Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website Yamaha Goes Above and Beyond in Le Mans 24H Motos
aprile 11, 2016 - Yamaha Racing

Yamaha Goes Above and Beyond in Le Mans 24H Motos

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The Yamaha #endurance team showed their fighting spirit at the Le Mans Bugatti circuit this weekend during the opening round of 2016 FIM #endurance World Championship (EWC). YART Yamaha Official EWC Team's refusal to let a challenging Le Mans 24H hours #moto get the best of them had them fired up to deliver a superhuman performance, as riders Max Neukirchner and Broc Parkes completed almost 24 hours of non-stop #racing without the help of a third rider and took 11th place in the race. GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team's 24 Heures Motos du Mans race was one with many ups and down. The teammates tried to make up for lost time after three crashes, but they were ultimately unable to complete the race. The heroes of the day were the 3ART Yam'Avenue team, who finished sixth in the overall race ranking and brought home first place in the Superstock class.

Tension built on the track as thousands of fans assembled in the grandstand alongside the pit lane to see 57 riders run to their bikes in the typical Le Mans running start at 3PM.

After securing a solid third place on the grid in Friday's qualifying 2 session, YART's first rider Max Neukirchner started the race with full force. He quickly sprinted to his Yamaha YZF-R1 and held onto the back of the front group in fourth place. However, with the temperatures at the track being no higher than 10 degrees he needed time to get accustomed to the conditions. The German rider dropped back to seventh before he went in for the attack and finished his double stint in sixth.

The number 7 bike was handed over to Broc Parkes who followed his teammate's example and showed some consistent and smart riding in a strong first part of the race. He climbed up to hold the same place in the time sheets before third rider Iván Silva took over.

The Spaniard had been fast throughout the qualifying 1 session, but started the race on Saturday with a hand injury after a fall in Q2. It was then, two hours and twenty minutes into the race, that drama struck. After his first lap he got caught out by the slippery conditions once more. The bike was brought back to the pits 25 minutes after the incident and the team started franticly working to repair the damage, but Silva was unable to continue the race due to a broken left shoulder.

The Yamaha Austria #racing Team was faced with a decision; to push on or pull out. It was a no-brainer for Team Manager, Mandy Kainz, who remained eager to see the team take the chequered flag after 24 hours. Neukirchner and Parkes agreed to put in their full effort for 21 more hours as they alternated stints to make up a 27-lap distance to the team in first place.

The exhaustion started to take a toll on Neukirchner and Parkes in the early morning hours, but they still managed to climb from 54th to 11th in the timesheets. Especially Neukirchner showed his incredible mental and physical stamina as he went on to complete the final hour of first race of the season on his own in eleventh place in the overall rankings and seventh place in the EWC classification. This result brings their points total up to 17, allowing them to take 13th position in the overall championship standings.

The GMT94 team also fought a courageous fight in their home race and showed to have strong teamwork until they were forced to retire from the race when the bike was too damaged to continue.

David Checa, the most experienced rider of the team, is traditionally the GMT rider who kicks off the race for the French team. Though the Spaniard had a good start he got swamped in the field as he cautiously took the first corner and joined the fight for tenth place. After switching to slicks when the track dried he made his charge to the front and moved up to fifth before letting second rider Niccolò Canepa make his #endurance race debut on the YZF-R1.

The ex-MotoGP and Superbike star showed his strong drive to arrive at the front of the field, yet showed to already have firm grasp of the GMT94 team's strategy. The #endurance newcomer rode a solid stint and made sure he didn't push too much under difficult conditions before he came back to the pits in third place.

The bike was then handed back over to Checa as the track conditions became mixed and was later passed on to third rider Louis Rossi. The endurance-rookie showed great potential to go fast but fell victim to the treacherous conditions of the track on three occasions. The multiple pit stops that followed lost GMT94 time and the team was ultimately forced to retire from the race due to too much damage on the bike.

Due to their placements after eight and sixteen hours the team was unable to picked up any points. They look forward to making a comeback at the front of the field at the next race in Portimão, Portugal, on the 11th of June.

Besides the admirable determination of the two official Yamaha EWC teams, the Yamaha teams in the Superstock class showed the same strength and dedication to #endurance #racing. For a majority of the night 3ART Yam'Avenue was competing with fellow SST team Yamaha Viltaïs Experience, who later had to withdraw from the race but still collected 10 points, for a top 15 finish. 3ART Yam'Avenue riders, Louis Bulle, Alex Plancassagne and Lukas Trautmann, gave an impeccable performances and positioned themselves as key protagonists in the #endurance #racing sport by securing sixth in the overall standings and taking the victory in the SST class. They hold a total of 22-points after the 24H race, putting them first in the SST championship rankings and fifth in the overall rankings. Maco Racing Team is 11th in the combined standings, Yamaha Viltaïs Experience holds the 20th position.

 Mandy Kainz - YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, Team ManagerOverall ranking: 11th, EWC ranking: 7th, 785 laps

"We are happy with the results considering how hard the riders had to fight to finish the race. After Iván's crash it was impossible for him to continue riding and this meant we only had two riders left. What Max and Broc have done today is incredible, they completed almost the entire hours of #racing with just the two of them and never stopped pushing! I want to thank them for their huge efforts as well as the team, who never gave up. We faced some very difficult conditions today and seen all possible weather circumstances, yet we've gotten through them all. Over these last 24 hours we have shown that our Yamaha YZF-R1 is very good and how dedicated we are to #endurance #racing. We hope to show what more we are capable of in Portimão in June."

 Max Neukirchner - YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, RiderOverall ranking: 11th, EWC ranking: 7th, 785 laps

"It was a really difficult situation. Iván had a bad crash on his first stint and it was not possible for him to ride again so we had to finish the race with two riders. At the beginning we were thinking that maybe we would stop later, but I was saying "No, we try to keep going". When Broc wanted to cancel everything I motivated him and we finished the race with two riders and we are really happy. The team did a great job, we had bad luck at the beginning of the race but it feels like a win for us."

 Broc Parkes - YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, RiderOverall ranking: 11th, EWC ranking: 7th, 785 laps

"That was easily the hardest race I've ever done in my whole life. At times I didn't think it was possible. After we had a meeting with Mandy, I was questioning it because the weather was so bad and cold and there were moments when I was riding towards the end when I wasn't sure and I didn't think that even I could keep continuing. It's good for the team, I think we went from nothing to getting some good points for the championship. I've been with the team now for three or four years, I gave everything for them and I'm happy that it's over."

 Iván Silva - YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, RiderOverall ranking: 11th, EWC ranking: 7th, 785 laps

"My crash was very unfortunate, especially for my team. I really wanted to be able to support my teammates, but it was not possible because I broke my left shoulder in the crash. I am really happy though to see the team perform so well.  A big congratulations to them, what Max and Broc did during the 24 hours wasn't easy. I will now return back to the Barcelona where I will undergo a further check up for my shoulder.  I hope to make a speedy recovery soon so I can carry my part of the weight at the next #endurance race."

 Christophe Guyot - GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team, Team ManagerRetired after 14:36.02.903, 364 laps

"As everybody would say in this case: "that's racing". We have to find the reason why we made so many mistakes. Three crashes is not normal, but we can be very motivated for the future. First of all the bike is really good. Secondly our strategy at the beginning of the race was the right approach and we can be very proud of David and Niccolò's performances. They were riding during three very difficult hours, and didn't risk anything and played it safe. We lost only 1m15s in three hours in very difficult conditions. It was very easy to make many mistakes and we didn't. Though Louis crashed three times he was very fast and the pace was very good. The only shame is that we weren't able to finish the race. The last time we didn't finish in Le Mans was in 2009, so I hope we will again be able to finish the next six 24H Motos."

 David Checa - GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team, RiderRetired after 14:36.02.903, 364 laps

"I have to say thank you to the team, because we had some problems throughout the whole week but we seem to have managed everything for the race. For me this race could have been an easy second place, but at the end this is not what happened, but that's #racing. The only thing that's disappointing for me is all the work that the staff put in and then we don't finish the race, but that's the way it is. We have to think of ways to improve for next time and we will see in Portimão what will happen. Thanks to everybody for their hard work in the box. #racing can be good and sometimes it can be bad, but you have to try to find positive points and move forward."   

 Niccolò Canepa - GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team, RiderRetired after 14:36.02.903, 364 laps

"I already love #endurance after this first impression. It's amazing because not only are you riding fast, it's also mentally and physically tough and you need team work. This is the first time I've seen an incredible team that is a very high level in which you not only have to work for yourself, but also for your teammates and that is difficult when it's five in the morning, it's cold and you want to sleep but you have to ride the bike. Finally you ride the bike at night and then you go faster than during the day and it's amazing, it's something you have to experience to understand. Honestly, before the race you have many doubts and you don't know how it will go, but I'm really happy because I saw that I'm ready, I can do it and I'm fast enough to be on top with my teammates."

 Louis Rossi - GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team, RiderRetired after 14:36.02.903, 364 laps

"It's quite a disaster for me, for the team, for the mechanics and teammates. I wasn't in a good mindset when I started this race, because I was thinking about riding fast and it was not the right moment to think about that. I made some mistakes and damaged the bike and we stopped the race at 6 o'clock in the morning. It's completely my fault and it's really hard because it's my first race in #endurance. Now the situation is not easy for me because I have to seek what should be done differently and see what can happen in the future." 

 Dominique Arnaud - 3ART YamAvenue, Team ManagerOverall ranking: 6th, SST ranking: 1st, 800 laps

"The objective was to take home a podium this weekend so we are very proud to win the race. I would like to thank all the team members for their professional involvement and the riders for doing an amazing job. We started 50th on the grid due to an injured rider. We made a good tyre choice and Lukas got to 4th place in 30 minutes. I never saw this before! Thanks to Yamaha and to all our partners."

 Louis Bulle - 3ART YamAvenue, RiderOverall ranking: 6th, SST ranking: 1st, 800 laps

"The only Word I have to describe what's on my mind is 'amazing'. The team did a perfect job, the tyres were strong and teammates were so fast! Thanks to all of them and to the nice YZF-R1!"

 Alex Plancassagne - 3ART YamAvenue, RiderOverall ranking: 6th, SST ranking: 1st, 800 laps

"This race is a great story for me, I can't realize what happened yet because I was not supposed to do this race. It's simply amazing, the YZF-R1, the team and everything was perfect for winning today. Thanks to everybody for the support."

 Lukas Trautmann - 3ART YamAvenue, RiderOverall ranking: 6th, SST ranking: 1st, 800 laps

"For me it was the first time in #endurance and even riding at the Le Mans track. It was a really impressive starting procedure, seeing the strategies. I really enjoyed this adventure. It was a big task during the night. We will see what will happen in the future, but I'm ready to start again."

Overall Race Classification - Le Mans 24H Motos

1. SRC Kawasaki, FRA, 819 laps
2. Team April #moto Motors Events, FRA, 810 laps
3. F.C.C. TSR Honda, JPN, 808 laps
4. Team R2CL, FRA, 804 laps
5. Suzuki #endurance #racing Team, FRA, 802 laps
6. TEAM 3ART YAM'AVENUE, Yamaha, FRA, 800 laps
7. AM #moto #racing Competition, FRA, 18 points laps
8. NRT48 Race Events UG, DEU, 792 laps
9. #racing Team Sarazin, FRA, 789 laps
10. Maco #racing Team, Yamaha, SVK, 786 laps
11. YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, Yamaha, AUT, 785 laps
12. Starteam PAM-Racing, FRA, 785 laps
13. Cottard Motosport, FRA, 784 laps
14. Space #moto 37, FRA, 782 laps
15. TRT 27 / Bazar 2 La Becane, FRA, 780 laps

21. MB Motors team, Yamaha, 772 laps
24. Slider #endurance, Yamaha, 765 laps
30. Motobox Kremer #racing, Yamaha, 756 laps
32. LMD63 - #moto Journal, Yamaha, 754 laps
35. MP #racing, Yamaha, 738 laps


DNF
47. Yamaha Viltaïs Experience, Yamaha, 613 laps
51. GMT94 Yamaha Official EWC Team, 455 laps

Championship Standings Classification - FIM #endurance World Championship (EWC)

1. SRC Kawasaki, FRA, 60 points
2. Team April #moto Motors Events, FRA, 45 points
3. F.C.C. TSR Honda, JPN, 44 points
4. Team R2CL, FRA, 36 points
5. TEAM 3ART YAM'AVENUE, Yamaha, FRA, 22 points
6. Suzuki #endurance #racing Team, FRA, 21 points
7. NRT48 Race Events UG, DEU, 20 points
8. AM #moto #racing Competition, FRA, 18 points
9. Team Bolliger Switzerland, CHE, 16 points
10. #racing Team Sarazin, FRA, 13 points
11. Maco Racing Team, SVK, Yamaha 11 points
12. Honda #endurance #racing, GBR, 11 points
13. YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, Yamaha, AUT, 10 points
14. Starteam PAM-Racing, FRA, 9 points
15. Cottard Motosport, FRA, 8 points
16. Junior Team LMS Suzuki, FRA, 8 points
17. Space #moto 37, FRA, 7 points
18. TRT 27 / Bazar 2 La Becane, FRA, 6 points
19. Flembbo Leader Team, FRA, 5 points
20. Yamaha Viltaïs Experience, Yamaha, FRA, 5 points
21. Team 18 Sapeurs-Pompiers, FRA, 4 points
22. TECMAS #racing TEAM - BMW, FRA, 3 points
23. TEAM LOUIT #moto 33 TRAQUEUR, FRA, 3 points
24. MB MOTORS TEAM, Yamaha, FRA, 1 point