24 Heures Motos – Debriefing 24 Heures Motos 2015: statements from riders and team managers –

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Debriefing 24 Heures Motos 2015: statements from riders and team managers

24 Heures Motos - Debriefing 24 Heures Motos 2015: statements from riders and team managers -

The 2015 24 Hours Motos, to be relived in full on MNC thanks to our race points and our photo galleries, allowed the SERT No. 30 Suzuki to start the 2015 World Endurance Championship in the lead thanks to Vincent’s victory. Philippe, Etienne Masson and Anthony Delhalle this weekend on the Le Mans circuit.

The 24 Heures Motos 2015, to be relived in full on MNC thanks to our and our, allowed the SERT No. 30 Suzuki to start the 2015 World Endurance Championship in the lead thanks to the victory of Vincent Philippe, Etienne Masson and Anthony Delhalle this weekend on the Le Mans circuit.

By winning in front of two Kawasaki (official SRC n ° 11 and private Bolliger n ° 8), the men of Dominique Meliand – who this year wore the n ° 30 in reference to the 30 years of the GSX-R – complete the first stage of their: recover the number 1 attributed last year to the, the Yamaha n ° 94 of the GMT, which limits the breakage in 5th position.

One Suzuki for two Kawasaki

We find the same pattern – a Suzuki in front of two Kawasaki – in Superstock, where the students of the Lycee professionnel Le Mans Sud have the great satisfaction of bringing the GSX-R n ° 72 of the Junior Team to the first step of the podium in front of the ZX. -10R n ° 33 for Traqueur Louit Moto and n ° 4 for Tati Team Beaujolais Racing.

Disappointment on the other hand for Honda Racing n ° 111, delayed by several interventions in the pits while it was racing in the lead…

Here are the first statements from the drivers and team managers who distinguished themselves this weekend on the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans, under the sun but with a violent wind, in front of "70,500 spectators" according to the organizers.

 Suzuki Endurance Racing Team n ° 30 (EWC – winner)

Leading the race from the sixth hour, the official Suzuki No. 30 of SERT wins this 38th edition of the 24 Heures Motos 2015 (for the ninth time!) And naturally takes the lead in the 2015 world championship..

Dominique Meliand, team manager. "I don’t know if the perfect race exists, but we were able to manage these 24 Heures Motos in relation to what was happening on the track. I am very happy with this victory! Which I find fabulous, and which gives a pinch to the heart is that despite the crash, despite Anthony’s worries, the team has always responded. In endurance racing, you have to manage your race, see what happens, adjust to the incidents suffered by opponents, take as little risk as possible, and that’s how we end up on the highest step of the podium. Our great strength is having good drivers surrounded by a team that always responds and does not never give up! "

Vincent Philippe, pilot. "It’s a kind of tradition, when we have a new driver in the team (editor’s note), we win at Le Mans! This winter, we worked in a great atmosphere. We form a team and when one of the ‘between us is not good, the others are there to support him and do the job. We are a tight-knit group and we knew that the package was capable of winning! I am very, very happy to win this sublime event and to to be at the head of the championship! It’s a dream configuration, what happiness! It’s the third time in my career that I have won these 24 hours and I’m very proud of it. We had a very good race, like ‘Usually we were able to manage, observe and limit the risks and once again it paid off because we are settling on the top step of the podium and leaving Le Mans with precious points in the championship. is great because it rewards. Going in the hunt for a ninth personal title is more than envisaged … Ma intending, it will be necessary to confirm from the second test ".

Anthony Delhalle, pilot (victim of a fall, then ill). “It was a painful race for me. I managed to do five laps before I lost the front tire grip. I tried to hold the bike as much as possible so that it didn’t come too fast in the front tire. the gravel pit and was not too damaged. Then in the night I started to have stomach aches and I was ill. After my shift on Sunday morning, and for the first time, I went to see Dominique to tell him that unfortunately I was not fit to drive and that I will not be able to finish the race. Now I feel better ".

Etienne Masson, pilot. "First race with the SERT and first victory … I just can’t believe it! This winter I discovered the team and the bike with a lot of testing. I also worked hard on my side because I was worried that I wouldn’t be up to the task. We had a couple of issues but we raised our heads. We were confident, we used the tires well in the race and during qualifying and it paid off. It’s very strong to live and it is the result of all the work that we have produced this winter. I am very proud of what we have done! "

 SRC Kawasaki n ° 11 (EWC – 2nd)

Gilles Stafler, team manager. "I’m not used to managing a second place, but I know I am accountable to Kawasaki who this year gives me the first opportunity to play the entire championship. Once the anger had passed after Fabien’s fall, to prove to him that we did not blame him, we suggested that he cross the finish line. The only objective was to climb up the rankings as quickly as possible for To earn as many points as possible in the championship, but I would have liked to fight longer with Dominique Meliand and Suzuki. We had everything to do it! "

Matthieu Lagrive, pilot. "From the moment we knew we couldn’t win anymore, it was our job not to make mistakes. I gave everything, but whipping is my job! Well not really, because there we had to drive without making a mistake, it wasn’t completely unrestrained either. Going to get the Suzuki on a regular basis was complicated, but we quickly saw that the podium was within our reach. We drove within our reach. carefree hand the rest of the race ".

Gregory Leblanc, pilot. "When I enter a race, it is to win it, second place does not satisfy me. If again it was following a domination of our opponents, I would have bowed without saying anything, but there we see although at the finish the gap with them is the same as after our fall, we stayed at eight laps the whole race after starting from 50th place. But I give them a big thumbs up, they didn’t no mistakes. See you at the Bol d’Or for a 24-hour revenge ".

Fabien Foret, pilot. "I appreciated Gilles’ gesture at the finish. I did not necessarily deserve to take the last stint, thank you Gilles for giving me his confidence. I am obviously very disappointed with my mistake which occurred when I ‘was only doing the second lap of my first stint. But it’s racing, we can’t go back, I apologize to the team and my teammates and well done to SERT, although I would have I liked that we gave them a little more trouble. It is sure that falling at the start of the race is difficult to live with compared to the rest of the team and I apologized for it. I regret that for this fact we could not live an intense fight with the SERT ".

The team manager of the official ZX-10R n ° 11, which this year competes in the four races of the endurance world championship and no longer only the two French rounds, was indeed very angry after the fall of Fabien Foret shortly after departure (read our)…

But it is unfortunately the vagaries of the competition and the effort of the three pilots to move up from thirtieth to second position, nine laps behind the leaders, can only command respect. !

 Team Bolliger Switzerland n ° 8 (EWC – 3rd)

Horst Saiger, pilot. “Apart from a very small problem, we can say that everything worked like a Swiss clock! For us, it was really a great result. We started in tenth place and in the end we finished third. a good race. We didn’t really set a goal, we wanted to finish the race first and then see ".

Peter Bollinger, pilot. "This is our first podium in the FIM Endurance World Championship, I’m very happy!"

The Swiss team of the private Kawasaki n ° 8, only troubled by a defective sensor which made it lose a few laps, completes the podium after having achieved a good race with regularity. 

 Junior Team Suzuki Le Mans Sud n ° 72 (SST – winner and 4th scratch)

Damien Saulnier, team manager. "For Suzuki, it’s really a very good week and a great weekend! We came to play at the forefront but I’m still dreading this race … We had to deal with the vagaries of the race, the crashes and the small technical problems. During the race, we were third overall for a long time but we knew that the n ° 8 was faster than us. We would have liked to be on the podium in the general but we had come to win the category and we The challenge was all the greater since the technical team was made up of new students. Which means that we start from zero each time. I take my hat off to the three pilots, Baptiste Guittet, Gregg Black and Romain Maitre who brought us to this fourth scratch position and leader of the Superstock category ".

Baptiste Guittet, pilot. "It was windy this weekend, which didn’t make our job any easier. I got trapped after the start, at the Virage du Musee. The wind was pushing quite a bit, it was the first laps, we was packed and there was a bit of pressure. I fell, I got up quickly. More fear than harm because I didn’t break anything. The Suzuki GSXR is really the best bike! Even when we fall, on the left for me, on the right for Gregg, she starts again and races! "

Gregg Black, pilot. "I am happy with our good race pace. During the night, I forced a little to get back on our opponents and we managed to come back up. Sunday morning I made the force and I lowered my lap times. J I kept accelerating but I finally fell … Last year, we finished second and I told the whole team that if I came back, it would be to win. It’s done! the team did a great job, the bike was great, the tires awesome. So much so that I found it easier than last year. But the race was not easy, the competition was tough! "

Romain Maitre, pilot. "This is my first experience in this team so winning here, from the first try, it’s just exceptional! I managed my race well. However, I feared some physical problems on my arm like last year but I did not didn’t feel anything ".

The performance of the Suzuki n ° 72, Superstock winner and fourth scratch ahead of several favorites in the EWC category, is all the greater as it was fighting for the third step of the podium until the last hours of the race….

 GMT 94 Yamaha n ° 94 (EWC – 5th)

Christophe Guyot, team manager. "Finishing the race in 5th position, it’s true that we hoped for better. At the same time, I’m really happy because we didn’t have anything serious. Only a very small breakdown which forced us to change a crown of transmission twice and then a cut wire which forced us to 7 minutes downtime. There is of course the injury to David’s knee, knowing that he too was ready to go to the end. I still had to decide to stop him for the first time at 2 am for a rest period of four hours, then definitively after the stint that followed because he could no longer walk when he got off the bike. The race was good. Mathieu Gines and Kenny Foray came to the end of their strength with talent and competitiveness. Fifth place rewards their exemplary commitment and will. We know that the new R1 has enormous potential. We chose not to adopt the anti skating but because of this, the power of motorcycle damaged the transmission and we had to return to the box several times to resolve this problem. It delayed us considerably. Fortunately we finally found a solution. I must salute the temerity of our pilots and especially David Checa who rode injured and who showed a lot of courage ".

David Checa, pilot. "The weekend was difficult for me, because of my. I am very grateful to my teammates because they did a really good job. The podium was possible, but unfortunately we did not arrive. really want to finish the race … For my teammates first, but also because I felt capable of it. But I understand the request of Christophe who feared for me. I will quickly take care of myself and come back as soon as possible to that we can win together with our new bike. For the next race it will be even better and we can perhaps aim for victory ".

Kenny Foray, pilot. "It was a special weekend … It wasn’t a good time for David to get injured because it’s too difficult to finish the race with just two drivers. But that’s endurance, that is. is like that. I’m a little disappointed for the team because they worked hard all winter and weren’t awarded a podium. I too dreamed of a podium and I gave everything for it. The race was tough but I’m happy to have done all my stints at the same pace. This result will be precious to aim for a new world title. Maybe we will win next time, the championship is still long ".

Mathieu Gines, pilot. "I have never driven so much in a race! I’m tired but happy because we got to the end. It was hard because we were only driving two and a half riders, because of the injury of David who could not ride as much as us. Kenny and I gave our all. Normally we could have finished better, but we had some small problems. I’m happy to have finished the first race and to take points for the championship. will be good for the next race ".

The Yamaha R1, the reigning world champion, was indeed expected to be in a better position after this first round of the 2015 championship. "All the problems we encountered with the bike were minor but they cost us the podium. ", admits Eric de Seynes, operational director of Yamaha Motor Europe.

"Like a baby taking its first steps"

"I spoke with Mandy and all the pilots so that they keep a minimum of one second under the elbow to ensure", continues Eric de Seynes: "we did not want to risk a fall and even in this state of mind we were fighting for the first place. The GMT did a good job too, because the settings of the bike were immediately adapted to endurance. Their pace was sufficient to be in the top 4 or the top 5. So c ‘was a very regular race ".

"The endurance world championship includes two types of races: 8 hours and 24 hours. We knew that starting the season with a 24 hour race would be more difficult, but the fact that after eight hours of racing we were in second and fourth position is a good result for a new bike entering the championship ".

"We can be very proud of these results, it’s like when a baby takes his first steps!", Considers the big boss Yamaha: "we finished fifth at Le Mans and fourth in the provisional standings. We have the points, we have the classification and we learned a lot. We must thank the engineers who developed the bike ".

"The field is very experienced and to be at this level of performance from the first race is very promising", he concludes. "We are very optimistic and confident about the next victories for the bike. All the teams and riders are very happy with the bike and feel confident in the race on its handlebars. We have to work, fight and win!"

 Louit Moto tracker n ° 33 (SST – 2nd Superstock and 6th scratch)

Emeric Jonchière, pilot. "Julien Pilot took the start. With a rather cautious start to the race on the whole, we did what we had to do, that is to say run the relays without taking any risks, looking for quick lap times. We immediately found ourselves at the top of the Stocks and in a fight with the 72 of the Junior Team LMS. A fight that lasted almost the entire race. , we were able to move up to third place overall and first place in Stock with regular lap times. The night went well, I didn’t really feel tired because the adrenaline pushed us to give the best of us After an incident on the track that caused the Safety Car to come out, Morgan was in a very good pace, but unfortunately the bike suffered a broken exhaust manifold … something that hardly ever breaks! So back to the box. Even if the repairs were quick, we still have to. I lost that lead that we had over our direct competitors. Big blow to morale, but we did not give up, we went back to "war" to secure our second place in our Stock category and score big points for the championship. So very positive results for this weekend anyway. We scored big points, currently second in the general Stock classification. Looking forward to being in Oschersleben to fight for the title of the Stocksport World Endurance Championship! "

 BMW Motorrad France Penz13 n ° 13 (EWC – 7th)

Rico Penzkofer, team manager. "First of all, a big thank you to everyone who made it possible for us to participate in this first race in the EWC category: all the people in the team, the sponsors, the partners, the drivers. Our first mission was to finish a 24 hour race in the Superbike category. This mission is accomplished. We had some problems in the race like a broken exhaust muffler twice (which we had never happened before), some problems with the lighting system and a tire that was losing pressure. Rather strange things. Now we have to analyze this in detail and prepare for the next races. Endurance is a demanding and difficult discipline. We have seen this again by watching teams. seasoned people run into problems and sometimes a lot of bad luck. I believe we should not be ashamed of what we did here this weekend, but of course we will work hard to pr ogress. Thanks again to everyone and see you soon! "

Markus Reiterberger, pilot. "This race was my first 24 hour endurance race and I have to say it was an amazing experience! It’s a completely different discipline than what I know in IDM Superbike. I really had a lot of fun on the bike. Driving at night is also an incomparable experience and I had a lot of fun. On the other hand, right now, I can’t wait to get back to my bed and sleep! "

Gareth Jones, pilot. "I’m really happy that we were able to finish the race and 7th overall. Riding with this team is working with great people. The guys in the box did a fantastic job fixing all the problems they encountered in a while. record. It’s really a pleasure to ride here with Team BMW Motorrad France Penz13.com and I thank everyone for their efforts this weekend ”.

Pedro Vallcaneras, pilot. “Another 24 hour race behind me but a first on a BMW S 1000 RR in the EWC class. I have to say I’m pretty happy with our performance. Everyone gave their all to achieve the best possible result. was our first participation in the premier class with a few new people in the team and others that I know well. We had a few problems but we showed what we are capable of. We will have to rely on the team before -posts very soon I think! "

 Metiss JLC Motos n ° 45 (Open – only entered, 18th scratch)

Emmanuel Cheron, pilot. "The Metiss uses a specific front axle, with a wheel between two wishbones as is done in cars. This bike has great development potential. At the end of these 24 Heures Motos 2015, we understood a lot of things and we will continue to work ".

Christophe Michel, pilot. “As far as I’m concerned, I have never had such a difficult week and such a pleasant race. We now know that our Metiss is reliable and has great potential. In fact, it’s kind of a hit. full for Suzuki, since we use the same engine and the same chassis ".

Cyril Huvier, pilot. “The field was extremely high, we had to whip to get back up. Usually we manage to get back into the top 10 but this year, it was harder. These 24 Heures Motos 2015 were a test race. We are satisfied and we will go work to come back with an even more competitive motorcycle ".

 Honda Racing n ° 11 (EWC – retirement)

As it dominated its rivals during the first five hours of the race with serious advantages, the official Honda Racing # 111 suffered multiple troubles early in the evening..

Relegated to the bottom of the standings despite excellent lap times, no crash and a range significantly greater than that of their competitors, the pilots were not discouraged but several passages in the box during the night and a loss of power in the morning will have ended to his legitimate hopes of victory…

Steven Casaer, team manager. "We found filings in the oil and it is useless in these conditions to make the other pilots take risks".

Freddy Foray, pilot. "The expected result is still not there, but we are not used to giving up so easily! The start of the race was perfect. We knew we were not the fastest at the start of the stint with with a full tank of gas, but we also knew our bike was really fast halfway through. We ended up leading the race sooner than we expected. And then as everyone has noticed our consumption gasoline was very low which allowed us to do 5 laps more than our competitors. During my second stint, we started to encounter problems with the shifter, then the clutch … After starting again, the bike broke down at the turn of the Museum, which forced me to bring her back to the stroller to the stand … It was long … Then the night was very long, with a lot of small problems. C it was at 9 a.m. that the team decided to throw in the towel following a new engine problem (filings in engine oil). Honda will do everything in its power to resolve these repeated problems so that we are once again fighting at the forefront. The title is far away, but it is not lost! "

Sebastien Gimbert, pilot. "The race had started well with a great start from Julien. Very quickly we got into the rhythm, we are in very good lap times and we are leading the race for several hours. Thanks to the Honda’s low fuel consumption, we refueled less than our opponents. But around 9 p.m., the first warning: Freddy returned to the box to change the clutch and we set off again far … The three of us whip, but we were forced to make several pit stops. honor, at 7 a.m. I hit the fastest lap in the race with a 1 "38.2, but around 10 a.m. the bike broke while I lined up the laps in 1.39 … I heard a strange noise and felt a power loss. As I was just before the Dunlop curve, I preferred to stop before risking spilling oil on the track and endangering the other riders. It’s a shame because even badly classified we were fighting for the team to finish. It’s a terrible disappointment for the whole team after so much work! "

 Yamaha n ° 7 (EWC – discontinued)

Mandy Kainz, team manager. “This weekend ended rather abruptly as we had to retire due to a technical problem. It’s probably just a small detail, but because of that we couldn’t finish the race. The good thing about the weekend is that we are very competitive and we were fighting for the victory. Let’s get ready for the next race! "

Max Neukirchner, pilot. "We had technical problems which prevented us from finishing the race. For us it’s really unfortunate because on the track we were the fastest. But it’s part of the 24 hour races, sometimes we are lucky and sometimes not. We can’t wait to compete in the next event, because we know that the team is very strong and that the bike is working well, so we’ll see how it goes ".

Ivan Silva, pilot. "It’s a shame because I was very comfortable with the bike and the tires, but in races of such a level anything is possible. We hope to have better luck for the next event. I thank the team and the fans who came to support us ".

Sheridan Morais, pilot. "It was really great. The team worked a lot, which allowed us to have excellent lap times and have good stints. This weekend we were the team to beat and it’s very impressive for the first time. I believe that a great future awaits us with this bike and this team ".

The will continue on July 26, 2015 in Japan with the Suzuka 8 Hours – with! -, then in Germany on August 22 in Germany with the 8 Hours of Oschersleben and will end in France on September 19 and 20, 2015.

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