Tag Archives: Josh Hook

Josh Hook on his preparations for ASBK finale at The Bend | Interview

Josh Hook on racing ASBK

Josh Hook will race with Penrite Honda Racing at the season finale of the Australian Superbike Championship, to be held at Tailem Bend on December 3-5, and rode the ASBK spec’ Fireblade for the first time over the weekend at Wakefield Park, followed by a second day on the bike at Winton earlier this week.

Josh Hook and Troy Herfoss – Image by Carlo Parisella

Hook recently returned from competing in Europe in the World Endurance Championship for Factory Honda F.C.C. TSR, wrapping up his season with fourth overall in the Championship.

MotoE Test Jerez Day Josh Hook
Taree’s World Endurance Champion Josh Hook also contested the inaugural MotoE Championship in 2019

The 2018 World Endurance Champion and dual Le Mans 24 hour winner looks forward to racing in Australia again onboard the Honda Fireblade SP.

Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda

Josh Hook talks the Penrite Honda ASBK Fireblade

Trevor Hedge: You had a couple of hit-outs on the Penrite Honda over the past week, how’s it gone?

Josh Hook: “We went to Wakefield, and just finished a second day here at Winton. The bike’s a lot different to what I’m used to obviously – in World Endurance we’re on the factory bike, with TSR it’s a different chassis, wheels, swing-arm, tyres, suspension. It’s not comparable at all. So although it is the same model bike, it’s very different.”

Josh Hook and the F.C.C. TSR Honda won the Le Mans 24 Hour last year

Trev: That was going to be one of my first questions, you’re used to riding what is probably the trickest Fireblade in the universe.

Hook: “Yeah that’s right, so we basically used these two days just to get familiar with the bike and try and come across a base setting that we think is going to work for The Bend, but mainly for us to just start feeling comfortable on it. As I said, even the seating position is all different, without the different sub-frame and fuel tank and everything that I am accustomed to on the FIM EWC bike. The main objective was to get comfortable on the bike, and they did a great job, after the two days I feel quite comfortable on the bike. We stayed on it and that’s the main thing, got a good couple of days testing in and got through quite a lot of different things to test. So I feel good.”

Josh Hook on the Penrite Honda Fireblade at Winton – Image by Carlo Parisella

Trev: Are you going to get to sling a leg over the bike again before The Bend?

Hook: “No mate, this is it. Final shake down for us, but feeling good anyway. We’ve got the bike roughly where we need it, but again another new track for me, I’ve never been to The Bend before, so that’s going to be just another hoop we’ve got to jump when we get there. But you know it’s definitely worth while doing these two days on the bike.”

F.C.C. TSR Honda France – Josh Hook, Freddy Foray and Mike di Meglio won the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans

Trev: Your good mate Jack Miller, have you got a bet on who beats who [at The Bend]? Is there some sheep stations to be won?

Hook: “(Laughs) Actually I’m just going to Sydney airport to pick him up now, he’s coming up to mine for a little bit.”

Josh Hook F.C.C. TSR Honda France pictured in action last year at the Estoril 12 Hour

Trev: So you’re out fishing tomorrow then I’m guessing.

Hook: “We will be fishing all week!”

Trev: I do get jealous looking at your Instagram when you’re out there fishing on the boat all the time, you look like you’ve got a good set-up.

Hook: “For sure we wanna beat each other, he’s pretty handy on the bike, as we both know. It’ll be interesting to see, he’s got the MotoGP testing laws, so he won’t be on a full spec’ Australian Superbike, but nonetheless I think he’ll be competitive.”

Jack Miller will also compete at The Bend, but at the moment is out fishing with Hooky

Trev: He won’t be far off, just missing the full race spec’ ECU, so a few electronic smarts not up to ASBK standard for the Ducati, but it’ll certainly be interesting.

Hook: “The way that the ASBK rules are there’s basically nothing you can do to the bike anyway, I’ve seen Stock 1000 championships with more things you can do to the bike.”

Trev: I’ve written that many times myself, and when I wrote about Jack’s ride I said the same thing. Another time, I’d like to get stuck into learning about your World Endurance bike with you, because like I said it is most likely the trickest Fireblade in the universe and the best thing Honda can make.

Hook: “Yeah basically something very similar to World Superbike now.”

Josh Hook and F.C.C. TSR Honda win 8H of Oschersleben
Josh Hook (centre) and F.C.C. TSR Honda after winning the 2018 8H of Oschersleben

Trev: I thought yours might be a bit tricker than WSBK?

Hook: “Well some of the parts that HRC make don’t really work with the Bridgestone tyres, so they’ve manufactured a few different parts to try and make it the best, and obviously World Superbike are on Pirelli. We’re on Bridgestone so there’s a big difference with two manufacturers of tyres. If there’s anything we need, or anything needs to be developed, TSR can manufacture that no dramas at all.”

Outside of Australia, Taree’s Josh Hook and F.C.C. TSR Honda France have been the most successful Fireblade racers on the world stage

Trev: What does your bum dyno say about the power difference, between ASBK and WSBK bike?

Hook: “I was quite surprised with the power of the ASBK bike, especially in the mid-range. I think we lack a little bit off the bottom, but the tracks I was riding at – Winton and Wakefield – you don’t have the straight that you can really wind the thing out, so it’s hard to say like that. But I was quite impressed with the power we did have through the mid-range, I thought it would be a lot slower, so that was good. Obviously in World Endurance we’ve got fuel consumption to worry about, so sometimes in the race we don’t actually have that fast of a bike, because we’ve got to get the most laps that we can out of a 24L tank, so fuel consumption does come into it and to lean off the bike that creates less power.”

Josh Hook – Image by Carlo Parisella

Trev: Have you ridden on the Michelin tyres before?

Hook: “I haven’t mate, first time. But I would say they are closer to a Bridgestone than they would be for a Pirelli, so that’s good news for me. Quite a stiff construction type feeling I get from the Michelin, with a little bit of lack of feel in the front tyre, but I think that’s just due to the set-up we’ve got in the bike at the moment. We struggled a little bit there trying to get a bit of feedback from the front tyre. But overall I think that tyres can be very competitive and especially so over a long run, there’s no real drop which will be good for The Bend.”

Outside of Australia, Taree’s Josh Hook and F.C.C. TSR Honda France have been the most successful Fireblade racers on the world stage

Trev: Cool mate, enjoy your week fishing with Jack and I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.

Hook: “No worries mate.”

Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda – 2021 12 Hours of Estoril

The mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship, presented by Motul, will crown five 2021 ASBK Champions at South Australia’s The Bend Motorsport Park in what will be an epic Grand Finale, December 3-5.

Race fans can grab their tickets for the ASBK Grand Finale which are on sale now through Ticketek. More spectator information can also be found at www.thebend.com.au

Following the Grand Finale on Sunday, December 5, a family friendly and BBQ style ASBK presentation event will be held to celebrate and crown the 2021 ASBK Champions.

ASBK at The Bend

The ASBK Grand Finale will operate under a COVIDSafe Plan in accordance with SA Government regulations, and all interstate travellers, volunteers and race fans will be required to be double vaccinated for entry into South Australia.

For those fans who are unable to be trackside, you can catch all the fantastic action through ASBK TV partners SBS, FOXSPORTS Australia, Sky Sport NZ and via ASBK TV Live Stream. And of course, as we have been doing for over two decades, the best news coverage of the event will be brought to you right here on MCNews.com.au!

ASBK Superbike Championship Points Standings

Pos Rider Total
1 Wayne MAXWELL 132
2 Troy HERFOSS 106
3 Glenn ALLERTON 100
4 Cru HALLIDAY 88
5 Oli BAYLISS 87
6 Bryan STARING 87
7 Mike JONES 74
8 Arthur SISSIS 71
9 Jed METCHER 70
10 Josh WATERS 53

Source: MCNews.com.au

Josh Hook joins Penrite Honda Racing for ASBK final

Josh Hook joins Penrite Honda Racing for ASBK final at Tailem Bend


Penrite Honda Racing will add Josh Hook to their line-up for the season finale of the Australian Superbike Championship, to be held at Tailem Bend on December 3-5.

Penrite Honda Racing – Image RbMotoLens

Hook recently returned from competing in Europe in the World Endurance Championship for Factory Honda F.C.C. TSR, wrapping up his season with fourth overall in the Championship.

The 2018 World Endurance Champion and dual Le Mans 24 hour winner looks forward to racing in Australia again onboard the Honda Fireblade SP.

Josh Hook

“I’m really looking forward to racing for Penrite Honda this year at the final round of the Australian Superbikes at the Bend. It’s been a long time since I’ve raced in Australia, it’s not something I’d normally do but the opportunity came up and I’d like to thank the team a lot for making this happen. I always enjoy going up against the people I’ve grown up racing in the past and Honda have built a bike that can win races, I feel very comfortable on the Fireblade so I can’t wait to get out there.”

Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda France

Deon Coote – Penrite Honda Racing Director

“We are excited to have Josh, an experienced international rider back in Australia to race in the last round of the season with us. His knowledge and expertise will be an asset to our team, and we know it will bring some added excitement to the paddock for the fans as well. It’s going to be a great way to wrap up the season.”

Tony Hinton – Honda Australia, General Manager of Sales

“Josh is all class and we are very pleased he will be representing Honda in Australia again for the final round of the ASBK. We have watched his many successes overseas and have always enjoyed watching him race in Australia during his early career so this one will be a race not to miss!”

ASBK Superbike Championship Points Standings

Pos Rider Total
1 Wayne MAXWELL 132
2 Troy HERFOSS 106
3 Glenn ALLERTON 100
4 Cru HALLIDAY 88
5 Oli BAYLISS 87
6 Bryan STARING 87
7 Mike JONES 74
8 Arthur SISSIS 71
9 Jed METCHER 70
10 Josh WATERS 53
11 Anthony WEST 52
12 Matt WALTERS

Source: MCNews.com.au

Honda x Motul Celebrate Successes Across The Track

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 racer on a bike, turning in to the track's twisties
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.

A racer from Team HRC racing down a dirt hill at the MXGP Championship
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 put up a great fight to carve their way into the podium places
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 Netherlands
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.

A member of The EWC Honda team

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!

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Yuki Takahashi joins Josh Hook at F.C.C. TSR Honda

2021 FIM Endurance World Championship

F.C.C. TSR Honda France announce 2021 team


The F.C.C. TSR Honda France team, of the FIM Endurance World Championship will go into the 2021 season with a new three rider line-up, with Yuki Takahashi joining Australian Josh Hooks and Frenchman Mike di Meglio, with the line-up announced at Suzuka.

Josh Hook on the F.C.C. TSR Honda in France this year

Yuki Takahashi, who caught the eye in the GP250 (5th in 2008) and subsequently in Moto2, has also made his mark in the JSB 1000 Superbike championship (fifth in 2018), and recently won the first All Japan Superstock 1000 title in the new category the Japanese championship introduced in 2020.

Most importantly, Yuki Takahashi has a strong track record in the Suzuka 8 Hours. He climbed the third step of the 2010 Suzuka 8 Hours podium with F.C.C. TSR Honda, and finished second in 2012 in the saddle of Toho Racing with Moriwaki’s Honda. He then continued racing with Moriwaki, regularly finishing in the top 10 at Suzuka.

Yuki Takahashi

“I’m thrilled to join the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team. As a child, my dream was to become world champion. I have MotoGP and World Superbike experience. I’ll do my utmost to become the world champion in the FIM EWC with this team.”

Yuki Takahashi & Masakazu Fujii

Yuki Takahashi has now signed up to be a full-season FIM Endurance World Championship rider alongside another two of the sport’s great champions.

27-year-old Josh Hook, who won the 2017-2018 FIM EWC title with F.C.C. TSR Honda France, stepped onto the Suzuka 8 Hours podium for the Japanese team in both 2015 and 2017.

Josh Hook F.C.C. TSR Honda France

Mike di Meglio is the team’s final rider, and was the GP125 world champion in 2008, not to mention a Moto2 and then MotoGP rider, and has been proven a force to be reckoned with in EWC since 2017.

Josh Hook and Mike di Meglio campaigned the F.C.C. TSR Honda France Fireblade to third in this year’s championship, taking victory at 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as second at the 12 Hours of Estoril, ending the season just six-points off second placed YART, while trailing SERT by 24-points.

The 24 Heures Motos victory in August on the 2020 CBR1000RR-R’s was its maiden outing, with F.C.C. TSR Honda France aiming to reclaim the world title with their new line-up in 2021, on the new machine.

F.C.C. TSR Honda France with new CBR1000RR-R at the 2020 24 Heures Motos
Masakazu Fujii – Team Manager of F.C.C. TSR Honda France

“Yuki Takahashi took part in our tests in Japan before the 24 Heures Motos. This project was not on the cards back then. But you have to make constant progress and try to improve the entire team – the riders, the machine and the technical crew – to win. Yuki Takahashi is an excellent rider, with a personality I relate to and appreciate. This project will further strengthen our East-West collaboration.”

Source: MCNews.com.au

Josh Hook wins 24 Hours of Le Mans with F.C.C. TSR Honda

24 Hours of Le Mans 2020

Endurance World Championship


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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.”


24 Heures Motos – 24 Hours of Le Mans Results

Pos Team Man. Total Time Gap
1 F.C.C. TSR Honda France Honda 24:00:57.502
2 WEBIKE SRC KAWASAKI France TRICKSTAR Kawasaki 24:02:33.761 +2 Lp.
3 Suzuki Endurance Racing Team Suzuki 24:02:16.192 +3 Lp.
4 YART – YAMAHA Yamaha 24:00:57.952 +5 Lp.
5 VRD IGOL PIERRET EXPERIENCES Yamaha 24:01:22.949 +17 Lp.
6 3ART BEST OF BIKE Yamaha 24:01:31.651 +22 Lp.
7 Wójcik Racing Team Yamaha 24:01:56.358 +23 Lp.
8 GERT56 by GS YUASA BMW 24:01:25.036 +30 Lp.
9 No Limits Motor Team Suzuki 24:02:38.348 +33 Lp.
10 TEAM MOTO AIN Yamaha 24:01:35.646 +35 Lp.
11 MACO RACING Team Yamaha 24:02:31.068 +35 Lp.
12 Team 33 Coyote Louit Moto Kawasaki 24:00:57.532 +37 Lp.
13 Motobox Kremer Racing #65 Yamaha 24:01:16.290 +42 Lp. 
14 Team LRP Poland BMW 24:01:15.464 +46 Lp.
15 JMA MOTOS ACTION BIKE Suzuki 24:01:28.446 +47 Lp.
16 OG MOTORSPORT BY SARAZIN Yamaha 24:00:58.400 +50 Lp.
17 AM Moto Racing Competition Kawasaki 24:00:57.755 +51 Lp.
18 Slider Endurance Yamaha 24:00:59.403 +51 Lp.
19 Junior Team Suzuki LMS Suzuki 24:01:02.702 +60 Lp.
20 Tati Team Beaujolais Racing Kawasaki 24:01:19.602 +61 Lp.
21 Team Bolliger Switzerland Kawasaki 24:02:32.660 +61 Lp.
22 Falcon Racing Rennes Motos Yamaha 24:02:50.441 +62 Lp.
23 Dunlop Motors Events Suzuki 24:02:05.843 +70 Lp.
24 ENERGIE ENDURANCE 91 Kawasaki 24:01:03.985 +75 Lp.
25 British Endurance Racing Team Suzuki 24:03:15.523 +75 Lp.
26 Aprilia Le Mans 2 Roues Aprilia 24:01:03.067 +85 Lp.
27 Moto Sport Endurance Yamaha 24:02:38.731 +88 Lp.
28 TEAM 202 Yamaha 24:01:03.683 +96 Lp.
29 ATLANTIC RACING TEAM Honda 24:01:04.140 +128 Lp.
30 TEAM RACING 85 Kawasaki 24:01:46.649 +140 Lp.

2020 Endurance World Championship Standings

Pos Team Man. Nat. Points.
1 Suzuki Endurance Racing Team Suzuki FRA 127
2 F.C.C. TSR Honda France Honda JPN 87
3 Yamalube Yamaha EWC Official Team by YART Yamaha AUT 82
4 BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM BMW BEL 82
5 TEAM SRC KAWASAKI FRANCE Kawasaki FRA 80
6 Wójcik Racing Team Yamaha POL 70
7 VRD IGOL PIERRET EXPERIENCES Yamaha FRA 62
8 3ART BEST OF BIKE Yamaha FRA 62
9 MACO RACING Team Yamaha SVK 46
10 Tati Team Beaujolais Racing Kawasaki FRA 35
11 Team Bolliger Switzerland Kawasaki SUI 30
12 Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA Honda JPN 28
13 Team LRP Poland BMW POL 27
14 TECMAS BMW GMC BMW FRA 26
15 National Motos Honda FRA 22
16 Yamaha Sepang Racing Yamaha MAS 20
17 BMW Sepang Racing BMW MAS 14
18 ERC-Endurance Ducati GER 14
19 Motobox Kremer Racing #65 Yamaha GER 13
20 SUZUKI JEG – KAGAYAMA Suzuki ESP 12
21 TEAM PLUSONE BMW JPN 11
22 MOTOTECH EWC TEAM Yamaha BEL 11
23 British Endurance Racing Team Suzuki GBR 11
24 Team R2CL Suzuki FRA 10
25 Zuff Racing Honda Swiss Team Honda SUI 8
26 Bertl K. Racing Team BMW AUT 8
27 FSB MATT RACING Yamaha POR 6
28 Team Kodama Yamaha JPN 5
29 KRP SANYOKOUGYOU & will raise RS-ITOH Kawasaki JPN 4
30 EMRT Yamaha FRA 4

Source: MCNews.com.au

2020 MotoE Jerez Test | Ferrari fastest | Hook ninth

MotoE Official Jerez Test


2019 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup winner Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) kicked off 2020 by topping the first Official Test in Jerez, setting a best lap of 1:47.494 on the final day to head the combined timesheets.

Matteo Ferrari – P1

“It was a good test. We made a big step forward set-up wise and there’s still some changes to make to understand if the direction we’re taking is the right one – and there’s no better situation to do so than during testing. It wasn’t easy, especially as we did not have the telemetry engineer with us since day two. We made an effort to fill his absence: from my side to make myself clear and from the team to make the changes we needed. I set some good lap-times which came quite naturally, so this surely is a good sign.”

MotoE Jerez Test March Matteo Ferrari

MotoE Jerez Test March Matteo Ferrari

Matteo Ferrari

Eric Granado’s (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) 1:47.546 on Day 2 placed the Brazilian a close second, with MotoE rookie Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) impressing to finish third overall in his first event on the Energica Ego Corsa.

Dominique Aegerter – P3

“For me, of course, this is a new challenge and the motorcycle is completely different from anything I’ve ridden so far. I am happy to have such a good team on my side. Ultimately, the motorcycle has a little less power than I thought. Riding is a bit difficult because at the exit of the corners you can open the throttle quite early, which is not possible with a gasoline motorcycle. Of course, you can feel the 260kg weight especially when braking, but less in the corners, which is good. I was able to improve well over the three days. We had a good test plan, even if you can’t do too much with this production motorcycle. But we worked on the translation, the chassis and the seating position. In the end, I was able to set solid times. At the moment we can do 7-9 full laps with the e-bike, where we actually have the full power available. As a result, you can only really ride eight laps three times a day. The first two days I had problems adjusting because as I said, it is a completely different riding experienc. We as a team are super happy to end the three test days with a positive feeling and a good lap time.”

MotoE Jerez Test March Aegerter

MotoE Jerez Test March Aegerter

Dominique Aegerter

At the end of the three days in Andalucia, the top eight were covered by just eight tenths and only 1.2 seconds split the top 14 as MotoE got off to a competitive start in 2020.

2019 Cup runner-up Bradley Smith (WithU Motorsport) was fourth fastest at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto, the British rider sitting 0.379 off Ferrari’s pace.

Bradley Smith – P4

“Overall, I’m very happy after these three days in Jerez. We are back to the same level where we left off last season. The bike is exactly the same as the one from 2019, although we had to focus on understanding the completely new profile of the rear tyre, with a different shape, casing and compound. Due to this, we had to re-test aspects that we had already looked at during the past year. We also tried some other very important elements of the setup that we didn’t have time to test during the race weekend last year. For the upcoming test we will focus mainly on improving our pace over a single lap. I’m satisfied with our fourth position and the time that I set. The level is very high again this season, so we have to keep improving.”

MotoE Jerez Test March Smith

MotoE Jerez Test March Smith

Bradley Smith

Five riders managed to dip into the 1:47s and the last of those was Octo Pramac MotoE’s Alex De Angelis, the Sammarinese rider ending the test 0.450 from the top.

Alex De Angelis – P5

“I’m happy with today, and very satisfied with the test. Today I did my best lap time and we improved also the pace thanks to a good set-up. I want to thank my team for staying here with me in this particular moment, and hopefully we can get back to normal as soon as possible.”

MotoE Jerez Test March Alex De Angelis

MotoE Jerez Test March Alex De Angelis

Alex De Angelis

Xavier Simeon (LCR E-Team) was sixth fastest, he and fellow sophomore Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) heading eighth place Niki Tuuli (Avant Ajo MotoE) as the Finn continues to recover from recent surgery to remove screws put in after his injury last year.

Xavier Simeon – P6

“Today has been a positive day. We made some improvements compared to yesterday, but not as big as we were hoping for. I think we finish 6th in the overall classification, which is not bad, but I was expecting a little bit more. We are not far in lap time, we closed the gap to the guy before, but we did not make the improvement I was expecting. Anyway, this is only the first test, and we can be satisfied with how things went. I hope we can make the next test, we’ll see what happens with the coronavirus situation.”

MotoE Jerez Test March Simeon A

MotoE Jerez Test March Simeon A

Xavier Simeon

Octo Pramac MotoE’s Josh Hook and rookie Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) completed the top 10 as 2020 sparked to life.

Josh Hook – P9

“Three very positive days, we got a lot of useful information. The weather allowed us to do many laps on the track and giving us the opportunity to understand much more than last year. The pace is definitely good, we just have to try to find some more power, but overall, I am very satisfied with how these days went and how we worked.”

MotoE Jerez Test March Josh Hook

MotoE Jerez Test March Josh Hook

Josh Hook

Niccolò Canepa just missed out on a top-10 finish, landing in 11th position overall.

Niccolò Canepa – P11

“We’ve just finished the 3rd session of testing here in Jerez. I am satisfied with the work that we did, and the things we found in the bike to improve. Unfortunately, I couldn’t improve my lap time at the end, because I found some slower riders while I was pushing with the battery fully charged. Except the first two sessions, where there was a big difference, the results are very close, so it is positive feeling for the next test. I can’t wait to have the new tyres. There was only one front tyre that we could use but its a big step for me, for my riding style. The good news is that we will have these tyres for everyone starting from the next test. I am very happy about that. I think with these tyres I can improve quite a lot. I am confident. Now, I’ll try to go back home, stay safe and wait for the next test.”

MotoE Jerez Test March Caneda VR A

MotoE Jerez Test March Caneda VR A

Niccolò Canepa

Alejandro Medina finished twelfth this first pre-season test, just 1.1 seconds from the fastest time.

Alejandro Medina – P12

“It has been a positive three-day test: we are close to the leaders in terms of lap time and I feel good on the bike. When everything is in place and I’m already fully adapted, we will surely do well. The Energica is a difficult bike to understand, because it is very different from any bike that I have previously ridden, but every day we have given a step forward and we have understood it more. In the last session we have improved even more. We are happy with this test.”

MotoE Jerez Test March Alejandro Medina

MotoE Jerez Test March Alejandro Medina

Alejandro Medina

Throughout the Official Test the MotoE class were testing new tyres from Michelin, as well as new Öhlins forks and new airflow cooling for the batteries, which helps the Energica Ego Corsas charge quicker too.

See below for the updated 2020 MotoE calendar, as of March 13, 2020.


MotoE Jerez Test – Overall Top 10

  1. Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) – 1:47.494
  2. Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) + 0.052
  3. Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) + 0.225
  4. Bradley Smith (WithU Motorsport) + 0.379
  5. Alex De Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE) + 0.450
  6. Xavier Simeon (LCR E-Team) + 0.624
  7. Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) + 0.816
  8. Niki Tuuli (Avant Ajo MotoE) + 0.843
  9. Josh Hook (Octo Pramac MotoE) + 1.074
  10. Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) + 1.100

2020 MotoE Calendar (Updated March 13, 2020)

  • Race 1 – July 5th -7th – Sachsenring, Germany
  • Race 2 – August 9th -11th – Red Bull Ring, Austria
  • Races 3 & 4 – September 13th -15th – Misano, Italy
  • Races 5 & 6 – November 15th -17th – Valencia, Spain

Source: MCNews.com.au

Strong Aussie line-up for 2019 Suzuka 8 Hours

2019 FIM Endurance World Championship

Aussies all set for Suzuka 8 Hours


This weekend will see the Suzuka 8 Hours take place in Japan as the 2019 FIM Endurance World Championship grand finale, with seven Australians taking part between the 8 Hours and 4 Hours events.

Suzuka Hour QP Haslam
2018 Suzuka 8 Hour

The Suzuka 8 Hours has run since 1978, with many Aussie racers making their mark over the years, including Tony Hatton, Michael Cole, Kevin Magee, Mick Doohan, Wayne Gardner and Daryl Beattie.


The three time Australian Superbike Champion Josh Waters lines up with the MotoMap S.W.A.T team again for the fourth year in a row, with 2019 marking Waters’ ninth year racing at the Suzuka 8 Hours event.

Suzuka Hour Preview
Josh Hook – F.C.C. TSR Honda – Image by PSP/Mateus Mjagielski

The Mildura based rider will team up with former World 250cc/500cc/MotoGP racer, Nobuatsu Aoki for the sixth time, as well as former BSB rider Dan Linfoot, former. For 2019, Waters, Aoki and Linfoot are competing in the Superstock class.


Former World Supersport and Superbike racer Mark Aitchison takes to the grid with the Will-Raise RS-Itoh Kawasaki Racing Team, with the 35-year-old having been competing in the MFJ Superbike All Japan Road Race Championship for the satellite Kawasaki squad.

Suzuka Hour Preview
Mark Aitchison and the Will-Raise RS-Itoh Kawasaki Racing Team

Aitchison tested with the Kawasaki team for the 8 Hours Suzuka Program and his lap times were good enough to get the nod for a start this weekend. Aitchison, who hails from the Gold Coast, and his team have had two tests at Suzuka, which saw most of the European and Japanese teams present, as well as one private test.

Aitchison’s teammates for the Suzuka 8 Hours will be Akira Yanagawa, and Ryosuke Iwato, who currently rides for Kawasaki Japan as part of their factory effort.

Mark Aitchison

“The last official test was a great experience, as basically the whole EWC championship was on hand to the 8 Hours race weekend. Testing went well enough to this point, though in Japan the weather conditions are always challenging. So, it’s a matter of compromise between you and your teammates on setup. It’s Ryosuke first year as factory rider and I understand why they gave him the opportunity. He’s an extremely talented rider and his lap times at the recent test turned some heads from the top Kawasaki bosses. I think he’s got a great future ahead of him. I really love the fans energy and enthusiasm that they bring. On top of that, the event itself brings its own unique platform, which combined with spectator involvement provides such an exciting and enjoyable weekend.”


27-year-old Aaron Morris reunites with the Paris based R2CL team, in what was a last-minute call up by the team on Saturday. Morris, who is competing in the Australian Superbike Championship with the Maxima BMW team, competed with the R2CL outfit throughout the 2016 EWC championship. 2016 saw Morris and his team finishing fourth at their Le Mans debut, twelfth at Suzuka and ninth in the teams FIM EWC Championship standing.

ASBK TBG Round Morgan Park Morris Hepburn TBG
Aaron Morris – Image by TBG

Morris will certainly be up against it this weekend, with no testing and riding for the first time with his teammates, Yoshihiro Konno and Josh Elliott, while coming to terms with the Suzuki GSX-R1000R on a track which he’s admitted to be his favourite.

Aaron Morris

“I’d love to improve on my best placed finish of twelfth we scored in 2016. We didn’t have a base set up, so we starting again and with three riders it’s hard to have a direction which everyone is happy with.”


2019 marks the first time in Paul Byrne’s career that he will race at Suzuka, joining TEAM SUGAI Racing Japan for the 4 Hours event. Kazu Kuroda from K1 Racing contacted the Irishman and now Australian citizen, a few weeks ago to see if he interested in racing on the team’s Honda CBR600RR. Byrne, 34, previously worked with Kuroda back in 2016, when he was his mechanic racing the International Island Classic and the International Festival of Speed on the DMR Harris XR69.

Suzuka Hour Preview
Paul Byrne joins TEAM SUGAI Racing Japan

Byrne has had to learn the 18-corner circuit, as well as get his head around riding the Aprilia RSV4 machine, a bike he hadn’t ridden before, taking part in the official three-day test.

Paul Byrne

“I mentioned to Kazu that I had an interest in doing some endurance racing in Japan and finally its all come together for the first time, which I’m really grateful for. The first day was about just learning and trying to get as many laps done as possible plus. I really enjoyed the challenge. The second day I was a lot more relaxed and I started to push a bit harder and my lap times came down. But the main objective of the test was for me to help my teammate, Sugai Yoshiyuki with feedback. On top of that I just wanted to get some laps on track to learn it ahead of this weekend.”


Other Aussies to keep an eye out for over the weekend are full-season FIM Endurance World Championship competitors Broc Parkes (YART – Yamaha) and reigning Champ, Josh Hook (F.C.C. TSR Honda France). Also contesting is current Australian Superbike Champion Troy Herfoss (KYB Moriwaki Racing Team).

Suzuka Hour Preview
Broc Parkes (YART – Yamaha) – Image by PSP/Mateus Mjagielski

Hook and the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team are currently sitting third in the Championship; with a strong fourth-fastest finish at the Official Test and topping the times at yesterday’s practice as the quickest of the full-season FIM EWC Team.

YART’s lucky number seems to be five. Currently sitting fifth in the standings and posting the fifth-fastest time at yesterday’s practice, Parkes and his teammates all were quick and consistent.

2019 Endurance World Championship Standings

Pos Team / Equipe Total
1 Team Src Kawasaki France 132
2 Suzuki Endurance Racing Team 127
3 F.C.C. Tsr Honda France 109
4 Wepol Racing 101
5 Yart – Yamaha 88
6 Honda Endurance Racing 79
7 Bolliger Team Switzerland 73
8 Vrd Igol Pierret Experiences 53
9 Moto Ain 45
10 Gert56 By Gs Yuasa 45
11 Bmrt 3d Maccio Racing 39
12 Fany Gastro Bmw Motorrad- By Mercury Racing 38
13 Webike Tati Team Trickstar 36
14 Team 33 Coyote  Louit Moto 32
15 Junior Team Lms Suzuki 30
16 Wójcik Racing Team 2 28
17 No Limits Motor Team 28
18 3art- Moto Team 95 27
19 National Motos 25
20 Motors Events 24
21 Motobox Kremer Racing #65 24
22 Wójcik Racing Team 23
23 Team Erc-Bmw Motorrad Endurance 14
24 Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers 12
25 Team Lrp Poland 12
26 Maco Racing Team 12
27 Jma Motos Action Bike 8
28 Og Motorsport By Sarazin 7
29 Zuff Racing Team 6
30 Am Moto Racing Competition 5
31 Mototech Ewc Team 4
32 Pitlane Endurance 3
33 Gsm Racing 2
34 Slider Endurance 1
35 Falcon Racing Rennes Motos 1
36 Set Racing 1

Source: MCNews.com.au

Niki Tuuli wins first ever MotoE World Cup race

2019 MotoE World Cup

Round 1 – Sachsenring, Germany


Niki Tuuli has laid claim to the first ever FIM Enel MotoE World Cup race win, converting his E-Pole (also a first ever) into victory as the Cup kicked off in style in Germany alongside the MotoGP. A Red Flag on the penultimate lap brought the race to an early end with Bradley Smith taking second and Mike Di Meglio completing the podium.

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector Garzo
2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

It was Hector Garzo who took the holeshot from second on the grid, with Smith up to his old MotoGP class tricks to get a stunning launch from P7 and move into second, round the outside of polesitter Tuuli. Garzo then headed wide and Smith took over in the lead, with Tuuli also a little off line and that letting Di Meglio through into third. Xavier Simeon then picked the pocket of the Finn too, and the polesitter was down into fifth.

He soon set about hitting back, however, slicing through into fourth and then third as Di Meglio attacked Smith at the front, taking the lead. The trio were pulling away to make the fight for the podium a three-way affair, leaving Garzo battling Matteo Ferrari for fourth and Alex de Angelis defending from Simeon.

MotoE Rnd Germany Garzo
Hector Garzo – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

With six to go, Smith struck back for the lead and it wasn’t long until Tuuli moved through too, tagged onto the back wheel of the Brit and recovery from a tougher first couple of laps almost complete. A lap later he made a move but Smith took him back at the final corner, and the two blasted down the start-finish straight in tandem.

Tuuli set it up and attacked again into Turn 1, the Finnish rider back in charge and slowly but surely able to get just enough breathing space to stay out the clutches of Smith. Meanwhile, just behind, Garzo had managed to tag onto the battle for second. But drama then hit slightly further back as Eric Granado came together with Lorenzo Savadori and the Italian went down, and ultimately that would decide the race.

MotoE Rnd Germany Smith Di Meglio
Smith & De Meglio battle it out – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

Savadori was up and ok, but the air fence took a hit from the bike and that meant the Red Flag came out, cutting the race short. With the standings based on the last lap over the line, that made Niki Tuuli the history-making first ever winner in the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup.

Bradley Smith took second ahead of Di Meglio, with the Frenchman having only just attacked him for P2 but that now null and void. Garzo was forced to settle for fourth, with Ferrari completing the top five.

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector GarzoJosh Hook
Josh Hook – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

Alex De Angelis got the better of Xavier Simeon and took P6, with Eric Granado recovering from well outside the top ten after getting caught out in an early melee and the Brazilian taking P8. Sete Gibernau was ninth at the head of a big gaggle of riders squabbling over the final two places in the top ten, ahead of Nico Terol, Mattia Casadei, Niccolo Canepa, Jesko Raffin and Kenny Foray. Australian Josh Hook completed the points.

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany MotoE Podium
MotoE podium 1) Niki Tuli, 2) Bradley Smith, 3) Mike di Meglio – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Niki Tuuli – P1

“I’m really happy, already after the first test we knew the bike was going to fit for me, but every time we’ve gone but we’ve been close to the top three and that’s the main thing, and especially here in the fast corners I’ve been really good and I think that’s where yesterday I made the laptime as well. On Friday and Saturday we had good speed and I know the places where I’m quite a lot faster at the moment. In the race because the weather is quite difficult we didn’t know where were the wet patches on track and we made the bike softer. Then straightaway when we started the race and I hit the brakes at Turn 1 I hit the bottom and knew it was too soft. After that I tried to keep the riding quite soft for the first two laps and after that I tried to push a bit and find out where it was working or not. I made a couple of mistakes when I was pushing too much, but in the end I made a small gap. We have many thing to improve and unfortunately today we had a really short race. But in the end we were first all weekend so it’s a good start to the year!”

MotoGP Rnd Sachsenring Germany MotoE
Niki Tuuli – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Bradley Smith – P2

“I’m very happy to have got on the podium at this first MotoE World Cup race with ONE Energy Racing. Yesterday I was somewhat disappointed with my result in E-Pole, but I still knew that if I got a good start I could be in the fight in the race. I managed to get a very good start and lead the race, so that was nice. I couldn’t be a part of the race simulation in Valencia, so I was lacking some knowledge of what the contest was going to be like, but I learned a lot today. It was only five laps, but I know where I can improve for the next round in Austria. The race was exciting, so that’s good for the show and for the competition. I want to thank the team; they changed the bike from yesterday to today and did a great job.”

MotoE Rnd Germany Bradley Smith FER
Bradley Smith – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Hector Garzo – P4

“Unfortunately, it was a difficult race and not the result we have hoped for. I was waiting for the last two laps. Just the moment before the red flag, I was thinking about my overtake. But well, this is racing. You never know, that this is going to happen. Anyway, I’m happy because we four riders finished with a great time. For sure, I would have been a bit more satisfied to get a podium in the first MotoE race, but still our work is good and we know we are strong in every condition. Thanks a lot to the team, we did a really good job and for the first MotoE race of the history, it’s not bad. We must be happy. I’m looking forward to Austria now, keep calm and work hard.”

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector Garzo
Hector Garzo – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Alex De Angelis – P6

“I had a great time. At the first corner I chose to brake and stay inside and it was a good tactic because it allowed me to recover some positions. The duel with Simeon made me lose contact with the leading group but it was really exciting.”

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector GarzoAlex De Angelis
Alex De Angelis – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Niccolò Canepa – P12

“I’m really upset because I had contact in the first lap – I was in 8th place and was put back to 14th place. I was coming back into the top 10 and was 10th when the red flag came out but they gave the results from the previous lap so I was actually 12th in the results. I feel frustrated because I think this time a 5-lap race is too short.”

Kenny Foray – P14

“It was a good race. The result is not, what I expected, but my feeling was better. Now, I need to be more aggressive in the race, because two times, I decided to stay behind the guys in front of me and two times, somebody overtook me. So, I need to push all the time. I was really good on the brakes, but I couldn’t take full advantage of this. My feeling on the bike was good, it was great fun. The result is not ideal, but now I need to improve for the next race. I was a good experience for me and I’m happy, although I was hoping for a few more points. I’m sure for Austria, we will be better.”

MotoE World Cup test Valencia Final Kenny Foray
Kenny Foray – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Josh Hook – P15

“The feeling with the bike grew during the race. It was very important to be with the peloton on a circuit where I raced on Friday for the first time. It wasn’t a particularly satisfying weekend but we have to take the positive side and improve.”

MotoE Rnd Germany Hector GarzoJosh Hook
Josh Hook – 2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany
Randy De Puniet – P17

“It was not an easy race – since the beginning of the weekend, as I’ve explained before, I have zero feeling and I’m not confident after crashing in Valencia. I really hoped to get some more confidence and speed during the race, but it was not the case. I’m sorry to the team and the sponsors but I was not able to do better today. I hope after the break I will feel better on the bike so we will see for the next race.”

That’s it from the inaugural weekend for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup, with Tuuli the first ever winner and therefore first Championship leader. How will Austria shake it up? The Sachsenring is about corners, and the Red Bull Ring is much more stop-and-go. Tune in on the August 11 for Round 2!

MotoE Rnd Germany Terol leads Gibernau
2019 MotoE Round 1, Germany

MotoE Results


Source: MCNews.com.au

F.C.C. TSR Honda France wins 8 Hours of Oschersleben

2019 Endurance World Championship

8 Hours of Oschersleben


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.

H Oschersleben Podium
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.

H Oschersleben FCC TSR Honda France
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.

H Oschersleben FCC TSR Honda France
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.

H Oschersleben FCC TSR Honda 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.

2019 8 Hours of Oschersleben Result

1. F.C.C. TSR Honda France HONDA 308
2. Team SRC Kawasaki France KAWASAKI +1 lap
3. VRD Igol Pierret Experiences YAMAHA 4
4. Moto Ain YAMAHA 5
5. Fany Gastro BMW Motorrad By Mercury Racing BMW 7
6. Wojcik Racing Team YAMAHA 7
7. Webike Tati Team Trickstar KAWASAKI 7
8. BMRT 3D Maccio Racing KAWASAKI 8
9. Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers KAWASAKI 8
10. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team SUZUKI 8
11. No Limits Motor Team SUZUKI 9
12. Team 33 Coyote Louit Moto KAWASAKI 11
13. Gert56 By GS Yuasa BMW 11
14. Team LRP Poland BMW 12
15. Jma Motos – Action Bike SUZUKI 14
16. Motobox Kremer Racing YAMAHA 14
17. Junior Team LMS Suzuki SUZUKI 15
18. Bolliger Team Switzerland #8 KAWASAKI 15
19. ERC-BMW Motorrad Endurance BMW 16
20. GSM WRS RACING TEAM SUZUKI 16

2019 Endurance World Championship Standings

  1. Team SRC Kawasaki France – Kawasaki – 132
  2. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team – Suzuki – 127
  3. F.C.C. TSR Honda – Honda – 109
  4. Wepol Racing – Yamaha – 101
  5. YART – Yamaha – 88
  6. Honda Endurance Racing – Honda – 79
  7. Bolliger Team Switzerland #8 – Kawasaki – 73
  8. VRD Igol Pierret Experiences – Yamaha – 53
  9. Moto Ain – Yamaha – 45
  10. GERT56 By GS Yuasa – BMW – 45

Source: MCNews.com.au

First three-day shakedown for new MotoE category complete

Dorna’s new MotoE category was sparked into life at Jerez over a three-day test but unfortunately half the sessions over the course of the extensive testing program were affected by adverse weather conditions.

It was only the initial taste for the fairly high-profile line up that has been put together for the inaugural MotoE season that will compete in the 5 races that will be staged in conjunction with selected MotoGP events in Europe across 2019.

MotoE Test Jerez Day Enerigca Angel Nieto
Angel Nieto Team’s Energica MotoE machine

Dorna has suggested that race distances will be around seven to ten laps in duration, which equates to around a third of that raced by the MotoGP category. 

From their brief taste of the Energica supplied control bikes, teams are already suggesting that battery management and engine temperature control will be some of the key deciding factors that will decide the outcome of those races. 

Lucio Cecchinello LCR Pic
Lucio Cecchinello put this image out on his Instagram account that shows some of what is behind the fairings of the new MotoE machines

The first MotoE race will be staged at Jerez in May and will then go on to support the French Grand Prix at Lemans before heading to Sachsenring in July and the Red Bull Ring in August before the five-race series concludes at Misano as part of the San Marino Grand Prix. 

At this test some riders are sharing a single bike across a two-rider team which, along with limited battery life and long recharge times, means that riders in some cases are only got a handful of laps in each day. 

Bradley Smith (One Energy Racing) topped the timesheets on day two and lowered the new e-bike benchmark to 1m50.265, a marker that was not beaten on day three due to rain. In fact, no rider bettered their times on the third and final day of testing due to inclement weather. 

Moto2 bikes were also on track overnight with their new Triumph engines and the top four all lapped in the 1m41s. As a gauge of relative performance, the top quartet of MotoE riders lapped in the 1m50s. With limited set-up time and familiarisation so far for the electric bikes, you would imagine that by mid-season next year that differential might perhaps half when progress really starts to be made. 

MotoE Test Jerez Day Bradley Smith
Bradley Smith

Bradley Smith – P1 overall

“I’m very happy with the work we’ve done today. We set a fast lap in the morning session, and I’ve felt better and better with the bike. In the afternoon we had mixed conditions on track, and it was good to have references for mapping and try out different setups to see what else we can work on for next March. In the last session there were a lot of puddles; we went out with slicks and were very competitive again. I’m very satisfied with this first test, as we have always been among the fastest riders and we have more and more knowledge about the bike. We know which direction to take and what to do to improve. I really enjoyed myself with my new team, and I’m looking forward to coming back to Jerez in March!”

MotoE Test Jerez Day Bradley Smith
Bradley Smith

In Sunday’s more difficult conditions it was Marc VDS rider Mike Di Meglio who proved quickest. The Frenchman took first late in the day with a 1’52.160, seeing him pull ahead of another solid day for Smith by a little over a tenth in the damp conditons. 

MotoE Test Jerez Day Mike DiMeglio
Marc VDS rider Mike Di Meglio

Hervé Poncharal’s Tech3 will field Frenchman Kenny Foray in the MotoE series and the pair worked together across the three days at Jerez to get a feeling for the Energica machine and the Tech3 boss, who is never short of a word, was especially enthusiastic about the new category.

Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 Team Manager

“It was a very exciting three days’ test for Tech3 E-Racing. We were feeling like the pioneers of a new era. This bike is so different to everything we’ve been used to and honestly, we didn’t know what to expect as a team, our riders and the whole grid. After a few laps, everybody had a big smile on their face, no matter the conditions; every rider was very pleasantly surprised about how the bike behaved. This is a proper racing bike and I think Energica, Enel, Dorna – the MotoE team lead by Nicolas Goubert – did a great, great job and I would like to thank all of them. We enjoyed a trouble free three days of test, the riders were having fun on their bikes and it’s fun to watch. The corner speed, they can carry is unbelievable. The riders were happy about how the bike behaved, because even though it’s heavy, it didn’t feel heavy, the grip was amazing and the corner speed is closer to a Moto3 than a MotoGP bike. It’s a new way of riding, but young riders like Eric Granado, experienced riders like Sete Gibernau, Endurance riders, Moto2 and MotoGP riders, everybody who was there had great fun. I believe this is going to be much more exciting and interesting than what most of the people think. We are glad and proud to be part of it. This is the very beginning, but the level is already quite high and good enough to deliver exciting racing. I wish good luck to Energica and everybody involved in that project and I’m quite sure that the next test here in Jerez the bike will be eve more competitive and the riders will be quicker. We just can’t wait to be back on track with the MotoE!”

MotoE Test Jerez Day Kenny Foray
Kenny Foray

The LCR squad are another high profile team getting in early on the MotoE developments and will contest the new series with Randy De Puniet and Niccolò Canepa, the pair were eighth and tenth respectively on combined times across the three days of testing. 

MotoE Test Jerez Day Randy De Puniet
Randy De Punie

Randy De Puniet – P8 overall

“The first test with the MotoE bike was really interesting, although we have been a little unlucky with the weather. There wasn’t too much time on track, and for the teams with two riders like us, the organizers provided only one bike available to share for this first test session. That meant we had to change things around a lot and we got less time than the teams with only one rider. Despite this, the feeling was good, and the pace was also good. We are confident, and given that this was the first time with the team the atmosphere was great. My team-mate is cool so I think we can do good things next year. There are still two more tests before the first race next year. We have time to improve, and by then we will have one bike each which will make working easier and allow us to improve our lap times. As things stand, it’s already good.”

MotoE Test Jerez Day Randy De Puniet
Randy De Punie

Niccolò Canepa – P10 overall

“I’m really happy with these first days of testing and the first contact with the MotoE bike and the LCR E-Team. It was a fantastic experience, despite the unfortunate weather and the fact that Randy and I had to share a bike. We enjoyed ourselves and first impressions were positive. We were quite quick throughout and got to find out a lot about the bike, and we’re still not getting 100 percent out of it so we will have to work hard in the other two winter tests to adapt it to my riding style. I’m sure the championship will be entertaining and we will be able to fight for the top positions. Thanks to the LCR E-Team team and their crew who have done some excellent work this week. I can’t wait to get together again for the next test!”

MotoE Test Jerez Day Niccolo Canepa
Niccolò Canepa

There will also be an Aussie on the inaugural MotoE grid with 25-year-old Josh Hook riding for Alma Pramac Racing alongside highly experienced team-mate Alex De Angelis. The pair were somewhat constrained by only having one machine to share between them and finished the test ninth and eleventh respectively. 

MotoE Test Jerez Day Josh Hook
Josh Hook

Josh Hook – P9 overall

“It’s been a very interesting day. The bike surprised me with its ease of riding even though there are many aspects that we will have to work on. Having only one bike was not the ideal condition but from the next tests we will be able to start working on the set-up”.

MotoE Test Jerez Day Josh Hook
Josh Hook

Alex De Angelis – P11 overall

“The feelings are positive even if, especially in my case, the weather has not given me a hand. Basically, I was able to ride in “almost” dry conditions in just one session and I enjoyed it. I can’t wait to get back on track in March to have all the sessions at disposal and start working with the team.

MotoE Test Jerez Day Alex De Angelis
Alex De Angelis

Teams and riders were not just getting their heads around new and very different machinery than they had ridden before, but also were getting up to speed with new rubber.  Specially designed, the front tyres are a derivative of MotoGP tyres but the rears have more of a Superbike background.

The fronts need to support the heavy bikes under braking, whereas the rears need to warm up quickly for the shorter race distances in the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup. With the different characteristics of each, that made it something very new for each rider out on track – regardless of their racing experience. 

MotoE Test Jerez Day Bradley Smith Damp
MotoE Testing – Jerez – November 2018

The next MotoE Official Test will take place on the 13th, 14th and 15th of March in Jerez – which also hosts the first ever round of the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup next season.

MotoE Jerez Test 2018
Combined Times

  1. Bradley Smith – One Energy 1m50.265
  2. Niki Tuuli – Ajo Motorsport 1m50.627
  3. Mike Di Meglio – Marc VDS 1m50.741
  4. Matteo Casadei – Ongetta SIC58 1m50.885
  5. Matteo Ferrari – Trentino Gresini 1m51.648
  6. Eric Granado – Esponsorama 1m51.842
  7. Kenny Foray – Tech3 1m51.853
  8. Randy De Puniet – LCR 1m51.906
  9. Josh Hook – Alma Pramac 1m52.281
  10. Niccolo Canepa – LCR 1m52.375
  11. Alex De Angelis – Alma Pramac 1m52.403
  12. Jesko Raffin – Dynavolt 1m52.675
  13. Lorenzo Savadori – Trentino Gresini 1m52.689
  14. Sete Gibernau – Pons 1m52.817
  15. Julian Miralles – Avintia 1m52.945
  16. Marvin Fritz – Dynavolt 1m53.355
  17. Nico Terol – Angel Nieto 1m53.834
  18. Maria Herrera – Angel Nieto 2m00.562
  19. Luca Vitali – Ongetta SIC58 2m06.560

Source: MCNews.com.au