More From The 24 Hours Of Le Mans FIM Endurance World Championship Race

More From The 24 Hours Of Le Mans FIM Endurance World Championship Race

© 2015, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Successful debut for the new BMW S 1000 RR at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.

BMW Motorrad privateers master the challenges of the “24 Heures Moto” at Le Mans – Finnish BMW duo of Pekka Päivärinta / Kirsi Kainulainen are the new overall leaders in the Sidecar World Championship.

Munich, 22nd April 2015. One of the first highlights of the year for BMW Motorrad Motorsport was held last weekend in France: the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. At the “Circuit de la Sarthe”, the new BMW S 1000 RR had a successful debut at this endurance classic. In addition, privateer BMW Motorrad riders have been in action in championships all around the globe this weekend. They were on track in several European countries, the US and Japan. With their results, the participants of the 2015 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy also collected important points for the Race Trophy rankings (see current standings at the bottom).

FIM Endurance World Championship: 24 Hours of Le Mans, France.

This is without any doubt one of the toughest challenges for man and machine: the “24 Heures Moto”, the legendary 24-hour race at Le Mans (FR). Last weekend, the “Circuit de la Sarthe” hosted the 38th running of the endurance classic as the season opener of the 2015 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC). For the BMW Motorrad Motorsport community, it brought several successful firsts. It was the Le Mans debut for the new BMW S 1000 RR, which was entered by BMW Motorrad France Team Penz13.com with the support of the BMW Motorrad Motorsport engineers. For team principal Rico Penzkofer’s (DE) squad it was a debut, too. After successfully competing in the Superstock category of the EWC over the past years, Penz13.com now represents the colours of BMW Motorrad Motorsport and BMW Motorrad France in the highest Superbike class, with Le Mans being its first race in the new category. The team is collaborating in its EWC campaign with the squad of Van-Zon Remeha BMW around Werner Daemen (BE), which is well known from the Superbike*IDM / International German Championship (IDM).

The team and its riders, Markus Reiterberger (DE), Pedro Vallcaneras (ES) and Gareth Jones (AU), who stood in for the injured Bastien Mackels (BE), bravely mastered all challenges presented by the 24 hours. In qualifying, they secured P5 on the grid for the new #13 RR. Despite some setbacks at the beginning, which can even happen to established teams at any time, the trio fought its way back towards the front. Even in the final stages of the race they kept an impressively fast pace. After the long 24 hours, Reiterberger powered the RR over the finish line in a strong seventh overall and fifth in the class.

In 2015, Penz13.com is also still involved in the Superstock class, joining forces with Völpker NRT48 in the Völpker NRT48 & Penz13 by Schubert Motors team. Riders Marco Nekvasil (AT), Steve Mercer (GB) and Hayato Takada (JP) brought the #48 BMW S 1000 RR safely through the 24 hours as well. Eighteen-year old Nekvasil, who was the youngest rider in the entire field, had the honour to do the final stint. He took the chequered flag in 17th overall and seventh in the Superstock class. Another first at Le Mans was the participation of the British BMW team, Prime Factors Racing. The 2014 British endurance champions are competing in their debut season in the Superstock class of the EWC. Riders Stefan Cappella (GB), Gary Mason (GB) and Barry Burrell (GB) finished 20th overall and ninth in class.

FIM World Superbike Championship in Assen, the Netherlands.

Only one week after the Spanish round at “Motorland Aragón”, the engineers from BMW Motorrad Motorsport have been on duty again at the famous “TT Circuit” in Assen (NL) for the fourth round of the 2015 FIM World Superbike Championship (WSBK). After the promising performance in Spain, the BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team and Ayrton Badovini (IT) had high hopes to further improve. In fact, they had reason to be satisfied with the first sessions on Friday and Saturday. From Superpole on they were, however, unable to show the real potential of the BMW S 1000 RR. Badovini started to suffer from severe pain in his left arm, caused by an inflammation. This pain limited his ability to ride on this physically very demanding track. The Italian qualified 14th for the two races. On Sunday, Badovini tried everything to defy the pain. In race one, he improved up to eighth place, but the pain became worse, forcing him to return to the pits and retire. In race two, he attacked again and finished in 12th despite his painful arm. In doing so, he collected a further four championship points. Gabor Rizmayer (HU) from BMW Racing Team Toth finished both races in 18th. His team-mate Imre Toth (HU) retired in both races.

FIM Superstock 1000 Cup in Assen, the Netherlands.

Assen also hosted the second round of the 2015 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup (STK1000). The season opener at “Motorland Aragón” had seen a triumphant win by Roberto Tamburini (IT) on his BMW S 1000 RR. At Assen, the Team MotoxRacing rider, however, suffered some bad luck in a turbulent race. He started third from the front row of the grid, but was involved in a crash which caused a red flag. Despite every effort, Tamburini did not make it to the grid for the re-start and was forced to watch the shortened nine-lap-race as a spectator. Fabio Marchionni (IT) crossed the finish line in 18th on the RR fielded by TR. Corse. Federico D’Annunzio (IT / FDA Racing Team) unfortunately also suffered a bad crash during the race. Eric Vionnet (CH / Team Motos Vionnet) fell during Saturday’s qualifying and did not take part in Sunday’s warm-up and race.

FIM Sidecar World Championship in Le Mans, France.

Back-to-back races also in the FIM Sidecar World Championship (SWC): One week after the 2015 season opener in Donington (GB), the world’s best sidecar crews met at Le Mans in France last weekend. And the Finnish BMW duo of Pekka Päivärinta / Kirsi Kainulainen (44-Racing) left France as the new overall leaders of the world championship rankings. In the Le Mans race, they finished second on the podium for the second time in a row. Uwe Gürck (DE) and Manfred Wechselberger (AT) of Polizei Sport Verein Wels claimed fourth in the fiercely fought race, while Mike Roscher (DE) and Anna Burkard (CH) finished sixth on their Roscher-Burkhard-Penz13 machine.

British Superbike Championship in Brands Hatch, Great Britain.

The “Indy Circuit” of Brands Hatch (GB) hosted the second round of the 2015 British Superbike Championship. The fans of this well-known championship were once more entertained with two exciting races. Riuychi Kiyonari (JP) finished fourth on his Buildbase BMW S 1000 RR on both occasions. With these results, he improved to fourth overall in the championship standings. In race one, Billy McConnell (AU / Smiths Racing BMW) and Michael Laverty (GB / Tyco BMW) finished ninth and 13th respectively to also collect championship points. In race two, Laverty’s team-mate Tommy Bridewell (GB) crossed the line in sixth, while McDonnell was ninth again. Peter Hickman (GB / RAF Reserves BMW) also finished in the points, coming home in 14th.

In the Superstock class of the BSB, Hudson Kennaugh (ZA / TrikMoto BMW) finished third on the podium. Tyco BMW rider Alastair Seeley (GB) crossed the line in fifth and set the fastest lap of the race. Luke Quigley (GB / Formwise Washrooms / Bathams) was seventh, while Dominic Usher (GB) collected the final point, finishing 15th on his DU Racing BMW, directly in front of Rob McNealy (GB / McNealy Brown Ltd.).

MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Superbike Championship in Braselton, US.

One week after the season opener in Austin (US), the new MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Superbike Championship (AMA) held its second round at the iconic “Road Atlanta” circuit in Braselton, Georgia (US). The weather proved to be a real challenge for everyone on this occasion, with races delayed due to heavy rain and flooding. Privateer BMW Motorrad rider Marcel Irnie (CA) defied the bad conditions and finished the two heats of the Superstock 1000 class in tenth and ninth respectively.

MFJ Superbike All Japan Road Race Championship in Suzuka, Japan.

Last weekend, the Superbike season also started in Japan. The first round of the 2015 MFJ Superbike All Japan Road Race Championship (MFJ) was held at Suzuka. BMW Motorrad Motorsport is well represented in this championship with no less than six BMW S 1000 RRs competing in the fiercely fought JSB 1000 class. The best placed BWM rider in the first race of the season was Daisaku Sakai (JP / CONFIA Flex Motorrad 39) in 15th, directly followed by Kohji Teramoto (JP / Team Tras 135HP) in 16th.

2015 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy – Current Standings.

In 2015, the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy comprises a total of 19 international and national championships. Registration is possible until 30th June 2015. Participants in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy can once again compete in multiple championships in 2015. However, the points scored in the different championships are not added together, but are calculated separately for each individual race series. The current standings only include points from the race series in which the participant has scored the most Race Trophy points. You can find all the information on the 2015 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy, including the regulations and registration form, online at the BMW Motorrad Motorsport website:

www.bmw-motorrad-motorsport.com

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:

Yamaha Finishes Fifth at Le Mans 24H Moto

Reigning World Champion’s GMT94 Yamaha clinched fifth today in the challenging Le Mans 24H hours Moto, the opening round of 2015 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC).

GMT94 Yamaha’s performance at the famous 24 Heures Motos du Mans, underlined the notion that consistency in riding and camaraderie between teammates are key elements for endurance racing.

David Checa was originally scheduled to take part in the traditional starting procedure of riders sprinting over the starting grid to get to their bikes. However, having sustained a leg injury in a crash on Tuesday, he was unable to run and had teammate Kenny Foray take his place.

Not being used to opening the racing action, the Frenchman took some laps to get a feel for the Circuit Bugatti – Le Mans track, but soon found his rhythm. Showing his determination, Foray rode from 24th to 11th in the rankings before handing the number 94 YZF-R1 over to Mathieu Gines, who was followed by Checa.

Thanks to consistent and smart riding, the GMT94 team enjoyed a strong first part of the race. They climbed up to third place in the time sheets before the eight-hour mark, granting them their first eight points of the championship.

However, as the race progressed it became clear that Checa’s injury was too serious for him to complete all his planned stints and it was soon decided that his teammates would ride double stints during the night to reduce his exertion.

After having completed 16 hours of non-stop racing, the amicable solidarity of the GMT94 team was rewarded with another four points as they held seventh place.

Though exhaustion took a toll on Foray and Gines as daylight broke, they still managed to finish the first race of the season in fifth place. This result brings their points total up to 33, allowing them to take fifth position in the overall championship standings.

The Monster Energy Yamaha YART team also displayed the incredible potential that the YZF-R1 has for the endurance class, the team were contenders for the victory over the first half of the race, but were later forced to retire due to a technical issue.

Max Neukirchner was the first rider of the Austrian team to take to the track and wasted no time joining a leading group of four and taking off with them at the front. It wasn’t long before the German took over the third spot, which he held until he handed the YZF-R1 over to the second rider Ivan Silva.

Similar to his teammate, the Spanish rider showed his eagerness to arrive at the front. Silva momentarily led the race, before he came back to the pits to switch places with third rider – and, as of this week, new Endurance Le Mans lap record holder – Sheridan Morais.

The YART team set the pace over the first eight hours, with a 1’38.381 fastest race lap. Riding in second place earned them nine points and as they started the 13th hour they were closing in on the frontrunner. It seemed that the team, led by Mandy Kainz, was set to compete for victory, but after 13h46 the team had to withdraw from the race due to a technical issue..

Despite this misfortune the team still picked up nine valuable point and data. They now hold 15th place in the championship standings and look forward to come back with an even stronger package at the next race in Suzuka, Japan, 25th and 26th of July.

David Checa

GMT94 Yamaha rider

“It was a tough weekend for me, because I had the crash on Tuesday. I’m really grateful for my teammates, because they did a really good job. The podium was an option, but unfortunately we couldn’t make it happen. The next race, the bike will be even better and maybe then we can aim for the win.”

Kenny Foray

GMT94 Yamaha rider

“It was a very special weekend. It wasn’t great timing for David to get injured because to end the race with just two riders is too difficult. But that’s what endurance is like. I’m a little disappointed for the team, because they have been working hard all winter and in the end there was no podium to repay them. Maybe next time we can win, the championship is long.”

Mathieu Gines

GMT94 Yamaha rider

“It was difficult, because we were racing with only two and a half riders, because David is injured and couldn’t ride as much. Kenny and I pushed extra. Normally we could have finished higher, but we had some small problems. I am happy about finishing the first race and taking points for the championship. I think it will be good for the next race.”

Christophe Guyot – GMT94 Yamaha Team Manager

“This first weekend was really good for the bike. We were very good overall, but had some small issues. Of course David wasn’t in top condition, because of his crash and that was a problem too. We have to look at the positive things in this race; we finished fifth and now we hold fifth place overall in the championship. The chassis and the engine of the YZF-R1 are great so we look forward to the next race.”

Max Neukirchner

Monster Energy Yamaha YART rider

“We had some technical problems and were not able to finish the race. For us this was very unfortunate, because on track we were the fastest. But that’s racing in a 24 hour race; sometimes you’re lucky and sometimes you not. We’re looking forward to the next race, because we know that we have a very strong team and the bike is great, so we’ll see what happens.”

Ivan Silva

Monster Energy Yamaha YART rider

“It’s a pity, because I felt very good with the bike and tyres, but in races with such a high level as this one, everything is possible. We hope to have better luck in the next race. I want to thank the team and the fans that came to support us for everything.”

Sheridan Morais

Monster Energy Yamaha YART rider

“It’s been really great. The team did a lot of hard work, which allowed us to set really fast lap times and have good stints. This weekend we were the team to beat and that’s very impressive for a first weekend. I think we have a big future with this bike and with the team.”

Mandy Kainz – Monster Energy Yamaha YART Team Manager

“The weekend ended quite harshly as we had to retire because of a technical issue. It’s probably just a small thing, but we couldn’t finish the race because of it. All in all the upside from this weekend is that we can see that we were very competitive and were competing for victory. Let’s get ready for the next race.”

Eric De Seynes – Operational Director Yamaha Motor Europe

“First of all the bike is definitely well made. We have demonstrated that the bike was the fastest during practice and all through the first part of the race. Immediately YART was able to compete at the front. I discussed with Mandy and all the riders that we would keep a minimum of one second in our hands, so that we’d be sure. We didn’t want to risk a crash and even with this mentality we were fighting for the lead from second position. GMT did a very good job, because from the beginning the setting of the bike was really for endurance and the rhythm of the team was good enough to be in the top 4- 5. So a very steady race. All the issues we encountered with the bike were minor things but it cost us the podium. The endurance championship has two types of races. 8 hours and 24 hours. We knew that starting the season with a 24 hour race would be tougher, but if you realize that, after 8 hours we were in second and fourth position, then that’s a great result for a new bike entering the World Endurance Championship. We can be very proud of the results. It’s like when a new baby takes it’s first steps. We fished fifth and are fourth in the Championship standing overall. We got the points, we got the position and we learned a lot. We have to thank the engineers who developed the bike. The championship is very mature and being on that level of performance in the first race is very promising. We are very optimistic and trust in the future wins of the bike. All the teams and riders are very happy with the bike and feel very confident racing it. We have to work, fight and win.”

Classification World Championship

Points Total

1. SUZUKI ENDURANCE RACING TEAM – Suzuki GSXR 1000 – 60pt

2. TEAM BOLLIGER SWITZERLAND – Kawasaki ZX 10R – 42pt

3. SRC KAWASAKI – Kawasaki ZX 10R – 41pt

4. JUNIOR TEAM LE MANS SUD SUZUKI – Suzuki GSXR 1000 – 34pt

5. GMT94 YAMAHA – Yamaha YZF-R1 – 33pt

6. TEAM TRAQUEUR LOUIT MOTO 33 – Kawasaki ZX 10R – 29pt

7. BMW MOTORRAD France TEAM PENZÖ – BMW S 1000RR – 22pt

8. NATIONAL MOTOS DEBISE – Honda CBR1000 RRSP – 22pt

9. TATI TEAM BEAUJOLAIS RACING – Kawasaki ZX 10R – 17pt

10. AM MOTO RACING COMPETITION – Suzuki GSXR 1000 – 13pt

15. MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA YART – – Yamaha YZF-R1 – 9pt

More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:

Honda Endurance Racing examine reason for retirement from the 24h Motos

After being forced to retire from the 24h Motos race on Sunday, Honda Endurance Racing returned to the UK and went straight to work to find out what forced the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP out of the race that the team had been leading.

After analysing the collected data from the race and the bike itself, it appeared that the bike’s crankshaft sustained damage, most probably caused by failure of the heat exchanger, which was replaced eight hours into the race, but which had already caused the engine to overheat.

Honda Endurance Racing is already at work to prepare for the Suzuka 8 Hours on 26 July. Suzuka is a circuit well suited to the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP, and the whole team is eager to bring good results after the disappointment of the 24h Motos.

Endurance specialists Julien Da Costa, Freddy Foray and Sébastien Gimbert are looking forward to the next round of the Endurance World Championship where they will try their best to make the wheel of fortune turn in their favour.

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