A new FIM EWC season begins on September 16 and 17 with the Bol d'Or at the Circuit Paul Ricard in the South of France. This opening round is crucial. It is one of two 24-hour races on the 2017-2018 calendar with 60 points up for grabs for the best team. It will also be the first confrontation for the 59 teams selected from a record number of 75 entry requests where new ambitions and new trios of drivers are displayed.
This 81st edition of the Bol d'Or promises to be thrilling. The tests which took place at the end of August on the Circuit Paul Ricard gave an overview of the new rivalries which will be played out in the FIM EWC world championship as well as for the Superstock World Cup. Under the spotlight, the GMT94 Yamaha, reigning world champion after three victories in the five events last season, will have to fend off the onslaught of competition which has closed the ranks. David Checa, Niccolò Canepa and Mike Di Meglio will have to surpass themselves again to defend their title.
new machinery
The Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, holder of fifteen world crowns, finally takes to the track with a visibly high-performance 1000 GSX-R 2017 entrusted to Vincent Philippe, Etienne Masson and Gregg Black, SERT's new asset for the reconquest of the 2017-2018 FIM EWC title . This will be one of the keys to the new FIM EWC championship which includes many other new parameters. The GMT94 Yamaha will have to know how to manage, like last season, the fratricidal fight with the YART Yamaha, the official Austrian team supported by Japan whose R1 is in the hands of Broc Parkes, Marvin Fritz and Kohta Nozane. The ambitions of the FCC TSR Honda are obvious. Fourth in the 2016-2017 championship, this Japanese team, entered for the entire season for the title, lines up with the Australian Josh Hook and the French Alan Techer and Freddy Foray, previously with Honda Endurance Racing.
New drivers
The official English Honda Endurance Racing team has largely renewed its driver line-up. Alongside Sébastien Gimbert, this season we will see an Endurance specialist, Gregory Leblanc, and a newcomer from MotoGP and Moto2, the Colombian Yonny Hernández.
Lots of changes also among one of the oldest teams on the EWC world grid, Bolliger Team Switzerland. The private Swiss team will once again be able to spur on the official teams with Roman Stamm, David Perret and Robin Mulhauser. Also worth watching is Maco Racing, 6th in the 2016-2017 FIM EWC. This Slovak team on Yamaha will be at the start of the Bol d'Or with Greg Junod, Anthony Dos Santos and Louis Bulle.
Just for the victory
Even if they only announce their entry into the 2017 Bol d'Or and the 24 2018 Heures Motos this season, two teams will enter the fight for victory at the Bol d'Or. Team SRC Kawasaki is one of the favorites with Mathieu Gines, Randy de Puniet and Fabien Foret and Team Tecmas BMW has the means to play at the forefront with Kenny Foray, Julien Da Costa and Camille Hedelin.
Superstock fight announced
In Superstock too, we have closed the ranks. Winner of the 2016-2017 World Cup, Yamaha Viltaïs Experiences is lining up for the Bol d'Or in Superstock but is taking the winter to prepare a high-performance EWC machine for the 24 Heures Motos. Yamaha #333 will therefore be a serious candidate for Superstock victory one last time with Axel Maurin, Bastien Mackels and Florian Alt.
Among the most seasoned teams in this category, we also find the French from Tati Team Beaujolais Racing (Julien Enjolras, Julien Pilot and Kevin Denis) and the Germans from Völpker NRT48 (Stefan Kerschbaumer, Jan Bühn and Lucy Glockner). To create a surprise, there is also AM Moto Racing Compétition, Moto Ain CRT, WSB Endurance and newcomers for the entire season like the Swiss from Zuff Racing Team, the French from JMA Racing Action Bike and RAC41 Honda , the Italians from No Limits Motor Team or the Poles from Wojcik Racing Team.
Despite everything, one of the Superstock teams in sight at the Bol d'Or will be the Ecurie Chrono Sport which is fielding a new trio on Kawasaki with Louis Rossi, Alexis Masbou and Matteo Ferrari, rider of the Italian Superbike championship from Moto3.
The first official tests for the 81st Bol d'Or, opening round of the 2017-2018 FIM EWC, will take place on Thursday September 14 from 9:30 a.m.
