On April 21 and 22, the 24 Heures Motos will celebrate its 40th anniversary on the Bugatti circuit, as part of the second round of the 2017-2018 World Endurance Championship.
Several teams took part in free practice over the last two days, while GMT94 and Kawasaki SRC decided to ride further south. First of all, here is the point of view of the EWC organizer:
40 days before the first laps of the 24 Heures Motos, a handful of favorites were at Le Mans for their first test sessions on the Bugatti circuit. The performances are there and promise us an intense and exciting race.
Some of the best teams supported by Dunlop and Bridgestone were at Le Mans for these private tests. On home soil, the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Dunlop) is preparing its return to the forefront. After a difficult Bol d'Or and a new GSX-R 1000 in development, the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team took advantage of the winter to tame the electronics of its machine and draw the best lessons from its race at the Bol d'Or. “ SERT is in continuous learning, explains Dominique Méliand, team manager back on the circuit. We have to expect big surprises at Le Mans because we all took advantage of the winter to develop our machines. »
Teams to watch
In the list of teams to watch, SERT places at the top the GMT94 Yamaha, world title holder who remains on an impressive series of victories since the 24 Heures Motos 2017. The GMT94 Yamaha, who preferred to work on the Nogaro circuit in the southwest of France, is also in very good shape after its tests. Same feeling with the other official YART Yamaha present at Le Mans for these tests with Bridgestone. Mandy Kainz, YART Yamaha team manager, admits that his 1 R2018 has inherited some parts proven on the Yamaha Factory, victorious for the 3rd time at Suzuka last July. Next to Broc Parkes and Marvin Fritz, YART Yamaha also entered the Japanese Takuya Fujita, straight away into the rhythm after a few discovery laps of the Bugatti circuit.
The SRC Kawasaki, testing in Spain with Pirelli, will also be a formidable opponent. The surprise could finally come from Honda Endurance Racing. Back in the saddle with a 3rd place at the Bol d'Or, the official English team took advantage of the help of Chris Pike, manager of the Honda teams in the FIM Superbike world championship, to tame the electronics and refine the settings of the CBR1000RR #111. She proved it during these tests on the Bugatti circuit.
The CBR1000RR of the official Japanese team FCC TSR Honda France was also on track at Le Mans, the opportunity to see thatAlan Techer, injured during tests in Japan, is back in shape. As at the Bol d'Or, he will be on the handlebars with Josh Hook et Freddy Foray.
On the track at Le Mans, we were also able to see the good form of the Junior Team Le Mans Sud Suzuki which recruited Louis Rossi alongsideHugo Clère and D'Alex Sarrabayrouse.
Back on Suzuki, Team April Moto Motors Events made its first laps at Le Mans. The #50 team is starting from a blank slate with the 1000 GSX-R2018 but intends to take part in the debates.
Presentation of the Automobile-Club de l’Ouest:
Seven teams which will take part in the 41st edition of the 24 Heures Motos were able to begin developing their machines during two days of private testing on the Bugatti circuit.
The first laps of the wheels are always one of the most anticipated moments of the season. Seven teams who will take the start of the 24 Heures Motos on April 21 and 22 took advantage of two days of private testing to begin the development of the new motorcycles. A crucial first step where the objective is to accumulate the kilometers in order to collect valuable data.
The Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, the FCC TSR Honda France Team, the YART-Yamaha, the Honda Endurance Racing, the April Moto Motors Events team, the Junior Team Le Mans Sud Suzuki and the Cottard Motosport Team are hard at work on the Bugatti circuit since yesterday and until today. Yesterday, the teams took advantage of a dry track to string together the laps and make the first adjustments to the motorcycles.
Within Honda Endurance Racing, the British team notably offered driving time to its new recruit: Erwan Nigon. The winner of the 2014 edition of the 24 Heures Motos comments on his tests: “We were in Nogaro at the start of the week for two days of testing and I was a little holding back because I hadn't ridden since November. Now I feel good on the bike, it is very healthy and has no major defects. Yesterday, we were 100% on the times. I can say that the bike will allow us to play the leading roles during the race.”
The YART-Yamaha was very visible. The Austrian team brought three Yamaha R1s shared by Broc Parkes, Marvin Fritz and Takuya Fujita in turn. These two days of testing are very valuable for the Japanese driver who, until yesterday, did not know the Bugatti circuit.
The April Moto Motors Events Team took advantage of these tests to discover the new Suzuki GSX-R 1000. Matthieu Lagrive, Baptiste Guittet and Grégory Fastre took turns riding the Suzuki #50. “The team received the motorcycles late. They are three quarters original, despite this we were able to carry out some roughing. These tests allow the mechanics to evaluate the changes to be made to our two motorcycles for the next runs", explains Baptiste Guittet.
The Cottard Motosport team has submitted an entry file for the next edition of the 24 Heures Motos. While awaiting the verdict of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest Selection Committee, she began developing her Suzuki GSX-R. Drivers Jean-Edouard Aubry, Quentin Levrier and Jérémy Cramer are present on the Bugatti circuit. Jérémy Cramer debriefs the first day of testing: “Yesterday, we were able to observe that our times are constant thanks to the Dunlop tires which are very stable from the first to the last lap. We made shock absorber adjustments. The bike works very well, we are very satisfied.”
The entry list for the 41st edition of the 24 Heures Motos will be revealed on Friday March 16. The teams will return to the Bugatti circuit on April 3 and 4 for pre-Le Mans testing. Two days of non-obligatory free testing.
Meanwhile, the GMT94 filmed in Nogaro:
The GMT94 Yamaha team was present in Nogaro on March 5 and 6 for two days of testing. David Checa, Niccolò Canepa et Mike Di Meglio completed many laps on a track which offered all the options that an Endurance race can include: rain, drying, dry, cold and not so cold. All the developments in terms of suspensions, electronics or even engine, carried out during the winter break, have been validated. Very quickly, the Yamaha 94 was achieving times ranging from 1'28 to 1'29 in racing conditions on a tricky track. Never before have the three drivers achieved such performances on this circuit which welcomes them every year at the same time. Never has an EWC motorcycle been able to ride at such a pace.
Christophe Guyot : " We can be satisfied with these tests. Our Yamaha works perfectly and the Dunlop tires are capable of incredible performance when the track is cold. However, we must remain cautious and lucid. We know that the competition will be formidable and we must still improve if we want to defend our position in the championship. We leave with all the necessary information to prepare ourselves as best as possible for the official pre-Le Mans tests at the beginning of April. »
D-44 before the start of the 40th edition of the 24 Heures Motos. The teams are hard at work preparing for the 2nd meeting of the 2017-2018 #FIMEWC season. This week, some are testing the Bugatti, and others further south, in Spain. This is the case of Team SRC Kawasaki and Randy de Puniet.
Photos © Michel Jamin for the ACO and David Reygondeau for the EWC
