Suzuki Endurance Racing Team will start from second position at the opening round of the new 2016-2017 Endurance World Championship, the 80th Anniversary Bol d’Or 24-Hour race at Paul Ricard Circuit in France.
The 15-time and defending World Champions – Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Etienne Masson – are less-than half-a-second off Pole as inclement weather overnight and during the morning stopped most of the teams improving their lap-times from yesterday’s initial practice and qualifying sessions.
Thursday, under warm and dry conditions, Delhalle set a best-lap of 1.58.512 on the SERT GSX-R1000 and leading his session. Philippe posted a 1.59.387 and Masson a 1.59.812 lap-time. Today things did not improve with none of the riders posting better times; instead using the sessions to test various settings on their machine ready for 24 hours of gruelling racing.
Current EWC Championship bronze medallists Team April Moto Motors Events’ Gregg Black. Matthieu Lagrive and Gregory Fastre sit in 10th position on their GSX-R1000 with a combined time of 2:01.170; and likely contenders to be in the mix for top positions during the event.
In the Superstock Class, former champions Junior Team Le Mans Sud Suzuki riders Baptiste Guittet, Romain Maitre and Robin Camus are 12th overall in the line-up and second in class aboard their GSX-R1000 and only 200ths-of-a-second behind class leaders Team Louit Moto 33 Traqueur Kawasaki.
From the 55 starters, the race will see the all-new Eurosport Events FIM series include an all-female team of American Melissa Paris, Holland’s Jolanda Van Westrenen, plus Carole Goncalves and Muriel Simmore from France; their ‘Girls Racing Team’ setting the 39th-fastest time.
BOL D’OR EWC FINAL QUALIFYING RESULT:
1 GMT94 YAMAHA – CHECA/ CANEPA/ MAHIAS (Yamaha) - 1:58.847 2 SERT - PHILIPPE/ DELHALLE/ MASSON (Suzuki GSX-R1000) - 1:59.237 3 SRC Kawasaki – LEBLANC/ DE PUNIET/ FORET (Kawasaki) - 1:59.341 4 F.C.C. TSR Honda – ITO/ CUDLIN/ WATANABE (Honda) - 1:59.859 5 Honda Endurance Racing - DA COSTA/ GIMBERT/ FORAY (Honda) - 2:00.097 6 YART Yamaha Official – PARKES/ HAYES/ MORAIS (Yamaha) - 2:00.243 7 TRICK STAR Racing – NIGON/ DEGUCHI/ IZUTSU (Kawasaki) - 2:00.573 8 Penz13.com BMW Motorrad – FORAY/ PESEK/ LUSSIANA (BMW) - 2:00.703 9 TEAM LOUIT MOTO 33 TRAQUEUR – LOISEAU/ BERCHET (Kawasaki) - 2:01.132 10 Team April Moto Motors Events – BLACK/ LAGRIVE/ FASTRÉ (Suzuki GSX-R1000) - 2:01.170 12 Junior Team LMS Suzuki – GUITTET/ MAITRE/ CAMUS (Suzuki GSX-R1000) - 2:01.330
