Motourage

An exciting season finale in Doha, Qatar saw the Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone team with riders David Checa, Kenny Foray and Matthieu Lagrive power their YZF-R1 to the finish line and snatch their first victory of the year and, as a consequence, earn the third place overall in the 2011 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship.

The GMT 94 R1 was quick off the mark for the Eight Hours of Doha on Saturday, battling for the lead from the very beginning with fellow Yamaha riders Igor German, Steve Martin and Katsuyuki Nakasuga from Monster Yamaha YART. In a dramatic ninth lap, Monster Yamaha YART’s Nakasuga went down in a tussle with Sébastien Gimbert, sending the Austrian team to the back of the pack with a one-lap deficit. Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone managed to avoid the collision and took advantage to push their Yamaha into the lead. Thanks to some slick pit work and consistent runs from Checa, Foray and Lagrive, the team managed to maintain the lead. Holding off constant advances from the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT), the French Yamaha squad gradually created a comfortable gap and completed a total of 231 laps to take a well-earned first step on the season finale podium.

Despite the collision at the early stages, Monster Yamaha YART riders put in an outstanding performance to push back through the field to complete the final race of the season just shy of a podium position, in fourth place. Closely following was the Spanish Yamaha of YMES Folch Endurance with Dani Ribalta, Pedro Vallcaneras and Jose Manuel Luis Rita crossing the line in sixth place.

Belgian’s Yamaha DG Sport Herock Team took a beautiful victory in the Superstock category, giving the YZF-R1 “the double” in Doha. Riders Raymond Schouten, Hugo Marchand and Josep Monge all completed trouble-free stints and were able to run a perfect race following the planned strategy.

Four out of the seven entered Yamaha YZF-R1 machines completed the 2011 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship in the top 10 with Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone, Monster Yamaha YART, YMES Folch Endurance and Maco Racing Team wrapping up the season in third, fifth, sixth and ninth places respectively.

Christophe Guyot, Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone Team Manager:
“The three riders perfectly handled a situation that is never easy to manage. They had to maintain a high pace while remaining cautious. All three really wanted this win. David, Matthieu and Kenny are a very close-knit team with the talent to match their ambition. Last but not least, Michelin gave us the performance and safety needed on a track where tires are a key to success. We experienced no mechanical problems all season, and it’s great to be back in the winners’ circle.”

David Checa:
“I am really happy to get back to winning with my team, GMT 94. I want to thank the mechanics, who allowed us to spend the least amount of time in the pits. Thanks to Yamaha. Thanks to Christophe. Thanks to Michelin. I can’t wait for 2012 on the new R1.”

Matthieu Lagrive:
“I have had some difficult times in the past. With GMT 94, I am enjoying racing again. Racing as I love it, with a team that became a family. With team mates who are my friends first. Winning today is an immense joy for me. After this crossing of the desert, I feel ready to race in the next Dakar.”

Kenny Foray:
”This is my first race win in a world championship. A great moment. Many thanks to my teammates, Matthieu and David. The Michelin tires were incredible. And the Yamaha was fantastic. Thank you.”

Olivier Aerts, Yamaha DG Sport Herock Team Manager:
“We always said that we had the perfect package to win and here in Qatar we have run the perfect race. We had to return to the box earlier than foreseen but thanks to that we had one less stop at the end of the race. Thanks to the tires we received by Michelin, we could do two stints with the same set of tires, which made us gain a lot of time at the stops. Michelin has been a very important support throughout this season and an ace for this victory. Linked to a trouble-free race and a high-performing trio of riders, that pays off.”

The Suzuki Endurance Racing Team has won the 2011 FIM World Endurance Championship after a close finish at yesterday’s final round in Qatar.

With a depleted two-rider team of Vincent Philippe and Anthony Delhalle following a mid-week injury of third rider Daisaku Sakai – who turned up to support his team – the duo brought the GSX-R1000 home in third place overall in the eight-hour race at Losail to clinch its eleventh title ahead of closest rivals BMW Motorrad France 99, which finished just ahead of Yamaha Racing France in second.

After qualifying in fourth position, SERT’s Philippe grabbed the sprint to the lead on the opening lap ahead of Yamaha Racing France, BMW and Monster Yamaha YART. But the lead changed hands frequently during the opening four hours after which Yamaha made its position a permanent one at the head of the 26-rider field to secure victory with 231 laps completed.

From there on, the Suzuki team made good use of pit stops, and with consistent lap times played a tactical race to ensure it stayed ahead of the BMW team on points. BMW entered the fifth and final race nine points adrift of SERT in the Championship standings.

The only significant position change was at the seven-and-a-half hour mark when SERT pitted, dropping the team back into third position, but with less than 50 seconds separating the three top teams, it was a well-timed maneuver that helped seal Suzuki’s success again at the top-level of World Endurance racing.

Qatar Results: 1 Yamaha France GMT 94 iPhone (Yamaha) 231 laps, 2 BMW Motorrad France 99 (BMW) – 30.134 seconds, 3 SERT (Suzuki GSX-R1000) – 49.023 seconds, 4 Monster Yamaha YART (Yamaha) – 1 lap, 5 Honda TT Legends (Honda) – 4 laps, 6 YMES Folch Endurance (Yamaha), 7 DGS Sport (Yamaha), 8 Motors Events Bodyguard (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 9 Qatar Endurance Racing Team (QERT) (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 10 MCS Racing Ipone (Suzuki GSX-R1000).

Yukio Kagayama put the Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team on pole for tomorrow’s QTEL FIM World Endurance Championship third round at Suzuka after clocking a time of 2’08.001 in the today’s Top-10 Time Trial.

Kagayama and the GSX-R1000 dominated throughout free practice and qualifying along with teammates Josh Waters and Nobuatsu Aoki.

World Endurance Champions and current series leaders, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT) did not qualify for the Top-10 Superpole and will start tomorrow’s race from 15th position on the grid.

Surprise second place today went to the Monster Yamaha YART squad, who clocked a time of 2’08.025 ahead of Honda’s Musashi RT HARC-Pro squad on 2’08.162.

The start of the race is scheduled for tomorrow at 10:30 am local time (GMT + 9) – an hour earlier than originally scheduled – to save energy consumption in the country that is still recovering from the after-effects of the recent earthquake and tsunami.

Top 10 Trial Results: 1. Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 2’08.001, 2. Monster Yamaha YART (Yamaha) 2’08.025, 3. Musashi RT Harc PRO (Honda) 2’08.162, 4. FCC TSR Honda (Honda) 2’08.258, 5. Honda SuzukaRacing Team (Honda) 2’09.170, 6. Yamaha Racing France GMT94 iPhone (Yamaha) 2’09.409, 7. BMW Motorrad France 99 (BMW) 2’09.545, 8. Crown Keibihosyou Racing (Honda) 2’09.725, 9. Honda Dream RT Sakuria Honda (Honda) 2’10.300, 10. Eva RT Test Type-01 Trickstar FRTR (Kawasaki) 2’10.979. 15: SERT (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 2’12.103.

Josh Waters and the Yoshimura Suzuki Team have shown they have the speed to factor at the front of the field in this weekend’s Suzuka 8 Hour race in Japan. The 2009 Australian Superbike champion looks to have found speed and a comfortable setup on the bike he shares with teammates Yukio Kagayama and Nobuatsu Aoki. The trio turned in the fastest lap in practice yesterday despite a weather-interrupted schedule, their 2:10.336 lap just edging out two all-Japanese teams, including the 2010 winners, SERT, in second and third. Today’s on-track sessions saw further free practice followed by qualifying, where Waters finished his first of two sessions as the third-fastest rider.

In addition to the QTEL FIM World Endurance Championship, Waters’ 2011 campaign has seen him explore a number of opportunities abroad, and the experience in World and AMA Superbikes in both racing and testing capacities should serve him well as he tackles the renowned endurance race.

Josh Waters:
“I was third in my group with our biggest competitors being TSR Honda and RT Harc-Pro but we are overall fastest. I still have one more session for today; because of the rain yesterday we are focusing on doing the laps. Either way we are still in the top ten and will be a part of the Top-10 shootout tomorrow. It is a long track and it takes over two minutes to complete a lap over the 6 km distance. One of the main differences is there are so many riders. There are over 50 on track which I’m not used to but it makes for great experience. I am really lucky having two teammates that both race for Suzuki and have similar set up to me. They both have a lot of experience which I can definitely benefit from.”

Wayne Maxwell and Jamie Stauffer are determined to make their mark as an all-Aussie team and got off to a solid start in spite of yesterday’s tough conditions. The Team Honda duo, running under the Honda Dream RT Sakurai Honda banner this weekend are making their way up the timesheets today after further refining the bike to a balance they both enjoy. Placed seventh after the first qualifying session, Maxwell said the pair were eager to ensure a place in the top 10 with another solid run to end the day.

“We’re getting there with the bike, we’re 7th with a session to go and aiming to make the Top-10 Shootout tomorrow,” said Maxwell. “It’s an amazing track and so different from anything in Australia but I find it suits my riding style. We’ve had some setup difficulties this weekend but we’re learning more about the bike each time we head out onto the track and are confident we’ll be ready for the race.”

Stauffer said the atmosphere made Suzuka a favorite place to race.

“The track is fantastic and it’s an awesome atmosphere,” he said. “It’s great to be here with a few familiar faces too. Wayne is doing a great job and we’re focused on chasing down Josh who’s riding well a bit further up the timesheets. The heat hasn’t hit me too hard, it was certainly hotter when we were here for testing and we were prepared for the conditions to be a lot tougher.”

Tomorrow will see riders on track for another free practice session followed by the Top-10 Shootout later in the afternoon. The Suzuka 8 Hour will begin at 10.30am local time and run through to 6.30pm, with organizers moving the start forward one hour to assist in the reduction of local energy supplies in the wake of the recent natural disasters in Japan.

Defending World Endurance Champions Suzuki Endurance Racing Team is aiming to extend its lead in the Championship this weekend at the Albacete 8-Hour race in Spain.

The 8 Horas Nocturnas of Albacete is the second round of the 2011 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship and team riders Vincent Philippe, Freddy Foray and Daisaku Sakai and their GSX-R1000 Suzuki start with a seven-point advantage over SRS Kawasaki.

A total of 32 teams are entered; 14 of them being Suzuki mounted.

The first free practices take place today (Friday) with final qualifying tomorrow morning. The 8 Horas Nocturnas of Albacete race starts on Saturday at 6pm local time with a 2am finish on Sunday.

Championship points (after 2 rounds): 1 SERT (GSX-R100 Suzuki) 35 points, 2 SRS Kawasaki (Kawasaki) 28, 3 BMW Motorrad (BMW) 22, 4 Bolliger Switzerland (Kawasaki) 18, 5 Honda TT Legends (Honda) 15.

Suzuki Endurance Racing Team has won the opening round of the 2011 Qtel World Endurance Championship – the 24-hour 75th-Anniversary Bol d’Or at Magny Cours in France.

The GSX-R1000-mounted reigning world champions crossed the line at the 3pm finish with 814 laps completed; six laps clear of race-long rivals SRS Kawasaki (808 laps), BMW Motorrad France 99 (803) and Bolliger Team Switzerland (802).

SERT riders Vincent Philippe, Freddy Foray and Anthony Delhalle dominated from the start – even though the first rider off at 3pm on Saturday – Philippe – was still feeling the after-effects of a heavy fall in the morning warm-up that meant the team had to use its number-two machine for the race.

At the five-hour mark, SERT had clocked-up 173 laps; one more than SRS Kawasaki and BMW. Through the night, the Suzuki trio opened the gap to three laps over SRS, with the Bolliger Team Switzerland Kawasaki climbing into the top three places when BMW broke a chain.

From sunrise on Sunday, SERT used its experience to gradually increase its lead – to seven laps at one stage – plus time its pit stops precisely to bring the GSX-R1000 home to an emphatic home victory for the Le Mans-based squad.

It was the team’s fourth-consecutive victory at the Bol d’Or and Philippe’s seventh, which equals the record number of rider wins.

Bol d-Or Results: 1 SERT – Vincent Philippe, Freddy Foray, Anthony Delhalle (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 814 laps, 2 Team SRS Kawasaki – Julien Da Costa, Gregor Leblan, Olivier Four (Kawasaki) 808 laps, 3 BMW Motorrad France – Sebastien Gimbert, Damian Cudlin, Erwan Nigon (BMW) 803 laps, 4 Bolliger Team Switzerland – Horst Saiger, Roman Stamm, Jerome Tangre (Kawasaki) 802 laps, 5 Honda TT Legends – Steve Plater, John McGuiness, Keith Amor (Honda) 796 laps, 6 National Motors – Eme Jonchiere, Luc De Carolis, Etienne Masson (Honda) 794 laps, 7 YMES Folch Endurance – Bisch Ribalta, F Vallcaneras, Jose M Luis Rita (Yamaha) 789 laps, 8 Yamaha France GMT 94 – David Checa, Kenny Foray, Matthieu Largrive (Yamaha) 785 laps, 9 Metiss JLC Moto – Christoph Michel, Marc Fissette, Emman Cheron (Metiss) 781 laps, 10 T Motors Events Bo – Mathieu Gines, Vincent Bocquet, Emilien Humeau (Suzuki) 779 laps.

World Endurance Championship Points

Suzuki Endurance Racing Team will start tomorrow’s opening round of the 2011 Qtel World Endurance Championship at Magny Cours in France from Pole Position after team rider Vincent Philippe set the only sub-1:40 lap on the team’s GSX-R1000 in today’s final qualifying.

Reigning world champion SERT, which is aiming for its 11th WEC title this year, dominated from the start of qualifying, and Philippe’s lap of 1:39.740 put the team at the front with an average time of 1:40.589.

Four riders are entered for SERT. Alongside Philippe is Freddy Foray, Daisaku Sakai and newcomer Anthony Delhalle, but Team Manager Dominique Meliand will make his final three-rider choice before tomorrow’s 75th running of the Bol d’Or, which gets underway at 3pm local time.

Also in contention for honors in the Superstock class is the Junior Team Suzuki LMS who finished 10th overall and top in class with a time of 1:42.973.

Qualifying results (Best individual rider lap times): 1 SERT (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 1:39.74, 2 Team SRC Kawasaki (Kawasaki ZX10R) 1:40.048, 3 BMW Motorrad France 99 (BMW S1000RR) 1:40.436, 4 Monster Yamaha YART (Yamaha R1) 1:41.636, 5 Yamaha France GMT 94 IPONE (Yamaha R1) 1:41.743, 6 National Motos (Honda CBR1000R) 1:42.592, 7 Honda TT Legends (Honda Fireblade) 1:41.680, 8 Maco Racing Team (Yamaha R1) 1:43.414, 9 Team Sapeurs Pompiers (BMW S1000RR) 1:41.879, 10 Junior Team Suzuki LMS) 1:42.973.

World Endurance Champions Suzuki Endurance Racing Team will defend its title in 2011 with a permanent team in the six-round FIM World Endurance Championship that gets underway next month at Magny Cours in France.

The French squad, who won the 2010 title despite not competing in all rounds, will comprise long-standing member Vincent Philippe, Freddy Foray, Japanese regular Daisaku Sakai and newcomer Anthony Delhalle on the new Suzuki GSX-R1000.

For Team Manager Dominique Meliand, this will be his 31st season in WEC and a passionate career that has seen him and SERT collect 10 World Endurance titles.

The Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship opener takes place on April 16-17th with the 24-hour Bol d’Or at Magny Cours; the normal 24 Hours of Le Mans season-opener is now moved to September 24-25th.

A total of 53 teams are entered for the opening round – the 75th running of the Bol d’Or – and SERT’s main rivals will be the 2009 World Champions, the Monster Yamaha (YART) team of Igor Jerman, Steve Martin and Gwen Giabbani, plus 2004 Champions Yamaha Racing France riders David Checa, Kenny Foray and former SERT rider Matthew Lagrive.

Suzuki will also be in contention for Superstock glory as the Qatar Endurance Racing Team – FIM World Cup winners for the past three years – aim to put their GSX-R1000 on the top of the podium.

2011 WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR:
April 16- 17: Magny Cours (24 Hours) – Bol d’Or, France.
May 21 (Saturday): Albacete (8 Hours) – Albacete, Spain.
July 31: (only Formula EWC) Suzuka (8 Hours) – Japan.
August 21: Donington (8 Hours) – Great Britain.
September 24- 25: Le Mans (24 Hours) – France.
November 12 (Saturday): Losail (8 Hours) – Qatar.

SERT HISTORY:
2010: World Endurance Champions
2008: World Endurance Champions
2007: World Endurance Champions
2006: World Endurance Champions
2005: World Endurance Champions
1999: World Endurance Champions
1997: World Endurance Champions
1988: World Endurance Champions
1987: World Endurance Champions
1983: World Endurance Champions