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2011
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75th BOL D'OR 2011
SUPPORT JAPAN FROM THE BMW PENZ13 TEAM
The PENZ13 Japanese driver Yoshinari Matsushita used the Bol d'Or team manager briefing in the venerable Ayrton Senna Hall at the Circuit of Nevers Magny Cours for his charity campaign "We are with you Japan" initiative. This campaign aims to appeal to all fans of motorcycle racing for the victims of the severe natural disaster in Japan on the 11th of March. The team penz13.com has decided to actively support this project. To this end, at the end of the season the team will be donating the funds budgeted for the last event to the We Are With You Japan charity. If you wish to help and support the campaign please use their contact form to contact the team and riders. You can get the stickers for the official charity campaign from their partner MHMOTO. LIVE TIMING FROM ORION TIMING AND MICHELIN HAVE ANOTHER ONE WITH REALTIME TEXT REPORTS IN FRENCH FINAL RESULTS
The Suzuki Endurance Racing Team took the victory with a six laps margin, at the end of a race started and led until the end on a infernal pace by the top teams. This is the fourth consecutive win for the SERT at the Bol d’Or, which immediately takes an advantage in the QTel FIM Endurance World Championship with the 35 points for the win. On the official Suzuki, Vincent Philippe (who equalled the record of wins with seven victories at the Bol d’Or), Anthony Delhalle and Freddie Foray took the lead as from the start. Only the Team SRC Kawasaki could fight for the lead in the beginning of the race. The team of Gilles Stafler and his three riders, Julien da Costa, Gregory Leblanc and Olivier Four, took the brand-new ZX-10R to the end. Until the last minute, the third podium place was the target of a hard-fought duel between the BMW Motorrad France 99 and the Bolliger Team Switzerland Kawasaki. The factory BMW, focusing on the relays of its two fastest riders, Sébastien Gimbert and Erwan Nigon, ended winning this fight. It is the first podium for the S1000RR in the QTel FIM Endurance World Championship. Entered last year, it was only noted in qualifying practice or in the beginning of the races. The BMW Motorrad France 99 made it real, despite problems of brakes and fuel tank – which obliged to shorter relays – and a last minute change of the technical crew. Reformed around Steven Casaer, it showed all its efficiency. The Bolliger Team Switzerland Kawasaki, private team runner-up in the 2010 Qtel IM Endurance World Championship, proved once again that it will have to be taken into account in 2011, with Horst Saiger, Roman Stamm and Jérôme Tangre. John McGuinness from the TT Legends team “I was hoping to be a bit faster in qualifying but we had a few little problems along the way and at the end of the day, we bought the bike home safe at a reasonable pace. We definitely learned a lot in preparation for the race and with the Le Mans style start, it doesn’t matter so much if you’re fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh in this game but it was nice to be in the top ten that’s for sure. Come the race, I wanted to set a good, consistent pace right from the start to try and set the tone and that’s what happened. It's only the second time I've ever competed in a 24-Hour race so I’m pretty happy with fifth and to finish inside the top 5 at our very first attempt is absolutely brilliant. It’s been like a war not a battle, incredible really, and it’s a testament to the Hondas and to the hard work of all the team, maintaining the bike through the race that we finished where we did. The atmosphere here has been amazing, right through the day and through the night – what an event, what a festival and what an experience. Like I say, it's a really encouraging start for us and it bodes well for the rest of the season so we're all eagerly looking forward to the next round in May.”
The podium of this 75th Bol d’Or is thus
composed of three different manufacturers, Suzuki, Kawasaki and BMW, and three
tyre manufacturers, Dunlop, Pirelli and Michelin. Behind this group of four,
another fight opposed two Hondas. The factory machine of the Honda TT Legends,
with Steve Plater, John McGuinness and Keith Amor, ended winning against the
private team of the Paris dealer National Motos with Emeric Jonchière, Lucas de
Carolis and Etienne Masson. Then two Yamahas follow in the classification: the
Spanish one of the YMES Folch Endurance of Dani Ribalta, Pedro Vallcañeras and
José Luis Rita and the factory machine of the Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone.
Among the top teams, it dropped down the classification after less than one hour
of race following a crash of Kenny Foray, and came back to eighth place thanks
to a superb race of David Checa, The Metiss JLC Moto, only motorcycle left in the Open Class, made a very good race finishing in ninth position. The Superstock class was won by the Team Motor Events Bodyguard AMT always in the leading group of this class, ahead of the Atomic Motorsport team and the Team Van Zon Boenig Motorsportschool Penz RT. The record of the number of laps covered was almost equalled, with 814 - against 815 laps covered by the SERT winner in 2009 - thanks to good atmospheric conditions and only one intervention of the safety cars on Saturday evening. Thirty-five teams were able to reach the chequered flag of this 75th Bol d’Or.
Concerning the retirements, the first to be
noted is the Monster Yamaha YART in the early morning following a broken engine.
The Austrian Yamaha was in the leading trio since the start of the race. The next round (8 Hours) of the 2011 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship will be held in Albacete, Spain, on Saturday 21 May. SUNDAY 8am - MORNING REPORT
The night was fresh and quite calm in Magny-Cours, but things
moved faster at the crack of dawn. The Suzuki Endurance Racing Team used its
experience to consolidate its lead. The SERT opened three laps over the Team SRC
Kawasaki this morning. The third place is now with the Bolliger Team Switzerland
Kawasaki, which was waiting for this opportunity behind the official machines.
The Swiss private Kawasaki is closely followed by the BMW Motorrad France 99
which just lost two laps because of a broken secondary chain. Just when the BMW
was going back to the track at 7.30 am, the Monster Yamaha YART, then in third
position, came back to the pits with a sudden lack of power. After a first
intervention, Igor Jerman brought the bike back to the pits with a white smoke
coming out of the The four leading places are thus in the hands of Suzuki, Kawasaki and BMW. In the 5th position, the CBR1000RR of the Honda TT Legends finally took away from the National Motos the title of best Honda in the race, ahead of the first Yamaha, the one of YMES Folch Endurance. The Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone made a fantastic recuperation during the night. It reached now the tenth place after having disappeared in the end of the classification at the beginning of the race, following Kenny Foray’s crash. The best Superstock, the Suzuki of the Team Motor Events Bodyguard AMT, is in ninth position behind the stunning Metiss JLC Moto, entered in the Open Class. The night put the Superstock classification upside down. Leader for several hours the Suzuki AM Moto Racing Compétition retired in the middle of the night following a crash. The Suzukis of the Atomic Motorsport team and the Qatar Endurance Racing Team took advantage of the problems suffered by the Maccio Racing Team Kawasaki to take over the Superstock podium places. Concerning the retirements, the BMW of the Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers and the Suzukis of the Junior Team LMS and the Team Endurance 45 were out following crashes, and the Yamaha Maco Racing Team for a broken engine.
AFTER 9 HOURS - MIDNIGHT REPORT The pace does not decline in the lead. The leading machines make their lap times between 1’42 and 1’44 in the night and in the traffic, keeping their advantage or recovering an eventual loss during the intervention of the safety cars around 9pm. This 20-minute neutralisation benefited to the Monster Yamaha YART which took the second place from the Team SRC Kawasaki and the BMW Motorrad France 99, all stuck behind the leader SERT since the start of the race. At midnight the SERT has opened a gap of two laps over the Monster Yamaha YART and the SRC Kawasaki. The BMW Motorrad France 99, which lost some time during the presence of the safety cars on the track and also because little braking problems, is now three laps behind the leader. The Kawasaki Bolliger Team Switzerland continues in the fifth position since the start of the race, ahead of the Honda National Motos which keeps on its good course without problem. This private Honda still maintains the factory machine of team Honda TT Legends at a certain distance. The Spanish Yamaha YMES Folch Endurance remains close in eighth place. The first two Superstock machines, the Suzukis AM Moto Racing Compétition and Team Motor Events Bodyguard AMT, are in the top ten ahead of the Maccio Racing Team Kawasaki. First machine in the Open Class, the Metiss JLC Moto, which can be recognised with its one-side front swingarm, maintains a very good pace in its 12th position. Some notable changes happened in this evening. After two crashes, of which the latter was very spectacular, the Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers had to cut short its first appearance on a BMW. The engine break of the Maco Racing Yamaha around 9.00pm caused the crash and retirement of the Junior Team Suzuki LMS. The swingarm of the Suzuki was too damaged and the rider Batiste Guittet, with an injured elbow, could not race any longer. AFTER 5 HOURS
The Suzuki Endurance Racing Team of Vincent
Philippe, Freddy Foray and Anthony Delhalle is holding a solid leadership at the
Bol d’Or since the beginning of the race. The official ZX-10R of Team SRC
Kawasaki was the only one able to grab the race lead for a few laps, hours ago.
At 8 pm, after 5 hours of race, the official Suzuki has already clocked 173 laps
and is leading with one lap ahead of the Team SRC Kawasaki and the BMW Motorrad
France 99 of Sébastien Gimbert, Damian Cudlin and Erwan Nigon, which has also
been racing in the Close behind them is the Monster Yamaha YART of Igor Jerman, Steve Martin and Gwen Giabbani, strongly holding their fourth place ahead of the Kawasaki Bolliger Team Switzerland of Horst Saiger, Roman Stamm and Jérôme Tangre and the Honda National Motos ridden by Emeric Jonchière, Lucas de Carolis and Etienne Masson. The Honda TT Legends of Steve Plater, John McGuinness and Keith Amor is putting some pressure over the National Motos. They are in seventh place ahead of the Yamaha Maco Racing Team of Jason Pridmore, Gregory Junod and Gregg Black. After a start from fifteenth place, the YMES Folch Endurance Yamaha with Dani Ribalta, Pedro Vallcaneras and José Luis Rita is closing the gap and is now in ninth place. In tenth place, the Suzuki AM Moto Racing Compétition of Fabrice Auger, Anthony Loiseau and Kevin Denis is leading the Superstock class ahead of the Kawasaki Maccio Racing of David Dumain, Axel Morin and Fred Moreira and the Suzuki of Team Motor Events Bodyguard AMT of Mathieu Gines, Vincent Bocquet and Emilien Humeau. The Suzuki Junior Team is struggling with the grip of their tyres since the beginning of the race. Under the Magny-Cours sunshine, the race started on a GP pace! Vincent Philippe, motivated as ever after his warm up crash, made the show ahead with a series of very fast laps on the official Suzuki ahead of Julien da Costa on the SRC Kawasaki and Sébastien Gimbert on the BMW Motorrad France 99. The Monster Yamaha YART and the Yamaha France Racing GMT 99 did their best to follow the rhythm. On the Monster YART, Gwen Giabbani suffered from a little crash at the beginning of the race. On the other side, the crash of Kenny Foray, just before completing the first racing hour, put the Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 to the back of the pack. At 8 pm, they fight in 45th position. Three bikes are already out of racing, the Suzuki No Limits after some overheating problems, the MV Agusta Raffin Motos with an exploded exhaust and the BMW Boenig Penz13 RT with a faulty engine.
From the NO LIMITS TEAM, pitside: UPDATE after 202 laps: TEAM 18 SAPEURS POMPIERS are out, along with Jason Pridmore, Gregg Black and Gregory Junod and the Maco Moto team with a blown engine...commiserations Martin and Denisa!
WARM-UP The warm up, final test session before the start, is usually pretty calm, allowing a final tuning. This morning at Magny-Cours, Vincent Philippe, main responsible for the pole position achieved by the team, crashed heavily on the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team. The rider was not hurt but the SERT had to prepare the second bike for the race. This may reduce a little of the confidence showed by the 2010 World Champion team yesterday at the end of the qualifying sessions. Anyway, the official Suzuki remains one of the favourites for victory. The team manager, Dominique Méliand, finally decided to ride with Anthony Delhalle (faster in qualifications) rather than the Japanese Daisaku Sakai with Vincent Philippe and Freddy Foray. SERT’s experience and the three years of work on the GSX-R give them an advantage. Team SRC Kawasaki will have to deal with the new ZX-10R on a 24-hour race. BMW Motorrad France 99 have some experience of the last season but they also have to deal with the last-minute change of the technical team now managed by Steven Caeser. This morning, the fastest motorcycle was the Monster YART Yamaha with Igor Jerman, Steve Martin and Gwen Giabbani. They achieved the best lap time ahead of the SERT and the BMW Motorrad France 99. Yamaha France GMT 94 Ipone Racing and Team Kawasaki CBC still remain in the leading pack together with the RT Motovirus Suzuki Racing and the National Motos Honda. The race will start at 3pm. A few minutes before, in support of the Japanese people, a minute of silence will be observed. An operation for support and donations in benefit of the Japanese Red Cross is taking place throughout the weekend at Magny-Cours. FINAL QUALIFYING Smiling faces are back in the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team’s box, as their first rider, Vincent Philippe, put the hammer down. He is the only rider to clock below the 1’40 limit (1’39.740). That gave to the official Suzuki and current world champion the opportunity to start the Bol d’Or from the pole position. From now on, the starting grid is determined by the average lap time of each team’s three riders.
Reigning World Champions SERT, who this year
aims for its 11th WEC title, dominated from the start of qualifying and
Philippe's lap of 1:39.740 put the team at the front with an average time of
1:40.589. Four riders are entered for SERT: Alongside Philippe is Freddy Foray,
Daisaku Sakai and newcomer Anthony Delhalle, but Team Manager Dominique Meliand
will make his final three-rider choice before tomorrow's 75th running of the Bol
d'Or. They were ahead of Julien da Costa, who signed the best individual lap
yesterday, Gregory Leblanc and Olivier Four for the Team SRC Kawasaki
(1’40.713). The BMW Motorrad France 99 of Sébastien Gimbert, Erwan Nigon and
Damian Cudlin is very close in third place (1’40.800) The Monster YART Yamaha
(1’41.191) is not very far from this leading trio, with Igor Jerman, Steve
Martin and Gwen Giabbani. They’ll start the race from fourth position ahead of
the other official R1, the Yamaha France Racing GMT 94 Ipone of David Checa,
Kenny Foray and Matthieu Lagrive (1’41.499). The French Yamaha could have done a
little bit better but Matthieu Lagrive suffered a small crash, yet consequence
free. In sixth place, the National Motos Honda confirms a good pace with Emeric Jonchière, Lucas de Carolis and Etienne Masson. The machine entered by a Parisian bike dealer offers itself the satisfaction to outperform the official Honda TT Legends of Steve Plater, John McGuiness and Keith Amor on the grid. The Yamaha of Maco Racing Team and the BMW of Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers are also in the top 10, just ahead of the first Superstock motorcycle, the Junior Team Suzuki LMS. In this Superstock class, the Suzuki AM Moto Racing Compétition and Team Motor Events Bodyguard AMT, as well as the BMW of Van Zon Boenig Motorsportschool Penz13 are also very close. FINAL
QUALIFYING PDF FIRST QUALIFYING The first qualifying session for the Bol d’Or, first round of the 2011 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship, had to be decided within thousandths of a second. The team SRC Kawasaki finally took the front over the edge with the very best lap of the day in 1’40.048 by Julien da Costa. With the average time of its three riders, the official Kawasaki signed a 1’40.938 time. On the provisional starting grid, they are leading the BMW Motorrad France 99 only by a few thousandths of a second - as the German bike clocked a 1’40.951 - and the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, on which Vincent Philippe signed the second best individual lap time (1’40.098). The Monster YART Yamaha is not far behind, taking the fourth place with an average lap of 1’41.191 ahead of the Yamaha France GMT 94 Ipone in 1’41.722. Needless to say that the competition will be very tight once again for the second qualifying session tomorrow on the Magny Cours racetrack. The National Motos Honda took an excellent sixth place after this first session, opening an advantage from the Maco Racing Team Yamaha, the TT Legends Honda and the Junior Team LMS Suzuki, first Superstock bike ahead of the AM Moto Racing Compétition Suzuki and the BMW of the team Van Zon Boenig Motorsportschool Penz13. There is no more Superpole this season in the 2011 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship. The starting grid of this 75th Bol d’Or will be determined by the average lap time of each team’s three riders. FREE PRACTICE The Bol d’Or, first round of the 2011 Qtel FIM
Endurance World Championship, began today with a closely fought free practice
session. The BMW Motorrad France 99 with Sébastien Gimbert, Damian Cudlin, Erwan
Nigon and Hugo Marchand took the best time with a 1’41.122 lap ahead of the
Suzuki Endurance Racing Team of Vincent Philippe, Freddy Foray, Daisaku Sakai
and Anthony Delhalle (1’41.435); the Kawasaki SRC of Julien da Costa, Gregory
Leblanc, Olivier Four and Cédric Tangre (1’41.702) and just ahead of the Monster
Yamaha YART of Igor Jerman, Steve Martin, Gwen Giabbani and Bertrand Stey
(1’41.886). The Yamaha France GMT 94 Ipone of David Checa, Kenny Foray and
Matthieu Lagrive is close behind with 1’42.549 and holds back the new official
Honda TT Legends of Steve Plater, John McGuinness, Keith Amor and Cameron Donald
(1’42.966). The Honda National Motos and the Suzuki TRT27 City Bike made a
noticeable entry in the top 10, ahead of In the Superstock class, the Suzuki AM Moto Racing Competition set the best lap ahead of the Kawasaki Maccio Racing and the Yamaha DG Sport. Behind them are some of last year’s contenders, the Junior Team Suzuki LMS and the Suzuki Team Motor Events Bodyguard. UPDATE
13th April: But there's plenty of other entertainment, Freestyle Motorcross with the Extreme Monster Energy Freestylers, from what I can gather there is a place called the Playstation where you can win a bike, plus a lot more happening around the track - bands The Forget-Me-Nots and Dharma Project will be on stage, there's the giant screen to follow the race, even a Bol d'Or "nightclub" featuring DJ Lasse. Radio Bol d'Or is on air on 106.5Mhz - hope you speak French! Apparently the race is supposed to be broadcast on Eurosport but I don't think it is across channels, it's definitely not live on British Eurosport (maybe delayed, I have info that it might be on the following Tuesday), possibly just live on Eurosport France. More details closer to the weekend. One extra item from the HONDA TT LEGENDS team...
...word has reached Race Corporation that one of their riders, John McGuinness, said that if he got on the podium at the end of the race, he would go on naked...this is John with clothes on...
YAMAHA AUSTRIA IN PRACTICE AT THE 2011 BOL d'OR The Monster Yamaha Austria Team
starts its assault this weekend of the 2011 Endurance world championship with
the 75th Edition of the Bol d'Or . In pre season testing Igor Jerman, Steve
Martin and Gwen Giabbani clearly demonstrated that they used the winter break
for the preparation of the motorcycles well.
GERMANY'S MATTI SEIDEL ON THE BOENIG PENZ13 RT BMW No.31
Thursday April 14th 09h00 – 09h30 E-Power BRIEFING 10h30 – 10h55 MICHELIN POWER CUP – class 1 (qualifying
practices1) / 25 mn 12h00 – 14h00 BOL D’OR (free practices) / 120 mn 14h40 – 15h05 MICHELIN POWER CUP – class 2 (qualifying
practices 1) / 25 mn 16h00 – 16h20 MOTOS E-POWER (qualifying practices) / 20 mn 16h30 – 17h00 BOL D’OR Blue rider (qualifying
practices) / 30 mn BOL D’OR night session: Friday April 15th 09h30 – 09h55 PROTWIN Challenge (qualifying practices 1) / 25
mn 10h40 – 11h10 BOL D’OR Blue rider (qualifying
practices) / 30 mn 14h30 – 14h55 MICHELIN POWER CUP – Class 1 (Qualifying
practices 2) / 25 mn From to 17h50 Animations and pit lane visit Saturday April 16th 09h00 – 09h30 MICHELIN POWER CUP – Race C 10 laps 12h45 – 14h10 VIP box visits – ANIMATIONS 14h30: Start procedure PRE-BOL PRESS RELEASE The 2011 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship
starts with the 75th Bol d'Or, the opening round on the circuit of Magny-Cours,
south of the city of Nevers in France. Six official Teams promise to give a
dramatic confrontation, all supported by five major manufacturers and three tyre
suppliers. Current FIM Endurance World Champion, the Suzuki Endurance Racing
Team (Dunlop) holder of ten world titles, intends to defend its lead against
some fierce opponent. Opening round at Magny Cours for Bol d’Or on 16th and 17th April The 2011 Qtel FIM Endurance
World Championship starts for the first time with the Bol d’Or. This 24 hours
race, traditionally scheduled in September, will be held on 16th and 17th April
in France at Magny Cours
(Nièvre). The 24 Hours of Le Mans, which usually opens the season, will take
place on 24th and 25th September. SUZUKI READY TO DEFEND THEIR TITLE
Team
Suzuki Press Office - March 29. CONTINUING THE TRADITION OF FEMALE TEAMS IN WORLD ENDURANCE - TEAM WERONICA
AMA Daytona Sportbike
racer Melissa Paris is to be part of an all-woman team set to contest the World
Endurance Championship using a biofuel bike. Paris will be competing alongside
teammates Paola Cazzola and Nina Prinz. The team, called Weronica International,
is the first all female rider FIM endurance championship team in the series'
history. Among the riders to be challenged by the girls there will be TT legends
John McGuinness, Steve Plater and Cameron Donald.
Steve Plater joined forces with Keith Amor and John McGuinness for a shakedown test at Darley Moor recently to ensure there were no minor problems with the new CBR1000RR World Endurance bikes before heading off to Europe for a series of pre-season tests. The planned test at Donington Park had to be cancelled because of the late delivery of some new parts for the Superbikes and so the Honda TT Legends team moved on to Albacete in Spain for a full on test session with Dunlop. Steve, from Woodhall Spa near Lincoln enjoys the Albacete circuit and said: "Albacete is my favourite Spanish circuit for testing as you spend so much time at full lean, twisty and technical making it easy to feel changes made to the bike’s geometry.” The three riders were joined by some new staff, some with Endurance experience and some without - but all proved to be very capable. The first day was sunny, not too warm but dry – ideal conditions to get some basic mileage in, blow away the cobwebs and make the first steps to finding a good base setting for the Honda. Plater said: “Although we have access to HM plant Honda’s data our bikes are quite different as the Endurance bikes have wider swing-arms, fork yolks and bigger fuel tanks that make them heavier with harder compound tyres for distance. The main goal for this first test was to find the parameters of the Honda’s working window with these different components. This can be tough enough for one rider but for three riders to try every different setting takes a great deal more time. By the end of day one we had worked through a number of settings but none of us was too happy with the bikes’ reactions through Albacete’s twisty turns. The original plan for day two was to try some race simulation but we decided it was more important to find the main parameters of the bike and so we sat down to make a plan to check ride heights front and rear, wheel base lengths, all Dunlop’s tyres, some different mappings and some simple rider positioning.” The team worked very well
together thus making the rider’s job much easier, and although day two was
extremely busy, the hard work paid dividends resulting in all three lapping
comfortably, competitively and within one second of each other. As there are
still many things to test on the bikes and also in the pit box, the back up team
stayed an extra day to test wheel changes and to prepare for next week’s test at
Magny Cours when Plater and his teammates will have the chance to check out the
circuit ahead of the first round of the World Endurance championship – the Le
Mans 24 hour race – that takes place over April 16-17. |
