24 June 2017
David Checa, Niccolò Canepa and Mike Di Meglio won the day on their GMT94 Yamaha, beating reigning champion Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Vincent Philippe, Etienne Masson and Alex Cudlin) and Honda Endurance Racing (Julien da Costa, Sébastien Gimbert and Freddy Foray) – the latter won their first podium of the season.
Packed with high drama and incidents, the 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring turned out to be a suspense-filled race from start to finish. After Vincent Philippe’s masterly holeshot for Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, two Australians – Josh Hook of F.C.C. TSR Honda and Broc Parkes of YART Yamaha Official EWC Team – wrestled each other for the lead. Following a cautious start due to the high track temperature, GMT94 Yamaha surged into the front-end fray, while Suzuki Endurance Racing Team slipped back after briefly going off track and then getting a puncture.
Early incidents
A little over three hours into the race, fate dealt its first blow: F.C.C. TSR Honda got held back by engine shutdown issues. F.C.C. TSR Honda lost a lot of time in the pits, and finished the race in 21st place.
Then, when it looked like YART Yamaha Official EWC Team and GMT94 Yamaha would be battling for the win, YART suffered a three-lap delay after having to solve a chain adjuster issue. The Austrian Yamaha just missed out on a podium place.
The road to the podium opened up for four teams that had been lying in wait – Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, Maco Racing, Bolliger Team Switzerland and Honda Endurance Racing. Maco Racing was unable to grasp the nettle because of a crash, and Bolliger Team Switzerland got held back by electrical issues.
FIM EWC grand finale at Suzuka
In the end, the contest for runner-up position played out between Suzuki Endurance Racing Team and Honda Endurance Racing. SERT prevailed, thereby holding on to its place at the top of the FIM EWC 2016-2017 provisional standings, with a mere one-point lead over GMT94 Yamaha ahead of the championship grand finale: the end-July Suzuka 8 Hours.
Yamaha Viltaïs Experiences wins the World Cup
A dramatic turn of events also marked the Superstock class, for which the 8 Hours of Slovakia was the World Cup final. Moto Ain CRT, the post-qualifying favourite, appeared to have the race win and the World Cup all sewn up, but a spectacular crash three hours into the race kept them back from the podium. Florian Alt and Bastien Mackels of Yamaha Viltaïs Experiences took over as category leaders. But Völpker NRT48 Schubert Motors wrested the lead from them in the final hour of the race. The German team’s BMW with Stefan Kerschbaumer, Jan Buhn and Julian Puffe in the saddle was the first Superstock machine past the finish line and came in 5th overall, also winning the EWC Dunlop Independent Trophy and the €4,000 prize allotted to the winner.
For Yamaha Viltaïs Experiences, 2nd place in Superstock was as good as a win, as it enabled them to carry off the FIM EWC World Cup with a mere one-point lead over Moto Ain CRT. Niccolò Rosso, Kevin Manfredi and Andrea Boscoscuro of the Italian squad No Limit Motor Team were on the third step of the podium in Slovakia.
Next race: the 2016-2017 FIM EWC final round – the 40th anniversary of the Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan on 30 July.
28 March 2024
Team 202 will fly the flag of the National Police Motorcycle of Club of France during the upcoming FIM Endurance World Championship season.Florent Parret’s Superstock outfit, which has raced in the EWC since 1998, once again features serving police officers Sofian Lhuillier and Gilles Minutello – along with Parret – in its line-up.And after placing 31st overall and 19th among the Dunlop-equipped Superstock category contenders in last year’s 24 Heures Motos, the Yamaha-powered outfit is hoping to make more progress when the Le Mans event opens the 2024 EWC season next month.“Sofian and Gilles had never participated in the 24 Heures Motos and their knowledge of motorcycle racing was limited,” Parret told 24h-motos.com. “The goal was for them to gain experience. During the race, we had three crashes. Despite this, we consider that the result of the race is satisfactory, because we wanted to take the chequered flag.“We are more relaxed than last year because Sofian and Gilles know what to do and know their limits. Thanks to the experience gained, they will gain speed. They will again approach the race with great caution because endurance is a demanding discipline. If we do not experience hazards, by definition, we should gain places in the ranking. Our goal is to do better than in 2023 by getting closer to the top 20 in the general ranking.”Team 202 has prepared for the 2024 season with tests in Spain and France. It will also take part in the Pre-Test for the 24 Heures Motos from 2-3 April.
27 March 2024
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team will defend its FIM Endurance World Championship crown carrying the number one on its R1.Although championship-winning teams usually use the number one during their title defence, it wasn’t previously an official requirement in the EWC – until the rules were updated for 2024.According to the regulations from EWC governing body Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, “the world champion of the previous season will wear number 1 during the current season”.However, in the event of YART being unable to defend its EWC title in 2024, it can revert to its traditional number seven in 2025 as “its former racing number will be protected during the period it wears the 1”, in line with the regulations.Marvin Fritz, who partnered Niccolò Canepa and Karel Hanika to the 2023 EWC title, said: “This is something we were dreaming of for a long time and we can’t wait to start the new season with the number one on our bike.”The 24 Heures Motos opens the 2024 EWC season at Le Mans in France from 18-21 April. Click HERE for ticket information. Photo: Facebook.com/MarvinFritz.2
26 March 2024
Rookie squad TCP Racing will embark on its first full FIM Endurance World Championship campaign with a firm focus on promoting young talent.Managed by ex-racer Peter Polesso, TCP Racing has recruited young French foursome Alan Agogue, Maxence Chachuat, Marcus Delestre and Felix Peron to ride its Yamaha in the Superstock-based FIM Enurance World Cup.“We are extremely proud of our team because everyone here is passionate with one goal: to make this project a success,” Polesso said. “A huge thank you to our supporting sponsors.”Peron said: “I want to thank the team and especially Peter Polesso for the confidence given. It's an honour to wear the colours TCP Racing, endurance is a team sport and I'm proud to be a part of it.”Delestre added: “Very happy to be part of this young dynamic and professional team led by Peter Polesso. I’m very grateful he trusts me to make my debut in such a mythical championship.”The 47th 24 Heures Motos, based at Le Mans in France, opens the new EWC season from 18-21 April. Visit FIMEWC.com soon for more on TCP Racing.Photo: Go2Creation