24 Heures Motos – 24 Hours of Le Mans Motos 2020: post-race debriefing –

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24 Hours of Le Mans Motos 2020: post-race debriefing

24 Heures Motos - 24 Hours of Le Mans Motos 2020: post-race debriefing -

The long wait was finally worth it: postponed from April to August due to the coronavirus, the 43rd edition of the 24H Motos did not lack spice … nor twists, falls, exploits, rain, rainbow , etc. To understand everything, here are the reactions of the main drivers and team managers.

Winner: FCC TSR Honda France n ° 5

Josh Hook: “It was an amazing race! We arrived this weekend with a new bike and the team only had a few months to prepare it. The new Honda CBR is amazing, it is already competitive and has surprised us all , whether it was the riders or the technical team, because we were immediately faster on this bike than on any before. We continued to improve the bike and we arrived at Le Mans this week with a bike able to win the race, which we understood from the start. I sincerely thank the team and our partners who worked so hard to develop this new bike. They deserve this victory and I am happy that Freddy, Mike and I myself have been able to contribute ".

24 Heures Motos - 24 Hours of Le Mans Motos 2020: post-race debriefing -

Freddy Foray: "When we look back, we say to ourselves that the bike had never been ridden before and it wins the race today. I just want to say a big thank you to this team who achieved an improbable feat because at the start we didn’t know what to expect with a bike that was starting from scratch. Sharing that with the team and my teammates is fantastic too. I take my hat off to Mike who rode really well, and to Josh who was injured and who held on to the end. This is the second victory we share here and it’s great. A few weeks ago we didn’t even know if we could ride because of the health situation and today we are at Le Mans and we are winning the race, it’s magic! ".

Mike Di Meglio: "It was really a crazy race! From the start I thought the pace was going to be much more sustained, as we were starting from a new machine I was ready to accept to let my competitors go. In the end I did. a good start and I found myself behind Gregg Black who I managed to overtake on the first lap and started at my own pace. I was quite surprised to see that I managed to widen a gap so I calmed a little play during the first stint. When the competitors started to make mistakes with the complicated conditions, we chose to really stay focused on our pace. It was during the night that I started to understand the bike well and have fun with it by setting good lap times. The team did a really fantastic job on the bike, we trained as well as possible during this whole period of the Covid and we won at the finish, it’s great ".

24 Heures Motos - 24 Hours of Le Mans Motos 2020: post-race debriefing -

Masakazu Fujii, team manager: "The start of this season was quite complicated, with the rain disrupting the first races, then the pandemic, all the elements seemed to be working against us. But with the support of all our partners, we have worked hard to develop this news. bike because we didn’t have a lot of time. We had a choice, we could have kept the old one and waited another year to develop the new bike, but we decided to roll up our sleeves to make it operational for Le Mans . It’s great to win this race with a new bike without experience with which we had no certainty. This second victory at Le Mans is great for the team, for Honda and all our partners ".

2nd: Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar n ° 1

Jeremy Guarnoni: "We weren’t the strongest on paper but we managed to reverse the trend. I take this result as a good surprise. We clearly missed the track because even if the Michelin are very efficient, we had to start again zero in terms of settings. Much of the tuning has been done but we still need some fine-tuning to find our way back to victory. We didn’t win this time around, unlike last year, but for the whole team, I consider it a victory. Now the team is back in the world championship and that is the main thing. I warmly thank my teammates Erwan and David, we are fast on the bike because that we really enjoy riding together. I can’t wait to be in Estoril, Portugal next month! "

24 Heures Motos - 24 Hours of Le Mans Motos 2020: post-race debriefing -

3rd: Suzuki Endurance Racing Team n ° 2

Damien Saulnier, team manager: "Of course, we are still aiming for victory but after this very complicated race, with the weather conditions that kept changing and many twists and turns, this 3rd place really satisfies me. Especially since in the championship we have a very nice operation. We are still leader of the championship but we are not claiming victory. There is one race and in Endurance, it is after the finish line that we do the accounts. I congratulate all the technical staff of SERT and the drivers for the great job they have done. I am very proud of them. I also thank the ACO and Eurosport Events for the organization of the event in a complicated health context. A big thank you finally to our partners for their loyal support despite this year apart ".

24 Heures Motos - 24 Hours of Le Mans Motos 2020: post-race debriefing -

Etienne masson: "A podium for this new edition of the 24 Heures Motos. A little disappointed with the final result because we narrowly missed out on 2nd place, but a 24 Hours race is still unpredictable. Nevertheless we are doing a good job for the FIM Endurance Championship World Championship EWC by maintaining our leadership position! "

Gregg Black: "Despite a race full of twists and turns on a tricky track, we finished this 43 rd edition on the podium. We are scoring valuable points and keeping our place as leader in the general classification of the EWC Championship. Thank you all for following us in conditions a little special this year. Thank you to my sponsors and partners as well as to my team and my teammates. See you in Estoril on September 27 for the final of the EWC Championship! "

Xavier Simeon: "What an emotion to be on the podium of the 24h of Le Mans! Thank you to SERT and my teammates for their incredible work! We all did a great job!"

4th: Yamaha Austrian Racing Team n ° 7

Karel Hanika: "It’s a hard pill to swallow. We were aiming higher in the standings of course. I’m so sorry about my crash in the first stint. I felt good on the bike, and I didn’t feel like I was attacking when the rain came, but got into the turn there was more water than expected and I slipped breaking the handlebars. We wasted a lot of time, but from there we made our better, each driver was strong and the team did a great job. We were the fastest on the track, we could turn in 1 ’37, and in the end, we climbed back up to 4th place: it’s not the hoped for podium but we get some precious points. We can still fight for the championship in Estoril, but it’s difficult to go to Portugal without the Le Mans trophy. I want to thank the team for supporting me, c tis my first crash in an endurance race, but we all stuck together and did our best to recover. Bri dgestone has been very supportive of us, Yamaha has made a great bike so I thank everyone on our team. We will be able to bounce back stronger in Estoril ".

24 Heures Motos - 24 Hours of Le Mans Motos 2020: post-race debriefing -

Marvin Fritz: “We worked a lot on the electronics and finally found a good setting for the engine brake and traction control. Niccoló had a great start to the race, and I had a good first stint. FCC TSR Honda in the lead and I widened a gap of more than ten seconds. Then Karel unfortunately crashed, but luckily he was able to bring the bike back and the team fixed the damage very quickly. In the end, we fought to get back to fourth place: it’s great because we were the fastest all night and this morning. It was important to come back up and score some good points because we are now third in the championship and we still have a chance to win. We can’t wait to go to Estoril because my team and my teammates have been quick here at Le Mans, and Bridgestone also made a great tire for the race. The new bike finished the 24 hours, so that’s great . I would like to thank my team q ui gave himself to 110% ,. Can’t wait for the next race ".

Niccoló Canepa: “This is not the result we expected because we were very fast all weekend. Even in the race we were the fastest team in all conditions so in the end I don’t think that we got what we deserved. The good thing is that the bike is running well and the Bridgestone tires are performing very well, so we are confident ahead of the final in Estoril. It’s a shame not to get on the podium here at Le Mans because I think we deserved it, but this is the race: in 24 hours anything can happen, and unfortunately we had a bit of bad luck. We have nothing to lose in Estoril, so we let’s go for the victory there to end the year on a positive note ".

24 Heures Motos - 24 Hours of Le Mans Motos 2020: post-race debriefing -

Mandy Kainz, team manager: “The race was tough, although I think we did a perfect job. The bike, the tires and the riders were amazing. Our guys were the fastest on the track in all conditions but unfortunately we crashed in a soaked turn, which cost us a lot of time. We fell three laps behind the leader, then eight laps, but we fought to get back to fourth. The 24 hours were too short for us to finish on the podium, but the positive side is we know the new YZF-R1 can complete the full 24 hours, we know we have the fastest riders but what we haven’t had is enough luck. She will come back for Estoril ".

5th: VRD Igol Pierret Experiences Yamaha n ° 333

"Top 5 and first private: this result is the best we have had since our commitment in EWC. We have passed the stages one by one since our first laps in the French championship. And now, we are in 5th place in the FIM EWC endurance world championship. Thank you for supporting us throughout the week and during this very special 24-hour race. It’s really not the same without you in the stands. Next stop, 12h d’Estoril at the end of September: imagine that we are going there with the desire to perform! "

24 Heures Motos - 24 Hours of Le Mans Motos 2020: post-race debriefing -

Florian Alt: "We finished fifth at the end of the most physical race of my life: 13 stints and 1424 km just for me. We maintained an excellent pace and we drove 12 hours with only two riders, after Nico Terol left for treat an infection of the appendix. Get well quickly! It was a great race with VRD Igol Pierret Experiences and Florian Marino. But we want more! "

Nico Terol: “First of all I want to apologize for not being able to finish the race yesterday with my friends, Florian Marino and Florian Alt, I really admire what you have accomplished. I threw up from the first one relay, I ate nothing and at the end I no longer drank either … on an empty stomach, I lasted 12 hours. At that moment, my body could not take any more. I had to be admitted around 3 am but luckily everything went well Personally I had a bad time … I am nevertheless very happy to have given the best of myself, to have had a very good feeling on the bike and for being very competitive. Of course I want to thank the team for their excellent work and for the superb bike we have enjoyed. ".

1st SST (8th): GERT56 by GS Yuasa BMW n ° 56

Lucy Glockner: “In those troubled times this was probably one of the toughest races I have ever run in my career. We saw that it was more than easy to fall. Sometimes we had to be careful and take a second of safety, managing the race intelligently. I am absolutely happy: my two teammates Stefan and Toni did a mega-job and it is now the team’s second victory in the 24 hours, but the first at Le Mans and this , at the seventh attempt.

24 Heures Motos - 24 Hours of Le Mans Motos 2020: post-race debriefing -

<pStefan Kerschbaumer: "The pleasure of driving is different in these conditions, but we did it and we won. Everything went smoothly, we also had a bit of luck on our side … The switch to wet tires by example, happened at the exact moment when I had to return to the pits anyway. I couldn’t plan it. It’s absolutely great to be able to win this race, I’m happy for the whole team ".

Toni Finsterbusch: “This is my first 24 hour race and I’m winning it right away! It couldn’t have been better. It was really exhausting and we always had to find the right balance between attack and hold. The team did a job. hell in the pits and mastered all the stops perfectly. The three of us gave everything on the track, and it was more than easy to make mistakes today ".

24 Heures Motos - 24 Hours of Le Mans Motos 2020: post-race debriefing -

Karsten Wolf, team manager: “It took us seven years to get to the top at Le Mans. Usually we were always unlucky here. This time it was the exact opposite, you can’t imagine how lucky we were like the Planned pit stop with Kerschi when it starts to rain. Our BMW S1000RR made no fuss and in the end we finished first. but we couldn’t have done it without the commitment of Pirelli Germany and Bjorn Lohmann, because otherwise we would have been without tires. We also owe our success to all our partners and sponsors who have stayed the course during these difficult times of Coronavirus. Our families, friends and acquaintances also deserve our sincere thanks. And above all, to their employers who helped cope with the many postponements of vacation this year, which allowed me to deploy my powerful troop here ".

2nd SST (9th): No Limits Motor Team Suzuki n ° 44

"We stepped onto the podium at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans Moto, and we are the first Italian team to do so. There really is nothing more to add … except a big thank you. To our wonderful # NoLimits44 first of all. We get a result up to the mark, which is much more than a victory for an independent team like ours. And we did it on our own, with our will, determination and passion. that we have for this sport. This is a result that we have been striving for in recent years, more and more aware of our strength and our potential. And today the happiness that we feel is the reward for our efforts and our performances, which for the team begin well before the race weekend, but last for many months, even away from the tracks, to allow us to be present at this magnificent FIM EWC endurance world championship ".

24 Heures Motos - 24 Hours of Le Mans Motos 2020: post-race debriefing -

"So thank you, and bravo to each of us! Thank you and bravo to our drivers Luca Scassa, Christopher Kemmer and Luca Vitali who demonstrated their qualities and their high level during this race weekend, giving the best of themselves, relay after relay. We are proud that they are an integral part of this team, because on the track or in the box, a 24 hour event is won all together, as a team. Thank you all friends, the fans who lived the race with us, even from afar, hour after hour, they supported us and ended up flooding us with wonderful messages! And finally, thank you to all the technical partners, who help make our bike yellow performance, and to all our sponsors who help us achieve our goals! It’s already time to think about the next meeting, get to work and see you in Portugal in less than a month !

3rd SST (10th): Team Moto Ain Yamaha n ° 96

"Following a race full of emotions, we finished on the podium. Certainly, technical errors disrupted our course, but the relentlessness and passion of each took us on this beautiful 3rd step! Thank you all, pilots , box, paneling, osteo, stewardship. See you in Portugal for the final! "

24 Heures Motos - 24 Hours of Le Mans Motos 2020: post-race debriefing -

Robin mulhauser: "From my first stint, after 5 laps, I was fooled by a few drops of rain that fell in the last corner of the circuit. This fall left me almost knocked out on the ground, and it took me a few seconds to Come back to my senses. Once I left to finish my stint, I had a double vision and I was downright groggy. Once back to the pit luckily, my teammates took the lead and allowed me to rest for a while longer than normal time: thank you guys and sorry for my crash! The rest of the race continued on this momentum: a Stop & Go penalty, another crash for my teammate, mechanical problems, etc. are always beaten and took up every challenge that opposed us! I would like by this message, to thank the whole team who did an incredible job and without whom we would never have been able to reach the podium of this Dantesque race! They are the real heroes of this ordeal and who have carried us on their shoulders throughout, so to you, a big thank you! From the mechanics to the cooks as well as our masseuse, thank you. Thanks everyone for your support during this crazy weekend, now it’s time to rest and focus for Estoril at the end of September! In the end, I came out of this fall unscathed thanks to my equipment manufacturers at the cutting edge of technology and safety, thank you for these quality products! "

Uncategorized: BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team n ° 37

Werner Daemen, Director: "I am very disappointed, not only for myself, but also for the whole team and everyone who has worked hard to get a good result. In the previous two races we saw that we were candidates for the podium in this championship, and I think this weekend we showed once again that we can fight for the podium and the victory when all is well. But this weekend luck was not on our side, and that This is also the race. We will now take the positives, move forward and seriously prepare for Estoril ".

24 Heures Motos - 24 Hours of Le Mans Motos 2020: post-race debriefing -

Kenny Foray: “It was a good race, although the result is definitely not what we expected. It’s always difficult to finish like this. But I think we have to look at the positives. The bike was amazing all the way. distance of the race, the pace of the drivers was just as much. Certainly we have to improve in some areas, but I’m pretty sure it’s possible because I believe in the team. And I think we will have better luck in the next race ".

Markus Reiterberger: “First of all, a big thank you to the whole team who worked so hard after such a great test and who made further improvements for the event. Thank you to the organizers who made the event possible In the race, Kenny’s fall in a heavy rain took us down slightly in the peloton, but we all did a good job afterwards, we were focused during our stints and I was able to set some very fast lap times during the night . We gave it our all, but it was difficult to catch up with the guys ahead. That is why we would have been very happy to have finished fifth in the end. The usual pitfalls of endurance racing surfaced during these 24 hours: weird weather, accidents, safety car interventions. It was really a very, very difficult and long race. We unfortunately did not receive our reward at the end. It’s a shame but we have to continue to watch worm s the future. We have seen what we are capable of and we will build on this basis ".

24 Heures Motos - 24 Hours of Le Mans Motos 2020: post-race debriefing -

Ilya Mikhalchik: "It was my fault. I was too fast in my stint. The other guys slowed down but I kept going, I made a little mistake, I widened and a bump took me. lost the front. We were fifth and I was trying to give my best as always. I mean a big, big forgiveness to BMW and my team who did a fantastic job all weekend long- The bike was really great and fast during the 24 hours: it could even have won the race. But the difficult weather conditions did not give us that chance. Forgiveness again to the whole team, to all the fans and to all those who support us. Let us not repeat this bad experience in the future ".

13th STT (26th): Aprilia Le Mans 2 Roues n ° 15

In 2020, the was awarded to this unique Aprilia team, whose riders Marco Boue and Eddy Dupuy completed three quarters of the race for two, following the injury of their teammate Nelson Major..

24 Heures Motos - 24 Hours of Le Mans Motos 2020: post-race debriefing -

Emmanuel Parisse: "For us the main thing is to be at the finish. I remember that during a previous edition of the Bol d’Or, Anthony found himself in the same situation as Marco and Eddy, so it’s very symbolic for us. There was a goal and they accepted it. They did not give up. I am very proud of what they did and to receive this trophy ".

Marco Boue: "We had a difficult week and it was not won. In the race, we encountered very difficult weather conditions and a tricky track. Nelson paid the price. Despite that, the team and Eddy got it right. I’m really happy to have gone to the end of the race ".

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