Another Bol d'Or win for SRC Kawasaki

After winning at the wire in 2012, SRC Kawasaki triumphs again at the Bol d'Or with a 9-lap lead over Monster Energy Yamaha YART and 11 laps clear of the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT). Riding the official Kawasaki, Gregory Leblanc, Loris Baz and Jérémy Guarnoni put together a perfectly crafted but exhausting race. The tricky conditions with intermittent showers on Saturday afternoon reshuffled the leading pack. To hold on to the lead, SRC Kawasaki put up a hard fight against the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team early in the race as well as with the Yamaha France GMT 94 Michelin Yamalube, which just missed the podium after being hit by electronic woes at the end of the race. But Kudos goes to David Checa, Kenny Foray and Matthieu Lagrive who battled it out with the Kawasaki at the front for nearly 20 hours. By taking pole position and going on to win, the SRC Kawasaki handed in a flawless card at Magny-Cours. However, the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team seemed an unlikely candidate for the podium after crashes by Anthony Delhalle and Vincent Philippe as a result of bad tyre choices early on in the race. But Dominique Méliand's crew, who were lying back in 30th four hours into the race, showed their guts and determination. Lap after lap, they came up the field and, helped at the end by the misfortunes that befell Yamaha France GMT 94 Michelin Yamalube, a relieved Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Julien Da Costa hauled themselves on to the third step of the podium, saving vital points for Suzuki in the overall standings. Monster Energy Yamaha YART was in the leading pack from start to finish. Igor Jerman, Broc Parkes and Sheridan Morais did not put a foot wrong but were unable to take the race to the Kawasaki. The Austrian Yamaha ran a prudent race after putting together its final crew at the last moment, and Sheridan Morais, who stepped in to replace an injured Josh Waters, had his first ride on the Yamaha at Magny Cours. So three makers were on the podium, paired with three different tyre manufacturers: Kawasaki-Pirelli in first, followed by Yamaha-Michelin and Suzuki-Dunlop. BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent fell by the wayside when Sébastien Gimbert, Sylvain Barrier and Karl Muggeridge had to throw in the towel at dusk. Two early crashes had left the motorcycle too damaged to go on. Honda TT Legends fell behind the leading pack with engine trouble on Sunday morning, leaving the top Honda spot for National Motos. Slowed down by a crash, Gregory Junod, Michael Rutter and Olivier Four finished in 8th after holding on to a place in the top 5. Team R2CL, who moved up the field as the race went on, were able to take 7th at the finish with avec Guillaume Dietrich, Gwen Giabbani and Dylan Buisson. In the race for the FIM Endurance World Cup, Junior Team Suzuki LMS chalked up another win. Baptiste Guittet, Etienne Masson and Nans Chevaux finished a respectable 5th and 1st in Superstock just behind the top teams. This category saw a close-run fight with Penz13.com Franks Autowelt Racing Team (BMW) finishing just behind Junior Team Suzuki. Team Motors Events April Moto (Suzuki) came in 3rd in Superstock ahead of the Suzukis of Starteam Pam Racing and AM Moto Racing Compétition, kept off the podium as a result of a crash. The next leg of the FIM Endurance World Championship will be the Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan on 28 July.

Source: http://www.fim-live.com/en/media/news/news-detail/article/1366564327-another-bol-dor-win-for-src-kawasaki/

Ricky Carmichael Danny Chandler Eric Cheney Alessio Chiodi Jaromir Cizek