24 Heures Motos – GMT offers Le Mans to Yamaha! –

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GMT offers Le Mans to Yamaha !

24 Heures Motos - GMT offers Le Mans to Yamaha! -

By dint of tenacity, motivation and hard work, Christophe Guyot’s GMT managed to win at Le Mans on the Yamaha n ° 94, with a lead of … 20 seconds on the official Suzuki n ° 1 of King Meliand ! Report.

Yamaha, which had not won at Le Mans for 14 years, crossed the finish line in the lead yesterday on the Bugatti circuit thanks to the talent and motivation of David Checa, William Costes, Sebastien Gimbert and Christophe Guyot, l ‘teacher turned driver and team manager, already winner in 2001 on private Suzuki.

Unlike last year’s eventful edition (read), the officials n ° 1 and 2 of the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team of Dominique Meliand did not manage to fully catch up with the lead of the 94…

A look back at the 28th edition of the 24 Heures Moto, which began with rainy testing but which, for the first time in 5 years, took place without the shadow of a drop of rain !

Thursday April 14

First qualifying practice session. The Yamaha n ° 94 of the GMT is ahead of the Suzuki n ° 2 of the SERT thanks to its new Pirelli on the track made slippery by the rain. "When we saw the rain, we had a moment of concern because we had never been able to do any tests in the wet", explains Christophe Guyot."But we quickly saw that the pilots were comfortable and the times were improving steadily.".

Pirelli seems to have invested a lot alongside the GMT, providing them with the structure of the Superbike World Championship, Italian engineers and technicians and no less than 600 tires to test. !

For its part, the SERT inaugurates the all new GSX-R 2005, but replaced the new titanium pot with a very controversial look (read) by a more classic and sonorous Devil release.

Friday April 15

Second qualifying session. On a dry track, the GMT R1 took pole in 1’40.063 thanks to the good choice of slick tires. "We did well with the choice of tires on the drying track", welcomes Sebastien Gimbert.

The No. 1 SERT GSX-R was nevertheless constantly on the attack, Matthieu Lagrive setting the best time in practice in 1’38.623, but only clinched second position. "It’s always a shame to let the pole slip away", regrets Dominique Meliand,"but what matters now is the race !"

The official Kawasaki n ° 11 snatched third place on the grid, ahead of the second Suzuki from SERT. The Kawasaki Fuchs team has very serious ambitions and is not satisfied with this promising third place at the start: "morally, we are a little disappointed not to be higher on the grid", explains team manager Jean-François Gay…

In the Stocksport category, the n ° 49 Kawasaki of the Scratch Moto Angers team will start first in the category, in fifth position on the grid.

"If luck is on our side, we have everything we need to win", hopes Christophe Guyot who admits to being"gives a little extra pleasure by riding as a replacement driver". And for the record,"the average of the four pilots leaves us in pole position", specifies the former winner of the 2001 edition.

Midday. On the A10 motorway towards Le Mans, there are more motorcycles at Relais Calmos in Saint-Arnoult than at high speed in the left lane. Everyone drives fairly quietly, even in Hayabusa.

2:00 p.m.. The last biker relay before Le Mans, held by an independent association for 24 years, welcomes typical figures of the 24 Hours, such as these two companions in sidecar with their funny trailer, who are making the trip from the Marne for the sixteenth year. !

On the outskirts of the circuit, the police are engaged in numerous checks, vehicle searches and other blood alcohol checks, a new security policy requires. Friendly welcome…

6:00 p.m.. The traditional public visit to the stands rewards those who have chosen to arrive on the circuit today. Autographed posters on all floors, in a weather that is always very variable between sun and rain…

"We will do everything to have a good race tomorrow", promises Christophe Guyot."On paper, the bike and the riders are a little above", confirms a technician from GMT,"but it’s long 24 hours, a lot can happen"… But the last 2004 edition, won by SERT following a clutch failure of the GMT which had dominated the race for 23 hours, is in everyone’s mind on the eve of the big start…

Saturday April 16

10:30. Sun and blue sky welcome the start of the warm up for a review of the state of the forces present on D-Day less than 5 hours before the start.

The scenario of the qualifying practice is repeated and Sebastien Gimbert on the Yamaha n ° 94 confirms his pole.

On the lookout just behind, the unavoidable Suzuki number 1 and number 2 of SERT keep their usual place at the top of the pavement, but are preceded by the now famous challenger: the GMT 94, 2004 world endurance champion but which has never won the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Yamaha…

11:30. "Kawasaki has as much chance of winning this year as SERT or GMT", believes Bertrand Sebileau who continues to recover from his serious accident."In pure performance, the bike is level. Only the choice of pilots and the vagaries of the race can make the difference"…

3:00 p.m.. All the actors of this formidable epic which begins are placed to the millimeter ready on the starting grid. Magical moments of intensity, concentration and stress before the pilots rush to their mounts arranged in a herringbone pattern, facing them, on the other side of the track…

The crew of the CBR n ° 5 of the National Motos team, one of the three Hondas in the race, pays tribute to Franck Gebelin, who was killed on Friday following his accident on the Carole circuit…

The start, still spectacular at Le Mans, is given under a radiant sun. The Kawasaki surprise everyone by starting with three motorcycles in front: the n ° 11 led by Julien Da Costa in front of the n ° 8 of David Morillon and the n ° 49 of Frederic Moreira in Stocksport, in front of the machines of the SERT and the GMT 94 !

3:10 p.m.. The Greens’ show of force was short-lived: from the third lap, Matthieu Lagrive in the No. 1 Suzuki came in second. Julien Da Costa offers him a magnificent resistance and the two pilots provide a duel of very good quality. Da Costa, now behind Lagrive, multiplies the assaults without managing to pass. Suzuki n ° 2 was then third overall and Yamaha n ° 94 world champion in fourth position.

3:20 p.m.. The first crash of this 28th edition, fortunately not serious, goes to the Suzuki n ° 18 of the firefighters which slips off in the bend of the Chapel..

3:45 p.m.. Da Costa in the No. 11 Kawasaki, still on the attack behind the leader, crashed at high speed under braking in the Dunlop chicane as he entered his 21st lap. Injured in his right ankle, his arm burned and his hand swollen, he was transferred to hospital. His fall came just after his lap record of 1’39.992. The bike will not start again … In the Stocksport category, the # 49 Kawasaki of Scratch Moto Angers leads the way, in fourth place overall. The Yamaha n ° 99 of the EMS Acropolis Bikersdays team is then 6th and 2nd Stocksport.

3:58 p.m.. The Yamaha n ° 94, until then third, manages to overtake the Suzuki n ° 2 thanks to the latter’s change of pilot and sets off in pursuit of the number 1, who holds the lead 15 seconds ahead..

4:01 p.m.. Suzuki n ° 110 returns to the pit via the safety lane: fuel starvation due to its driver who made one lap too many when giving up his place !

Everything is going well for the n ° 72 team: despite a wind of panic at the first refueling, after two hours of racing, the young students of the Junior Team Suzuki school are in 9th place, 3rd in the Stocksport category.

4:15 p.m.. The only Aprilia in the race, the n ° 76 of our colleague Zef Enaut from Motorcycle Journal, Fred Bolley and Julien Enjolras fell when passing the Green Garage, while Julien had just taken over. The twin-cylinder sets off again in the depths of the ranking…

4:33 p.m.. The No. 94 Yamaha came back very strongly to the No. 1 SERT Suzuki, just 3 seconds behind the lead machine … Two minutes later, it was only 1 second 9! GMT nibbles 5 tenths of a second per revolution…

4:41 p.m.. The superb duel continues between the n ° 1 and the n ° 94: the Yamaha seems able to pass, in particular in the bend of the Chapel, but remains in ambush in the wheel of the Suzuki. The sky is gradually clouding over and the weather forecast announces showers … Passing fully into the pit straight, David Checa lifts his arm and gives a little sign to his stable. The reason why he does not overtake Stephane Chambon is therefore that he is about to pass the baton to William Costes on the next round. !

4:54 p.m.. As David Checa in the 94 unsuccessfully tackled the No.1 Suzuki to snatch first place, it was finally done thanks to the refueling on lap 68 !

4:57 p.m.. Fall of our darling Magalï Langlois on the handlebars of Yamaha n ° 67. It will be in last position at 7:00 p.m., having changed the entire rear of the bike and repaired the front housings. Slightly injured, Magalï leaves her place to Fabienne Migout.

5:30 p.m.. Short refueling break in one of the many refreshments on the circuit. Two sandwiches and 2 drinks: 14.50 euros … Welcome to Le Mans! Meanwhile, the Yamaha n ° 94 also refueled and set off again in second position. The good pace of Suzuki n ° 1 allows him to regain the lead.

6:07 p.m.. Suzuki n ° 7 fell, followed a few minutes later by n ° 72 driven by Thomas Metro, then third in the Stocksport category.

6:35 p.m.. The n ° 1 in the hands of Matthieu Lagrive is 2 seconds behind the 94 led by Sebastien Gimbert. One minute later, the gap is only 0.9 seconds.

At more than 8 p.m. before the finish, the suspense is already on: as the 94 gets ready to refuel, the gap between the leading machines is 0.6 seconds and the Suz goes under the braking of the Green Garage! The 94 took the opportunity to change its tires and Checa set off again 41 seconds behind the leading Suzuki.

6:50 p.m.. The No. 1 Suzuki also pits. Stephane Chambon sets off again 5 seconds behind the Yamaha n ° 94 which has taken the lead again! Fall of the Suzuki GSX-R n ° 131 of Yann Mahe. Motorcycle dislocated but rider unscathed.

7:05 p.m.. First twist: the leading Yamaha n ° 94 returns to the pits, left footrest plate broken due to a defective screw! She took third place, 35 seconds behind the leader. Fifteen minutes later, she has already taken 5 seconds from the SERT leader.

7:37 p.m.. Suzuki number 110 crashed and stopped at the pit and left very quickly. The best Honda, the No. 6 CBR in seventh place, pits after a crash and starts again after dropping nine places. Unlike the official Suzuki, the three Honda initially are not officially endorsed by the importer – just like the GMT Yamaha. They are entered by the dealers National Motos (n ° 5 and 6) and DAP Moto (n ° 91), but "still benefit from some technical support", specifies Bernard Rigoni, head of racing activities at Honda France."The CBR still has a slight power deficit but it benefits from a very good chassis", he explains."The objective is to stay in contact with the leaders without letting them go too far, to be able to take advantage of the vagaries of endurance."…

19:46. Suzuki n ° 72 returned to the track following the fall of Thomas Metro more than an hour and a half earlier. She leaves last but returns to the stand again ten minutes later, fork and triple trees damaged … She will not leave

7:53 p.m.. The No. 72 Suzuki, winner of the Stocksport category in 2004, officially retired after holding its place among the top ten at the start of the race. Hats off and good luck to this wonderful team aged 19 to 23 !

8:27 p.m.. William Costes on Yamaha n ° 94 took second place from Suzuki n ° 2 in the pit straight. A few minutes earlier, David Checa broke the lap record in 1’39’886! Suzuki # 1 remains leader with 90 seconds lead.

9:08 p.m.. Leaving the safety car for the first neutralization of the race: 150 m before the passage of Chemin aux Boeufs, Suzuki n ° 70 piloted by Emmanuel Fichet crashed at high speed. The medical team of the circuit fearing a head trauma and a broken leg, the pilot is evacuated to the Le Mans hospital center.

The No. 1 SERT Suzuki is still one minute ahead of its GMT chaser. Behind, the second official Suzuki is 45 seconds behind in third place.

22:17. Another fall at the corner of the connection affects Anthony Moreno on the Yamaha # 57 of the Moto LTG team. The pilot is concussed, but his condition does not cause concern.

22h53. Kawasaki n ° 49 returned to the pits almost in freewheeling mode, on the verge of running out of fuel … The 99 refueled at the same time, just like Suzuki n ° 2 still in third position.

11:00 p.m.. Kitagawa takes to the track again after a lightning stop for Suzuki # 1. The GMT Yamaha takes the lead in the race with almost 9 seconds ahead … "David Checa has just made a fabulous stint on the 94", recognizes Dominique Meliand, the boss of the Suzuki team:"we’re trying to contain it all, there’s a lot of time left and i think it’s going to be okay. Our lap times are more or less following what is planned in our marching table, but we have to admit that Checa did very hard and we hope that their following stints will be less good.", continues the hitherto undisputed master of endurance…

23:04. After his "fabulous relay", David Checa yields the 94 to William Costes. The Suzuki n ° 1 takes back the controls with 35 seconds in advance. The n ° 2 is still in ambush with one lap of the lead bike, followed by the Kawasaki n ° 8 six laps behind the leader and n ° 49, first in Stocksports two laps further ahead of the n ° 5 Honda of National Moto.

23:53. Suzuki n ° 1 returns to the pit of n ° 2 for a degreasing of the swingarm. The Yamaha n ° 94 took the opportunity to regain the lead with two laps ahead of the n ° 2! Suzuki n ° 1 set off again very quickly in the hands of Matthieu Lagrive in 3rd position, 1’38 behind the lead Yamaha.

Midnight. After 311 laps, the n ° 94, still in the lead, stopped at the pit to refuel. Sebastien Gimbert takes over. Only the Yamaha of GMT and Suzuki n ° 1 of SERT run in regular 1’41.

The n ° 8 Kawa still occupies the 4th place ahead of its little sister Stocksport n ° 49 and the Honda n ° 5 of National Moto. The Yamaha n ° 67 of Magalï Langlois, Fabienne Migout and Manu Lentaigne abandoned just like the n ° 57, the Suzuki n ° 70 of the Trail team, the 77, the 131, the 72 of the Junior Team, the 84, the 92 and the official Kawasaki n ° 11.

On the village side, we deplore a sad accident around the circuit. During a wild run session, a biker lost control of his motorcycle and crashed into a group of spectators. Several rescue vehicles and blockade of traffic throughout the area are needed to rescue the victims.

Sunday April 17th

00:18. GMT still holds the lead with one lap ahead of Suzuki n ° 2 and two laps ahead of n ° 1. A fine double from Kawasaki ZX-10R occupies 4th and 5th place with No. 8 from Bolliger seven laps behind the leader and 49 from Scratch Moto Angers, a fine first Stocksport two laps later, ahead of Honda No. 5 and No. ° 6 of National Moto who lost in front of the Yamaha n ° 99. Both turn in 1’43, ie 3 seconds faster than the Honda n ° 91 of Dap Moto which occupies the 11th place in front of the Yamaha of Endurance Moto 38. Bernard Rigoni’s objective is on the way to being met. The night is cold, but the dreaded rain should finally not appear before 8:00 p.m. … five hours after the checkered flag !

00:24. The Suzuki n ° 10 of Infini Team suddenly returns to the pits after crashing at La Chapelle and starts again in 21st place a few minutes later.

12:53 am. Express stop of n ° 2 at the hands of Olivier Four who signals that everything is OK. The n ° 1 led by Matthieu Lagrive, decidedly in very good shape, took the fastest lap in the race in 1’39.774! It also stops at the stand then immediately takes to the track in the hands of Stephane Chambon. The two SERT war machines set out again to attack GMT’s Yamaha !

01h17. The n ° 5 Honda of the National Motos Playstation 2 team continues its progression and comes to infiltrate in the fifth place between the Kawasaki n ° 8 (fourth overall) and n ° 49 (sixth overall and still first in the Stocksport category).

01:27. The Yamaha R1 n ° 130 of the young team from Sarthois Challenge Performance is still in the race and is in 28th position. The team, supported by the Sarthe prefecture, wishes to educate the biker public on the danger of speed on the road network, through the slogan "Danger Off Piste"affixed to its fairing. More precisely, the team, made up for half of young high school students and apprentices, wishes"promote the opening of circuits adapted for a safe practice of speed".

01:38. The safety car enters the track for the second time as the lead Suzuki entered its 369th lap, following the incident involving the No.14 Yamaha which saw its rim come out of its hub at full speed in the pit straight ! At the same time, the Suzuki n ° 10 of Infini team also suffered a fall due to its new tires just after its passage in the pit, causing an oil leak at the edge of the track. Verdict: abandonment on failure of the gearbox…

01:49. The race resumes. The threat of Suzuki n ° 1, returned to the favor of the safety car on its n ° 2 colleague, immediately materializes by an overtaking just before the scheduled refueling of the two machines of the SERT.

02:27. The fire brigade’s No. 18 GSX-R is still in the race despite the fright at the start: a fall in the 16th minute due to a stall of the rear wheel, the first fall of the 24 Hours of 2005! "We didn’t have enough time to prepare and our final adjustments were made live during the race", explains the team manager. On the other hand, the men of the fire glean precious seconds during the refueling, thanks to an unfailing rigor of organization and discipline. Since then, the bike goes up slowly and progresses hour by hour while turning in honorable times of 1’45,000 in 26th place.

02:51. Non-serious fall of the Yamaha n ° 41 of the Deletang team at Chemin aux Boeufs. Fabien Sohier brings his machine back to the stroller. The Suzuki n ° 1 is gradually coming back to the Yamaha n ° 94 of the GMT which is still two laps ahead. Express stop of Suzuki n ° 2 which always leaves in third position.

02:56. The GMT, which runs in 1’41.640, returns to the pits and leaves immediately, chased by the machine n ° 1 of the SERT which takes over the track in the hands of Matthieu Lagrive.

3:00 am: halfway ! The pressure does not release an inch between the machines of the top three, which line up regular laps between 1’41 and 1’42 in the middle of the night, with 12 hours of racing in the legs, on a cold but dry track. . GMT maintains a slight lead of one lap, but nothing is settled…

03:10. Fabien Sohier arrives at the pits pushing his R1 n ° 41, quite damaged. The Yamaha Endurance Moto 38, in 9th position, refueled and set off immediately.

03:12. The n ° 94 set a slightly worse time in 1’44.160, while the two Suzuki of SERT are in 1’41.800. The official opening of the GMT hunt seems to have been declared by Dominique Meliand’s men, but the drivers of the fastest instit ‘in the world responded immediately by delivering a 1’41.270 of very good performance. At 12 o’clock before arrival, the three leading machines are held in a pocket handkerchief…

03:17. Nine laps behind the leader, the Kawasaki n ° 8 of Bolliger continues its excellent performance (1’43.349), followed at two laps by the Honda n ° 5 (1’42.772) and the Kawasaki n ° 49 Stocksport (1’42.389 ). Next come Yamaha n ° 99 14 laps from GMT, Honda n ° 6 in the same lap, Yamaha n ° 38 and Suzuki n ° 27 five laps later.

03:21. Suzuki n ° 1 and 2 are always slightly faster than the Yamaha of GMT (1’41.850 for the n ° 1 against 1’42.110 for the n ° 94). A few spectators try to sleep on the benches of the main stand, regularly rocked by the splendid muffled rumble of Aprilia n ° 76 in the penultimate position, which makes the stands vibrate at each of its passages in the straight line..

03:25. The No. 6 Honda refueled but held on to its 8th place, while the No. 5 retained its fifth place. The third Honda in the race, the n ° 91 of Dap Moto, stopped at the pits and moved down from 11th to 18th position. The three leading machines are the only ones to run in regular 1’41.

03:46. Fall of ZX-10R # 96. The driver, unharmed, will try to reach his stand when the cold has settled on the circuit: 3.8 degrees. But it’s the end of the race for this team which announces its retirement thirty minutes later.

4:15 am. The Yamaha n ° 41 of the Deletang team goes inside its stand, the fall of 02h54 seems to have left traces on the level of the crankcase support … it is abandonment. Jean-Marc Deletang pays tribute to "chief", Dominique Meliand, who has"inspired many young teams like that of Christophe Guyot, who is now reaching maturity. This is the race, we are learning"…

04:38. At the head of the race, the hours pass and the pace does not weaken. The two Suzuki chase the Yamaha by setting impressive lap times. But the GMT leader is not content to resist, he even allows himself to line up the best lap times! 1’40.290 at this late hour of the night against 1’41 for Suzuki n ° 1, two laps ahead for the Yamaha now … "Yes it’s going well for now", confirms Christophe Guyot in the GMT stand,"but they are there and nothing is done !", he tempers, pointing to his stand neighbor: the SERT.

04:53. Honda stop # 6 for a "Technical problem". But it’s a false alarm, the bike changes riders and leaves very quickly.

04:58. Pilot change during refueling of Suzuki n ° 1. Stephane Chambon, who leaves the handlebars to Keiichi Kitagawa, looks for Dominique Meliand and receives an approving nod from "chief": the relay made is satisfactory, the hunt for the R1 can resume !

On the other hand, the Yamaha n ° 137 came to a stop in its stand after being brought back to the stroller by its pilot. It will leave 45 minutes later, while the Kawasaki n ° 35 gives up after trying to continue with two riders following its accident at 7.20 p.m..

05h00. While Paris wakes up, the firefighters carry out an impeccable refueling on their Suzuki n ° 18 which continues its great adventure and is now in 22nd position.

5:22 a.m.. Suzuki n ° 2 gives all it can and only turns 4 small tenths of its best lap time! Nothing is done and whatever happens, the SERT will sell its skin dearly … Especially since Suzuki n ° 1 has just turned in 1’40.700 !

5:27 am. Fall of Aprilia n ° 76, fortunately not serious for the pilot, who returned to the pits but had to give up for cause "clutch burnt". Disappointment for the crew of our colleague Zef Enaut…

05h34. Another fall, still not serious for the pilot: that of the Yamaha n ° 19 of the Slider Endurance team in the Stocksport category, which entered the pits without lighting.

05:30. Suzuki n ° 12 is in difficulty in its pits with electrical problems: the rear light remains off despite the change of lighting and battery.

05:57. Fall of Yamaha # 14 at the Dunlop Curve. Marek Svoboda brings the machine back to the stand. Suzuki n ° 1 returned for a few moments inside its stand before coming out very quickly, brake pads changed, to be entrusted to Matthieu Lagrive.

06:07. It is the hour when the falls multiply, as in each edition. Fatigue, dawn and its humidity begin to take effect. The Yamaha n ° 19 fell again at the Dunlop chicane. Five minutes later, the same fall at the same place for the Yamaha n ° 3, which also sets off again but falls again at the same place a quarter of an hour later! She leaves but suffers a delay of more than 8 minutes by returning to her stand.

6:33 a.m.. We take the same ones and start again: third fall in three quarters of an hour for n ° 3, still at Dunlop crossing, almost in the same place each time! Incredible, but "never 2 without 3" has never been so true … New return to the pits for the Phase One endurance team !

06h37. Another fall at this particularly treacherous location, one of the least sheltered areas of the circuit. Honda n ° 6 was in turn had in the Dunlop chicane and a few seconds later, it was Suzuki n ° 53 driven by the last woman still in the race, Patricia Bodard, which crashed in exactly the same place while the Honda has not yet left to join its stand.

6:45 a.m.. The Honda n ° 6 started again after repairs to the pit without losing its ninth place. The first light of day begins to dawn.

07:05. The Yamaha n ° 38 lost places, immobilized because of an exhaust problem, while the n ° 130 returned to its stand to change the clutch and the gear selector. Same punishment for Honda n ° 6 whose stay in the pit is prolonged after its second fall. A few minutes later, motorcycles n ° 38 and n ° 6 set off again in the early morning.

7:20 a.m.. On the handlebars of the Yamaha n ° 94 of GMT, David Checa the Terrible sets himself a new track record: 1’39.620 !

07:38. Suzuki n ° 2 stopped in the hands of Guillaume Dietrich who passed the baton on to Olivier Four. A few moments later, the head machine stopped very quickly in the hands of David Checa, which gave way to William Costes. GMT Yamaha has just turned 1’40.190 after more than 16 hours of racing.

07:47. Refueling of the Yamaha n ° 99, still second Stocksport behind the Kawasaki n ° 49 and seventh scratch. Suzuki n ° 27 fell into the hands of Frederic Bernon at station 9, in the green Garage bend. Stunned, the pilot is evacuated on a stretcher.

07:55. The sleeping spectators begin to emerge little by little. The wave of dry cold is getting harder on the Bugatti circuit: 2 degrees despite a radiant sun. SERT is preparing to take delivery of its state-of-the-art machine, the Suzuki n ° 1. Frederic Bernon takes to the track on the handlebars of the n ° 27.

08h00. Keiichi Kitagawa replaces Stephane Chambon on the No.1 Suzuki and sets off in pursuit of the No.94 GMT Yamaha, which still leads the race at seven hours from the finish…

"We had no problems and the riders maintained a good pace consistently", explains Christophe Guyot."For us, the results are already very positive: we are in control on the track and in the pits and David Checa even broke the track record! Unlike last year, we really have the impression that this year the result is in our hands … We suffer less, we manage calmly and it is already a victory in itself. But the race is not over, there are still seven hours left … By the finish, anything can happen, but anyway there will be no disappointment for us".

08:03. "The night went well, we had no big worries except in the early evening", also observes Dominique Meliand:"now we are in second and third position, on the lookout behind the 94, and we are trying to do what it takes to get it back up if possible"…

08:23. Suzuki n ° 7 of the D Team stopped, which immediately left with Bertrand Roch in place of Yann Sotter.

08:26. Refueling and tire change for Suzuki n ° 44. The No. 99 Yamaha retains its second place in the Stocksport classification and seventh overall. "The 49 is superior in the sense that its crew is much more homogeneous than ours", explains the team manager. A homogeneity which appears more than ever as the key element of this 28th edition of the 24 Hours: with its three outstanding drivers and its excellent atmosphere within the team, both studious and relaxed, the GMT Yamaha is rolling towards victory…

08:31. "The race is never won before the checkered flag, as we saw last year !", recalls Sebastien Gimbert who has"slept well"and said"ready to do good stints again! The three of us rode really well, the team worked really well, the bike is efficient and it proves it! I hope we will be at the finish at 3:00 p.m., but now we must not let ourselves be distracted, we must be careful of the retarded, we must take care of everything"…

08:34. Suzuki n ° 2 pit stop. Olivier Four takes over and continues the hunt for one lap of his big sister and three laps of the lead Yamaha. Pierrot Lerat-Vanstaen treats a burnt forearm in the pit of Honda n ° 6. Yamaha n ° 94 stopped after 612 laps for a change of front and rear tires. Two laps still separate her from her first pursuer…

08:42. Stop at the stand of the Kawasaki n ° 49 of Scratch Moto Angers which leaves in sixth place scratch and still first in Stocksports. At National Moto, "Bruno Bonhuil will take the handlebars of Honda n ° 6 in 12 laps", foresees the team manager Christian Lavieille.

08:46. The Kawasaki n ° 24, third Stocksport and ninth scratch, goes directly to the pits. There is "four hours of work to repair the machine"but the team manager ensures that the team will do what is necessary to finish the 24 Hours"for mechanics and for fun". Nothing is moving at the front of the race. We are surprised to hope for one of these resounding twists and turns of which the great endurance events have the secret…

9:01 am. Confusion at the Suzuki n ° 1 stand during refueling and great anger from the team manager when Matthieu Lagrive is about to take over without his armbands … In an emergency, Keiichi Kitagawa doubles his shift in a totally unexpected way . In total, a good ten precious seconds are lost: at six o’clock before the arrival, while the two leading machines have been held in a pocket handkerchief since the beginning of the night, we have perhaps just witnessed an important turning point in the race … At the same time, the Yamaha n ° 28 led by Eric Larrieu abruptly left the track and broke a fork collar strap.

09:14. After a stop of 26 minutes due to a broken clutch, the R1 n ° 37 of the Cognage team set off again on the track but stopped again a few minutes later.

09:39. GMT Yamaha, which has held the lead for 340 laps after 13 lead changes, stops for new refueling and handover to David Checa.

09:53. Refueling stop and change of rider for the Yamaha n ° 38, which piled up laps after the little worries of the night, especially with the saddle. Suzuki n ° 9 took the escape route at the Chapelle de la Chapelle, the victim of an electrical problem when it occupied 27th place. Yves Genestier must bring her back to the stand on foot.

10h00. In its 658th lap, Suzuki n ° 1 returned to the pit to refuel. Keiichi Kitagawa, after his unexpected double stint, finally leaves the handlebars to Matthieu Lagrive. Japanese is exhausted.

10:13. Clutch problem still not resolved for Suzuki n ° 134. The Yamaha n ° 130 suffers from a gearbox problem, the fifth one no longer works.

10:34 am. Fall of Yamaha n ° 37 and stop of Yamaha n ° 94 for the handover to William Costes during the 680th lap. Honda n ° 6 stops in the escape route of the Chapel: technical problem and stroller session towards the pits, when they were only two able-bodied riders. The motorcycle will not start again…

11:09 am. Yellow flag at Chemin au Boeufs. The Suzuki of friends n ° 53 returns to the stand in the hands of Arnaud Bonnière.

11:25 a.m.. Short adrenaline rush in the SERT stand where Olivier Four has just entered Suzuki n ° 2, but he leaves almost immediately. It was in fact a "tinkering", explains Dominique Meliand, but of a"annoying tinkering because oil had to be removed from the bike. There are still 3 and a half hours left, nothing is lost! We’re not gonna cut our cards right now !"

11:35 am. Short stop at the Yamaha pit n ° 94. William Costes handed over the handlebars to Sebastien Gimbert, who always took the lead. "It’s better than last year because we are a little further ahead. But anything can happen! We remain vigilant, we try to keep the pace while sparing our motorcycle", explains the pilot.

11:40 am. Kawasaki n ° 8 stopped to change pads. A few minutes later, unfortunately, the chain broke, while the Suzuki n ° 65 from Motobox was stopped in the pit straight, victim of an engine failure without warning: it was the abandonment … Neutralization of the preventive race , in case oil has spilled on the track.

12h00. Suzuki n ° 2 returns to the pits for a change of exhaust, taking advantage of the intervention of the pace car. Suzuki # 29 lands in Dunlop Curve gravel pit.

12:06. It is now Suzuki n ° 1 which passes to the pits and leaves again in the hands of Matthieu Lagrive. A few minutes later, the R1 n ° 37 was in difficulty at station 1 while the Kawasaki n ° 49, still leader in the Stocksport category, refueled at the pits.

12:40. GMT’s R1 # 94 also goes into refueling, as does Raffin Moto’s ZX10-R # 16.

12:50. The Yamaha 46 falls into the gravel trap on the side of the Chapelle bend. The rider has been hit but the bike leaves.

1:04 p.m.. Refueling and driver change for Suzuki n ° 2. Craig Coxhell leaves for his stint. A few minutes later, same procedure for Suzuki n ° 1 which leaves again in the hands of Kitagawa. Honda n ° 91 is stuck in its pit but ends up starting again in 12th position.

13:39. Handover for GMT. William Costes sets off on the handlebars of Yamaha n ° 94.

1:50 p.m.. Moment of fear among GMT supporters: the Yamaha n ° 94 has just returned to the pits for an unexpected stop! In a fraction of a second, everyone sees the clutch failure of the 94 in the last hour of the race, which cost it the victory last year … False alarm: the R1 starts again immediately after the simple tightening of the ‘a "crankcase screw"which allowed a little oil to pass. With a gap of 31 seconds between the leading Yamaha and its SERT pursuer, the suspense is definitely revived just over an hour from the checkered flag…

2:00 p.m.. Refueling for the Suzuki number 2, followed a few minutes later by that of the n ° 1: Matthieu Lagrive takes the handlebars to play the whole thing and try to catch up with the Yamaha n ° 94 which turns in 1’40.700 in the hands of William Costes, but who will still have to refuel … Asked whether the Suzuki n ° 1 will also have to pass through the pits before the finish, Dominique Meliand dodges: "Ah ah, that is the riddle, you’ll see! "

2:08 p.m.. Last refueling for Honda n ° 5 which occupies a nice fourth place. "The goal is reached", says Sebastien Scarnato.

2:15 p.m.. The tension is almost palpable between the two neighboring stands of GMT and SERT. Their two machines are running in 1’41.7 at the head of the race, with a short 30 seconds delay for the Suzuki…

2:17 p.m.. The Kawasaki n ° 49, leader in the Stocksport category, returned to the pits hastily because of the slack chain and significant release of smoke … We fear for a moment a broken box, but the bike quickly emerges from the pits and retains its first place in its category.

2:20 p.m.. In the GMT stand, David Checa pawing his feet while waiting to take the last stint of the 94 … The Yamaha still in the lead stops for its last refueling and David Checa takes the controls for the finish !

2:22 p.m.. Catastrophe for the Scratch Moto Angers and huge reversal of the situation in the Stocksport category: just one lap after starting again, Kawasaki n ° 49 starts to smoke again and forces the rider to return to the pit! The Yamaha n ° 99, just behind, took the opportunity to take first place in the Stocksport category 30 minutes from the finish !

2:25 p.m.. 35 minutes from the finish, the Yamaha n ° 94 of the GMT has 34 small seconds ahead of the Suzuki n ° 1 of the SERT…

2:36 p.m.. Last refueling for Suzuki n ° 2 and the new leader of the Stocksport category, Yamaha R1 n ° 99.

2:40 p.m.. Yellow flag at the Blue Esses: n ° 49 is stopped, it will not finish … A very sad end for Scratch moto Angers, which led the Stocksport category for a good part of the race. No.53 is idling.

2:55 p.m.. With his face tense, bathed in the sun on the pit lane, Christophe Guyot takes a furtive glance at his watch and struggles to suppress a smile while in the SERT stand, Dominique Meliand has his gaze fixed on the control screens. Most competitors start wheeling down the pit straight. Journalists congregate in front of the GMT stand … the time for deliverance has soon struck !

3:00 p.m.. David Checa, who finally crosses the finish line as a winner, can as expected dedicate this victory to his grandfather, who died a few days ago. The GMT Yamaha is ahead of the Suzuki n ° 1 and 2 of the SERT who are placed respectively on the second and third steps of the podium, and Yamaha also wins in the Stocksport category thanks to the R1 n ° 99 of the Acropolis Bikersdays EMS team, ahead of the Yamaha n ° 33 of Decibels Endurance and the Kawasaki n ° 49 of Scratch Moto Angers.

"This victory is truly the culmination of an extraordinary human story", summarizes Christophe Guyot:"after our title of world endurance champion in 2004, we had invested everything to win these 24 Hours and it was really the sum of motivation, skills and experience that led us to the top step of the podium. I am happy for the riders who gave their all, for Yamaha which had not gained endurance for 14 years, for Pirelli, whose first experience was and who gave us complete satisfaction and for all the faithful who follow from the beginning. Starting next weekend, we are going with David Checa to compete in a round of the World Superbike Championship and our next goal this year will be the Bolor in September.".

With a delay of … 20.459 seconds, the Suzuki n ° 1 misses the first step of the podium with the smallest gap ever seen at the finish of the 24 Hours since their creation in 1978. An observation all the more annoying for the SERTS that it is roughly the time lost during the mess of the armbands on the n ° 1, but such is the hard law of endurance…

"I congratulate the GMT but I want to say that I give them a rematch", concludes Dominique Meliand…

Congratulations to the GMT and to all the competitors, and see you in September at Magny-Cours for a Bol d’Or 2005 which promises to be fiercely contested. !

Eric MICHEL and Fred RENARD

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