First test of EWC schedule, the 24 Hours motorcycles will take place at Le Mans on the weekend of April 18. As usual, the small Metiss team will be there, with its famous “forkless” prototype!
Endurance events are essentially made up of teams participating in the two major Championships, EWC and Superstock. But there is also a somewhat special category, called Experimental, supported by the FIM, using unconventional motorcycles, with a stock engine but innovative cycle parts.
MetisS, a small French team created in 2006, is one of them for their 15th season!
Their brand new version is designed around the initial concept imagined by the late Jean Bertrand Bruneau, and drawn by Thomas Hémery. It is built around a Suzuki carrier engine, and a cycle part made up of removable elements. These chassis parts designed and manufactured in-house are almost all made from solid aluminum, including the front wheels.
La small team of volunteers designs and manufactures practically all the elements in their workshop in Vibraye in Sarthe: Chassis, tanks, radiators, fairings and saddles.
They will be at the start of the 24 hours with the objective of victory in the Open category, and if they achieve it it will not be a first for them, with already 36 starts in 15 seasons, 12 victories in the Open category then Experimental, 9 finishes ranked in the top ten in the general classification, and an Escra Trophy rewarding the best team in the pits.
In parallel with the immediate sporting calendar, Emmanuel Chéron's team is already concerned about the future and is collaborating with 3D printing professionals.
Some of the first parts of the 2020 chassis had already been manufactured using plastic printing, in order to validate the plans before machining.
The fall protection parts, exterior casings and front suspension arms, should be carbon printed, to be used from the next 24 hours at Le Mans. Other more mechanical elements, in metal printing, will be tested during the season.
Such PASSION is worth a sauerkraut, right?
Don't wait until the last minute to order, sauerkraut of this size can be prepared like a test of endurance...
