France-based team makes it through the night on top in the 24 Heures Motos
YART Yamaha and BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team complete provisional podium
National Motos Honda FMA and Team Super Moto Racing lead in Superstock and Production with eight hours of racing remaining
20 April 2025- Kawasaki Webike Trickstar has made it to the 16-hour mark of the 24 Heures Motos with its overnight lead intact as it continues its push for a first FIM Endurance World Championship victory since it won at Le Mans in 2019.
Banking another 10 points for being ahead at the second intermediate point of the EWC season opener, Kawasaki Webike Trickstar holds a two-lap advantage over Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Teamthanks to the combined efforts of riders Mike Di Meglio, Grégory Leblanc and Román Ramos.
Having entered the podium fight with a series of rapid times from Corentin Perolari, and Alan Techer in the early hours of the morning, F.C.C. TSR Honda France’s hopes of a podium finish were dashed when Perolari crashes at 05h16 local time. More than 30 minutes were spent in the pits while repairs were made with a second stop required shortly after the squad re-joined.
With F.C.C. TSR Honda France out of contention, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team maintains its grip of third place ahead of ERC Endurance and MAXXESS by BMRT3D Pirelli Motul, the latter outfits battling to finish as the top independent.
ERC Endurance, which is back in the EWC for 2025 after a season away, lost time in the second hour with a rear brake issue. BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team led nearing the second hour of the race only to crash when Sylvain Guintoli was forced onto a wet part of the track while lapping another competitor.
National Motos Honda FMA holds a seven-lap advantage in the race to win the Dunlop-equipped Superstock category. It’s sixth overall after 16 hours, with Dafy-RAC 41-Honda next.
Despite being delayed by multiple crashes, Yoshimura SERT Motul reached the 16-hour point in eighth place followed by Team Bolliger Switzerland, which lost ground on the opening lap when Alex Toldedo fell at the Dunlop chicane, followed by an unscheduled pitstop in the early stages. Team18 Sapeurs Igol CMS Motostore rounds out the top 10.
In the new-for-2025 production-based FIM Endurance World Trophy, Team Super Moto Racing heads ARTEC after Green Team 42 Lycee Sainte Claire retired following a heavy crash at 17h20.
With the rain and damp conditions that led to a spate of accidents during the opening six hours subsiding, the major issue in the night came in the 15th hour when oil dropped on the track by the Pitlane Endurance Yamaha following a mechanical failure led to the safety being deployed for more than 30 minutes to enable an extensive clean up by track officials.
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After 8 hours: Kawasaki Webike Trickstar leads at Le Mans in dramatic EWC season opener. Photo courtesy EWC.
The race to win the 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship got off to a dramatic start at Le Mans this afternoon with changeable weather conditions leading to an action-packed opening to the 24 Heures Motos.
At the completion of eight hours of intense action, Kawasaki Webike Trickstar holds the advantage over Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team following a thrilling battle between the pacesetting duo, which culminated in Román Ramos passing Jason O’Halloran for first place at 22h44 local time. But in another twist, Marvin Fritz fell shortly after replacing O’Halloran on the #7 Yamaha, with more than two minutes lost while he pitted for repairs.
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team is in third after twice stopping in the pits following falls, first for Sylvain Guintoli and then for new recruit Steven Odendaal. ERC Endurance and F.C.C. TSR Honda France completed the top five at the eight-hour mark, followed by National Motos Honda FMA, which tops the Dunlop-equipped Superstock category order.
Flagged off by official starter, the French actor Mathieu Kassovitz, the 48th edition of the 24 Heures Motos was less than a lap old when Fritz, who set a Circuit Bugatti record on his way to pole position on Friday, crashed at the final corner.
His misfortune left Gregg Black clear in the lead only for the reigning world champion to fall at La Chapelle after 10 minutes with almost five minutes lost while repairs were made.
With Black and Fritz delayed, Sylvain Guintoli mastered the slippery conditions in impressive fashion and was close to completing a double stint out in front for BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team when crashed at Chemin aux Boeufs after 1h43m of racing. “I was feeling good, not cruising but the rhythm was good,” Guintoli, the 2021 EWC champion said. “But I just got caught with a backmarker. He was slower than I thought, and I had to go in the wet part of the track. It is what it is.”
F.C.C. TSR Honda France was the next team in front with Alan Techer at the helm. Despite falling shortly after taking over from Techer, team newcomer Taiga Hada remained in the lead before being overtaken by O’Halloran, making his debut for the YART Yamaha squad, as the rain returned.
Fritz was back on the leading Yamaha when he was forced to make an unscheduled pitstop to change a damaged tyre, leaving Mike Di Meglio in first place on his maiden appearance for Kawasaki Webike Trickstar, which had been delayed earlier in the race while his team repaired a fuel pump issue.
But Fritz, who turns 32 tomorrow, was able to battle back and reclaimed the lead shortly before 20h00 local time with the Austrian outfit remaining in front until Kawasaki Webike Trickstar made its move shortly before 23h00.
After eighth hours, MAXXESS by BMRT3D Pirelli Motul is seventh followed by Team18 Sapeurs Igol CMS Motostore, Dafy-RAC 41-Honda and TRT27 AZ Auto.
Team Super Moto Racing heads the FIM Endurance World Trophy for production-based machinery but, having dominated qualifying, Green Team 42 Lycee Sainte Claire has retired following a heavy crash at 17h20.
EWC SPORTITY APP MEDIA CHANNEL: The EWC’s dedicated Sportity app media channel for the 2025 season is available using the password 2025EWCMEDIA. The app can be downloaded for free via the App Store or Google Play.
WHATSAPP NEWS CHANNEL The EWC WhatsApp news channel launched on 1 January 2025 and can be followed HERE
Glenn Irwin shattered the existing lap record on the final afternoon of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship R&G Official Test, improving his time from yesterday by 0.007s to set the fastest ever Bennetts BSB lap of Donington Park on the Hager PBM Ducati.
Irwin had set the benchmark at the end of yesterday’s opening day on track, but in the final session, he was able to improve his time to maintain his position at the top with the new record.
Leon Haslam was 0.320s adrift of the pace-setting time in second place on the combined result; the local contender has rapidly got to grips with the Ducati after his move to the Moto Rapido Ducati Racing team for the 2025 season, with a time that was also under the existing lap record.
Reigning champion Kyle Ryde was third fastest on the OMG Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha as he kicked off his 2025 campaign at the second R&G Official Test, moving just 0.075s ahead of Danny Kent on the McAMS Racing Yamaha.
2022 champion Bradley Ray was fifth fastest as the Raceways Yamaha team returned to Bennetts BSB action, narrowly ahead of Josh Brookes as the double champion led the Honda charge for the DAO Racing team.
Max Cook was seventh fastest overall on the AJN Steelstock Kawasaki, holding off Honda Racing UK’s Andrew Irwin. Rookie Scott Swann had an impressive test in ninth overall on the Send My Bag Racing by IWR Honda with Christian Iddon completing the top ten.
2023 champion Tommy Bridewell was twelfth fastest overall ahead of the final pre-season R&G Official Test at Oulton Park on April 23/24.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, R&G Official Test, Donington Park, combined result:
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) 1m:27.015s
Leon Haslam (Moto Rapido Ducati Racing) +0.320s
Kyle Ryde (OMG Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha) +0.342s
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) +0.512s
Bradley Ray (Raceways Yamaha) +0.587s
Josh Brookes (DAO Racing Honda) +0.836s
Max Cook (AJN Steelstock Kawasaki) +0.937s
Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing UK) +1.195s
Scott Swann (Send My Bag Racing by IWR Honda) +1.310s
MetLife Stadium hosted its seventh Monster Energy AMA Supercross and delivered excellent weather. Chase Sexton earned another win to tighten up the points chase. The series remains in the Northeast for one more round before heading west for the final two stops. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.
East Rutherford, N.J., (April 19, 2025) – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton took the Holeshot and left the field in his dust at Round 14 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross season inside MetLife Stadium. Sexton stretched the lead past 18 seconds at one point. The win moved Sexton within nine points of the championship lead; a win in each of the three remaining rounds would assure Sexton the title.
Chase Sexton Takes Giant Win at East Rutherford Supercross.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb, the current points leader, moved into second place immediately after the Holeshot but slowly lost touch with Sexton on the rutted and challenging New Jersey track. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger battled much of the race with Rockstar Energy GASGAS Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia. After Barcia crashed in the closing laps, Plessinger held on to earn the final podium spot. In the Eastern Divisional 250SX Class, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker led every lap to become the first repeat winner in the division and took sole possession of the points lead.
First place 450SX Class – Chase Sexton. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.
“I felt good all day. The two whoop sections helped me out a lot. I really feel like I made a lot of time up there. The KTM group has the bike working great. I had such a good flow that moto, and it really just felt like it was effortless for me, which is what we want. [We’ll just try to] keep that going, but I’m stoked. Fifth win of the season, so just try to keep truckin’ and focus week in/week out and see where we get. Overall, [I’m] having fun. I got a great start and made it happen.” – Chase Sexton, when asked what a dominating win does for a rider’s confidence.
Second place 450SX Class – Cooper Webb. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.
“It’s tough, he was on it and he was killing me in those two sets of whoops. It’s something we’ve tried to fix this year, but these are gnarly. They have ruts all the way down them. I’m still pretty mind blown how he was able to do it so good. You’re trying to just stay with him and he rode awesome. He was inching away, and those whoops were really killing me. I got a little tight, and that was all she wrote. With that being said, he did what he needed to do, he rode a great race, he kicked my butt, and I didn’t put my money where my mouth was. We’ll go back, re-group. Definitely bummed on that finish, we wanted more fight tonight, but it is what it is and we’ll come back swinging… and try come win next week.” – Cooper Webb
Third place 450SX Class – Aaron Plessinger. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.
“I was ready for this track to be over since second practice. It was gnarly, but it was just steep. I’ve been riding outdoors a little bit more than Supercross, so I got on this track and I was like, ‘Woah!’ But nonetheless, we had a good ride. The team made the bike work great. [We] made a little change between, I think it was second and third practice, and after that I was smooth sailing. Got off to a great start, Justin [Barcia] and [Justin Cooper] were riding awesome. Unfortunately, Justin went down right there and JCoop kept me honest the whole race. And these guys [Sexton and Webb] were on another level. I was just pushing as hard as I could. Heartrate got high and I slowed it down a little bit. Third’s good, five podiums now, and we’re going to finish this season off strong and head to outdoors feeling good.” – Aaron Plessinger, responding to the comment on the podium that he looked exhausted.
Seth Hammaker Tops the 250SX Class Inside MetLife Stadium
In the Eastern Divisional 250SX Class, Seth Hammaker became the first rider to give Kawasaki a win in the 250SX Class in East Rutherford. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire kept the racing close but never reached striking distance of the rider he shared the points lead with going into the New Jersey round. Defending champion Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle earned the final step on the podium, bouncing back from two tough finishes in the previous rounds that saw him surrender the points lead.
First place 250SX Class – Seth Hammaker. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.
“I got sick on Tuesday night into Wednesday. [That] just put another thing into coming into the weekend. But we have a great group of people around me, and just thought positive. It did creep into my mind a little bit but thankfully I was able to put in clean, consistent laps. It feels really good to get another win and have the red plate solo now. Back to work we go. Two more rounds, this championship’s still really tight. Looking forward to some more great battling in the future.” – Seth Hammaker, when asked to comment on being sick at East Rutherford and whether that affected his endurance.
Second place 250SX Class – RJ Hampshire. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.
“It was important to get the start, and Seth had me off the gate. I just kinda rode in third for a bit. Nate [Thrasher] made a mistake and I got around him and I tried to make a push. I closed in some and then I’d make a mistake… Hey, I was better this weekend than I was last, so [I’ll] be better next weekend, knock off another win, [and] have the confidence going into Salt Lake here in a few weeks.” – RJ Hampshire
Third place 250SX Class – Tom Vialle. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.
“The track was pretty tough tonight and my start wasn’t the best. I had to pass a few guy and then, I mean, Seth was first and he had a pretty good gap. I rode pretty much the whole race behind RJ, and I couldn’t do much more. I made a few mistakes. Tonight we end up third and we’re going to try again next weekend.” – Tom Vialle
Fans can catch every round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross season live and on-demand on Peacock. Additionally, select events can be viewed on NBC, CNBC, USA Network, and NBC Sports digital platforms. CNBC airs an encore presentation of each round on the Monday following the race at 1:00 p.m. ET. A live presentation is available for every round in Spanish on Telemundo Deportes’ Facebook and YouTube channels. Live international coverage can be accessed through the SuperMotocross Video Pass (supermotocross.tv) with English, Spanish and French language broadcast options. Races can also be heard live via NBC Sports Audio on SiriusXM Channel 85.
Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania hosts Round 15 on Saturday, April 26th for the first time since 1983. The event will bring race action from the 450SX Class and the Eastern Divisional 250SX Class racers, as well as host the SMX Next – Supercross AMA National Championship. For event information, race results, live timing, video highlights, and to purchase tickets please visit SupercrossLIVE.com.
450SX Class podium (riders left to right) Cooper Webb, Chase Sexton, and Aaron Plessinger. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.Race_Result_450 SX
250SX Class podium (riders left to right) RJ Hampshire, Seth Hammaker, and Tom Vialle. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports.
Newborn William "Will" Ohnsorg. Photo courtesy Kyle Ohnsorg.
Racer, engineer, suspension tuner and businessman Kyle Ohnsorg and his wife, crew chief and business partner Lindsey Ohnsorg had a son, William “Will” Ohnsorg, on April 9th in Northfield, Minnesota.
Kyle currently races in the MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers class, and with Lindsey co-owns and co-operates Adrenaline Engineering, a suspension tuning and development company based in Minnesota.
The Ohnsorg family, from left, dad Kyle, baby Will, mom Lindsey. Photo courtesy Kyle Ohnsorg.
Kyle will be racing in the upcoming MotoAmerica round at Road Atlanta but Lindsey will stay home with Will and will be looking at data remotely.
Ray Hofman (171) in MotoAmerica Twins Cup action on his Aprilia RS 660.
Photo courtesy Jason Knudsen.
Racer Ray Hofman, age 55, died April 13th after a nearly year-long battle with brain cancer.
He was an avid racer, competing in CCS, CRA & WERA road races as well as finishing in the top-10 in MotoAmerica Twins Cup and finishing in two Daytona 200s on a Supersport bike. He also did ice racing in the winter and rode off-road.
Glenn Irwin blasted to the fastest ever Bennetts British Superbike Championship lap of the Donington Park Grand Prix circuit, setting a time on the Hager PBM Ducati 0.174s faster than the previous best set by Jason O’Halloran in Q2 in 2023.
Irwin’s time in the final session put him an impressive 0.719s ahead of the reigning champion Kyle Ryde who returned to the track for the first time in 2025 on the OMG Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha with the number one plate.
Danny Kent surged into third on the McAMS Racing Yamaha in the closing moments to nudge Leon Haslam into fourth on the Moto Rapido Ducati Racing with Max Cook completing the top five.
Bradley Ray was sixth fastest on his return to the championship with the Raceways Yamaha team, just 0.003s ahead of Andrew Irwin on the leading Honda Racing UK Fireblade with Tommy Bridewell crashing out unhurt in the afternoon.
Josh Brookes, Christian Iddon and Fraser Rogers completed the top ten ahead of tomorrow’s second day.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, R&G Official Test, Donington Park, combined times day one:
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) 1m:27.022s
Kyle Ryde (OMG Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha) +0.719s
FRITZ BREAKS LE MANS EWC LAP RECORD TO HELP YART YAMAHA CLAIM 24 HEURES MOTOS POLE. Photo courtesy EWC.
Sensational charge from German rider Fritz helps secure sixth Le Mans pole for YART
Yoshimura SERT Motul second with Tati Team AVA6 Racing the top privateer in third
Former world champion Black wowed by “incredible” pace among EWC heroes
Hungarian Endurance Racing Team by Moto-Jungle tops Superstock order
Green Team 42 Lycee Sainte Clare makes history as first Production category pole winner
Marvin Fritz set a sensational sub-record lap time to help Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team bag pole position for the FIM Endurance World Championship season-opening 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans.
The German’s 1m34.489s charge during Second Qualifying this morning broke the new benchmark recorded by Yoshimura SERT Motul’s Gregg Black less than 30 minutes earlier, when the Suzuki-powered rider lowered Niccolò Canepa’s standard of 1m34.708s from 12 months ago with a 1m34.551s effort around the 4.185-kilometre Circuit Bugatti.
“It’s amazing of course, first race of the year and first pole position of the year,” said Fritz after Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team claimed back-to-back pole positions at Le Mans and its sixth in seven attempts. “The team did an amazing job, the bike worked great, the Bridgestone tyres were amazing. And all of us could make this lap time or even faster. But I’m super-happy about the feeling of the bike, this is the most important for the race tomorrow because the competition is strong and for sure it will not be easy. It looks like we’ll have some rain in the race, but it’s the same for everyone and we’re well prepared.”
Marvin Fritz breaks lap record in Le Mans on his Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team. Photo courtesy EWC.
Of his new lap record ahead of the 48th running of the 24 Heures Motos, Fritz, who is partnered by Czech Karel Hanika and team newcomer Jason O’Halloran from Australia, said:“I had a good lap, not the perfect one, but overall, I’m happy with the pole position and five points in the pocket. It’s amazing [to have this new lap record]. Every year it gets faster and faster, we improve the bike, and the package gets better and better.”
Black’s run ensured Yoshimura SERT Motul – the reigning world champion team and last year’s 24 Heures Motos winner – secured second place on the starting grid for the upcoming day and night endurance epic in an average time of 1m34.869s compared to YART Yamaha’s 1m34.634s. Tati Team AVA6 Racingimpressed as the top independent outfit in third.
Gregg Black on his Yoshimura SERT Motul. Photo courtesy EWC.
“It was a great qualifying for us,” said Black. “We didn’t get pole position but the last time we got pole position here it didn’t end well on the first turn and a lot of the time we’ve managed to win the race from this position. I had the lap record for a few minutes until Marvin managed to do a few thousands of a second better. The level of the competition is really high, and you can see the race pace out there is really fast, it’s incredible and it’s nice to see for endurance.”
Having been fifth in the provisional order after Thursday’s First Qualifying, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team gained one place to secure fourth spot followed by ERC Endurance, which is returning to the EWC after one season away and with BMW power. F.C.C. TSR Honda France was next up followed by Kawasaki Webike Trickstar, ELF Marc VDS Racing/KM99, MAXXESS by BMRT Pirelli Motul and Hungarian Endurance Racing Team by Moto-Jungle, which set the pace in the Dunlop-supplied Superstock category.
“After our performance in the Bol d’Or last year many would have said it was a one-time thing that we were so competitive in qualifying, but we did it again, we’re starting from pole position and leading the FIM Endurance World Cup,” said HERT rider Bálint Kovács. “The team has been working incredibly well. The guys have done an outstanding job developing the bike, and as riders, we’ve been able to prepare properly for the season. Of course, it’s an endurance race so being on pole position doesn’t mean that we’re going to win the race easily. The main goal is to finish the race because we don’t have much experience but, deep down we wanted to have the pole position.”
Team Étoile and TRT27 AZ Moto completed the Superstock top three in 11th and 12th overall respectively as Team Bolliger Switzerland, Team LRP Poland and Honda No Limits rounded out the top 15 as a record 41 permanent EWC teams took to the track.
Green Team 42 Lycée Sainte Claire made history by claiming the first pole position in the new-for-2025 FIM Endurance World Trophy, which runs exclusively on Dunlop tyres and has been developed to provide a more affordable and accessible entry to the endurance racing. Team Super Moto Racing was second with ARTEC third.
“It’s very good,” saidGreen Team 42 Lycée St Claire rider Julien Bonnet. “We’ve had some problems with the electronic system but for this morning it was really better, and the satisfaction is there for all the riders in our team.”
WHAT’S NEXT? Warm-Up provides the next track activity from 10h30-11h15 tomorrow (Saturday) with the 48th 24 Heures Motos opening the new EWC season from 15h00 CET.
EWC SPORTITY APP MEDIA CHANNEL: The EWC’s dedicated Sportity app media channel for the 2025 season is available using the password 2025EWCMEDIA. The app can be downloaded for free via the App Store or Google Play.
WHATSAPP NEWS CHANNEL The EWC WhatsApp news channel launched on 1 January 2025 and can be followed HERE
More, from a press release issued by Yoshimura Sert Motul:
YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL SETS SECOND FASTEST IN LE MANS QUALIFYING.
Yoshimura SERT Motul set the second fastest time in qualifying today for the opening round of the 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship, the 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans (France).
Suzuki is the most successful marque at the 24 Heures Motos, with 15 wins to its name. Already competitive in the first qualifying session, the Yoshimura SERT Motul team riders confirmed their status as favourites during the final qualifying sessions which took place today on the Bugatti circuit.
The 48th edition of the legendary 24 Heures Motos will welcome 53 teams to the event and, once again, the Franco-Japanese team is fielding a quartet of riders who are both efficient and experienced. Frenchmen Gregg Black and Étienne Masson are joined by Japanese rider Cocoro Atsumi and British rider Dan Linfoot who, thanks to a serious shoulder injury sustained during testing, will serve as reserve rider for this first round of FIM EWC.
Wearing the blue armband, Black set the fastest time this morning in a fiercely contested first session. He took the lead in the final minutes with a superb time of 1.34.551, the best provisional time for all sessions combined, significantly improving on his performance of the previous day where he was second with a time of 1.34.949.
Penalised by two interruptions caused by competitors crashing, Masson in the yellow group did not have the opportunity to give his best in qualifying one. He was sixth with a time of 1.35.945. His bad luck continued in Q2 with another red flag stoppage. However, the Frenchman was eventually able to put in a fast lap which saw him set the second fastest time in 1.35.251.
Like all the other red-armband riders, Atsumi encountered more difficult weather conditions in the final qualifying session, with a few drops of rain falling on the Bugatti circuit. The Japanese rider finished second, putting in his best performance of the day on the very last lap. He did the same in Q1 when he put in a blistering last lap to lead the group with a best lap of 1.35.187.
Linfoot battled through the pain barrier to complete nine laps of the Bugatti circuit in the first qualifying session. Unfortunately, he could not finish the second qualifying dedicated to reserve riders.
With qualifying results based on the average times of the two fastest riders, the Suzuki GSXR1000R mounted team finished second in qualifying with a time of 1.34.869. This performance gave the team its first four valuable points in the championship.
Etienne Masson went faster in Q2 after red flag interruptions. Photo courtesy Yoshimura Sert Motul.
Last year’s winner and undefeated in 24 Hours races since the 2023 Bol d’Or, Yoshimura SERT Motul will be taking to the grid in the best possible conditions for the 48th edition of the 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans, which gets underway tomorrow, Saturday the 19th of April, at 3pm (local time).
Yohei Kato – Team Director
“Our team has done a superb job. Everyone is happy with the results, which is very positive and encouraging. We’re in second place and, of course, we’re keen to get the number one position, but this result is still very good for us. Tomorrow, the weather conditions will bring uncertainty, particularly on Saturday evening when rain is expected to fall. We’ll have to remain vigilant and attentive to make sure we don’t make any mistakes. If we’re lucky enough to seize a few opportunities, we’ll do so and win the race. That’s what we’ll be concentrating on.”
Damien Saulnier – Team Manager
“We’ve had a good week and everything has been rebuilt between the technical team and the riders. Of course, we’re disappointed not to have Dan Linfoot at 100% fitness because of his injury. However, the qualifying sessions were very positive. Cocoro had some very good test sessions. He’s constantly improving and working hard. There’s no doubt he’ll be up for the race. Second place in qualifying shows that we’re there and on the pace. Our team will be fast and competitive throughout the weekend, but it’s going to be a complicated race because the weather is likely to throw up a lot of twists and turns. We’ll have to be in the right place at the right time to get through the drops! We’ll see how the race turns out, but one thing’s for sure, we’re ready and confident.”
Gregg Black – Rider
“Qualifying went very well. We’ve had what I’d call a perfect week. We’re second on the grid and, in the past, this position has brought us good luck as, when we’ve started from pole, we always had problems in the race. Despite everything, we tried hard to get the pole position and I managed to beat the absolute track record of 1.34.5, these are incredible lap times here at Le Mans. We never thought we’d be able to go that fast, so I’m really satisfied with the work the team did over the winter to bring us some new set-ups. Now the race will be different. The official tests took place in the dry, where we were very comfortable, but we saw during the first free practice sessions that we could also perform well in the rain. It’s going to be a very long race, so we need to be regular and opportunistic.”
Etienne Masson – Rider
“Our qualifying sessions went well overall. I was really unlucky in my first qualifying session, which was disrupted by red flags. I never had a very clear track, so that was very frustrating for me. However, Gregg and Cocoro set good times. Today, we had one qualifying tyre left and the team decided to give it to Gregg because he felt he could improve a bit. And that’s exactly what he did – he rode really well! As for me, I started off with a slightly used tyre, but that still enabled me to ride fast and improve my time. All in all, the results are positive; we’ve got a good bike for the race and the whole team is on top form.”
Cocoro Atsumi – Rider
“For my first session, I benefited from a new qualifying tyre and I set 1.35.1, which is my personal best. I’m really pleased. The bike was very good too. In the second qualifying session, we battled for pole position. I tried to improve on my personal best, but the conditions weren’t ideal because of too much traffic. That made it difficult for me to set my pace. But in the end, what I’ve learnt is that I’ve made progress on each of my outings and recorded a lot of important information. That definitely gives me confidence for the race.”
More, from a press release issued byHonda France:
F.C.C. TSR Honda France qualifies sixth for the 24 Heures Motos.
Tati Team AVA6 Racing start from third, five Honda-powered teams claimed positions in the top seven in the Superstock category.
The 48th edition of the 24 Heures Motos, the opening round of the 2025 FIM EWC season, will take place from 17 to 20 April on the iconic 4.185-kilometre Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans, featuring eleven Honda-powered teams.
Two-time world champions F.C.C. TSR Honda France, riding the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, enter the 2025 race with the ambition of winning again the world title with a refreshed rider lineup made up of Frenchmen Alan Techer and Corentin Perolari and Japanese rider Taiga Hada. Former Superstock World Champion Loris Baz also joined the team as a reserve rider.
On Thursday, following the free practice session, the first qualifying session was held in ideal conditions on a dry track. Techer was the first rider to take to the track for F.C.C. TSR Honda France in the blue group and recorded a best lap of 1:35.568, placing him 5th in his session. He was followed by Corentin Perolari, who posted a 1:35.945 to secure also the 5th place among the yellow group riders. Taiga Hada completed his session in 14th place with a time of 1:37.850 and Loris Baz took the 5th place with a time of 1:38.669 in his group.
Cloudy weather and lower temperatures during the second qualifying session prevented the F.C.C. TSR Honda France riders from improving the overall lap times.
Based on the average of the two best laps from both qualifying sessions, the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team was credited with a time of 1:35.757 and will start the race from the 6th position. Weather conditions are expected to be particularly wet, however the Honda #5 team remains determined to aim for the top of the standings and to collect as many championship points as possible.
Tati Team AVA6 Racing concluded the combined qualifying sessions with an average lap time of 1:35.127, securing 3rd place on the grid aboard their Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP.
This season’s lineup features Hugo Clère, Randy Krummenacher, and Martin Renaudin. After a productive winter of preparation, the team enters the race with strong confidence. Their consistent race pace, combined with the exceptional performance, reliability, and consistency of the Honda #4, provides the team full determination for a strong result.
In the Superstock category, five Honda-powered teams claimed positions in the top seven.
TRT27 AZ Moto has posted the third-best lap time in its category, clocking in at 01:37.096. The Honda #27 counts with the same trio of riders who secured a spot on the podium at the 2024 Bol d’Or Superstock race: British riders Tom Oliver and Tom Ward, alongside Finnish Superbike champion Eemeli Lahti.
The team is thrilled with the bike’s performance and the excellent teamwork between the three riders. With their solid preparation, TRT27 AZ Moto is aiming for a strong result in the 24-hour race.
TRT27 AZ Moto was closely followed by Honda No Limits, Slider Endurance, Dafy-Rac 41-Honda, and the 2024 FIM Endurance World Cup winner, National Motos Honda FMA.
The 48th edition of the 24 Heures Motos will begin at 3:00 PM (CEST) on Saturday, April 19th, and finish at 3:00 PM (CEST) on Sunday, April 20th.
Alan Techer: “The qualifying sessions are over. We showed that we can be fast, even if we’re not the fastest. The most important thing for us is to have a good bike for the race, which is likely to be very complicated because of the weather. We were lucky enough to do a few laps on a wet track on Tuesday morning and the bike felt great. In the dry, too, the bike’s going well and all three of us are managing to be consistent, so that’s a pretty good thing. I think it’s going to be a waiting race with a lot of pitfalls to avoid. Even though there have been quite a few changes in the team, whether it’s the riders or the mechanics, things are going pretty well. It’s not easy doing your first race in an official team, so whenever I can, I try to help both Coco and Taiga to make sure everything goes smoothly.”
Corentin Perolari: “We really worked on our race pace, with a full tank on the bike and all three riders on the same tyres. In fact, we didn’t use any qualifying tyres today. For my part, I rode at a very good pace. This weekend, they’re forecasting very mixed weather, and the most important thing will be to stay on our wheels. These conditions put all the teams back on the same level, and anything can happen. The different tyre manufacturers can also make a difference. If it rains, it’ll be less physical, but it’ll be more mental tiredness because we’ll have to concentrate all the time. I like the night, but I’ve never had the chance to ride at night in the rain, so it could be a discovery.”
Taiga Hada: “I had a good feeling. After the preparatory tests and the practice sessions at the beginning of the week, I feel more comfortable. I’m working step by step, which has enabled me to make progress. I’m used to the Suzuka 8 Hours, but this is the first time I’ll be doing a 24-hour race. I’m used to racing in the rain, but it’s going to be a tough race. It’s especially important not to crash.”
More, from a press release issued byAviobike WRS :
24 Heures Le Mans, challenging start. The team Aviobike WRS is 13th SST class in Qualifying.
A busy start for the Aviobike WRS team, which is working with a new project and a new bike. The #111 bike will start from the 26th position on the grid for a race that promises to be very challenging, even from a weather point of view.
The Aviobike WRS team has arrived in France for the 24Heures Motos 2025. After the parade in the city and the traditional photos, the team immediately started working on the track.
Thursday was very intense for the teams at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans: free practice in the morning, the first qualifying session in the afternoon and a night session to end the day. The Aviobike WRS team decided to concentrate exclusively on race preparation, familiarising themselves with a completely new bike, especially the electronics and the fuel tank. The riders on the Panigale V4 therefore took all the sessions on Thursday with caution and without really pushing.
For Friday’s second qualifying session, the drivers took to the track from 10.20am in the usual colour scheme. Matteo Ferrari clocked a 1:38.714 in the Blue Rider session, a tenth of a second slower than his time in Q1 yesterday. Luca Bernardi, on the other hand, improved his time in the Yellow Rider session with a 1’39.229. Alberto Butti’s Red Rider qualifying session lasted just three laps and was prematurely ended by a crash in turn 5. This meant that Akito Haga was unable to participate in his Green group session.
The average of the two best times, signed by Ferrari and Bernardi, is 1:38.921and allows Team Aviobike WRS to start from the 26th position on the grid. The 24Heures Motos will start tomorrow, Saturday 19th April at 15:00.
Giovanni Baggi statement: «It has been an intense week from the start and that’s the price you have to pay when you start a new project: the bike, the team and the riders are all new. My ten years of experience in this championship teaches me that it is an intense and complicated discipline and that you have to see the glass half full, because we have a great project and great partners. We have to learn from the negative points for the next races. In terms of performance, we are definitely below the level we can reach, both chronometrically and technically. Among our riders we have two very strong veterans and two riders who are new to this discipline and need to break in. Unfortunately, qualifying ended with a crash, but that’s part of the sport. Now we will keep calm, fix what we can and prepare for a race that we know will not be easy, also because of the weather conditions, with rain expected»
Revvin' Kevin Rentzell at the 1992 WERA GNF, held at Road Atlanta. etechphoto.com
Born Racer: Kevin Rentzell At Heartland Park With The Coolest Move I’ve Ever Seen…
By Nick Ienatsch
Revvin’ Kevin Rentzell died on June 5, 2017, when he left the road in a truck and struck a tree. We weren’t best buddies because we lived on different sides of the country, but our infrequent reunions were fun and always too short. If we’d lived near each other, we’d have been riding together constantly because we got along well and were only a year apart in age.
Revvin’ Kevin Rentzell (48) during the 1995 WERA Grand National FInals (GNF) at Road Atlanta. etechphoto.com
We raced against each other in AMA 600 and Superteams, plus a few WERA skirmishes, but I really got to know Kevin when Keith Code and Paul Winters invited me to help in the broadcast booth, back when CodeBreak Productions was airing the Formula USA series in the early ‘90s. Rentzell possessed talent, bravery and cunning…and those attributes are a whole lot of fun to watch. He was entertaining to be around, supernaturally fast, positively smart-assey, yet laid-back in a way that attracted a lot of friends.
Larry Brown (far left) with Kevin Rentzell (second from left) and Randy Renfrow (far right) on the grid before the 1987 Daytona 200. Photo courtesy Larry Brown Collection.
But the coolest thing I ever saw Kevin do, I saw live and from a distance of about two feet; I also must say I can’t remember a cooler move.
Heartland Park Bus-stop Chicane
We were at Heartland Park Topeka at the AMA national, both entered in 600 Supersport. Somehow I got a better start in the main than Kevin did and the first lap was “very crowded.” This was back when we had heat races to determine Sunday’s grid because there were always a gazillion riders trying to make the 32-bike field.
On the second or third lap I’m trying my best to hang onto the leaders and went to the brakes at the “last possible second” for the Turn One 90-degree right-hander that was immediately followed by a 90-degree left-hander. Well, here comes Kevin up the inside on my right, outbraking me into this right/left Turn One/Two.
My overloaded brain seized on a tried-and-true strategy: “Turn in with him and then you’ll have the inside for the left-hand Turn Two.”
An instant before we tipped into the corner, Kevin threw his left hand up because he couldn’t make the turn. He jumped off the brakes and darted ahead of me, straight into the run-off area, leaving me a clear path into the corner.
This scene is imprinted on my brain like a digital video in high definition because I was at the limit in full-attack mode with nothing left mentally. But not Kevin Rentzell–he had some brain waves still available. It was an amazing bit of awareness: Awareness of his entry speed, the tighter line he had to take due to his pass of me…and awareness that if he hadn’t given me that momentary wave, I would have turned in on top of him and crashed my brains out because he wasn’t going to turn into the corner at all. Maybe I wouldn’t have hit him, but I would have been forced to run straight with him. His wave delayed my turn-in and saved my race.
I had never seen anything like it, and still haven’t. To be “waved off” by a fellow racer in the heat of battle just doesn’t happen. For me, it not only saved my race, but it blew my mind. I, unlike racers like Kevin Rentzell, just don’t have the extra mental capacity to deal with thoughts like, “Hmmm…I’m in here too fast and can’t make the corner, so I’ll give Nick a quick wave to warn him.”
The last time I saw Kevin was at the Barber AHRMA finals in 2016. We hadn’t talked in years but were immediately laughing about all the crazy stuff we did on and off the track. He was interested in YCRS and I told him he had an open invitation to guest coach “because a guy who wins that many championships always helps students.” We talked about racing AHRMA and how much fun “us old guys” were having.
There were some other people with us and I told them what Kevin did at Heartland Park. He didn’t remember it, and maybe it was a standard move for him, but it stuck in my mind as the coolest thing I’ve seen at the track. Some guys are born racers: Guys like Revvin’ Kevin Rentzell.
Current Blackhawk Farms record holder Jason Farrell, on track in 2024. Photo by Krista Clay/ASRA
ASRA Announces $5,000 Bounty for Breaking Motorcycle Lap Record at ASRA Blackhawk Farms Race Weekend June 6-8 2025
American Superbike Racing Association (ASRA) is thrilled to announce a $5,000 bounty for any rider who breaks the outright motorcycle lap record at Blackhawk Farms Raceway during the ASRA Sprint Series event on June 7-8, 2025. This exciting incentive aims to ignite competition and showcase the performance of Pirelli and Dunlop tires on the challenging 1.95-mile, seven-turn circuit.
The current outright motorcycle lap record at Blackhawk Farms Raceway is 1:07.084, set by Jason Farrell in 2016 on a Pirelli-equipped Kawasaki ZX-10R. To claim the $5,000 bounty, a rider must set a new absolute motorcycle track record during an official ASRA race session, using either Pirelli or Dunlop racing-compound front and rear tires. The record must be verified by ASRA officials, and the bounty is limited to one award per race weekend, with the fastest lap time taking precedence if the record is broken multiple times.
The June 7-8 race weekend will feature a full slate of ASRA Sprint Series races, with practice on Friday, qualifying on Saturday morning, and sprint races Saturday and Sunday. Gates open at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, for registration and tech inspection. Weekend passes are available for $40, and a massive BBQ cook-out is planned for Saturday night in conjunction with a Broken Wing Benefit Auction. And a gate pass is included if you are pre-register by May 24th for the Friday practice day hosted by MOTOVID.
Riders interested in competing for the bounty must register through ASRA at www.asraracing.com.
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