the FIM to ensure the race is a success.”
Kawasaki shooting for third Suzuka 8 Hours victory
While the 5.821km Suzuka circuit itself was opened in the September of 1962, the Suzuka 8 Hour first came about in 1978 and it quickly became the most important race for production based bikes in the world.
American duo Wes Cooley and Mike Baldwin won that inaugural duel on July 30, 1978, on a Yoshimura backed GS1000 Suzuki.
Australia planted its flag at Suzuka in 1979 when a Team Honda Australia squad consisting of Tony Hatton and Mick Cole rode a CB900 to victory.
New Zealand took their first top step on the rostrum the following year when Kiwi Graeme Crosby partnered with American Wes Cooley to win the race on a Yoshimura GS1000 Suzuki.
Honda are by far the most successful manufacturers in the history of the race with 27 wins. While Yamaha have been the most successful brand at Suzuka in recent years their overall tally still only numbers eight victories while Suzuki have five wins.
Kawasaki ZXR – Scott Russell – Aaron Slight – 1993
Until 2019, Kawasaki had only ever won the prestigious event once and that was some 26 years before when Aaron Slight and Scott Russell piloted a ZXR750R to victory. In 2019 Kawasaki were on the top step again after Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam piloted the KRT ZX-10RR to victory. The third member of the team, Toprak Razgatlioglu, did not ride at the event but was still part of the winning team.
Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam celebrate the win in 2019
The 2020 edition of the race was cancelled due to the pandemic but Kawasaki are out to back up their success in 2021 with a three-man team featuring both KRT WorldSBK riders and a former WSS600 championship winner. Running under the banner of “Kawasaki Racing Team Suzuka 8H”, the official factory entry will seek success in the 2021 FIM Endurance World Championship “Coca-Cola” Suzuka 8 Hours event.
Fielding the new 2021 Ninja ZX-10RR, the Kawasaki entry for this year’s Suzuka event will be guided by Provec, the company that manages Kawasaki’s World SBK team, KRT. The three-man squad is entirely populated with previous Suzuka winners in the form of Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes plus rising star Lucas Mahias who, having previously won the WSS600 Championship, has moved to the WorldSBK stage riding for Puccetti Kawasaki.
Jonathan Rea
“I am so excited that I will be part of KRT and Kawasaki factory taking part in the 2021 Suzuka 8 Hour race. I’ve been on the podium four times now at Suzuka, and my fondest memory was winning the race for Kawasaki in 2019. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do the race in 2020 due to the global pandemic going on, but we’ll be back in 2021 and I promise I will be making my best efforts to do the best for Kawasaki and all our fans.”
Kawasaki Racing Team – 2019 Suzuka 8 Hour
Alex Lowes
“I’m delighted that I’ll be part of the KRT Kawasaki factory racing team for the 2021 Suzuka 8 Hours. Already I’ve been on the winning team three times at Suzuka. It’s a fantastic event and a really great circuit – one of my favourites. Now I’ll have the chance to push for a Kawasaki win on the latest Ninja ZX-10RR. I’m really looking forward to being part of this famous race again. We have a great team, and the Ninja is an amazing machine.”
Jonathan Rea – Kawasaki Racing Team – Suzuka 8H 2019
Lucas Mahias
“I’m happy that I will be part of the KRT Kawasaki factory team taking part in the 2021 Suzuka 8 Hour race. Racing in Japan is always very special, and Suzuka 8 Hours is a world-famous race. It is so good to return to Suzuka after the 2020 pandemic. For all the Kawasaki fans, I promise that we will make the best preparations and I will do my best to be part of the winning team at Suzuka.”
Guim Roda of Provec and KRT
“The Suzuka 8 Hours is a global event, and it profiles not just the endurance of riders across these many hours but also the durability of the motorcycle. I’m sure Johnny, Alex and Lucas are the perfect weapons for this exciting challenge. Our job at Provec on behalf of KRT and the Kawasaki factory is to manage not just rider performance but also to work alongside the factory race staff to produce a Ninja ZX-10RR that is both fast and durable plus easy to maintain during pit stops and scheduled rider changes. I know this year’s 8 hour race is a big effort and commitment from many people to try come back to normality after a hard 2020 Covid year and not such an easy recovery back to “normal” in 2021. So will fully support this event to make sure the show goes on and we’ll work together with KHI to make the best result, for all fans and for all the world!”.
2021 FIM Endurance World Championship 12 Hours of Estoril
12 Hours of Estoril
It was a busy start to the 12 Hours of Estoril as Gregg Black took the early lead on the SERT Suzuki ahead of Mike Di Meglio on the F.C.C. TSR Honda and the BMW mounted Javier Fores. YART had completely dominated qualifying but Marvin Fritz was slow out of the blocks in seventh.
12 Hours of Estoril
The leading trio of SERT, Honda and BMW immediately started to break away from the field and Di Meglio slid the Honda through to the lead on lap two. Fores then took the lead on the BMW after passing both Black and Di Meglio.
Honda, Suzuki, BMW
Fritz was slowly working his way forward and by the 15-minute mark had joined that leading trio. The YART entry passed the SERT bike, then the Honda after setting a new fastest lap on lap ten. Fores had a three-second lead on the BMW M1000RR and kept the YART YZF-R1M at bay until around the 50-minute mark where it became clear that the rear Dunlop on the BMW had nothing left to give.
Fritz reclaimed the ground he had lost at the start
YART entered the pits at 53 minutes for fuel and fresh rubber and Canpea took the controls of the YZF-R1M but the bike refused to fire at first which cost them a couple of extra seconds. The SERT Suzuki had caught and passed the BMW on track by the 55-minute mark.Honda then took their pit-stop followed by the BMW.SERT were the last to come in at the 59-minute mark where Black handed over to Xavier Simeon.
Canepa mounts the YART YZF-R1M
At the end of the second hour SERT led BMW by 47-seconds.That all changed in the next 30-minutes though as Foray fell on the BMW which promoted YART up into second place.
BMW spent more than four-minutes in the pit garage repairing the M1000RR before they rejoined the race in 19th position.
BMW lost a few minutes in the pits as the M 1000 RR was repaired
Karel Hanika on the YART YZF-R1M had started to close in on the SERT GSX-R1000R being ridden by Sylvain Guintoli. The pair were both riding brilliantly and navigating lapped traffic, the gap between them ebbing and flowing accordingly as they threaded their needles through the traffic. Then 2-hrs-45-mins into the race Guintoli lost the front while leading which handed the race lead over to Hanika and his YART squad then chose that moment to call him into the pits where he handed over to Marvin Fritz. Guintoli had picked up the GSX-R1000R and rode straight into the SERT pit garage for repairs.
Suzuki technicians replaced the right clip-on and various other components while the bike was in the garage, they lost around six-minutes in the pits before rejoining the race in 15th place.
SERT lost six-minutes in the pits
The track temperatures had been hotting up as the race progressed and riders were really starting to slide around towards the end of their stints as the tyres wore.
Just before the three-hour mark Josh Hook pitted the F.C.C. TSR bike to hand over to Mike Di Meglio. The Honda squad were in third place, 30-seconds behind the WeBike SRC Kawasaki squad while YART in-turn led the Kawasaki by just under 30-seconds.
Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda
Four-hours in and YART led F.C.C. TSR Honda by a lap and the WeBike SRC Kawasaki was now in third place, a further 35-seconds behind. SERT had worked their way back up to tenth place and Simeon was on the GSX-R1000R. Niccolo Canepa was on the leading YART bike, Takahashi was on the Honda while Nigon had the controls of the WeBike SRC Kawasaki.
F.C.C. TSR Honda led the race at the five hour mark by a lap over YART. SERT were back up to eighth while BMW Motorrad Endurance were recovering well from their early mishap and were now up to 11th place.
At the halfway mark Josh Hook had just completed his second stint on the F.C.C. TSR Honda and handed the reins over to Mike Di Meglio. That saw the Honda squad relegated back to third while YART led the WeBike SRC Kawasaki. SERT were now up to sixth and BMW in eighth.
Niccolo Canepa went down and with it the chances of victory for YART were gone
YART looked to be on course for victory but a mistake by Niccolo Canepa when struggling with worn tyres half-an-hour into the second half of the 12-hour race put himself and the YZF-R1M on the deck.
It took a few minutes for the bike to be transported back to the pits in a van. Once back to the garage it took the YART technicians anotherten-minutes or so before they eventually rejoined the race in 19th place.
Niccolo Canepa went down and with it the chances of victory for YART were gone
Then just after the seven-hour mark Xavier Simeon crashed the SERT bike, colliding with the then fourth placed Tati Team Beringer Kawasaki which put them out of the race.
Of the fast runners now only the WeBike SRC Kawasaki and the F.C.C. TSR Honda had not been down the road and the pair were now first and second while the VRD Igol Experiences entry was now the leading Yamaha in third place.
WeBike SRC Kawasaki
An important ten championship points are awarded to the team leading the race at the eighth hour and those vital points went to WeBike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar as at that juncture they led the race by a lap over the F.C.C. TSR entry and were now the new favourites for victory. BMW Motorrad had done a brilliant job to claw their way back up to fourth. YART were 14th and SERT down in 24th.
Mike Di Meglio
By the tenth hour F.C.C TSR Honda had reduced the gap to the WeBike SRC Kawasaki to less than six-seconds.The VRD Igol Yamaha was still holding down third place ahead of BMW while SERT were now 20th.
Then with just over 90-minutes left in the race Erwan Nigon ran out of fuel on the leading WeBike SRC Kawasaki and he was left to push the bike to a recovery point.
That handed the lead to Yuki Takahashi on the F.C.C. TSR Honda and while the Kawasaki was being returned to the WeBike SRC pit garage the VRD Igol swept through to second place. The Kawasaki did get back out in time to rejoin the race in fourth place, Davide Checa back out on the ZX-10R behind the BMW Motorrad entry.
YART
As the race entered its final hour the F.C.C. TSR Honda led the VRD Igol Yamaha by two-laps and the WeBike SRC Kawasaki was back up into third place ahead of BMW.The Moto Ain Yamaha was in fifth ahead of the leading Superstock entry of BMRT 3D Kawasaki. The ERC Ducati was in seventh place ahead of the Bolliger Switzerland Kawasaki and National Motos Honda.
ERC Ducati
Josh Hook took the controls of the F.C.C. TSR for the final 53-minutes of the race with a two-lap lead and the 28-year-old Aussie had the honour of taking the chequered flag and victory for the French squad. It had been a very trying start to the event for the team but they worked through their problems to become competitive and thus this victory will be very sweet indeed.
VRD Igol Experiences Yamaha were still in the reckoning for second place late in the race but a mistake a few laps from the end meant the Florian Alt, Florian Marino and Nico Terol triumvirate just missed out on a podium. Marino had been under increasing pressure from Guarnoni on the WeBike SRC Kawasaki towards the end of the race and that was what forced his mistake. The pair had been tussling at close-quarters as they un-lapped themselves from the leading Honda with ten-minutes left in the race. Marino then ran off with only four-minutes remaining while taking that battle for second place back up to Guarnoni and by the time he was back on track he had been relegated to fourth place as Markus Reiterberger swept past on the BMW.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France the victors
The WeBike SRC Kawasaki entry of Guarnoni, Nigon and Checa claimed second place, a lap behind the Honda entry while BMW claimed the final step on the rostrum. Again the German squad (Fores, Reiterberger, Foray) recovered from problems to climb back up the order to a good result just as they had done at the Le Mans 24 Hour which shows the strength of the squad. Reiterberger had the speed in that final stint to have put the team up to second place but he was held up while trying to un-lap himself from Hook which prevented him from getting on fighting terms with Guarnoni on the final lap.
WeBike SRC Kawasaki entry of Guarnoni, Nigon and Checa claimed second place
Moto Ain (Randy de Puniet, Robin Mulhauser and Roberto Rolfo) claimed fifth ahead of BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers Kawasaki (Guarnoni, Nigon, Checa) who along with scoring sixth outright also took the Superstock class victory ahead of the ERC Endurance Ducati EWC (Gines, Rossi, Masson) entry and Bolliger Team Switzerland Kawasaki.
BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers Kawasaki were sixth outright and won the Superstock category with Guarnoni, Nigon and Checa
Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar go to the top of the 2021 FIM EWC standings with that second place finish while F.C.C TSR Honda move up to second place, five-points behind the Kawasaki squad. BMW Motorrad hold down third place, two-points behind Honda while SERT slip to fourth in the championship.
The next race of the FIM Endurance World Championship season will take place on the Paul Ricard circuit in France for the 84th edition of the Bol d’Or on September 18 and 19th.
Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
“Everybody did such a great job, we didn’t make any mistakes, we focused on our pace and just keep it throughout the race. For sure that we were lucky today but at the end we won, we knew our potential, and consistency paid off. Huge thanks to the team for the great work during the whole week.”
Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
Mike Di Meglio – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
“After a tough week, finishing in this way is a great reward. It’s all about endurance, you must never give up. I asked if I could attack in my last stint and that allowed us to put pressure on our opponents, some of whom made mistakes. We gave it all and we went all the way, it’s incredible.”
Mike Di Meglio
Yuki Takahashi – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
“It was very hard for us since the beginning of the week but everyone has worked well to solve problems one step at a time. Today we gave it all and I am very happy for this victory.”
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director
“Congratulations to the whole team on another fantastic performance. It was a real thriller and history repeated itself. It was similar to Le Mans: leading shortly after the start, then a setback, then moving up the field to finish on the podium. We weren’t quite able to race at our pace in the first stint with the cool track temperatures. Things went really well from the second stint and our pace was definitely good enough to win. Unfortunately, Kenny fell and we dropped down to P20. Everyone did a magnificent job in the ensuing race to catch up. Our pace was really good down to the wire, but realistically we wouldn’t have done better than P4 or P5. But the other teams also experienced a few dramas, so the battle for P2 to P4 was really close in the end. We had to change the brakes, which was planned, but the final two stints from Xavi and Markus were incredibly strong so we really piled the pressure on the rider in third place. To end up finishing in P3 less than one second behind second place – after the fall at the beginning – we have to be pleased with that result. We saw that we had the pace required to win. Now we are in a very good starting position for the rest of the season, and our motto for the Bol d’Or in September is ‘full attack’. After all, we are still in with a chance of winning the world championship. We still have some work to do, but have a very good team, a very good bike, and the potential to become even better. I’d like to thank the team, they did a fantastic job, were great in the pit stops, and I’m happy that we could mark Werner Daemen’s 50th birthday by gifting him this podium.”
BMW lost a few minutes in the pits
Mandy Kainz – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, Team Manager
“What can I say? Life is unfair and sometimes racing is even more unfair! It was a crazy race from start to finish for everybody, we didn’t get the result we wanted but it is what it is. The conditions were really warm and pushed everybody to their limit. Eventually Honda won as they controlled their pace really well. Our plan was to win the race, unfortunately one mistake cost us the victory. We managed to finish the race, we were competitive, and we’ll look to return to winning ways in Bol d’Or.”
Damien Saulnier – SERT Team Manager
“This race has proven once again that in Endurance, nothing is ever decided in advance. We came here with points ahead, a lot of hope, a well-functioning team and three fast riders. At the start of the race, we showed our potential. And then, a few hours later the result is completely different. It’s racing, with its ups and downs. It’s up to us to reverse the trend at the Bol d’Or.”
2021 FIM Endurance World Championship 12 Hours of Estoril Final Qualifying
Yamaha’s Official EWC squad, Yamaha Austria Racing Team completely dominated the second and final qualifying session at Estoril overnight with all three riders topping their respective sessions to make for a combined team time that was almost a full-second ahead of Team BMW Motorrad World Endurance.
Karel Hanika was outright fastest
YART’s Karel Hanika set the outright individual benchmark and beat the record set in qualifying by Markus Reiterberger in 2020. The factory Yamaha’s Czech rider completed an impressive 1m37.674 fastest lap just ahead of his team-mate Marvin Fritz with a 1m37.857. They were the only two riders to come in under the 1m38 mark in the qualifying sessions.
Marvin Fritz was second fastest individual
The Yoshimura SERT Motul Suzuki team will start the 12 Hours of Estoril Endurance World Championship second round from third position on the starting grid tomorrow. Gregg Black was the first to set off in the morning session on the Portuguese track, under scorching sun and already high temperatures. Increasingly at ease with this new Bridgestone shod GSX-R1000R, Black improved his times from yesterday and finished third in his session with a time of 1m39.295. Xavier Simeon made his effort at the end of the session and recorded a 1m38.738. When the third team rider Sylvain Guintoli entered the track, the outside temperature had risen again but the Suzuki MotoGP test and development rider showed his talent in the very last lap with an exceptional time of 1m38.434. On the average of the three best times of the team (1.38.822), the Yoshimura SERT Motul squad ranked third on the timesheet.
YART lead Yoshimura SERT Motul Suzuki
F.C.C. TSR Honda France will start from fourth ahead of Tati Team Beringer Racing, who are among the leaders despite the absence of Alan Techer, with Tati followed by fellow independents VRD Igol Experiences, both privateer teams finished ahead of two factory teams, ERC Endurance-Ducati and Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar. The F.C.C. TSR squad had made big progress in their set-up to put them in a much stronger position for the gruielling 12-hour race ahead.
Mike Di Meglio – F.C.C. TSR Honda
In Superstock, a Kawasaki led the field. The first in class on the starting grid, BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers, will start from ninth ahead of Moto Ain, who held back by crashes. Other rivals for the Superstock win who are well placed on the grid are Team 33 Louit April Moto, Wójcik Racing Team and National Motos.
Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar
2021 FIM Endurance World Championship 12 Hours of Estoril Final Qualifying Results
2021 FIM Endurance World Championship 12 Hours of Estoril
The second round of the 2021 FIM Endurance World Championship gets underway on Saturday with the 12 Hours of Estoril in Portugal.
Conditions are expected to be warm over the weekend with ambient temperatures over 30-degrees and in the opening qualifying sessions overnight teams were tested by 55-degree track temperatures.
YART topped the opening qualifying sessions on the combined times of their three riders, Niccolo Canepa, Marvin Fritz and Karel Hanika.
BMW Motorrad Endurance Team were second quickest as a team
It was BMW’s Javier Fores that set the outright individual fastest time (1m38.707s) though and along with team-mates Markus Reiterberger and Kenny Foray that made the team effort good enough for provisional second.
Sylvain Guintoli was the quickest of the Suzuki riders
Yoshimura SERT Motul Suzuki took third place with GSX-R1000R-mounted Sylvain Guintoli, Xavier Simeon and Gregg Black finishing just 0.388 seconds from leaders YART Yamaha and BMW Motorrad with a combined average time of 1m39.575s on the 4.182km Circuit do Estoril as they head into tomorrow’s final qualifying sessions. Guintoli was the fastest of the Suzuki riders with a lap of 1m39.054s.
Webike SRC Kawasaki
Next best was the VRD Igol Yamaha ahead of the Webike SRC and fellow Kawasaki outfit Tati Team Beringer.
Josh Hook had a few moments during qualifying due to some technical problems
It proved to be a difficult opening day for the F.C.C. TSR squad with set-up problems causing Australian Josh Hook many moments as he was the first of the team to hit the track to iron out the bugs. Along with team-mates Yuki Takahashi and Mike Di Meglio their combined times were good enough for seventh overnight ahead of Yamaha teams Moto Ain and Wojcik Racing while the ERC Ducati entry rounded out the provisional top ten.
F.C.C. TSR Honda – Yuki Takahashi., Josh Hook and Mike Di Meglio
Tenders being called for new FIM Homologated Quick Fill Systems
Following a recent meeting held during Le Mans 24 Hours race week and due to the refueling incidents that occurred, the FIM, the representatives of the manufacturers involved in the FIM Endurance World Championship & World Cup and the promoter Eurosport Events have unanimously taken an immediate decision regarding the project of the FIM Homologated fuel quick fill system with a clear focus on reinforcing safety during refueling activities in the pit-lane.
For reasons of sporting and technical fairness, worldwide standardization and overall cost reduction, all stakeholders have unanimously decided for the introduction of a single manufacturer of the FIM Homologated fuel quick fill system.
In order to ensure the sustainability of the project, the contract with the selected manufacturer will develop over ten years in two phases, with objectives spanning the first five years, then being automatically renewed for an additional five years if all key performance indicators are reached in accordance with the contract. The selection of the manufacturer will depend on the ability of a candidate to meet the requirements indicated in the call for tenders.
The FIM will launch a call for tenders shortly including all aspects and requirements of the project. By the end of December 2021, the FIM will publish the parts list of the FIM Homologated fuel quick fill system. As stipulated in the technical regulations, 2022 will be a year of transition (no mandatory use, but the system will be available for sale to all the teams wishing to equip themselves) which will allow the teams to source the necessary financing for the purchase of the equipment and to gradually prepare for the mandatory use of the FIM Homologated fuel quick fill system as from 2023.
Franck Vayssié – Commission of Circuit Racing Director
“The FIM supported by the circuit racing and technical commissions in close collaboration with the manufacturers, and Eurosport Events is working tirelessly to improve the regulations aimed at increasing the safety of the riders and teams and to ensure sporting equity by controlling the costs for the teams entered in the FIM Endurance World Championship and Cup. The introduction of a single FIM Homologated fuel quick fill system manufacturer is another important step. The gradual implementation and close collaboration between all parties involved will provide a high-performance system at the best price. We warmly thank everyone involved and will communicate the details of the tender by the end of July. ”
François Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events
“The safety of riders and technical staff is a priority for Eurosport Events. After the use of helmets by everyone in the pit lane, the use of FIM homologated helmets by the riders and the recommended use of racing suits equipped with airbags, the use of a safe and homologated refueling system will further improve the safety of teams in the FIM Endurance World Championship. This is one of the keys to the success and continuity of the championship.”
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