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24 heures Motos - Final results after 24 hours - Provisional ranking
More, from a press release issued by Eurosport Events:
F.C.C. TSR HONDA FRANCE WIN 24 HEURES MOTOS
The Japanese-backed Honda team have clinched their second victory at Le Mans. F.C.C. TSR Honda France triumphed ahead of Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar and Suzuki Endurance Racing Team. The latter still lead the championship.
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 a second win at Le Mans with riders Josh Hook, Freddy Foray and Mike di Meglio.
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).
Following a crash early on in the race, YART Yamaha (Bridgestone) pushed hard to get back into the leading pack. Karel Hanika, Marvin Fritz and Niccolò Canepa finished in 4th place, 5 laps behind the winners.
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, solidly anchored in 5th 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 2nd place in the provisional championship standings.
It also benefited VRD Igol Pierret Experiences, who inherited 5th place, ahead of 3ART Best of Bike and Polish team Wójcik Racing Team – the winners of the EWC Dunlop Independent Trophy.
An amazing race
It was a thrilling and nerve-wracking race. As a result of the fickle weather and constantly changing track conditions, the teams were under pressure for the entire 24 hours. Stray showers in the final stages of the race forced the teams into some chancy tyre strategy. The tricky track conditions deprived Suzuki Endurance Racing Team of the 2nd place they had looked sure of claiming two hours from the finish. A crash made them lose their two-lap lead over Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar.
The race also throws 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.
BMW win in Superstock with GERT56 by GS Yuasa
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.
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.
Anthony Delhalle EWC Spirit Trophy awarded to Aprilia Le Mans 2 Roues
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.
With the wrap-up of the 2020 edition, raced without any fans in the grandstands, race organizer ACO and FIM EWC promoter Eurosport Events are pleased to announce the dates for next year’s event with immediate effect. The 44th edition of the 24 Heures Motos will take place on 17 and 18 April 2021.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
YART Fight Back to Fantastic Fourth in Le Mans
The YART Yamaha trio of Karel Hanika, Marvin Fritz and Niccoló Canepa produced a valiant comeback in the 43rd edition of the 24 Heures Motos in Le Mans to take fourth position after a crash in the early stages.
The team got their 24 Heures Motos underway under dark and gloomy skies in the hands of Niccoló Canepa who, after a steady start from pole position, found his rhythm and charged back from seventh to second at the end of the first ten minutes. The Italian used all his experience to get to the end of his rain-hit first stint before passing the number seven YZF-R1 over to German rider Marvin Fritz.
YART took full advantage of making their first change at the 50-minute mark, Fritz was released into a relatively clear track, and once race leaders F.C.C. TSR Honda France had made their first pit-stop, he was within striking distance of taking the lead. The 2016 IDM Superbike champion made the pass on Josh Hook into the Le Musée corner of turn five and immediately opened a gap.
With the hard work done, Fritz controlled the pace at the front before handing over to Karel Hanika, who had a problematic stint ahead. Hanika’s first obstacle came when the safety car was deployed due to a technical issue for another competitor. As the race got back underway, the 24-year-old wasted no time in clearing the traffic as he looked to extend the lead. But, as the rain got heavier Hanika made a small error mid-way through the second hour, crashing out at Garage Vert. Uninjured, he was able to bring the damaged R1 back to the pits.
The team were able to repair the machine but the crash was costly. As Niccoló Canepa returned the team to the track, they were in 28th position. The former MotoGP rider kept a calm head while others crashed around him and quickly brought the team back into contention, knocking on the door of the top ten by the end of his second stint.
Up to ninth after five and a half hours, the team would suffer from a small issue with the R1’s lights during a pit stop. They were able to fix the issue quickly, but dropped back to 14th before they were able to return to the track.
A strong effort from all three riders saw YART return to the top ten fight as the track started to dry out. An impressive stint from Fritz would then see them move into eighth position as the night drew in – scoring them an extra three world championship points.
As darkness fell, the team found themselves in a battle for fifth, which they’d take and solidify by the 16-hour mark to take a further six championship points. 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. Fritz started to dig deep, piling the pressure on their rivals before making his final pit stop and handing over to Hanika.
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, taking 24 valuable points plus the points secured for their pole position and earlier in the race.
The Wojcik Racing Team of Gino Rea, Broc Parkes and Axel Maurin also suffered their fair share of issues. However, the team powered on to finish the race in an impressive eighth overall, while their independent championship rivals, MOTO AIN finished tenth and represented Yamaha on the podium with a third in the Superstock class with pilots Roberto Rolfo, Robin Mulhauser and Hugo Clere.
Attention now turns to the 12-hour season finale in Estoril on Saturday 26th September with YART Yamaha lying third in the overall standings, 45 points adrift of the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team. Yamaha head into the final round having extended their lead in the manufacturer’s championship, now holding an advantage of 33 points over Suzuki.
Karel Hanika – YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“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.”
Marvin Fritz – YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“We worked hard with the electronics and eventually found a good set up with the engine braking and traction. Niccoló made a great start to the race, and I had a good first stint. I overtook FCC TSR Honda for the lead and opened a gap to over ten seconds. I then passed over to Karel who unfortunately crashed, but luckily, he could get the bike back, and the team repaired the damage really fast. But in the end, we fought back to fourth; it’s amazing because we were fastest all night and this morning. It was important to recover and get good points because now we’re in third in the championship and still have a chance to win. We are looking forward to Estoril because my team and team-mates were fast here in Le Mans and Bridgestone also made a great tyre for the race. The new bike finished the 24-hour, so that’s great. I want to thank my team who gave 110%, and I can’t wait for the next race.”
Niccoló Canepa – YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“This is not the result we expected because we were very fast all weekend and even in the race we were the fastest team on track in all conditions, so in the end, I don’t think we got what we deserved. The positive is the bike is working great and the Bridgestone tyres are working great, so we’re confident ahead of the finale in Estoril. It’s a shame we didn’t get on the podium here in Le Mans because I think we deserved it, but this is racing, this is 24-hours anything can happen, and unfortunately, we had a bit of bad luck. We have nothing to lose in Estoril, so we’re going for the win there to end the year on a positive.”
Mandy Kainz – Team Manager, YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“The race was tough, although I think we did a perfect job. The bike, tyres and riders were incredible. Our guys were the fastest on track in all conditions, but unfortunately, we crashed on a wet corner which cost us a lot of time. We dropped back to three laps behind, then eight laps behind, but we fought back to fourth. The 24-hours was just too short for us to finish on the podium but the positive side is we know the new YZF-R1 can complete the full 24-hours, we know we have the fastest riders but what we didn’t have was enough luck, but this will come back to us for Estoril.”
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport:
Dramatic end for BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team at the “24 Heures Motos” in Le Mans.
Shortly before the chequered flag the #37 BMW S 1000 RR retired from P5.
Strong performance in tricky conditions goes unrewarded.
BMW privateer team GERT56 by GS YUASA secures the win in the Superstock class.
Le Mans. The “24 Heures Motos” in Le Mans (FRA) came to a dramatic, unfortunate end for BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. After almost 24 hours of racing, the #37 BMW S 1000 RR retired 12 minutes before the finish. The trio of Kenny Foray (FRA), Markus Reiterberger (GER) and Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) were in fifth place at the time. The 2019/20 season marks the debut season of the team in the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC).
Traditionally, the endurance classic in Le Mans is held in April, but this year it was postponed until the end of August due to the coronavirus. The weather, however, was very much like the typical weather in April. There were intermittent rain showers and the 24 hours were characterised by changeable conditions and falls, with the safety car having to be deployed several times.
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team started the racing marathon from second on the grid. The #37 BMW S 1000 RR took the lead in the opening phase. The first rain started after two hours, and made the surface very slippery. Foray’s rear wheel skidded and he fell in the gravel, but was able to continue the race. The team was now in fourth place, the #37 remaining in this position until the early hours before dropping down a place into fifth. It rained again in the final minutes of the race, and Mikhalchik fell shortly before the finish line. He was taken to the medical centre for treatment, but suffered only minor injuries.
GERT56 by GS YUASA had reason to celebrate: The privateer BMW team celebrated victory in the Superstock class (eighth place overall) and are top in the overall standings for this category. The #56 BMW S 1000 RR was ridden by Stefan Kerschbaumer (AUT), Lucy Glöckner (GER) and Toni Finsterbusch (GER). Team LRP Poland finished in 14th place overall (10th place in the EWC class) with the #90 BMW S 1000 RR and riders Dominik Vincon (GER), Kamil Krzemien (POL) and Bartlomiej Lewandowski (POL).
The season finale of the 2019/20 FIM EWC, a 12-hour race in Estoril (POR), will be held on Saturday 26th September.
Quotes from the “24 Heures Motos” in Le Mans.
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “It’s a real shame that our Le Mans debut ended so dramatically. Overall, it was great that a race was finally able to be held for the scheduled duration but the weather made it a very difficult, chaotic race, and it wasn’t possible to make any strategic plans for much of the race. On top of that, compared with the Bol d’Or we were unlucky in terms of the timing of the rain and safety car phases. But it was the first test of endurance for the BMW S 1000 RR in the FIM EWC, and we came through pretty well until shortly before the end, despite Kenny’s minor fall after two hours. We were able to see that with regard to consumption we are the best in the field, and we were up there at the front in the pit stops as well. The only thing we are lacking is a bit of pace in certain conditions. Which is why we are so disappointed that our race came to an end so close to the finish when Ilya fell in the drizzle. But we win together and lose together. The most important thing is that Ilya wasn’t hurt more seriously. A huge thanks goes to the whole team and the riders for their hard work before and during the race. Now we will rally ourselves, leave the disappointment behind us and focus all our attention on preparing for Estoril. We want to finish our rookie season with a strong result there.”
Werner Daemen, Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team:
“I feel very disappointed, not only for me but for the whole team and all those who were working hard for a good result. In the first two races we saw that we are podium candidates in this championship and I think that this weekend we showed once again that we can fight for the podium and that we are able to fight for victory – if everything goes right. But this weekend, Lady Luck was not on our side, but that is also racing. Now we will take the positives, go forward and prepare hard for Estoril.”
Kenny Foray: “It was a good race, even if the result for sure is not what we expected because it is always difficult to finish like this. But I think that we need to look at the positives. The bike was incredible over the entire race distance, the pace of the riders was as well. For sure we need to improve in some areas, but I am pretty sure that this is possible because I believe in the team. And I think that we will have more luck in the next race.”
Markus Reiterberger: “First of all, huge thanks to the whole team, who worked so hard after the very good test and made further improvements to everything for the event. And to the organisers who made it possible for the race to take place. In the race, Kenny’s fall in heavy rain saw us drop down the field slightly, but all of us then did a good job, focussed during our stints and I was able to get a few very fast lap times during the night. We gave it everything, but it was difficult to catch the guys in front of us again. Which is why we would have been very pleased with fifth place in the end. The familiar pitfalls of endurance races made their appearance over these 24 hours: freak weather, crashes, safety car phases. It really was a very, very difficult and long race. Unfortunately, we didn’t receive our reward in the end. It’s a real shame for the whole team who worked so hard. But we need to keep looking forward. We have seen what we are capable of and we will build on that.”
Ilya Mikhalchik: “It was my mistake. I was too fast in my stint. The other guys slowed down but I kept going at my pace, made a small mistake, went too wide and there was a bump and I just lost the front. We were in P5 and I tried to give my best, as always. I want to say a big, big sorry to BMW and to my team who did a fantastic job over the entire weekend. The bike was really great and fast over the whole 24 hours and would even have been able to win the race. But the tricky weather conditions did not give us this chance. Sorry again to the whole team, to all the fans and everyone who supports us. Let’s not repeat this bad experience in the future.”
More, from a press release issued by Honda:
Debut EWC win for the all-new Fireblade at Le Mans 24 Heures Motos
Circuit des 24 Heures, France
F.C.C. TSR Honda France showed the endurance capability of the all-new CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP in its debut outing in the FIM Endurance World Championship, winning the legendary 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans, completing 816 laps and holding the lead for the majority of the 24-hour race with Freddy Foray, Mike Di Meglio and Josh Hook.
Starting the race from fourth position yesterday (Saturday 29 August) in dry conditions, Di Meglio took the race lead on his second lap until the end of his first stint. The #5 Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP was in second place after the first pit stop just before the weather turned and rain fell across the Bugatti circuit. However, not fazed by the changing conditions, the team stormed back to regain the lead.
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 aboard the extremely reliable brand-new, Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. The result sees the team collect valuable points which moves them into second position in the provisional FIM Endurance World Championship standings with a total of 87 points.
Freddy Foray, Josh Hook, Mike Di Meglio and the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team will now look forward to the last round of the 2019/2020 FIM-EWC Championship, which takes place on 26 September in Portugal, where they hope to win the title back.
Freddy Foray 5
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!
Josh Hook 5
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!
Mike Di Meglio 5
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.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
SUZUKI GSX-R1000 PODIUMS AND INCREASES EWC LEAD AT LE MANS!
Suzuki Endurance Racing Team: GSX-R1000 – (EWC Class) 3rd/ 1st in series.
No Limits Motor Team: GSX-R1000 – (Superstock Class) – 2nd/ 3rd in series.
Suzuki Endurance Racing Team has increased its lead in the 2019-2020 Endurance World Championship to 40 points after racing to a third-place podium in the 43rd Le Mans 24 Hours race in France that finished today.
SERT and the Suzuki GSX-R1000 started the penultimate and revised EWC series third round – held under closed doors at the Circuit Bugatti – with a 15-point advantage, qualifying third yesterday for the ‘closed-door’ race, and held for the first time without spectators due to the ongoing Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
From the start at 12:00hrs, Gregg Black made the holeshot, and then, after small crash in the early hours of the event, the team got back into the leading group with teammates Etienne Masson and Xavier Simeon keeping the pace up lap-by-lap.
By the fourth hour, and under changing weather conditions, SERT and the GSX-R1000 had moved up into second position, and throughout the night, under cold and windy conditions, settled into third place. Then at Hour 14 moved into second – a position they held for nine hours.
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.
During the Le Mans weekend, SERT – like the other teams – earned extra bonus points for qualifying and also race positions at the eight and 16-hour mark, giving the 15-time Endurance World Champions a total of 49 points from the race.
This puts SERT on 127 points with nearest rivals – and Le Mans winners FCC TSR Honda France – on 87, Yamaha Official YART third on 82 and similarly BMW Motorrad WEC fourth on 82.
• For 24 hours, SERT lapped the 4.185km Circuit Bugatti 813 times.
• The team pulled in for 26 pit stops.
• Total time spent in the pits and for rider handovers was 40:24.153 minutes.
• SERT’S fastest lap-time was 1:37.753 on lap 454.
• SERT is now second in the Manufacturer Championship on 124 points.
Said Team Manager Damien Saulnier: “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.”
NO LIMITS SUZUKI PODIUMS IN SUPERSTOCK CLASS
The No Limits Suzuki Team took second place in the Superstock class aboard their GSX-R1000 and finished the race overall in ninth.
The Italian squad, with riders Luca Scassa, Christopher Kemmer and Luca Vitali, are now in third position in the Superstock Championship with one more round to run; the 12 Hours of Estoril in Portugal on September 26th where the winners of the EWC and Superstock classes will be crowned.
