2021 FIM Endurance World Championship
Bol d’Or 24 Hour Images
Full Race Report and Results Here
Source: MCNews.com.au
Relive the 2021 Bol d’Or 24 Hour with this curated selection of images
Tag Archives: Endurance
SERT survive race of attrition to win Bol d’Or 24 Hour
2021 FIM EWC Bol d’Or
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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.
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.”
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.
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.
The ERC Endurance Ducati entry crashed out of the race before the 11th hour mark.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
2021 Bol d’Or Race Results
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| Results | |||||||||
| Pos | Team………………………………………………………… | Bike | Class | Laps | Time………………………. | Gap | Best.Lap. | Pits | Total.Pit.Time |
| 1 | YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL | Suzuki | EWC | 704 | 24h01m11.531 | – | 1m53.783 | 28 | 30m06.994 |
| 2 | MOTO AIN | Yamaha | EWC | 685 | 24h02m17.438 | 19 | 1m54.511 | 32 | 46m52.781 |
| 3 | BMRT 3D MAXXESS NEVERS | Kawasaki | SST | 681 | 24h03m02.495 | 23 | 1m55.371 | 31 | 49m41.592 |
| 4 | RAC41-CHROMEBURNER | Honda | SST | 679 | 24h03m04.777 | 25 | 1m56.119 | 33 | 50m48.722 |
| 5 | No Limits Motor Team | Suzuki | SST | 676 | 24h04m57.950 | 28 | 1m55.982 | 31 | 40m39.418 |
| 6 | VRD IGOL EXPÉRIENCES | Yamaha | EWC | 674 | 24h02m17.120 | 30 | 1m54.109 | 26 | 2h08m33.128 |
| 7 | OG MOTORSPORT BY SARAZIN | Yamaha | SST | 672 | 24h01m11.971 | 32 | 1m56.424 | 29 | 48m24.466 |
| 8 | FALCON RACING | Yamaha | SST | 671 | 24h01m35.644 | 33 | 1m58.304 | 30 | 34m28.823 |
| 9 | Motobox Kremer Racing #65 | Yamaha | EWC | 664 | 24h02m43.924 | 40 | 1m58.054 | 31 | 41m57.490 |
| 10 | MACO RACING Team | Yamaha | EWC | 656 | 24h01m55.761 | 48 | 1m55.792 | 29 | 2h39m51.328 |
| 11 | ADSS 97 | Kawasaki | SST | 649 | 24h02m48.210 | 55 | 1m58.934 | 33 | 1h04m36.298 |
| 12 | team space moto | Suzuki | SST | 645 | 24h01m38.691 | 59 | 1m59.011 | 29 | 1h07m59.807 |
| 13 | PITLANE ENDURANCE 86 | Yamaha | SST | 645 | 24h02m42.317 | 59 | 1m56.222 | 31 | 1h35m08.709 |
| 14 | TRT27 BAZAR 2 LA BECANE | Suzuki | SST | 641 | 24h02m38.940 | 63 | 1m59.798 | 36 | 1h07m14.182 |
| 15 | METISS JBB | Metiss | EXP | 633 | 24h02m19.062 | 71 | 1m57.493 | 33 | 1h43m41.485 |
| 16 | EMRT Endurance Monaco Racing Team | Yamaha | EWC | 627 | 24h01m41.923 | 77 | 1m57.927 | 38 | 1h51m23.966 |
| 17 | TATI TEAM BERINGER RACING | Kawasaki | EWC | 603 | 24h01m54.963 | 101 | 1m53.707 | 26 | 3h24m51.803 |
| 18 | Team LRP Poland | BMW | EWC | 600 | 24h02m40.442 | 104 | 1m56.382 | 26 | 2h12m13.686 |
| 19 | DUNLOP MOTORS EVENTS WERC | Suzuki | SST | 593 | 24h03m12.529 | 111 | 2m00.668 | 30 | 2h34h10.690 |
| 20 | PLAYERS | Kawasaki | SST | 584 | 24h01m50.390 | 120 | 1m58.297 | 29 | 3h12m26.605 |
| Retired | |||||||||
| 21 | TEAM 18 SAPEURS POMPIERS CMS MOTOSTORE | Yamaha | SST | 541 | 19h22m16.014 | 163 | 1m55.662 | 25 | 33m29.740 |
| 22 | Team Aviobike | Yamaha | SST | 459 | 16h47m19.563 | 245 | 1m57.865 | 23 | 40m42.041 |
| 23 | TEAM LH RACING | Yamaha | SST | 415 | 15h37m33.272 | 289 | 1m57.543 | 22 | 1h11m35.738 |
| 24 | TEAM 33 LOUIT APRIL MOTO | Kawasaki | SST | 409 | 14h35m43.159 | 295 | 1m56.693 | 20 | 26m15.691 |
| 25 | ENERGIE ENDURANCE 91 | Kawasaki | SST | 363 | 14h00m11.999 | 341 | 1m57.816 | 19 | 41m49.790 |
| 26 | YART – Yamaha Official Team EWC | Yamaha | EWC | 353 | 11h53m42.623 | 351 | 1m53.821 | 14 | 12m58.814 |
| 27 | JUNIOR TEAM LMS SUZUKI | Suzuki | SST | 317 | 11h49m49.590 | 387 | 1m57.071 | 16 | 20m01.126 |
| 28 | F.C.C. TSR Honda France | Honda | EWC | 315 | 10h49m26.891 | 389 | 1m54.012 | 14 | 20m22.246 |
| 29 | ERC Endurance Ducati | Ducati | EWC | 310 | 10h48m45.238 | 394 | 1m54.171 | 14 | 14m26.892 |
| 30 | Wójcik Racing Team 2 | Yamaha | SST | 301 | 11h06m29.475 | 403 | 1m57.304 | 18 | 56m39.537 |
| 31 | Wójcik Racing Team | Yamaha | EWC | 295 | 10h24m54.727 | 409 | 1m54.599 | 13 | 18m19.891 |
| 32 | Slider Endurance | Yamaha | SST | 268 | 09h36m51.393 | 436 | 1m56.998 | 13 | 37m18.705 |
| 33 | BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM | BMW | EWC | 224 | 07h34m56.723 | 480 | 1m54.368 | 9 | 7m58.884 |
| 34 | WEBIKE SRC KAWASAKI FRANCE TRICKSTAR | Kawasaki | EWC | 210 | 06h53m56.161 | 494 | 1m53.786 | 10 | 7m58.201 |
| 35 | TEAM 202 | Yamaha | SST | 204 | 07h49m39.329 | 500 | 1m58.038 | 10 | 1h25m23.764 |
| 36 | British Endurance Racing Team | Suzuki | SST | 185 | 08h40m04.760 | 519 | 1m59.317 | 9 | 2h06m43.142 |
| 37 | 3ART BEST OF BIKE | Yamaha | EWC | 163 | 06h30m37.187 | 541 | 1m55.827 | 8 | 55m37.545 |
| 38 | NATIONAL MOTOS HONDA | Honda | SST | 113 | 04h50m03.574 | 591 | 1m55.213 | 9 | 55m36.689 |
| 39 | Team Bolliger Switzerland #8 | Kawasaki | EWC | 109 | 03h37m57.350 | 595 | 1m55.974 | 5 | 4m25.723 |
| 40 | TECMAS BMW | BMW | EWC | 69 | 02h49m29.377 | 635 | 1m58.025 | 4 | 6m12.252 |
| 41 | JMA MOTOS ACTION BIKE | Suzuki | SST | 50 | 02h25m06.077 | 654 | 1m58.691 | 4 | 25m59.624 |
2021 FIM EWC-Teams Ranking
| Pos | Team…………………………………………………………………………………….. | Bike | Country | FMN | FRA | POR | FRA | CZE | Total |
| 1 | YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL | Suzuki | FRA | FFM | 64 | 12 | 65 | – | 141 |
| 2 | VRD IGOL EXPÉRIENCES | Yamaha | FRA | FFM | 32 | 29 | 44 | – | 105 |
| 3 | F.C.C. TSR Honda France | Honda | JPN | MFJ | 36 | 46 | 7 | – | 89 |
| 4 | WEBIKE SRC KAWASAKI FRANCE TRICKSTAR | Kawasaki | FRA | FFM | 48 | 39 | – | – | 87 |
| 5 | BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM | BMW | BEL | FMB | 44 | 36 | 4 | – | 84 |
| 6 | MOTO AIN | Yamaha | FRA | FFM | – | 24 | 48 | – | 72 |
| 7 | Motobox Kremer Racing #65 | Yamaha | GER | DMSB | 23 | 8 | 33 | – | 64 |
| 8 | ERC Endurance Ducati | Ducati | GER | DMSB | 29 | 20 | 8 | – | 57 |
| 9 | MACO RACING Team | Yamaha | SVK | SMF | 24 | – | 30 | – | 54 |
| 10 | YART – Yamaha Official Team EWC | Yamaha | AUT | AMF | 14 | 18 | 15 | – | 47 |
| 11 | Wójcik Racing Team | Yamaha | POL | PZM | 12 | 15 | 4 | – | 31 |
| 12 | Team LRP Poland | BMW | POL | PZM | – | 10 | 19 | – | 29 |
| 13 | TATI TEAM BERINGER RACING | Kawasaki | FRA | FFM | 2 | 2 | 22 | – | 26 |
| 14 | EMRT Endurance Monaco Racing Team | Yamaha | FRA | FFM | – | – | 22 | – | 22 |
| 15 | Team Bolliger Switzerland #8 | Kawasaki | SUI | FMS | – | 19 | – | – | 19 |
| 16 | gt endurance | Yamaha | FRA | FFM | 18 | – | – | – | 18 |
| 17 | 3ART BEST OF BIKE | Yamaha | FRA | FFM | – | 13 | – | – | 13 |
2021 FIM World Cup Superstock Teams Ranking
| Pos | Team…………………………………………………………………………………… | Bike | Country | FMN | FRA | POR | FRA | CZE | Total |
| 1 | BMRT 3D MAXXESS NEVERS | Kawasaki | FRA | FFM | 48 | 50 | 64 | – | 162 |
| 2 | NATIONAL MOTOS HONDA | Honda | FRA | FFM | 60 | 40 | 3 | – | 103 |
| 3 | No Limits Motor Team | Suzuki | ITA | FMI | 40 | 16 | 43 | – | 99 |
| 4 | PITLANE ENDURANCE 86 | Yamaha | FRA | FFM | 28 | 19 | 18 | – | 65 |
| 5 | RAC41-CHROMEBURNER | Honda | FRA | FFM | 3 | 8 | 50 | – | 61 |
| 6 | TEAM 33 LOUIT APRIL MOTO | Kawasaki | FRA | FFM | 25 | 33 | 3 | – | 61 |
| 7 | FALCON RACING | Yamaha | FRA | FFM | 11 | 19 | 30 | – | 60 |
| 8 | OG MOTORSPORT BY SARAZIN | Yamaha | FRA | FFM | 17 | – | 40 | – | 57 |
| 9 | TEAM 18 SAPEURS POMPIERS CMS MOTOSTORE | Yamaha | FRA | FFM | 5 | 30 | 19 | – | 54 |
| 10 | PLAYERS | Kawasaki | FRA | FFM | 23 | 6 | 11 | – | 40 |
| 11 | ENERGIE ENDURANCE 91 | Kawasaki | FRA | FFM | 20 | 17 | 3 | – | 40 |
| 12 | team space moto | Suzuki | FRA | FFM | 19 | – | 17 | – | 36 |
| 13 | Slider Endurance | Yamaha | FRA | FFM | 11 | 24 | – | – | 35 |
| 14 | TRT27 BAZAR 2 LA BECANE | Suzuki | FRA | FFM | 1 | 11 | 13 | – | 25 |
| 15 | JUNIOR TEAM LMS SUZUKI | Suzuki | FRA | FFM | 18 | – | 5 | – | 23 |
| 16 | ADSS 97 | Kawasaki | GBR | ACU | – | – | 21 | – | 21 |
| 17 | TEAM LH RACING | Yamaha | FRA | FFM | 19 | – | – | – | 19 |
| 18 | JMA MOTOS ACTION BIKE | Suzuki | FRA | FFM | 8 | 11 | – | – | 19 |
| 19 | Wójcik Racing Team 2 | Yamaha | POL | PZM | 6 | 11 | – | – | 17 |
| 20 | TEAM LE MANS 2 ROUES | Aprilia | FRA | FFM | 14 | – | – | – | 14 |
| 21 | DUNLOP MOTORS EVENTS WERC | Suzuki | FRA | FFM | – | – | 12 | – | 12 |
| 22 | British Endurance Racing Team | Suzuki | GBR | ACU | – | 9 | – | – | 9 |
| 23 | Moto sport endurance #20 | Yamaha | FRA | FFM | 7 | – | – | – | 7 |
| 24 | MOTOSTAND ENDURANCE | Kawasaki | FRA | FFM | 6 | – | – | – | 6 |
| 25 | TEAM 202 | Yamaha | FRA | FFM | 5 | – | – | – | 5 |
| 26 | Team Aviobike | Yamaha | ITA | FMI | – | – | 4 | – | 4 |
| 27 | Knigtyre Fullgas Racing Team | Kawasaki | FRA | FFM | 4 | – | – | – | 4 |
| 28 | Mana-au Competition | Suzuki | FRA | FFM | 3 | – | – | – | 3 |
Source: MCNews.com.au
Anthony West to race final two World Endurance rounds
Westy to ride FIM EWC
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.
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.
MACO Racing Team did not contest the recent 12 Hours of Estoril due to COVID-19 concerns but they did finish 11th in the 2021 Le Mans 24 Hour .
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.
Source: MCNews.com.au
YART top opening day of qualifying for 12 hours of Estoril
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.
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.
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.
Next best was the VRD Igol Yamaha ahead of the Webike SRC and fellow Kawasaki outfit Tati Team Beringer.
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.
12 Hours of Estoril Thursday Practice Results
| Team…………………………………………………………………………. | Bike | Cat | Blue | Yeslly | Red | Average | Gap |
| YART – Yamaha Official Team E | Yamaha | EWC1 | 1m39.088 | 1m39.289 | 1m39.186 | 1m39.187 | – |
| BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM | BMW | EWC2 | 1m38.707 | 1m39.435 | 1m39.593 | 1m39.245 | +0.058 |
| YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL | Suzuki | EWC3 | 1m39.944 | 1m39.728 | 1m39.054 | 1m39.575 | +0.388 |
| VRD IGOL EXPÉRIENCES | Yamaha | EWC4 | 1m40.165 | 1m40.190 | 1m40.586 | 1m40.313 | +1.126 |
| WEBIKE SRC KAWASAKI FRANCE TRICKSTAR | Kawasaki | EWC5 | 1m40.023 | 1m40.460 | 1m40.712 | 1m40.398 | +1.211 |
| TATI TEAM BERINGER RACING | Kawasaki | EWC6 | 1m40.255 | 1m40.090 | 1m40.939 | 1m40.428 | +1.241 |
| F.C.C. TSR Honda France | Honda | EWC7 | 1m41.098 | 1m40.669 | 1m40.530 | 1m40.765 | +1.578 |
| MOTO AIN | Yamaha | EWC8 | 1m40.460 | 1m41.032 | 1m41.870 | 1m41.120 | +1.933 |
| Wójcik Racing Team 2 | Yamaha | SST | 1m42.764 | 1m40.692 | 1m40.630 | 1m41.362 | +2.175 |
| ERC Endurance Ducati | Ducati | EWC | 1m41.750 | 1m41.174 | 1m41.208 | 1m41.377 | +2.190 |
| Wójcik Racing Team | Yamaha | EWC | 1m40.939 | 1m41.655 | 1m42.433 | 1m41.675 | +2.488 |
| TEAM 33 LOUIT APRIL MOTO | Kawasaki | SST | 1m41.235 | 1m41.689 | 1m42.154 | 1m41.692 | +2.505 |
| BMRT 3D MAXXESS NEVERS | Kawasaki | SST | 1m42.167 | 1m42.542 | 1m40.479 | 1m41.729 | +2.542 |
| National Motos | Honda | SST | 1m41.756 | 1m41.504 | 1m42.378 | 1m41.879 | +2.692 |
| TEAM 18 SAPEURS POMPIERS CMS MOTOS | Yamaha | SST | 1m41.747 | 1m42.662 | 1m42.056 | 1m42.155 | +2.968 |
| Team Bolliger Switzerland #8 | Kawasaki | EWC | 1m42.750 | 1m43.174 | 1m40.893 | 1m42.272 | +3.085 |
| RAC41-CHROMEBURNER | Honda | SST | 1m42.426 | 1m42.462 | 1m42.925 | 1m42.604 | +3.417 |
| No Limits Motor Team | Suzuki | SST | 1m42.363 | 1m43.029 | 1m42.624 | 1m42.672 | +3.485 |
| PITLANE ENDURANCE 86 | Yamaha | SST | 1m42.053 | 1m43.549 | 1m43.293 | 1m42.965 | +3.778 |
| JMA MOTOS ACTION BIKE | Suzuki | SST | 1m43.064 | 1m43.260 | 1m42.731 | 1m43.018 | +3.831 |
| 3ART BEST OF BIKE | Yamaha | EWC | 1m43.011 | 1m43.036 | 1m43.800 | 1m43.282 | +4.095 |
| ENERGIE ENDURANCE 91 | Kawasaki | SST | 1m42.855 | 1m43.344 | 1m44.574 | 1m43.591 | +4.404 |
| Team Aviobike | Yamaha | SST | 1m43.878 | 1m43.025 | 1m43.904 | 1m43.602 | +4.415 |
| FALCON RACING | Yamaha | SST | 1m44.174 | 1m43.696 | 1m43.858 | 1m43.909 | +4.722 |
| Slider Endurance | Yamaha | SST | 1m43.573 | 1m44.057 | 1m45.322 | 1m44.317 | +5.130 |
| Motobox Kremer Racing #65 | Yamaha | EWC | 1m43.884 | 1m44.752 | 1m44.713 | 1m44.449 | +5.262 |
| PLAYERS | Kawasaki | SST | 1m44.465 | 1m44.609 | 1m45.765 | 1m44.946 | +5.759 |
| British Endurance Racing Team | Suzuki | SST | 1m44.853 | 1m45.408 | 1m44.629 | 1m44.963 | +5.776 |
| TRT27 BAZAR 2 LA BECANE | Suzuki | SST | 1m45.287 | 1m46.124 | 1m46.409 | 1m45.940 | +6.753 |
| Team LRP Poland | BMW | EWC | 1m41.167 | 1m41.494 | – | 1m41.330 | +2.143 |
Source: MCNews.com.au
Le Mans refueling incidents prompt rethink on Quick Fill systems
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.”
Source: MCNews.com.au
Suzuki dominate Le Mans 24 Hour | Blow by blow report
2021 FIM Endurance World Championship
24 Heures Motos
The YART trio of Karel Hanika, Marvin Fritz and Niccolo Canepa all set brilliant laps during qualifying to take pole position ahead of the Yoshimura Suzuki and the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Teams.
YART bagged an important five World Championship points for that pole position and increased that tally to a total of 14 after a running duel for the lead of the race with the Yoshimura Suzuki team consisting of Gregg Black, Xavier Simeon and Sylvain Guintoli. That duel ended though in the tenth hour of the race when an engine failure put YART out to pasture.
YART had set the pace in every session leading up to the race start and looked to have the speed and consistency to win with Karel Hanika particularly impressive. The team actually rebuilt the engine within an hour and an attempt was made to return to the track before they confirmed their retirement.
Marvin Fritz – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team
“I don’t know what to say, it’s like a never-ending story. Last year we finished fourth and this year we were so strong in practice, and we had pole. We knew our strongest point would be in the night because our tyres and bike was working well in night practice, so we knew this would be our strongest point. We struggled in the day a bit more than we expected but even before the technical issue we was catching SERT by half a second to a second a lap and was in a good place for the night running. Karel, Niccoló and I have done a good job this week, the team has done an amazing job and we deserve so much more. The championship will be hard because we lose a lot of points in the 24-hour races but we’re already focussed to do as best as we can in Estoril and recover some points.”
The Tati Team Beringer Kawasaki of Alan Techer, Sebastien Suchet and Julien Enjolras had performed better than pundits had expected with a strong fourth in qualifying but their pace was also ultimately unrewarded after crashes ruined their run. They were ultimately forced to retire after 339 laps and over ten hours of racing.
The Halfway Mark
After taking the hole-shot at the race start BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team crashed and then had several mechanical issues before regrouping and setting a great pace to fight their way back up to tenth by the eighth hour of the race, and were then up to fifth by the halfway point.
It was much the same story for the ERC Ducati entry who had been beset by some problems and had also suffered a crash before battling hard back up eighth place by the 12-hour mark.
At that halfway 12-hour mark Yoshimura Suzuki were a stunning five laps clear of the field.
Holding down second place halfway through was the F.C.C. TSR Honda France trio of Josh Hook Mike DiMeglio and Yuki Takahashi. The Australian had proved the fastest of the Honda triumvirate in qualifying and put in solid stints for the team to keep them ahead of the Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar entry of Jeremy Guarnoni, Erwan Nigon and David Checa, who had been slowed earlier in the race by braking problems.
Six Hours Left
With six hours left in the race the dawn broke with Yoshimura Suzuki leading F.C.C. TSR Honda France by four laps. Gregg Black was in the hot seat for Suzuki while the Fireblade was being piloted by Josh Hook. Honda in turn were three laps clear of Erwan Nigon on the Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar entry.
With three-quarters of the race down the BMW Motorrad entry had improved to fourth place ahead of Team Bolliger Switzerland’s ZX-10R.
Problems for F.C.C. TSR Honda France
With five-and-a-half hours left Josh Hook’s tyres were toasted and he entered the pits for fuel, Nissin brakes and Bridgestone rubber while handing over the controls of the Fireblade to Mike DiMeglio. It was certainly at a very critical juncture as he actually seemed to run out of fuel at the start of pit-lane and had to push the bike the last couple of hundred metres to his pit garage!
The fuel issue also affected their re-start as the bike refused to fire and the crew attempted to push-start the bike up pit-lane but it still stubbornly refused to start. Team members then pushed the bike back down the pit-lane and back to their pit garage to try and investigate the matter further and breathe some life back into the bike. The clock was still ticking of course, and by the time they got the bike back into the garage five-minutes had already passed.
As technicians removed the bodywork and fuel tank to investigate the issue further on the F.C.C. TSR bike the Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar was clicking over laps and relegated the Honda entry to third place. A few minutes later Markus Reiterberger then promoted the BMW Motorrad entry to that third place as F.C.C. TSR Honda drifted further down the leader-board. Technicians continued to try and sort whatever issue was preventing the Fireblade from firing.
Switch-blocks and various parts were being changed to try and fault-find their way to the source of the problem. A senior Japanese engineer was leading the effort but with the problem not being obvious it was slow and painful going. Parts of the wiring loom were being extricated next along with injector feed lines. The F.C.C. TSR Honda had been running in a safe looking second place after completing 659 laps, but it was now looking uncertain if they were going to add any more laps to that tally… Was it even a lack of fuel that caused the fire to go out on Hook as he entered pit-lane after all..?
After more than half-an-hour in the pits the F.C.C. TSR Honda got back on track in sixth position. Now a lap behind the National Motos Superstock Honda in fifth place, three-laps behind Team Bolliger Switzerland Kawasaki.
The ERC Ducati squad also experienced a few more problems and after working their way back up to eighth from 15th, had drifted back to 11th with four-hours left in the race.
Just when it looked as though F.C.C. TSR would likely move back up to fifth place and perhaps even fourth place before race end, Josh Hook went down with two-hours and 45-minutes to go and had to slow limp back to the pits via access roads with no brakes. He rolled straight back into the pit garage where technicians quickly got down to work, replacing the master cylinder and clip-on along with various other components. By the time Hook was back on track they had lost another four positions, slipping to tenth with just over two-and-a-half hours to run.
The challenges were still not over for the F.C.C. TSR squad. They had been back on track and running well for the full duration of Hook’s stint but once he pitted to hand over to Mike DiMeglio the Fireblade once again refused to fire when he tried to leave the pits. The Fireblade was rolled into the pit garage once again for investigation and this time 17-minutes were lost in the pits before the bike fired up and rejoined the race. While in the pits they were relegated further down the order with ERC Ducati pushing them down to 12th place.
With half an hour left in the race Yoshimura Suzuki had an eight-lap lead and were running like clockwork. Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar were in second place and had five-laps on the third placed BMW Motorrad squad. Team Bolliger Switzerland were fourth, another 11-laps behind the BMW outfit and on the same lap as fifth placed National Motos Honda Fireblade, which was the leading Superstock machine. F.C.C. TSR Honda France had clawed their way back to tenth but were three-laps behind the ninth placed Ducati.
Nothing of significance happened in the final half-hour to upset that apple cart and Yoshimura Suzuki sailed home to a brilliant eight-lap victory over the Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar squad. BMW Motorrad kicked off their 2021 campaign with a podium that was achieved against the odds after they suffered a few issues earlier in the race.
Sylvain Guintoli won his first ever 24-hour race with the Yoshimura Suzuki squad alongside Gregg Black and Xavier Simeon. A faultless run for the Damien Saulnier run squad.
Yohei Kato – Yoshimura Team Director
“It’s a victory for Yoshimura, for the SERT but also for Suzuki. It’s an honour to represent this brand and a great responsibility. We had a lot of pressure on our shoulders but the success at the 24 Heures Motos is a reward for our work. We had worked a lot beforehand to prepare for the race and the whole team was looking forward to the result. So this nice victory is very important. The SERT gave us the number 1, the aim is clearly to keep it in 2021 in this very competitive and rewarding championship. Our four riders and team crews did a perfect job through the weekend and we got a valuable victory because of everyone’s efforts. The Suzuki GSX-R1000 has been strong and reliable and it made the whole race really smooth. We had no issues today and we really had a perfect race.”
The Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar entry of Jeremy Guarnoni, Erwan Nigon and David Checa crossed the line eight-laps behind the 855-lap tally of the victors to claim second place for Kawasaki
BMW Motorrad Team were a further five-laps behind to round out the podium after an event that significantly tested the whole squad and sets them up for a strong challenge for the title.
Markus Reiterberger – BMW Motorrad
“I felt very honoured to ride at the start. Even walking to the bike was good, and when I pulled away it was really good. I really tried not to let the tyres cool and to save fuel but the tyres were still not right up to temperature, which really surprised me, as it was really hot. The front wheel ultimately folded in on me in the penultimate corner and I skidded into the gravel. I then did two more laps on the damaged bike, but then had to come into the pits. I feel sorry for the whole team that I made this mistake. In the end, the crash was not that bad. The main problem was the technical issues. Once those had been resolved, we were basically flawless for the rest of the 24 hours. I would like to thank the whole team for their hard work, and my team-mates for persevering so valiantly.”
Yoshimura Suzuki spent the least time in the pits of any team, just under 33-minutes spent in the pits over the 24-hour duration compared to the 42-minutes of the second place getters and 47-minutes for BMW Motorrad in third. The starting problems for F.C.C. TSR Honda France saw them spend a total of 1hr-25-minutes in the pits.
Bridgestone took first blood in the tyre war and Honda took opening honours in the Superstock battle with the National Motos squad of Stéphane Egéa, Guillaume Antiga and Kevin Trueb finishing fifth outright.
In the hours after the race though fourth placed Bolliger Team Switzerland was removed from the results after technical checks revealed a non-conforming fuel capacity. The declassification promoted National Motos Honda to 4th place and also improves the standing of those finishing lower than fourth all up by one position.
The 44th edition of the 24 Heures Motos – the first race of the 2021 FIM EWC – lived up to its promise to be an exciting, action-packed race. The drama started almost immediately on the Dunlop turn with a crash involving three teams, Wójcik Racing Team, Team 18 Sapeurs-Pompiers CMS Motostore and RAC41 ChromeBurner.
The action taken by Hugo Clère, a rider of the Yamaha 18, to help Sylvain Barrier, stuck underneath the Wojcik bike which had caught fire, won him the Anthony Delhalle EWC Spirit Trophy. Wójcik Racing Team continued the race with two riders, Balint Kovacs and Artur Wielebski, and finished 30th.
The 24 Heures Motos was the opening round of what is scheduled to be a four-round 2021 FIM Endurance World Championship. The second round is the 12 Hours of Estoril on July 17, then the famous Bol d”or back in France on the weekend of September 19. The finale is also the cherry on top of the FIM EWC calendar, the fabled Suzuka 8 Hour, is slated to tale place on the first weekend of November.
2021 FIM Endurance World Championship
24 Heures Motos Results
| Pos | Team……………………………………………………………………….. | Bike | Class | Laps | Time | Gap/First/Lap | Gap/Prev/Lap | Fastest/Lap | Pit/Time |
| 1 | YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL | Suzuki | EWC | 855 | 00:26.8 | – | – | 01:36.8 | 32:59.9 |
| 2 | WEBIKE SRC KAWASAKI/FRANCE TRICKSTAR | Kawasaki | EWC | 847 | 00:54.5 | 8 | 8 | 01:37.4 | 41:57.4 |
| 3 | BMW/MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE/TEAM | BMW | EWC | 842 | 00:27.3 | 13 | 5 | 01:36.9 | 46:52.7 |
| 4 | NATIONAL MOTOS | Honda | SST | 830 | 00:39.3 | 25 | 1 | 01:39.2 | 41:17.9 |
| 5 | BMRT 3D MAXXESS NEVERS | Kawasaki | SST | 828 | 00:39.8 | 27 | 2 | 01:38.4 | 50:07.4 |
| 6 | NO LIMITS MOTOR TEAM | Suzuki | SST | 827 | 00:33.4 | 28 | 1 | 01:39.2 | 1hr1min |
| 7 | VRD IGOL EXPÉRIENCES | Yamaha | EWC | 826 | 01:31.6 | 29 | 1 | 01:38.0 | 1hr2min |
| 8 | ERC ENDURANCE DUCATI | Ducati | EWC | 819 | 01:56.6 | 36 | 7 | 01:37.4 | 1hr11min |
| 9 | F.C.C. TSR HONDA FRANCE | Honda | EWC | 816 | 01:27.2 | 39 | 3 | 01:37.4 | 1hr25min |
| 10 | PITLANE ENDURANCE – JP3 | Yamaha | SST | 812 | 00:54.6 | 43 | 4 | 01:40.3 | 45:00.5 |
| 11 | MACO RACING TEAM | Yamaha | EWC | 812 | 01:03.8 | 43 | 9.242 | 01:38.5 | 1hr10min |
| 12 | MOTOBOX KREMER RACING #65 | Yamaha | EWC | 810 | 00:59.8 | 45 | 2 | 01:40.5 | 41:45.4 |
| 13 | PLAYERS | Kawasaki | SST | 810 | 01:35.2 | 45 | 35.375 | 01:41.1 | 45:38.7 |
| 14 | TEAM SPACE MOTO | Suzuki | SST | 808 | 01:33.8 | 47 | 2 | 01:41.5 | 45:42.3 |
| 15 | TEAM LH RACING | Yamaha | SST | 806 | 01:42.7 | 49 | 2 | 01:40.6 | 1hr1min |
| 16 | JUNIOR TEAM LMS SUZUKI | Suzuki | SST | 805 | 00:45.2 | 50 | 1 | 01:40.0 | 1hr12min |
| 17 | TEAM LE MANS 2 ROUES | Aprilia | SST | 803 | 00:27.1 | 52 | 2 | 01:40.8 | 56:01.9 |
| 18 | FALCON RACING | Yamaha | SST | 797 | 01:23.1 | 58 | 6 | 01:40.2 | 1hr15min |
| 19 | ENERGIE ENDURANCE 91 | Kawasaki | SST | 795 | 02:29.5 | 60 | 2 | 01:40.7 | 57:15.1 |
| 20 | TEAM 33 LOUIT APRIL MOTO | Kawasaki | SST | 789 | 02:34.0 | 66 | 6 | 01:38.9 | 1hr46min |
| 21 | GT ENDURANCE | Yamaha | EWC | 786 | 01:38.9 | 69 | 3 | 01:41.6 | 1hr8min |
| 22 | JMA MOTOS ACTION BIKE | Suzuki | SST | 783 | 01:13.8 | 72 | 3 | 01:40.3 | 1hr52min |
| 23 | MOTO SPORT ENDURANCE #20 | Yamaha | SST | 776 | 02:06.7 | 79 | 7 | 01:42.0 | 1hr12min |
| 24 | METISS JBB | Metiss | EXP | 774 | 00:51.5 | 81 | 2 | 01:39.4 | 1hr50min |
| 25 | MOTOSTAND ENDURANCE | Kawasaki | SST | 774 | 01:01.6 | 81 | 10.016 | 01:42.8 | 1hr16min |
| 26 | TEAM 202 | Yamaha | SST | 756 | 01:56.3 | 99 | 18 | 01:42.2 | 1hr36min |
| 27 | KINGTYRE FULLGAS RACING TEAM | Kawasaki | SST | 755 | 00:46.2 | 100 | 1 | 01:45.6 | 1hr17min |
| 28 | MANA-AU COMPETITION | Suzuki | SST | 743 | 59:56.0 | 112 | 12 | 01:42.2 | 2hr38min |
| 29 | WÓJCIK RACING TEAM | Yamaha | EWC | 657 | 01:15.4 | 198 | 86 | 01:39.1 | 4hr49min |
| 30 | WÓJCIK RACING TEAM 2 | Yamaha | SST | 637 | 00:56.9 | 218 | 20 | 01:40.0 | 5hr53min |
| 31 | TRT27 BAZAR 2 LA BECANE | Suzuki | SST | 631 | 01:16.8 | 224 | 6 | 01:42.1 | 5hr4min |
| Not Classified | |||||||||
| 32 | TMC 35 | Yamaha | SST | 446 | 00:56.0 | 409 | 185 | 01:40.5 | 11hr57min |
| 33 | TEAM RACING 85 | Kawasaki | SST | 446 | 01:13.6 | 409 | 17.58 | 01:40.8 | 11h50min |
| Retired | |||||||||
| 34 | OG MOTORSPORT BY SARAZIN | Yamaha | SST | 706 | 58:49.4 | 149 | – | 01:39.4 | 1hr50min |
| 35 | SLIDER ENDURANCE | Yamaha | SST | 624 | 43:46.4 | 231 | 82 | 01:39.5 | 41:35.9 |
| 36 | YART – YAMAHA OFFICIAL TEAM EWC | Yamaha | EWC | 356 | 55:30.6 | 499 | 268 | 01:37.0 | 12:56.0 |
| 37 | TATI TEAM BERINGER RACING | Kawasaki | EWC | 339 | 27:52.9 | 51 | 17 | 01:36.7 | 56:16.9 |
| 38 | TEAM UNIVERS RACING/ACRACING | BMW | SST | 323 | 04:15.1 | 532 | 16 | 01:39.5 | 2hr42min |
| 39 | TEAM AVIOBIKE | Yamaha | SST | 212 | 43:34.7 | 643 | 111 | 01:40.2 | 53:07.7 |
| 40 | 3ART BEST OF BIKE | Yamaha | EWC | 196 | 10:38.7 | 659 | 16 | 01:39.0 | 1hr26min |
| 41 | MOTO AIN | Yamaha | EWC | 190 | 23:45.7 | 665 | 6 | 01:38.1 | 06:32.9 |
| 42 | TEAM 18 SAPEURS POMPIERS CMS MOTOST… | Yamaha | SST | 174 | 47:05.9 | 681 | 16 | 01:39.2 | 52:44.7 |
| 43 | TEAM LRP POLAND | BMW | EWC | 97 | 45:15.6 | 758 | 77 | 01:38.9 | 52:31.4 |
| 44 | FAST TEAM RACING | Kawasaki | SST | 94 | 32:58.7 | 761 | 3 | 01:41.7 | 1h24min |
| 45 | RAC41-CHROMEBURNER | Honda | SST | 14 | 42:37.7 | 841 | 80 | 01:40.2 | 58:00.2 |
Source: MCNews.com.au
Sydney 5 Hour shaping up to be a ripper with full grid
Sydney 5 Hour
July 2018 saw St George MCC run the inaugural Sydney 5 Hour at Sydney Motorsport Park. It’s a race meeting that’s captured the imagination of the local and interstate racing community and now, in its fourth year of running, the club is still looking to develop it into one of the must-be-there events of the season. The popularity of the event with riders was clearly demonstrated on June 1st when the entry list was filled out within 65 seconds of registration opening online.
For 2021, the Pirelli Sydney 5 Hour meeting will run on the weekend of 24th/25th July and will host not only the iconic 5 Hour race itself but a packed schedule of races including the inaugural Sydney 200.
Whilst the 5 Hour is structured around a relay format with multiple riders and bikes, the 200 brings back a more classic one bike, one rider format.
“The countries best riders have been asking for endurance racing, and to race at The Creek in 2021, we’ve managed to achieve both,” says St George MCC’s Publicity Officer Michael O’Brien. “This is going to be an epic 52 lap battle where everything comes into play; machine preparation, rider nutrition and strategy on track and in the pits. The club is so excited to be hosting this race as part of the Pirelli Sydney 5 Hour weekend.”
The Sydney 200 is attracting the attention of a number of the top ASBK teams and we can expect the grid to include some of the best riders in Australia.
2013 and 2020 ASBK Champion, and 2021 series leader, Wayne Maxwell is already committed to the Sydney 200 and he’ll be heading to the meeting having set a new Superbike lap record of 1m29.7270 at the St George MCC Pirelli Motul Series / NSW Road Race Championships held at SMP over the weekend of 22nd/23rd May.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for Australia’s best racers to go head-to-head away from the regular format of ASBK. To race an endurance race at one of Australia’s best circuits is a fantastic concept and I’m excited to be a part of the inaugural Sydney 200 race.” – Wayne Maxwell, BOOST Mobile McMartin Ducati Racing.
Pole Position for the Sydney 200, and for the Sydney 5 Hour, will be decided by quick-fire, Top 5, shoot-out sessions which are always a hit with the fans and puts the pressure on the riders to make the most of the one lap opportunity they get. The shoot outs, which will have grid position and cash prizes up for grabs, will run on Saturday before the IPONE St George 2 Hour race.
The full calendar for the weekend includes
- IPONE Formula St George 2 Hour, relay format for Supersports 300 class machines which will feature a Le Mans style start and will run late on Saturday 24th with a finish under lights.
- The Sydney 200, single rider, single bike endurance for Superbikes and Supersport 600’s which will run on the Sunday morning, with a Le Mans style start, ahead of the Pirelli Sydney 5 Hour.
- Pirelli Sydney 5 Hour, relay format endurance for Superbikes and Supersports 600’s. This headline event is scheduled to kick off, also with a Le Mans start, just before noon on Sunday 25th.
- AGV Retro Superbikes sprint races across the weekend featuring Period 5, 6 and Pre-Modern bikes from the 70’s through to the 90’s.
- Pit stop challenge, an opportunity for fans to see the crews in action in a head-to-head knock out competition involving the whole team, with the final being under lights after the finish of the IPONE 2 Hour Saturday evening.
Events of this scale can’t a happen without sponsors and whilst there are still some sponsorship deals still in the works, St George MCC have already sealed partnerships with Pirelli, IPONE, AGV, Edge Creative Printing, On Print T Shirts and are aligned with The Man Walk to help raise awareness of mental fitness. A mystery benefactor has also put up some prize money for the Sydney 200 to make it one of the richest local events of the year.
With SMSP missing out on a round of ASBK again in 2021, the Sydney 5 Hour weekend will be a great opportunity to see some of the ASBK riders in action as part of what should be a fantastic weekend of racing.
Spectator entry to the event is free and you can grab tickets from Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/156628296451
Donations will be accepted gratefully received at the entry gate to support The Man Walk.
St George MCC’s 2020 plan to extend the event into a two-round series, with a second 5 Hour event at Phillip Island, had to be set aside because of the uncertainty that covid-19 caused but it’s back on the cards for 2021 with the PI Round occupying the 29th/31st October weekend, one week after the date currently locked in for the Australian round of MotoGP.
The schedule for Phillip Island round of the St George meeting currently includes the Pirelli Phillip Island 5 hour, the second round of the IPONE Formula St George 2 Hour and more AGV Retro Superbikes sprint races.
Peter Doyle, Chief Executive Officer, Motorcycling Australia
“A great initiative from the St George club. Endurance racing was a huge part of the racing scene in Australia back in the 70’s and 80’s and was extremely popular at the time. Whether it’s a single rider over a medium distance or different riders sharing the same machine over a longer time frame, this along with teamwork and tactics add different dimensions when trying to win a long-distance race. Checking the racing community’s appetite for long distance events is certainly something that should be explored and, if well supported, may pave the way for future international endurance events which there has been a number of discussions around in the last few years”.
2008, 2011 and 2014 ASBK Champion Glenn Allerton, Next Gen Motorsports, Maxima Oil BMW
“I’m really looking forward to the challenge of a 200km race; it will be a challenge for both the rider and the team to stay strong all the way to the end. It’s something I’ve been wanting for a long time and cannot wait for this race. With the team playing a major role in the race on track, this will add to the pressure on all team members. Cannot wait.”
Shane Kinderis, Team Manager Next Gen Motorsports
“Once again, St George MCC is leading the way and Next Gen Motorsports are more than happy to be involved. We are excited at hopefully bringing the rand new BMW M1000RR ro Sydney and showing the fans its capabilities. SMSP being Glenn and Lachlan’s home track, we are really looking forward to the endurance race and are also looking forward to having a 5 Hour team make up of our own crew.”
Oli Bayliss, DesmoSport Ducati
“We finished second in the last endurance event we raced in Sydney, but that was a team event on the 600, so I’m looking forward to testing myself on the Panigale V R. It’s a lot of laps, especially on a superbike, but that’s just another part of the challenge I’m looking forward to.”
2015 and 2019 ASBK Champion, Mike Jones, DesmoSport Ducati
“I’m really looking forward to the Sydney 200! I wrapped up the 2019 ASBK Championship at Sydney Motorsport Park, so I have some incredible memories there on top of it being such a great track to ride, so I cannot wait to get back to the circuit. Our usual races are 16 to 20 laps, depending on the track, so to switch it up for an endurance event is going to be a lot of fun.”
2010 ASBK Champion, Bryan Staring Kawasaki , BC Performance
“Endurance racing will be a new challenge for myself. The Sydney 200 will be that difficult distance where it is not an ultra-endurance race but probably can’t be ridden as a sprint race. The new format excites me as the manufacturers, teams and tyre suppliers will be working from a blank canvas. Seeing a high-quality entry list will increase the anticipation. Cannot wait to get on the line.”
Paul Byrne, Suspension Chemistry, Purgetec Pty Ltd
“I’m excited about the Sydney 200 this year; it’s a great addition to the Sydney 5 Hour endurance race by St. George Motorcycle Club. Endurance racing tests a rider, the team and the bike in different ways, that is part of the reason I love it. The format of the 200km race, one rider, one bike offers a completely different challenge that will test the endurance of the rider as well as the durability of the machine. The fitness of the rider, consistent lap times and a well-prepared motorbike is key to a good result. If you want to be the fastest you have to race against the fastest, and I’m pretty sure a lot of the top riders around Australia will come and give it a crack.”
Source: MCNews.com.au
YART Yamaha take pole for Le Mans 24 Hours
Le Mans 24 Hours Qualifying
YART Yamaha picked up pole position ahead of BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team and Suzuki Endurance Racing Team. In Superstock, Team 33 Coyote Louit Moto beat Moto Ain by a whisker to the best starting position.
YART Yamaha claimed pole position thanks to a very consistent team. All three riders – Karel Hanika, Marvin Fritz and Niccolò Canepa – came in under the 1:37 mark on a lap of the Bugatti circuit. The Austrian factory Yamaha has dominated the proceedings at Le Mans since yesterday, and will start the 24 Heures Motos from pole at midday on Saturday.
That said, the day’s best performance can be chalked up, not to YART Yamaha, but to BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. Markus Reiterberger posted the fastest qualifying lap, a 1:36.164. The BMW factory team (Kenny Foray, Ilya Mikhalchik and Markus Reiterberger) will take second position on the grid.
The leader of the provisional standings, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Etienne Masson, Gregg Black and Xavier Simeon), will start from 3rd just ahead of F.C.C. TSR Honda France’s Josh Hook, Freddy Foray and Mike di Meglio.
It could be a tricky race for the Japanese Honda team, as Josh Hook was injured during practice but is expected to be allowed to race. The Honda #5 is ahead of ERC Endurance’s factory Ducati in the hands of Randy de Puniet, Julien da Costa and Louis Rossi.
VRD Igol Pierret Experiences once again managed to slip in among the favourites. In the saddle of the Yamaha #333, Florian Alt, Florian Marino and Mathieu Gines will start from 6th place on the grid ahead of reigning champions Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar. The Kawasaki squad are without their team manager Gilles Stafler, currently recovering after a heart attack, and still getting to grips with their new Michelin tyres.
Three ambitious teams make up the rest of the Top 10 after qualifying: Tati Team Beaujolais Racing, Wójcik Racing Team and National Motos. Australian Broc Parkes is part of the Wójcik Racing Team and reported that he was caught up in traffic while looking to set a time on soft tyres and will start from ninth on the grid.
Team 33 Coyote Louit Moto (Kawasaki), the fastest Superstock team, will start from 11th place ahead of Moto Ain (Yamaha), the provisional leader in class, and GERT56 by GS Yuasa (BMW).
Source: MCNews.com.au
Hickman joins BMW FIM EWC Team for Le Mans 24 Hour
Hickman gets last minute call up for Le Mans
The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team will receive support from a big name in the BMW Motorrad Motorsport family at the “24 Heures Motos” in Le Mans (FRA). Peter Hickman (GBR) will be the fourth rider for the #37 BMW S 1000 RR in Le Mans. He joins the team and its three regular riders Kenny Foray (FRA), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) and Markus Reiterberger (GER) at short notice.
“I’m really excited to be part of the official BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team this weekend in Le Mans”, said Hickman. “The team is fighting for the world championship and I am privileged to have been asked to contribute to the team. I have raced at three Le Mans 24-hour races before and have also raced at Slovakia, Suzuka and Qatar. So I’m not new to endurance and have always enjoyed the experience. I can’t wait to get out on the bike!”
Hickman and BMW Motorrad Motorsport have enjoyed success together for many years. The 33-year-old has won four races at the Isle of Man TT on the BMW S 1000 RR and has also won the Macau Grand Prix on three occasions.
The Englishman has also enjoyed success on the racetrack with his regular team, Smiths Racing. In the British Superbike Championship (BSB), he has secured one of the six coveted places in the “Showdown” for the title in each of the past three years. He also rode for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team at Donington Park (GBR) in the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) in 2019.
Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director
“After the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team’s successful start to its debut season, we have had to wait a very long time to finally go racing again. However, we have used the break to continue to develop the endurance version of our RR. The tests in July at Le Mans were very positive. We are well-equipped and can hardly wait to take on the challenge that is the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Anything can happen in endurance racing, so it is difficult to make any predictions before the race. However, we have done our homework and are looking to build on what we achieved at Le Castellet and Sepang.”
The 2020 24 Heures Motos will be flagged off at 12pm this Saturday on the Bugatti circuit at Le Mans. Despite the absence of spectators, the teams are all set to race what is the third round of a 2019-2020 FIM Endurance World Championship thrown into utter disarray by the global health crisis. The race will be held closed doors for the first time since 1978, with all participants and organizing staff following strict hygiene precautions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The stakes will be even higher at the 2020 24 Heures Motos following the cancellation of the Bol d’Or and the Suzuka 8 Hours. The season finale will now play out in Portugal on 26 September at the 12 Heures d’Estoril for both the world championship title and the Superstock World Cup.
At the 24 Heures Motos, a maximum of 65 points are available for the win, with bonus points for pole position and for being in the lead 8 hours and 12 hours into the race.
At the 12 Heures d’Estoril, which as the championship final will now benefit from the bonus of 150 per cent of the points at the finish line, another 67.5 points will be available in total: the points for the win, for pole position and for the leader 8 hours into the race.
SERT GSX-R1000 riders Etienne Masson, Gregg Black and Xavier Simeon currently lead the series – recently revised from five to four rounds after the cancellation of the Suzuka 8 Hour Race in Japan.
There are a mere 15 points separating the top two teams in the provisional rankings, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team and BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. The next two teams, Wójcik Racing Team and YART Yamaha, are 31 and 36 points respectively behind the leader. VRD Igol Pierret Experiences, who are 48 points behind, also have strong ambitions, as do some of the factory teams who were unlucky in the early part of the season. Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar are 49 points from the leader and F.C.C. TSR Honda France with Aussie Josh Hook are 54 points behind, while Team ERC Endurance have to make up a 67-point gap to take their Ducati Panigale to the top of the standings.
Thanks to their victory last time out, Mandy Kainz’s Yamaha team return to France for the latest round of the 2020 EWC championship lying fourth in the overall classification, just behind fellow Yamaha squad, Wojcik Racing. The team will be aiming to take more points at this weekend’s event; the YART Yamaha team has had previous success at the 2.6-mile French circuit, standing on the top step in 2009 and has claimed a further four podium finishes.
The team will field their highly experienced line-up with the first Italian FIM EWC Champion and 2017 Le Mans 24 hour winner, Niccoló Canepa, partnered with 2016 IDM Superbike Champion and previous Endurance race-winner Marvin Fritz, and former Red Bull Rookies and European Moto3 champion, Karel Hanika, who will make his first proper start with the YART Yamaha YZF-R1 at the renowned 24-hour event.
Mandy Kainz – Team Manager – YART
“For us it is going to be quite a strange race, racing in front of empty grandstands for 24 hours, but it is what it is and we’re more than ready despite not having as much pre-event testing as normal. The biggest challenge will be for our riders because, in such a long Endurance race, you’re always chasing motivation to continue, and a lot of that comes from the fans. Still, our riders are very professional and will be able to give it their all. For Le Mans, we aim to return to the championship and pick up good points to put us in the title fight at the finale in Estoril. It is a must to finish the 24-hour event if we want to be within a chance of the title in this strange year. I know we can do a good job because we have an amazing package; the bike, the Bridgestone tyres and our riders are all very strong, so I know we can do a good race.”
The Wojcik Racing Team come into Le Mans looking to fight back from a non-finish in Sepang. The team will once again run British Superbike rider, Gino Rea, Frenchman Axel Maurin, Australian Broc Parkes and Polish rider Maceli Bezulski. The polish-based Yamaha team are determined to fight for the podium to keep themselves within a title chance come the season finale in Portugal.
The Moto Ain Yamaha World Cup Supported Team’s trio of riders, Roby Rolfo, Robin Mulhauser and Hugo Clere will be looking to protect their lead in the Independent team and FIM World Cup standings. They currently lead the independent championship by 14 points over Wojcik Racing Team, in a Yamaha top-five lockout.
Completed in 1966, the famous 4.185km Bugatti circuit located in north-western France has seen various changes to the course. The current layout has been in use since 2008 and provides spectacular racing. Its high and low-speed corners mixed with heavy braking zones, fast changes of direction and unpredictable weather are what makes Le Mans and the 24 Heures Motos one of the most challenging and rewarding events on the calendar.
Source: MCNews.com.au
Bol d’Or 2020 cancelled | Estoril to stage FIM EWC finale
FIM EWC finale to be held at Estoril
Without the possibility of hosting spectators, the Bol d’Or 2020 will not take place. The local authority, Prefecture of Var has just withdrawn permission to welcome public to the race, scheduled for September 19-20. A new event, the 12 Hours of Estoril in Portugal, will take place on September 27 in its place.
The Bol d’Or2020, the proposed finale of the current FIM EWC season, was supposed to host Endurance fans at Le Castellet in the south of France on 19-20 September.
Following the strengthening of restrictions to stop Covid-19 in France, the local authority, Prefecture of Var, has withdrawn the authorisation to welcome spectators to the event. This decision has forced Editions Larivière, the race organiser, to cancel the Bol d’Or 2020.
The 2019-2020 FIM EWC Finale will instead take place in Portugal on the Estoril circuit on 27 September.
A 12-hour race is scheduled on this international circuit near Lisbon. It will close a sporting season particularly disrupted by the global health crisis. As the FIM EWC season final event, this 12-hour race will benefit from the bonus of 150% of the points in both EWC and Superstock categories, as well as intermediate points in the standings after eight hours of racing. The 4.182km Estoril circuit has hosted MotoGP and FIM Superbike World Championship events previously. Before this final event in Portugal, FIM EWC teams will race at Le Mans for the 24 Hours Motos on 29-30 August.
François Ribeiro – Head of Eurosport Events
“We support the decision of Editions Larivière to cancel the Bol d’Or 2020 within the context of stricter restrictions related to the health situation in France. We will return to this great event in September 2021. In order to protect the interests of the championship and teams, we have made every effort to replace this final race. We are pleased to announce and offer a new battle between teams at the Estoril circuit to close the 2019-2020 season.”
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Source: MCNews.com.au