|
Yamaha GMT94 Win the Bol d’Or 24hrs |
Yamaha GMT94 Win the Bol d’Or 24hrs
Team Yamaha GMT94
French-run Team Yamaha GMT94
took the chequered flag in the
famous but also grueling Bol D’Or 24hrs Endurance race this
weekend, completing 801 laps on their YZF-R1 machine and beating
second place by five laps. The race took place at the circuit of
Magny-Cours (France) in front of almost 100,000 spectators; it
started at 15.00 hrs on Saturday and ran through the night to
finish at 15.00 hrs on Sunday afternoon.
The three riders were Sébastien Gimbert,
David Checa, who both
also ride for Team Yamaha GMT94 in World Supersport, and Olivier
Four. From the start Team Yamaha GMT94 were in the thick of the
action but held their nerve to take the lead with a tight margin
of 30 seconds back to second place. But, with only four hours to
go the second placed Suzuki team crashed out, giving Team Yamaha
GMT94 a ten lap lead. Keen to avoid anything that could lose
them the lead, the team maintained their focus to take the win.
This win is made all the sweeter as this is their first win at
the Magny-Cours race.
Permanent World Endurance Championship entry Yamaha Phase One
Endurance team finished fourth (with riders Warwich Nowland,
Glen Richards and Pedro Valcaneras Flores) with Yamaha teams
Acrapolis Moto Expert fifth and Endurance Moto 38 finishing
seventh. Currently 4 Yamaha teams are in the top 7 of the
Endurance World Championship standings.
Team Yamaha GMT94, run by former rider and passionate
sportsman
Christophe Guyot, operate on a strategy focused on two different
race programs. They are permanent entries in the World
Supersport Championship with riders David Checa and Sébastien
Gimbert mounted on Yamaha R6 machinery. In addition, they enter
the two most demanding Endurance races in the world on the
Yamaha R1, both run in France - the Le Mans 24hrs and the Bol
d’Or 24hrs.
David Checa (Team Yamaha GMT94)
This race has been excellent;
the bike and the tyres worked
perfectly together and the team has just worked as one to get on
the top of the podium. The last four hours were the easiest,
after the Suzuki team crashed; it was just about keeping the
pace up and not making any silly mistakes. I’d like to thank
Yamaha and Team GMT94 for all their support and efforts.”
Sébastien Gimbert (Team Yamaha GMT94)
“What can I say? To win feels very
satisfying! Everything came
together well and the race was perfect for us.”
Olivier Four (Team Yamaha GMT94)
“The bike was set-up well and Sébastien,
David and I all worked
well together. It feels great to win here! I’d like to thank the
team for getting us here.”
Christophe Guyot (Team Manager,
Team Yamaha GMT94)
“I’d like to thank everyone for all their
hard work. I’m so
happy with the result; it’s just fantastic to win here this
weekend! It was a big fight from the beginning of the race and,
although we got the lap record we were only leading by 30
seconds at 10.30am on Sunday morning. Then, the Suzuki which was
in second place crashed, meaning we were in the lead by ten
laps. From then on it was down to the riders to just ride
carefully and not risk any crashes. This result is a great proof
of the power and reliability of the Yamaha R1.”
|
|
