Team Suzuki press office – June 13.
Yoshimura SERT Motul: GSX-R1000R – 1st.
Yoshimura SERT Motul showed great strength by winning the opening of the 24 Hour Motorcycle Endurance World Championship at Le Mans in France today after a flawless performance.
Reigning world champion Suzuki had already shown great potential during qualifying, setting the second fastest time. In today's race, Gregg Black made the holeshot and led at the end of the first lap after being passed early in the lap.
The opening hours of the race were marked by a fierce fight for first place, with the team putting pressure on their rivals from the start. From then on, the Suzuki firmly controlled the race and obtained a 10-point bonus awarded to the leader in the eighth hour of the race.
The three drivers Gregg Black, Xavier Siméon and Sylvain Guintoli maintained a very high pace throughout the night while the technical team ensured very quick pit stops.
Leader since the third hour of the race, the Franco-Japanese team made no mistakes and concluded a perfect race with a brilliant victory eight laps ahead of second place. The team logged a total of 855 laps and made 24 pit stops.
By adding the bonuses from qualifying, then the eighth and 16 hours of racing, added to the 40 points for victory, Yoshimura SERT Motul leaves the Bugatti circuit with a total of 64 points.
Leading the 2021 FIM EWC World Championship standings by a large margin, the Suzuki will enter the second round of the season on July 17 at the 12 Hours of Estoril, Portugal, as favorite.
Damien Saulnier – Director of the SERT team:
« Suzuki returns to victory at Le Mans, a legendary race, and it's a huge satisfaction. We are at the start of a great adventure with Yoshimura and our association is already working perfectly. Yoshimura's experience in 8-hour races and SERT's experience in 24-hour races allow us to be fast and durable. The whole thing also works thanks to Suzuki's development work, the quality of Bridgestone tires and of course the consistency of our drivers. »
Yohei Kato – Yoshimura Team Director:
« It’s a victory for Yoshimura, for SERT but also for Suzuki. It is an honor to represent this brand and a great responsibility. We had a lot of pressure on our shoulders but success at the 24 Heures Motos is the reward for our work. We had worked a lot beforehand to prepare for the race and the whole team was impatiently awaiting the result. This great victory is therefore very important. SERT gave us number 1, the objective is clearly to keep it in 2021 in this very competitive and rewarding championship.
It was a really special moment to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, and I don't know how to express my feelings. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our plans have been rescheduled since the start of the project and it was not so easy until we got here.
However, our four drivers and team personnel did a perfect job throughout the weekend and we achieved a valuable victory thanks to everyone's efforts. The Suzuki GSX-R1000 was strong and reliable which made the whole race very smooth. We had no problems today and we really had a perfect race.
This would not have been possible without the great support of Suzuki and our sponsors. Additionally, our partnership between SERT and Yoshimura worked well. We will do our best to stay strong for the rest of the season and hopefully we will come back to Le Mans to race with a lot of spectators next time! »
Gregg Black:
“I’ve been chasing a victory at Le Mans for years. Here it is finally! I'm really happy and I thank the whole team for their excellent work throughout the week. The competition in EWC is very strong. At the start of the season, we wondered where we would be. But from the start of the event, the team proved that it was up to the task. The work done by everyone during the winter immediately bears fruit. In addition, the understanding with my teammates is perfect. In an endurance race, this is a major asset. »
Xavier Siméon:
« My father was a SERT runner a few years ago. This victory therefore has a very special taste for me because it is the only race that was missing from his record. I am very happy with this victory and this race without any problems. But the championship has only just begun. There are other races on the program. Gregg Black won the Bol d'Or last year, I hope we can repeat that this year. I also hope that in 2022 we can add Spa to the team's list of achievements. »
Sylvain Guintoli:
« The collaboration between SERT and Yoshimura is already bearing fruit. These are entities I have worked with in the past and we got along very well. These forces are now united and the association is working perfectly well. With Gregg and Xavier, we are determined to win. And here at Le Mans we had an almost perfect race. It's like a dream come true. »
TIME POSITIONS:
1st hour: Tati Team/ Yoshimura SERT Motul/ YART.
2nd hour: YART/ Yoshimura SERT Motul/ Tati Team.
3rd hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ YART/ FCC Honda.
4rd hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ YART/ FCC Honda.
5rd hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ YART/ FCC Honda.
6rd hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ YART/ FCC Honda.
7rd hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ YART/ FCC Honda.
8rd hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ YART/ FCC Honda.
9rd hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ YART/ FCC Honda.
10rd hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ YART/ FCC Honda.
11th hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ FCC Honda/ Webike SRC Kawasaki.
12th hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ FCC Honda/ Webike SRC Kawasaki.
13th hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ FCC Honda/ Webike SRC Kawasaki.
14th hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ FCC Honda/ Webike SRC Kawasaki.
15th hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ FCC Honda/ Webike SRC Kawasaki.
16th hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ FCC Honda/ Webike SRC Kawasaki.
17th hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ FCC Honda/ Webike SRC Kawasaki.
18th hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ FCC Honda/ Webike SRC Kawasaki.
19th hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ Webike SRC Kawasaki/ BMW Motorrad.
20th hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ Webike SRC Kawasaki/ BMW Motorrad.
21th hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ Webike SRC Kawasaki/ BMW Motorrad.
22th hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ Webike SRC Kawasaki/ BMW Motorrad.
23th hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ Webike SRC Kawasaki/ BMW Motorrad.
24th hour: Yoshimura SERT Motul/ Webike SRC Kawasaki/ BMW Motorrad.
