Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps has undergone extensive safety upgrades, the result of changes mandated by both the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and Fédération Motocycliste de Belgique (FMB), ahead of the second round of the 2022 EWC season but remains international motorbike racing’s answer to an adrenalin-filled rollercoaster ride.
Central to the changes, which have been ratified by the Fédération Internationale de l’Autombile (FIA) in line with car racing requirements, are expanded run-off areas at several corners, the repositioning of safety barriers in some sections, plus the realignment of the Speaker’s Corner left-hander, albeit for bike use only.
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Additional infrastructure work and the construction of a purpose-built grandstand at the top of Raidillon has also been undertaken for a total cost of €25 million.
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
François Ribeiro – Head of Discovery Sports Events
“The two- and four-wheel motorsport community will soon be very impressed with the high level of safety work ongoing at Spa-Francorchamps right now. Once completed and homologated by the FIA and FIM this April, Spa will be even more special and appealing as a track to all drivers and riders than ever before. The 24H SPA EWC Motos has all the ingredients to become a true classic of the FIM EWC calendar, on par with 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans, the Suzuka 8 Hours and the 24 hours of Bol d’Or in terms of prestige and importance but probably greater in terms of the sporting and technical challenge facing our riders and teams. The team at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Discovery Sports Events and PHA Claude Michy are working flat out together to deliver an excellent event for fans to experience and remember forever. It’s a great honour to welcome Spa-Francorchamps into the FIM EWC family and to see the sporting level of the championship rising year on year. We cannot wait for more endurance racing history to be made at Spa on 4-5 June.”
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Melchior Wathelet – Board Chair, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
“We are delighted to welcome the FIM EWC, an internationally renowned championship, to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. I would like to thank our partner François Ribeiro from Discovery Sports Events of course, but also FIM and FMB for their confidence and finally the teams and riders who can’t wait to take part in this great event. Our teams are working tirelessly and hand in hand with event coordinator Claude Michy and his team. We are also happy to offer an exceptional weekend of entertainment. On track with the 24H SPA EWC Motos but also the three support series that will complete the programme: the 4 Hours of Spa Classic, the FIM Sidecar World Championship and finally the International Bridgestone Handy Race. Around the track there will be many animations and experiences to ensure we can welcome fans in the best conditions.”
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
The 24H SPA EWC Motos is due to begin at 14h00 CET on Saturday 4 June, marking the first time since 2001 that a round of the FIM Endurance World Championship takes place on the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
Masakazu Fujii has led his Honda-powered team to victory in the Endurance World Championship and engineered motorcycles that have won Grand Prix and TT races
Few other people in modern motorcycling have had a career quite like Masa Fujii’s. The Japanese veteran’s team has won World Championship Grand Prix races, the Le Mans 24 hours, the Suzuka Eight Hours and the Endurance World Championship, while his motorcycles have won everything from GP races to Isle of Man TTs.
Most of Fujii’s life has been lived with motorcycles, always Honda, because his father was friends with company founder Soichiro Honda, prompting a lifelong love of Honda machinery.
And yet he didn’t fall in love with motorcycles immediately.
“The first time I rode one was with my dad,” recalls Fujii, who’s based in Barcelona, Spain. “I didn’t like motorcycles at first, so it took time for me to like them and start racing. Then it didn’t take long for me to start loving them. Now motorcycles are my life. I plan on living with motorcycles and exploring with them for the rest of my life!”
A younger Masakazu Fujii and father Teruyoshi
Fuji’s father Teruyoshi played his part in Japan’s motorcycle boom of the 1950s, kickstarted by the creation of Honda Motor Co, Ltd and other marques. Soichiro Honda encouraged Fujii to move to Suzuka City, where Honda were building Japan’s first racetrack, the Suzuka Circuit. Fujii established Technical Sports in 1963, the year after Suzuka opened. Masa took over the company in 1984 and still adheres to his father’s philosophies.
“Dad made the organisation of Technical Sports with Honda and raced as a factory team. I watched first-hand how he lived. Race results, photos, trophies, I don’t keep any of them, so there’s nothing left. That’s my habit. My dad was like that. He used to throw away his trophies, and as a child I’d pick them up and keep them. He didn’t care about those things, and after a while that’s how I became.
“He used to say that riders know the path and that everything is possible with motorcycles – they’re 3D, they can go anywhere. I believe they’re the best kind of transportation given to mankind. Riding a motorcycle makes life that much more wonderful.”
Australian Josh Hook has been with Masakazu Fujii and the F.C.C. TSR Honda France squad since 2016
Fujii’s team contested the Suzuka Eight Hours for the first time in 1990. The following year he renamed his company Technical Sports Racing (TSR) and entered rider Noboru Ueda in the 1991 Japanese 125cc GP. This was Ueda’s GP debut but he won the race anyway, encouraging Fujii to embark on a full World Championship programme with the youngster, who became one of the most popular riders in GP racing over the next decade.
In 1997 TSR graduated to the premier class, the 500cc World Championship, with Nobuatsu Aoki, riding a Honda NSR500. Aoki had an amazing rookie season, finishing third overall – on the championship podium! – behind factory Honda riders Mick Doohan and Tadayuki Okada.
Fujii took his company to the next level in the late 1990s, building 125cc and 250cc GP bikes, always powered by Honda engines. These machines were extremely popular with riders and achieved many successes across the sport. In 1999 Briton John McGuinness won the 250cc Isle of Man TT on a TSR Honda RS250 and two years later Ueda won the Italian 125cc GP aboard a TSR Honda RS125.
From the turn of the century Fujii focused his attentions on four-stroke racing, especially the hugely prestigious Suzuka Eight Hours race, taking victory in 2006, 2011 and 2012. By this time TSR had built a global reputation for its performance parts – in 2012 Marc Marquez won the Moto2 World Championship using a TSR quick-shifter in his Honda CBR600-powered Moto2 bike.
Masakazu Fujii
In 2016 Fujii embarked on another global pilgrimage, contesting the Endurance World Championship. Now based in Europe, he went into partnership with Honda France – famed for its success in endurance racing since the 1970s – and the team became F.C.C.TSR Honda France. This new partnership was immediately successful, winning the endurance world title in the 2017-2018 season.
20178-18 FIM World Endurance Champions F.C.C. TSR Honda France
F.C.C. TSR Honda France has achieved a total of three 24-hour wins: the 2018 and 2020 Le Mans races and the 2018 Bol d’Or. All these events were won using Honda CBR1000RR and CBR1000RR-R Fireblade machinery, tuned and prepared by TSR staff.
“It’s been Honda since I was born. Since I was born everything was Honda – cars, bikes and even lawnmowers!”
Fujii loves endurance racing for the unique challenge it represents to teams, riders and engineers.
“MotoGP, which I love, is a 100-metre sprint. Endurance racing is a marathon, and once you reach the finish there’s a unique feeling of achievement.
“My TSR team’s advantage is that we are always a small team. In 1991 we went to the Grands Prix with five us one, one of them our rider, all of us Japanese. In our EWC team we have a few Japanese members and we are gradually growing, with Spanish and French people working with us.”
In 2022 the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team will contest its seventh season in the Endurance World Championship with riders Josh Hook, Mike Di Meglio and Gino Rea riding the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. Fujii will be there every step of the way – from the gruelling heat of Suzuka to the cold of the night at Spa-Francorchamps – as he looks to add to the Fireblade’s amazing run of success in endurance racing.
ERC Endurance Ducati adds Checa and Fores for EWC 2022
After dominating racetracks around the world with the V4 R in sprint racing, Ducati are stepping up there efforts to win the FIM World Endurance Championship in 2022. The EWC Endurance Team has also signed a new two-year agreement with Ducati Corse, which brings engineering support, among several other benefits to its attack. The team is planning pre-season testing at Portimão and Misano.
Spaniards David Checa and Xavi Fores will add further international flavour – and even more pace – to the ERC Endurance Ducati squad contesting the upcoming FIM Endurance World Championship season.
Joining Frenchman Mathieu Gines and Italian Lorenzo Zanetti, Checa and Fores will help to create a formidable line-up on the German team’s Ducati Panigale V4R.
ERC Endurance Ducati
Checa is one of the most successful and experienced riders in the history of endurance racing and is transferring from the factory Kawasaki outfit to the team from Karlsruhe. Winner of the EWC in 2004, 2014, 2016/17 and 2018/19, Checa also has experience in MotoGP and the World Superbike Championship. In addition, the 41-year-old has won the Bol d’Or twice and the 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans on three occasions.
David Checa
“Since first entering the EWC competition at Malaysia two years ago I was able to watch the Ducati very closely on track and from beside and from the beginning it was clear to see the potential of the Panigale V4R-EWC. The team has had a strong first season, showing the Ducati can mix it up front. They also learned a lot already and I am happy to now be part of this project. I will use all my experience on every single point to help bringing it further ahead.”
Fores, 36, joins ERC Endurance Ducati from the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, which he helped to finish runner-up in the 2021 FIM EWC Teams’ ranking. With experience and pedigree in GP125, Moto2, MotoGP, World Superbike and World Supersport, Fores is also a title winner in the German IDM Superbike series.
Xavi Fores
“I had some great success with Ducati already and I think the ERC Endurance Panigale V4R-EWC can not only win podiums and races, but also fight for championships. I am looking forward to the new season and I think we can build on the great potential the team showed last year already.”
Gines and Zanetti, meanwhile, helped EWC Endurance Ducati to ninth place in the battle to win the 2021 FIM EWC Teams’ title. A decision on which member of the team’s quartet will take the fourth rider role will be made a later date, along with the decision on the tyre partner.
EWC Endurance Ducati Team Manager Frank Hoffmann
“With Mathieu Gines, Lorenzo Zanetti, David Checa and Xavi Fores we have four absolute endurance specialists that are quick as hell. For ERC Endurance it is a big honour to have four such high profile riders joining us after just one year as it shows we gained a lot of respect in our first season in the FIM Endurance World Championship. We were quick and our Panigale V4R was more than reliable with our mechanics doing a great job in the pits. Of course we had to learn a lot and we have to take the learned things to 2022 to even get better. But it is a fact that with this bike and those four riders we have all the tools to fight for podiums, wins and the sharp end in the overall standing of the 2022 FIM Endurance World Championship.”
The 2018-2019 FIM EWC champions Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar are revving up to go after the 2022 title, thanks to now running the same Magneti Marelli electronics as some of the top teams.
Gilles Stafler has also rejigged the riders in the saddle of the 2022 factory ZX-10RR.
Randy de Puniet is making a comeback. The former MotoGP rider has already previously taken Kawasaki to the podium of the 2016 Bol d’Or and the 2017 24 Heures Motos. He was also on the second step of the 2021 Bol d’Or podium with Moto Ain.
Randy de Puniet
“I choose to join the SRC Team because I know the team very well since Gilles recruited me in 2016 and then made two seasons in 2017 and 2018 with excellent results but unfortunately without victory. The team is very competitive, the bike is performing well and should be even better this season. My teammates are fast with a lot of experience in endurance racing. The objective is of course to fight for the victory and the championship. In a way, I’m going back home to finish writing this story!”
Randy de Puniet
Florian Marino has contributed over the past three seasons to the progress of the privateer team VRD Igol Experiences. Formerly a rider in the FIM Supersport championship, he will be riding with Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar for the first time.
Florian Marino
“First of all, Kawasaki reminds me of great memories. I already have a history with this brand with which I participated in the World Supersport Championship in 2013, to finish 3rd the following season. I also think there is a link because of my role (test rider) with Alex Lowes in the KRT (Kawasaki Racing Team) in World Superbike, but also because my manager, Fabien Foret, has ridden for this team in the past, with whom he has maintained a close relationship. So, I would say that this choice was rather coherent and matches a period of my career where I feel ready to join a team of this level.”
Etienne Masson is the most seasoned endurance racer of the three. He has ridden for Suzuki since 2013 and has already won three FIM world championship titles in 2015, 2016 and 2019-2020 with Suzuki Endurance Racing Team.
Etienne Masson
“This is one of the most successful teams in the paddock, not so long ago we were fighting for the world crown and it was Gilles’ team that had the last word. With a good bike and such an experienced team, I think we can start with a lot of peace of mind.”
Gilles Stafler – Team Manager
“We will have to work fast and well. It’s a new bike with new electronics but I’ve been asking for this equipment for years, so it’s up to me to make sure it works. I’m really satisfied that Kawasaki are giving us a helping hand this year. It’s a very interesting new challenge with new riders. We should start riding after mid-January and I’m quite optimistic. The competition is making progress too and anything can happen in an endurance race, but we’ll do our best to get concrete results in 2022.”
Honda had a bit of fun a few weekends back – and since we love all things two-wheeled here at MotorBikeWriter, let’s take a look at the stats.
The July 17-18 weekend showcased Honda racing teams speeding to success, thanks to a long-standing collaboration with French oil manufacturer Motul.
Here’s a breakdown of how everyone is doing so far:
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
FCC (Fuji Clutch Co.) TSR (Technical Sports Racing) Honda France snagged a win at the Cicuito do Estoril on the Portuguese Riviera. This was the team’s first victory for the FIM Endurance World Championship 2021 and one that showcased their partnership with Motul to a tee.
Team HRC extend their lead in the MXGP championship
Team HRC also beat the heat and took advantage of the partnership with Motul by prettying up their CRF450RW with the Motul 300V Factory Line Off Road 5W-40 4T. Results were a success, with team HRC taking first place at MXGP of The Netherlands.
National Motos racing team carves their way into the podium
Honda’s National Motos (also supported by Motul) burned up the superstock class with a podium finish, awarding the team with the Dunlop Independent Trophy (Twice the charm!)
Tim Gasjer from Team HRC takes the overall win at the MXGP in the Netherlands.
Thanks to Motul’s joint partnership with Honda, the Motul 300V Factory Line Racing Kit Oil 2376H 0W-30 ESTER Core® was created with the FCC TSR Honda France racing team in mind, with the oil engineered specifically for their CBR1000RR engine.
The results are nothing short of fantastic, providing the CBR1000RR with superior power output yet maintaining the full reliability of the machine.
Because of this excellent compatibility between bike and oil, Honda’s CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP remained reliable for over 400 laps.
Here are the more detailed specs on all of Honda’s racing team results:
FIM EWC QUALIFYING RESULTS
#5 F.C.C TSR Honda France CBR1000RR
The Team:Josh Hook | Yuki Takahashi | Mike Di Meglio
The Results: P3 in EWC class, P3 Overall (1:39.309)
#55 National Motos CBR1000RR
The Team: Stéphane Egea | Guillaume Antiga | Enzo Boulom
The Results: P4 in Superstock class, P13 Overall (1:41.233)
FIM EWC RACE RESULTS
#5 F.C.C TSR Honda France CBR1000RR
The Team: Josh Hook | Yuki Takahashi | Mike Di Megli
The Results: P1 in EWC class, P1 Overall (417 laps completed, Fastest Lap – 1:39.801)
#55 National Motos CBR1000RR
The Team: Stéphane Egea | Guillaume Antiga | Enzo Boulom
The Results: P2 in Superstock class, P9 Overall (407 laps completed, Fastest Lap – 1:41.171)
FIM MXGP RACE RESULTS
#243 Team HRC CRF450RW
The Team: Tim Gajser | Mitch Evans
The Results: P3 in Grand Prix Race 1 (20 Points), P2 in Grand Prix Race 2 (22 Points), P1 Overall (42 Points)
Our hats off to the young racers – looking forward to seeing what Motul and Honda give us next!
2021 FIM Endurance World Championship 12 Hours of Estoril
Round 2 of the 2021 FIM Endurance World Championship will kick off on Saturday as the 12 Hours of Estoril kicks into action. With the Le Mans opener proving an edge of seat affair, the 12 Hours of Estoril is expected to take things up a notch.
Located near Lisbon, Estoril is one of the most technical tracks on the EWC calendar. Inaugurated in 1972, it has hosted world motorsport championships such as Formula 1 and, since 2000, MotoGP. In endurance racing, after hosting the Estoril 1000km in 1987 and the Estoril 8 Hours in 2000, the Portuguese circuit marked its return to the EWC last year by concluding the season.
This 4,182-metre-long, winding and hilly track is unanimously appreciated by the riders but it also puts a lot of strain on the mechanics, especially as temperatures are often high.
Yoshimura SERT Motul arrive in Portugal in the lead after their 24 Heures Motos win, but will face keen competition.
Xavier Siméon
“After our victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, we are starting from scratch again We have to keep our feet on the ground because the competition will be very strong once again. We have a lot of work ahead of us as this is the first time we will be riding here on Bridgestone tyres. But we are all confident. The technical team, the bike and the riders form a package that works very well. We will have to stay focused all the way to the end though, as we are of course aiming for a podium finish once again.”
Yoshimura SERT Motul
The 2020 winners at Estoril, YART–Yamaha Official EWC Team, will provide the toughest competition for the new Suzuki factory alliance. At Le Mans last month, a mechanical problem put an end to the duel for the lead between the Suzuki and the Yamaha. The fight will take up where it left off at Estoril but YART are not the only ones seeking revenge. F.C.C. TSR Honda France, who finished 9th at the 24 Heures Motos following electrical problems and a crash, will also have to make up lost ground in the championship.
Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar
Well placed behind Yoshimura SERT Motul after their podium finish at Le Mans were Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar.
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team arrive after third place on the podium at the season opener, the 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA) in June, Werner Daemen’s team is confident ahead of the second endurance race with the new BMW M 1000 RR ridden by Markus Reiterberger (GER), Xavi Forés (ESP) and Kenny Foray (FRA), the fourth rider of the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, at Estoril. Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) will be in action in the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) at the Nürburgring (GER) at the same time. Forés was recently forced to sit out races after injuring his wrist in the British Superbike Championship (BSB) but was able to take part in the Estoril test rides without any restrictions on Tuesday, and was given the go-ahead to race at the weekend by the official FIM race doctors on late Tuesday afternoon. Eugene Laverty (IRL) was on hand just in case Forés was unable to ride, which is why he also completed test laps on Tuesday.
Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director
“Our goal at Estoril is to carry on where we left off with the strong performance at Le Mans. We proved the potential of our new BMW M 1000 RR in endurance racing. We were initially pushed back down the field due to a technical issue, but the team resolved it quickly. The test on Tuesday was promising once again, so we are optimistic going into the race weekend. All three of our riders, Markus, Xavi and Kenny, were riding at the same very high level once again so we are well-prepared and hope to be as strong as we were at Le Mans. Thanks also go to Eugene for coming to Estoril at short notice to jump in as reserve rider if necessary.”
ERC Endurance-Ducati, who completed a 24-hour race for the first time at Le Mans, finishing 8th, will attempt to continue on their road to the podium. During private tests at the beginning of race week at Estoril, ERC Endurance-Ducati will be shored up by Lorenzo Zanetti, a Ducati test rider in the Italian CIV Superbike championship, and World Superbike Ducati rider Scott Redding’s chief mechanic.
Yoshimura SERT Motul get to Portugal with a 16-point lead over the competition, but everything could change at the 12 Hours of Estoril. 30 points are available for the winner, plus bonus points for the top 5 teams on the starting grid and points awarded 8 hours into the race.
YART–Yamaha Official EWC Team
High-performance challengers who got unlucky at Le Mans but will be worth watching are VRD Igol Experiences, Tati Team Beringer Racing, Moto Ain, Wójcik Racing Team and 3ART Best of Bike.
A hard-fought battle is also expected in the Superstock class too. The winners at Le Mans, National Motos, will have to defend their position against some highly motivated rivals, namely Team 18 Sapeurs-Pompiers CMS Motostore, who were forced to withdraw at Le Mans, BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers, No Limits Motor Team, Wójcik Racing Team 2, RAC41 ChromeBurner and Team 33 Louit April Moto.
The first official free practice for the 12 Hours of Estoril will start at 11am local time on Thursday 15 July. The race will be flagged off at 9am on Saturday 17 July.
The Japanese-backed F.C.C. TSR Honda France team have clinched victory at Le Mans, ahead of Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar and Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, with SERT continuing to lead the championship standings with a 40-point lead.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France top the 24 Hours of Le Mans from SRC KAWASAKI France and SERT
Three different constructors and three different tyre manufacturers stood on the 2020 24 Heures Motos podium. Bridgestone-shod F.C.C. TSR Honda France notched up their second win at Le Mans with riders Josh Hook, Freddy Foray and Mike di Meglio.
The 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans kicks off
At the end of the first eight hours of the 43rd edition of the 24 Heures Motos, F.C.C. TSR Honda France were still holding on to first place and scored the 10 bonus points awarded after the first third of the race. The team spent the whole night at the front of the pack, maintaining the lead over their rivals, to collect a further 10-point bonus at the end of the 16th hour. During the night, Di Meglio even set the race lap record with 1’36.985. The trio of riders did not make any mistakes during this picture-perfect race and eventually crossed the line taking the chequered flag to win the 24-hour race.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
Making their first outing on the track using Michelin tyres, Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar defended their second place to the last thanks to Jérémy Guarnoni, Erwan Nigon and David Checa. They finished one lap ahead of Dunlop-shod Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Etienne Masson, Gregg Black and Xavier Simeon), who held second on hour four, before settling into third overnight.
Unfortunately, two hours from the finish, Black was involved in a collision with a lapped rider and needed to come into the pits for a quick repair and after five minutes, the team – headed by Damien Saulnier – was back on track in third position; a position they held until the flag.
Suzuki Endurance Racing Team
Following a crash early on in the race, YART Yamaha pushed hard to get back into the leading pack. Throughout the night, YART were the quickest team on track, taking advantage of the grip provided by the Bridgestone slicks in the cooler, dry conditions. Chasing down fourth position, Hanika powered through a wet Sunday morning before Canpea took over as the track dried out, closing the gap to BMW in fourth, catching and passing them with just over three hours to go.
YART’s podium chances were reignited with two hours remaining after a crash for the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, who were running second at the time. Despite the best efforts of the Czech rider, he couldn’t match the pace of the repaired Suzuki, who strapped on the dry tyres while Hanika was still on wets. YART Yamaha turned their attention to bringing the bike home in fourth, which they were able to successfully do. YART’s Karel Hanika, Marvin Fritz and Niccolò Canepa finished in fourth place, five laps behind the winners.
YART Yamaha
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, solidly anchored in fifth place, lost their position after Ilya Mykhalchyk crashed at the tail end of the race. The factory BMW team were unable to cross the finish line and therefore not classified. The late-stage drama enabled F.C.C. TSR Honda France to shoot up to second place in the provisional championship standings.
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team
It also benefited VRD Igol Pierret Experiences, who inherited fifth place, ahead of 3ART Best of Bike and Polish team Wójcik Racing Team, which included Australian Broc Parkes alongside Gino Rea and Axel Maurin – who became winners of the EWC Dunlop Independent Trophy.
Suzuki Endurance Racing Team now leads the standings from F.C.C. TSR Honda France, with Yamalube Yamaha EWC Official Team by YART third overall.
As a result of the fickle weather and constantly changing track conditions, the teams were under pressure for the entire 24 hours of this year’s race. Stray showers in the final stages of the race forced the teams into some chancy tyre strategy.
24 Hours of Le Mans 2020
The race also threw the FIM Endurance Championship open. Five of the six factory teams are grouped together at the top of the provisional standings with less than a month to go for the final, which will play out on Saturday 26 September at the 12 Hours of Estoril in Portugal.
Ducati is missing from that group, despite some great performances by Team ERC Endurance all weekend long. The German team did their utmost to stay within striking reach of the leading pack at Le Mans. But they ran into a number of problems, running out of fuel, crashing more than once and experiencing technical issues, ultimately withdrawing at the end of the night with an electrical problem.
A BMW team won for the first time this season by dint of running a flawless race in the Superstock class with riders Stefan Kerschbaumer, Lucy Glöckner and Toni Finsterbusch. GERT56 by GS Yuasa’s win ahead of No Limits Motor Team and Moto Ain also throws open the FIM Superstock World Cup. Moto Ain, who finished on the podium despite multiple crashes, still top the provisional standings, but the points gaps are narrower on the eve of the final at Estoril.
GERT56 by GS Yuasa’s win ahead of No Limits Motor Team and Moto Ain in the Superstock
Two other teams in this category lost their chance at the overall win. BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers and Wójcik Racing Team withdrew after several crashes.
The only Aprilia-mounted team, local squad and 24 Heures Motos regular Aprilia Le Mans 2 Roues, were given the Anthony Delhalle EWC Spirit Trophy. After Nelson Major crashed, Eddy Dupuy and Marco Boué pushed on throughout the night as a two-man team to keep Aprilia in the race. The Aprilia #15 crossed the finish line in 27th place with Nelson Major making a comeback to take the pressure off his teammates. Their combative spirit won them the trophy launched in memory of Anthony Delhalle.
Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda France – P1
“It was an unbelievable race! We headed in this weekend with the new bike, the team had only few months to prepare it and we arrived here and got the job done. The new Honda Fireblade SP is amazing, straight out of the box it’s already competitive and surprised us all, riders and team, because we went faster on that bike than on any other bike directly. We kept on improving the bike and we arrived in Le Mans with a bike that was able to win the race, and we knew that from the start. A massive thank you to the team and our partners that worked so hard to get this new bike up and running. They deserve this victory and I’m happy that Freddy, Mike and myself were able to do it!”
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
Freddy Foray – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
“When you look back, you realise that the Fireblade made its first steps and won the race today. I just want to say a big thank you to this team for achieving an incredible performance because at the start of the week we didn’t know what to expect from a bike that started from scratch. Sharing this with the team and my teammates is fantastic too. I would like to congratulate Mike for riding really well and also Josh who was injured and made it through to the end. This is the second win we’ve shared here with the team and it’s great. A few weeks ago we didn’t even know if it would be possible to race because of the sanitary situation and today we are in Le Mans and we won the race, it’s just magic!”
Mike Di Meglio – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
“It was a crazy race! Right from the start I thought that the race pace would be much faster, and as we were starting from a new machine I was ready to accept to let my rivals go. I made a good start and I was second behind Gregg Black, who I quickly overtook at the end of the first lap, and then I started to ride with my own pace. I was quite surprised to see that I was able to build up a gap so I calmed things down a bit during the first stint. When a few competitors started to make mistakes with the tricky conditions, we chose to stay focused on our pace. Then during the night, I started to understand how the bike worked and to have fun with it, and I set quite good lap times. The team did a really fantastic job on the new Fireblade SP, we trained as much as we could during the whole Covid period and we won in the end, that’s great.”
Damien Saulnier (Team Manager) – Suzuki Endurance Racing Team – P3
“For sure, we are always aiming for victory but after this very complicated race, with changing weather conditions and many twists and turns, I’m really satisfied with this third place, especially since it’s a great deal for us in the championship. We are still leading the championship but it’s not over yet. There is still one race left and in Endurance you never know what can happen until you cross the finish line! Once again, I would like to thank all the technical staff and the riders for the great work they did. I am very proud of them. I would also like to thank the ACO and Eurosport Events for the organisation of this event in a complex sanitary context. And last but not least, a big thank you to our sponsors for their strong support despite the difficult year that we have all experienced.”
Karel Hanika – YART Yamaha EWC Official Team – P4
“It’s a bitter pill to swallow. We were, of course, aiming to be higher in the standings. I’m very sorry for the crash in my first stint. I felt good on the bike, and when the rain came, I didn’t feel like I was pushing, but when I arrived at the corner, there was more water than I expected and slipped off breaking the handlebar. We lost a lot of time, but from there we did our best, each rider was strong and the team did a great job. We were the fastest on the track, we could do 1:37s, but in the end, we did well to come back to P4 – not the podium we were hoping four but got good points. We are still able to fight for the championship in Estoril, but it’s tough to go to Portugal with no trophy here in Le Mans. I want to thank the team for standing by me, it’s my first crash in an Endurance race, but we all stuck together and did our best to recover. Bridgestone supported us a lot, Yamaha has made a great bike, so I thank everyone in our team, and we can bounce back stronger in Estoril.”
Broc Parkes – Wójcik Racing Team – P7
“We got it! Team 77 after 793 laps finish the legendary 24 Heures Motos race in a great seventh place! We also won the Dunlop Trophy. Unfortunately, after 14 hours of the competition due to the failure, the Polish National Team fell off 🇵🇱 777, but the boys also showed an amazing class. Thank you! See you in four weeks in Estoril at the FIM EWC final.”
Josh Hook, Freddy Foray and Mike Di Meglio have claimed the 8 Hours of Oschersleben win in the Endurance World Championship for F.C.C. TSR Honda France, from Team SRC Kawasaki France (who now lead the FIM Endurance World Championship) and VRD Igol Pierret Expériences. With a 4th-place finish, Moto Ain claimed both the Superstock win and the FIM Endurance World Cup.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France topped the podium – 8 Hours of Oschersleben
The podium was starting to look like a done deal, with four of the favourites battling it out in the lead from the race start, when big drama shook things up an hour and a half before the finish at Oschersleben. YART Yamaha’s engine failure while they were locked in battle with F.C.C. TSR Honda France for the win caused Honda Endurance Racing, then in 4th place, to crash, throwing the end of the race wide open.
Broc Parkes – YART
“The Oschersleben 8 Hour ended for us about 1.5hrs from the end, Marvin was on the bike when it caught fire on track and they had to bring it back on the trailer. We were leading the race and had a good chance of the win. There’s nothing else we could have done today, we all rode great, no mistakes and consistent pace so its a shame it had to end early.”
F.C.C. TSR Honda France, the 2018 race winner, triumphed ahead of Team SRC Kawasaki France. The Kawasaki riders Jérémy Guarnoni, David Checa and Erwan Nigon made it to the second step of the podium. Most importantly, they lifted the factory Kawasaki to the top of the provisional standings in the run-up to the grand finale at Suzuka.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France – 8 Hours of Oschersleben
For VRD Igol Pierret Expériences (Florian Alt, Florian Marino and Xavier Siméon), their third-place podium finish was as good as a win. The Yamaha-supported team secured their first podium in their first Formula EWC season.
Fourth-place finishers Moto Ain also savoured victory. Roberto Rolfo, Robin Mulhauser and Stefan Hill led the Superstock class for 204 of the total 303 laps run. They secured the Superstock win at Oschersleben ahead of Wójcik Racing Team 2 and BMRT 3D Maccio Racing. Above all, they won Moto Ain’s first-ever FIM Endurance World Cup.
Their battle with GERT56 by GS Yuasa for the Cup was closely fought. The BMW-mounted German team, who were leading the world standings before Oschersleben, finished the race in 13th place after running out of fuel and experiencing electrical issues.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France – 8 Hours of Oschersleben
The Superstock teams were particularly competitive in Germany. Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers ran a solid race in 9th place to win the Anthony Delhalle EWC Spirit Trophy singling out the fighting spirit of an entire team. No Limits Motor Team and Team 33 Coyote Louit Moto, 11th and 12th at the finish, also delivered a noteworthy performance. Junior Team LMS Suzuki were a contender for the FIM World Cup early on in the race, but a crash relegated them to 17th at the finish line.
Like Junior Team LMS Suzuki, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team had a tough race with two crashes and finished 10th. The standings leader before the race in Germany, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team will get to Suzuka with a five-point lag behind Team SRC Kawasaki France.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France – 8 Hours of Oschersleben
Another of the favourites who got unlucky were ERC-BMW Motorrad Endurance. They got off to a good start, but finished 19th after colliding with another bike.
These upsets should not overshadow two excellent performances at Oschersleben. Fany Gastro BMW Motorrad by Mercury Racing (Karel Hanika, Ondrej Jezek and Ladislav Chmelik) secured their finest result this season with a 5th-place finish. Likewise, Webike Tati Team Trick Star were 7th at the finish. Julien Enjolras and Kevin Denis had clearly got the measure of their new EWC Kawasaki with the help of Bastien Mackels at Oschersleben.
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