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SRC Kawasaki France win nail-biting Le Mans 24 Hours

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24 heures Motos Race Report

FIM World Endurance Championship

76,000 spectators watched a spectacular Le Mans 24 Hour on the weekend, the second round of the 2018-2019 FIM Endurance World Championship.

Video – 2019 Le Mans 24 Hour Start

ERC-BMW Motorrad Endurance Team started the race from pole position but a poor start put them behind the eight-ball from which they never really recovered.

FIM EWC LeMans Hour Start
2019 Le Mans 24 Hours

Heartbreak too for YART Yamaha. A machine failure cost them any chances of a good result while reigning World Endurance Champions F.C.C. TSR witnessed Mike DiMeglio crash their Fireblade SP2.

FIM EWC LeMans Hour SRC Motors Events James Westmoreland
2019 Le Mans 24 Hours – Motors Events rider James Westmoreland

Broc Parkes – YART Yamaha EWC Team

“I had really good pace in all my stints and I felt really strong, but our race was done after just 10 hours. Endurance can be cruel sometimes! Now we need to put the disappointment of Le Mans behind us and focus on the next race at the Slovakia Ring, as it’s a good circuit for us and one at which we won last year.”

Video – YART Engine Failure
Onboard with Marvin Fritz

F.C.C. TSR Honda fought back to eighth in the race’s ranking before encountering another issue in which the complete brake system had to be changed and replaced. The squad went back out on track just for Freddy Foray to collide with another rider in a racing incident. The bike slid along the track and that made damage to the engine’s cover’s where oil was lost. The team still kept on working hard to not only fix the hole, but to replace some engine internals also, which meant another loss of two hours in the pits.

FIM EWC LeMans Hour FCC TSR Pit Problems
F.C.C. TSR Honda in the pits

The team even then never gave up and sent the bike back out with no chance of having a shot for world championship points but to “fulfil” the spirit of endurance by finishing the race.

Other high qualifiers VRD Igol Pierret Experiences and GERT56 by GS Yuasa also suffered similar fates.

FIM EWC LeMans Hour VRD Igol Pierret
2019 Le Mans 24 Hours – Team VRD Igol Pierret Experiences

That notwithstanding the 42nd edition of the 24 heures Motos will be remembered as a 24-hour edge-of-seat duel on the track.

FIM EWC LeMans Hour SRC Kawasaki Honda Endurance Racing Team
2019 Le Mans 24 Hours – SRC Kawasaki France lead Honda Endurance Racing Team

Honda Endurance Racing’s Randy from Puniet and Team SRC Kawasaki France’s Jérémy Guarnoni rocketed away from the grid, and the race to the same fast-paced finish featuring the same two teams, this time with Yonny Hernandez and Jérémy Guarnoni in the saddle.

FIM EWC LeMans Hour Honda Endurance Racing Team
2019 Le Mans 24 Hours – Honda Endurance Racing Team

Team SRC Kawasaki France with Jérémy Guarnoni, David Checa and Erwan Nigon ‘s determination to shake off Honda’ s Endurance Racing ‘s Randy de Puniet, Yonny Hernández and Sébastien Gimbert.

FIM EWC LeMans Hour SRC Kawasaki Pit
2019 Le Mans 24 Hours – Team SRC Kawasaki France

Team SRC Kawasaki France’s victory will be one of the closest-fought and most gripping one in Endurance history to date. Kawasaki has a memorable duel with Honda Endurance Racing.

Le Mans 24 Hour Video – Closing Stages

Suzuki Endurance Racing Team finished third in a thriller of a race.

FIM EWC LeMans Hour SERT Pit
2019 Le Mans 24 Hours – Suzuki Endurance Racing Team

Their amazing duel overshadowed a third-place finish by Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, who got back on the podium for their team manager Dominique Meliand’s last-ever 24 Hours Motorcycles. The Suzuki’s riders Vincent Philippe, Etienne Masson and Gregg Black finished in practice the same lap as the duo in the lead.

FIM EWC LeMans Hour Wepol
2019 Le Mans 24 Hours – Wepol Racing Yamaha

Wepol Racing (Yamaha), Bolliger Team Switzerland (Kawasaki), 3ART-Moto Team 95 (Yamaha) and National Motos (Honda) also pulled off praiseworthy performances to finish 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th respectively, more than 10 laps behind the three squads leading the race at a scorching pace.

FIM EWC LeMans Hour SRC Kawasaki Win Podium
2019 Le Mans 24 Hours – World Championship Podium

Motors Events seventh place finish gave them victory in the Superstock class. Their strong comeback and determination to chase the win at Le Mans have earned them the Anthony Delhalle EWC Spirit Trophy. Motors Events also won the EWC Dunlop Independent Trophy.

James Westmoreland, Johan Nigon and Adrien Ganfornina rode the Suzuki # 50, finishing ahead of Yamaha Ain Moto (Robin Mulhauser, Roberto Rolfo and Stefan Hill) and Kawasaki-mounted Team 33 Coyote Louit Moto (Enzo Boulom, Chris Leesch and Kevin Manfredi).

FIM EWC LeMans Hour STK
2019 Le Mans 24 Hours – Superstock Podium

Thanks to their win, Team SRC Kawasaki France has gone to the forefront of the provisional standings of the 2018-2019 FIM EWC, ahead of Suzuki Endurance Racing Team.

2019 Le Mans 24 Hours Results
  1. TEAM SRC KAWASAKI FRANCE – EWC 839 laps – 24:00:54.139
  2. Honda Endurance Racing Honda – EWC 839 laps – 24:01:54.689
  3. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team Suzuki – EWC 838 laps – 24:01:08.610
  4. WEPOL Racing Yamaha – EWC 828 laps – 24:00:56.861
  5. Bolliger Team Switzerland Kawasaki – EWC 827 laps – 24:02:19.550
  6. 3ART- MOTO TEAM 95 Yamaha – EWC 822 laps – 24:02:36.039
  7. MOTORS EVENTS Suzuki – SST DIT 821 laps – 24:01:11.430
  8. National Motos Honda – EWC 821 laps – 24:02:05.048
  9. MOTO AIN Yamaha – SST DIT 818 laps – 24:01:17.039
  10. Team 33 Coyote Louit Moto Kawasaki – SST 816 laps – 24:01:15.537
  11. FANY GASTRO BMW MOTORRAD- by ME… BMW – EWC 812 laps – 24:01:09.587
  12. Wójcik Racing Team Yamaha – EWC DIT 808 laps – 24:01:12.871
  13. Junior Team LMS Suzuki Suzuki – SST 808 laps – 24:01:36.144
  14. OG MOTORSPORT BY SARAZIN Yamaha – SST DIT 807 laps – 24:02:23.814
  15. Motobox Kremer Racing #65 Yamaha – EWC 806 laps – 24:02:23.008
  16. AM Moto Racing Competition Kawasaki – SST DIT 804 laps – 24:02:15.823
  17. BMRT 3D MACCIO RACING Kawasaki – SST DIT 802 laps – 24:02:12.350
  18. PITLANE ENDURANCE Yamaha – SST DIT 801 laps – 24:01:14.322
  19. VRD IGOL PIERRET EXPERIENCES Yamaha – EWC 799 laps – 24:02:27.147
  20. Slider Endurance Yamaha – SST DIT 792 laps – 24:02:38.950
  21. ITeM 17 Kawasaki – EXP 783 laps – 24:01:24.305
  22. FGN RACING Yamaha – SST DIT 780 laps – 24:01:30.634
  23. Falcon Racing Rennes Motos Yamaha – SST 778 laps – 24:01:04.674
  24. Dunlop Motors Events Suzuki – SST 776 laps – 24:01:03.743
  25. Team LRP Poland BMW – EWC 775 laps – 24:02:00.586
  26. Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers Kawasaki – SST DIT 765 laps – 24:01:59.115
  27. WEBIKE TATI TEAM TRICKSTAR Kawasaki – EWC 765 laps – 24:02:26.846
  28. Glazik Moto – Sport Passion Endurance Suzuki – EWC 760 laps – 24:01:29.971
  29. SEIGNEUR MOTORSPORT RACING BMW – SST DIT 757 laps – 24:02:15.687
  30. GIRLS RACING TEAM Yamaha – SST DIT 753 laps – 24:01:04.113
  31. Mana-au compétition soutient la Ligue contre … Suzuki – SST DIT 747 laps – 24:01:07.160
  32. MACO RACING Team Yamaha – EWC 745 laps – 24:02:34.971
  33. LCR ENDURANCE Yamaha – SST DIT 744 laps – 24:01:15.281
  34. MOTOSTAND ENDURANCE Kawasaki – SST DIT 740 laps – 24:01:57.795
  35. F.C.C. TSR Honda France Honda – EWC 739 laps – 24:02:35.461
  36. TEAM 202 Yamaha – SST DIT 720 laps – 24:01:58.762
  37. METISS Metiss – EXP DIT 666 laps – 24:02:03.727
FIM World Endurance Championship Standings
  1. TEAM SRC KAWASAKI FRANCE (Kawasaki, FRA, FFM) 102
  2. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Suzuki, FRA, FFM) 86
  3. WEPOL Racing (Yamaha, GER, DMSB) 80
  4. Bolliger Team Switzerland (Kawasaki, SUI, FMS) 68
  5. Honda Endurance Racing (Honda, GBR, ACU) 60
  6. F.C.C. TSR Honda France (Honda, JPN, MFJ) 54
  7. YART – YAMAHA (Yamaha, AUT, AMF) 52
  8. GERT56 by GS YUASA (BMW, GER, DMSB) 27
  9. National Motos (Honda, FRA, FFM) 25
  10. MOTORS EVENTS (Suzuki, FRA, FFM) 24
  11. 3ART- MOTO TEAM 95 (Yamaha, FRA, FFM) 21
  12. FANY GASTRO BMW MOTORRAD- by MERCURY RACING (BMW, CZE, ACCR) 21
  13. WEBIKE TATI TEAM TRICKSTAR (Kawasaki, FRA, FFM) 19
  14. Motobox Kremer Racing #65 (Yamaha, GER, DMSB) 19
  15. Wójcik Racing Team (Yamaha, POL, PZM) 19
  16. MOTO AIN (Yamaha, FRA, FFM) 15
  17. VRD IGOL PIERRET EXPERIENCES (Yamaha, FRA, FFM) 15
  18. BMRT 3D MACCIO RACING (Kawasaki, FRA, FFM) 12
  19. Team ERC-BMW Motorrad Endurance (BMW, GER, DMSB) 12
  20. Team 33 Coyote Louit Moto (Kawasaki, FRA, FFM) 11
  21. Junior Team LMS Suzuki (Suzuki, FRA, FFM) 11
  22. No Limits Motor Team (Suzuki, ITA, FMI) 9
  23. OG MOTORSPORT BY SARAZIN (Yamaha, FRA, FFM) 7
  24. Zuff Racing Team (Honda, SUI, FMS) 6
  25. AM Moto Racing Competition (Kawasaki, FRA, FFM) 5
  26. Wójcik Racing Team 2 (Yamaha, POL, PZM) 5
  27. MACO RACING Team (Yamaha, SVK, SMF) 5
  28. MOTOTECH EWC TEAM (Yamaha, BEL, FMB) 4
  29. PITLANE ENDURANCE (Yamaha, FRA, FFM) 3
  30. JMA MOTOS ACTION BIKE (Suzuki, FRA, FFM) 2
  31. Slider Endurance (Yamaha, FRA, FFM) 1
  32. Falcon Racing Rennes Motos (Yamaha, FRA, FFM) 1
  33. SET Racing (Yamaha, SWE, SVEMO) 1
FIM EWC LeMans Hour Sunset
2019 Le Mans 24 Hours

Next race on the FIN World Endurance Championship calendar: 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring on 11 May.

Source: MCNews.com.au