Pole on the wet, pole on the dry, best lap time, track record, laps number record, 21 hours on the leading position and race winning! Le Mans (France) In front of more than 100.000 spectators the Yamaha team GMT94-Pirelli has dominated the 28th edition of the 24h of LeMans taking a clear victory. The French race is always very suffered and is one of the most relevant events of the season, even if is no more a round of the Endurance World Championship, but it’s part of the Master of Endurance, a French fascinating cup held on two rounds (24h Le Mans, 24h Bol d’Or). Team GMT 94 has won last year the Endurance World Championship with Pirelli, while this year is involved in the Superbike World Championship with Yamaha France. Only two test sessions were enough to find the right solutions, so from the beginning the new Pirelli tyres have allowed the riders to achieve the best lap time. Thursday they gained the pole on a wet track, and again on Friday they were the fastest, on a dry track. Thank to the new rear tyre developed by the Pirelli technicians for the Endurance and still under testing also in the World Championship. After leading the qualifying sessions the Yamaha GMT 94 team has started with a cautious tactic, remembering the problem suffered last year to the clutch which cost the win. After the first three hours they changed tactic and took the lead, showing their real potential in front of the two official Suzuki bikes of the SERT (Suzuki Endurance Racing Team). 24 hours it’s a lot of time, and a difference in the fuel consumption as well as a different fuel capacity can mean something. In fact the GMT team had to make 3 pit stops more than the competitors. Other time was lost due to a problem on a footrest (2 laps), but with two hours still to go the gap was of nearly two laps”¦in favor of the Yamaha! Then one more trouble at the carter, 4 minutes in the garage, a thrilling final with Checa crossing the final finish line with 20 seconds of vantage on the first of the two Suzuki. Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda and Kawasaki were on the track with great riders, running in the Endurance World Championship like Nowland and Bontempi or in the Superbike World Championship like DaSilva and Sanchini. The Team Bollinger Pirelli made a good race too, finishing sixth after some troubles which made them loosing the fourth position. Pole on the wet, pole on the dry, best lap time, track record, laps number record, 21 hours on the leading position and race winning. A great result, which again reveals the excellent quality of the Pirelli tyres and that Pirelli dedicates to the fans of the Endurance races. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: World Endurance champions Yamaha GMT94 fulfilled a life-long ambition by winning one of the world’s most prestigious races – the Le Mans 24 hour – this weekend. The R1 squad and their championship winning riders David Checa, William Costes and Sebastien Gimbert won a pulsating race, defeating rivals Castrol Suzuki by just over 20 seconds at the end of 24 hours and a record 830 laps of the famous circuit. Starting from pole position, the GMT trio displayed their famous consistency to lead the early stages, until Checa was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop to repair his gear lever after four hours. But by midnight the Yamaha team regained a lead it would never lose, due in no small part to the team’s lightning fast pit work. A cautionary pit stop in the final hour to investigate a possible oil leak allowed the Suzuki team to close the gap but with men and machine showing few signs of tiredness, Checa was able to maintain his fast pace to the very end to fend off a late challenge from his rivals. Yamaha also won the Stocksport class, with Belgian team Acropolis finishing fifth overall with 802 laps completed. David Checa “There has never been any doubt in my mind that we could win Le Mans this year. We have tested for this, we knew we had the machine that would win, we knew we had the tyres and I knew that my friends William and Sebastien were just as happy as me with the whole package. When we came to Le Mans I knew that, as a team, we were faster than Suzuki and there was just no doubt in my mind that we would win, no doubt at all” Christophe Guyot “We have all worked so hard for this, not only the riders but everybody in the team. GMT94 is more like a family than a team. We have put our hearts into this. When I made the decision to go with Yamaha I knew that this moment would come, I had no doubts in my mind. But it’s only the first, there will be more!” 2005 Le Mans 24 hours – results 1 Yamaha GMT 94 (Yamaha) 830 laps, 2 Suzuki Castrol 1 (Suzuki) 830, 3 Suzuki Castrol 2 (Suzuki) 823, 4 National Motos 5 (Honda) 809, 5 Team Acropolis EMS 99 (Yamaha) 802, 6 Bolliger Team Switzerland 8 (Kawasaki) 795, 7 Team AM Moto Racing 110 (Suzuki) 793, 8 JLC Moto Ulteamatum 45 (Suzuki) 793, 9 Decibels Endurance 33 (Yamaha) 791, 10 Team DAP Moto 91 Mobil 1 (Honda) 786.