We rarely see in a 24-hour race the leaders' bike disappear in the lead and no one sees it again until the finish, because its pace is so fast and constant. This is the type of impressive feat that the FCC TSR Honda France team achieved with its Bridgestone-equipped CBR1000RR-R at Le Mans, with Josh Hook, Freddy Foray et Mike di Meglio.
The team quickly found itself in the top quartet, battling with the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, and the Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar team.
Mike, at the end of the eighth hour, you and your team had a three-lap lead over the Kawasaki and the Suzuki. How did you manage to widen such a big gap so quickly?
“When I started my first stint, I felt good. I managed to finish this first run seven seconds ahead of the YART. My teammates then took over from me. Karel Hanika fell shortly after, and when I took my next shift it started to rain. »
“In this stint I managed to ride much faster than the other drivers and I finished it two laps ahead of the second place finisher. From there, we managed to open up a little gap and I tried to maintain it on the second. In fact, as soon as the rainy conditions hit, we managed to open up a good gap. »
You moved up the World Championship rankings thanks to the points allocated to the first 5 on the starting grid and to the first ten in the standings after 8 hours of racing. Why were the new CBR1000RR-R and Bridgestone tires the best choice?
“The bike was new. We tried it in March, when it was 40% of its development at TSR. She was already very fast. Due to Covid-19, the team had to work a lot in Japan. »
“So they arrived with the bike ready, and from the start we had to stay focused and do miles with it, because we needed to know if the reliability was there. It worked well. »
“Bridgestone, year after year, has made good progress in terms of tires, the revving of which is now very good. »
“Everything is progressing little by little. Regarding the bike, we didn't expect it to go so well. We thought we might have a bit of trouble, but the team worked really well. They took every detail into account so that the motorcycle performs as well as possible. »
Was the rain an advantage for Josh Hook, Freddy Foray and you?
" An advantage ? I actually think the Bridgestones were really good in the rain. Normally, we know that we can run in 1'48-1.49 in the rain. When I saw that there were a lot of falls, we held on in 1.52-1.53 to really avoid falling. »
“Despite these times, we managed to ride 2 or 3 seconds faster than everyone else. »
Congratulations to @FreddyForay @joshhookdotnet @mikedimeglio63 and all at @TSRHondaFrance we have a magnificent victory at the @24heuremotos 🏆 #Fireblade | #PoweredByHonda | #FIMEWC | #24hMotorcycles pic.twitter.com/i1OyJkRNi9
— Honda Racing Global (@HondaRacingGLB) August 31
It is extremely rare to find three different manufacturers and three different tire manufacturers on a podium as was the case at Le Mans. Is this positive for endurance?
" Of course ! Of course it's positive, because we don't have to be a single brand. This therefore allows for a fight among the tire manufacturers. This is also the case for manufacturers, so it’s great to have a championship like this! »
“I think we managed to widen the gap, but we saw that in the championship everyone was close. I think if the YART hadn't fallen, we could have fought until the end, because we had about the same pace. »
“At Kawasaki, it was their first race with the Michelins, and it's really good to have already achieved what they managed to do. That way, they gained experience. The Suzuki has a new rider package, so everyone has to get on board and get to know each other. »
How do you see the rest of the Championship with the last race at Estoril?
" Alright. I don't know yet which bike we're going to race on. If we are going to continue with an original engine, or if the team is going to make preparations so that the bike performs better in a shorter race. »
“We will continue to work, and learn the feeling with this new bike. We are three drivers, but we don't make huge adjustments. You have to continue to delve deeper into all that and know what the bike needs. »
Do you have a test session between here and Estoril?
" No. In fact, we arrived at Le Mans without having done any testing. And there, in between, I'm going to Misano next week for MotoE, so it's not possible to do any testing. »
Exactly, see you in ten days in Misano for MotoE. Do you enjoy endurance or electric more?
“It’s two different things. Endurance means a lot of sharing with teammates. Electric is a cut, we all have the same bike, so it remains an individual race. »
“But a cut is something complementary that brings something to one or the other. I enjoy both. It's always good to have a sprint championship nearby. »
The interview with the winners after the race, by Bruno Vandestick:
The filmed summary of the 24 Hours:
Photos © FCC TSR Honda France for endurance, EG 0,0 Marc VDS for MotoE
