24 Heures Motos – Six events and 17 teams in the World Endurance Championship –

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Six events and 17 teams in the World Endurance Championship

24 Heures Motos - Six events and 17 teams in the World Endurance Championship -

17 teams are entered for the entire 2007 World Endurance Championship over six events. But other teams no less prestigious will only compete in certain events, such as Le Mans which will open the championship on April 21 or the Bol d’Or..

The 2007 World Endurance Championship, organized this year without the help of a private promoter (exit the Flamini group which also manages the World Superbike), will begin in France with the 24 Hours Moto of Le Mans on April 21 and 22..

A weekend that promises to be particularly busy for motorcycle voters, since barely crossed the checkered flag, they will have to move towards their favorite polling station. !

2007 World Endurance Championship calendar

On the menu this year, six events in five countries.

April 21/22 24 H Moto du Mans France
May 5 6 H from Albacete Spain
July 29 8 H from Suzuka Japan
11/12 August 24 Hours of Oschersleben Germany
September 15/16 Bol d’Or (24 H) France
November 10 (to be confirmed) 6 hours from Doha (Losail) Qatar

The list of permanent entries for the entire World Endurance Championship (six events) currently comprises 17 teams. However, the FIM is studying "the possibility of increasing the number of permanent teams".

Permanent teams of the 2007 World Endurance Championship

Team No. Pilots Nat. Motorbike
Suzuki Castrol Team 1 Vincent Philippe ENG SUZUKI GSXR 1000
Matthieu Lagrive ENG
Julien Da Costa ENG
Yamaha Austria Racing Team 7 Igor jerman SLO YAMAHA R1
Sebastian Scarnato ENG
Thomas hinterreiter AUT
Yamaha Phase One Endurance 3 Warwick nowland AUS YAMAHA R1
Richard glenn GB
Didier van Keymeulen BEL
Bolliger Team Switzerland 8 David Morillon ENG KAWASAKI ZX10 R
Patrick muff SUI
Horst Saiger AUT
Suzuki Sweden
(ex-Fagersjo-el)		 12 Tobias Andersson SWE SUZUKI GSXR 1000
Lars Carlbark SWE
Andi Notman SWE
Nicklas carlberg SWE
Diablo 666 Bolliger Kawasaki 666 James hutchins GBR KAWASAKI ZX 10 R
Olivier Ulmann ENG
Alexander cudlin AUS
No Limits 44 Moreno Codeluppi ITA SUZUKI GSXR 1000
Stefano Gugliotta SUI
Andrea Fanotto ITA
Motorcycle Endurance 45 100 Nicolas Duprez ENG SUZUKI GSXR 1000
Frederic Bernon ENG
Thomas Perreau ENG
Nicolas Jaulneau ENG
Red zone 6 Olivier Depoorter BEL YAMAHA R1
Wim Van den Broeck BEL
Nicolas pirot BEL
Michel nickmans BEL
Team Amadeus X One 9 Paolo Tessari ITA YAMAHA R1
Will gruy USA
Riccardo ricci ITA
Kawasaki France 11 Steve plater GBR KAWASAKI ZX 10
Gwen Giabbani ENG
Ivan Silva SP
Frederic Moreira ENG
Endurance Moto 38 Yamaha 38 Erwan Nigon ENG YAMAHA R1
Julien millet ENG
Joao Fernandes Happy POR
Primo Verboven Racing 4 Hans Westra BEL SUZUKI GSXR 1000
Leroy Verboven BEL
Patrick de la Ruelle BEL
Raffin Motorcycles Kawasaki 16 Damien Chene ENG KAWASAKI ZX 10
Stephane Kokes ENG
Pascal Grosjean ENG
Knees Team Racing 30 A. Lagrive ENG SUZUKI GSXR 1000
To confirm
Y. Genestier ENG
ABG Performance 134 134 Christophe alluard ENG SUZUKI GSXR 1000
Franck Giroguy ENG
Guillaume Greleaud ENG
Franck Gaziello ENG
EWC Team Endurance
Eurosport Benelux		 5 Emiel bosma NED MV AGUSTA
Ruud Van Stralen NED
To confirm

The FIM also indicates that it is "strongly involved in the management and promotion with the organizers of the championship events". She is working in particular on the development of a website and a structure for the media.

Following the mandate given at its 2006 congress (read and), the FIM in fact decided that the 2007 World Endurance Championship would be organized without a promoter. "The TV and commercial rights of the events will be entrusted to the national federations and the respective organizers.", specifies the FIM which"will play an important role in managing various aspects related to the organization and coordination of events counting for the World Endurance Championship".

We will therefore find all these beautiful people live on Moto-Net on April 21 and 22 on the Le Mans circuit, with not only the usual fratricidal duel between the Suzuki of the SERT and the Yamaha of the GMT94, but also the promising official Kawasaki n ° 111 and the Honda of Dap91 in the Superbike category…

"While a motorcycle will be responsible for defending our title of world champion won last year, the SERT will enter a second motorcycle in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Bol d’Or events.", specifies Suzuki. On the handlebars of the first GSX-R1000 in the Superbike World Championship category, Julien Da Costa (reigning French 600 Supersport champion), Matthieu Lagrive (reigning world endurance champion) and Vincent Philippe will take turns. (reigning world endurance champion).

On the second GSX-R1000 – which will only participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Bol d’Or (Superbike category) – Suzuki will be able to count on William Costes, Guillaume Dietrich (defending French 1000 Stocksport champion) and Max Neukirchner (12th in World Superbike 2005, 18th in World Superbike 2006).

"It will get warmer !", warns Guillaume Dietrich after returning from Team Suzuki’s first tests on the Mireval circuit, which Dunlop uses to develop its tires."The track was very cold and we only had 2006 version GSX-R 1000s", specifies Guillaume who will soon test the new GSX-R 2007 in Spain:"these tests were mainly used to get back in shape and to regain our marks on motorcycles. It also allowed us to meet Max Neukirchner, the German Superbike World Championship rider who will team up with us for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Bol d’Or.".

At Kawasaki, Gilles Stafler is taking charge of the Greens’ return to the World Endurance Championship. He is assisted by Pascal Bost, suspension specialist who was a mechanic for Team Kawasaki France in 1991 and 1992, by Marc Buisson (in charge of technical stewardship) and by Christian Courbois (technical staff). The official Kawasaki team is complemented by two young mechanics trained at the Lycee Le Mans Sud school of Damien Saulnier: Thomas Perin and Benoît Leveillard.

The Greens will also be represented at Le Mans and at Le Bol in the Stocksport category by the Education Racing Team, a technical school in Choisy-le-Roi comparable to the Lycee Le Mans Sud, which serves as a breeding ground for Damien Saulnier’s Junior Team Suzuki. The ERT will therefore replace the Maccio Racing team at Le Mans and Le Bol at short notice, Patrick Maccio now in charge of the Kawasaki Moto Revue Cup (read) and K Days (read).

"Competition is prevented", warns Kawasaki:"we are giving ourselves the means so that our comeback in the Endurance World Cup is not to make up the figure !"

The GMT 94 Yamaha R1 entered at Le Mans and at the Bol d’Or will therefore have a lot to do … It will be able to count on the pillars of GMT, David Checa and Sebastien Gimbert, as well as on the new recruit of the year: Olivier Four !

Without forgetting the Honda CBR 1000 of Dap91 Profil +, better prepared than ever, entrusted this year to Bertrand Stey, Jerôme Tangre (8th in the French Stocksport 1000cc championship in 2006) and Denis Bouan (winner of the Dark Dog Moto Tour 2006).

"These three drivers will receive the support of Adrien Morillas as manager and physical trainer", warns Dap91 which actively prepares the two machines intended for the 24 hour races and even made the trip to Japan in the workshops of the HRC"to better understand the specifics of the motorcycle"…

Finally, 2007 also marks the return to endurance racing of the official BMW Motorrad factory, which will enter an R1200S in the Open category at Le Mans and Bol (read).

See you in Le Mans on April 21 and 22 for the opening of hostilities, live on Site !

Eric MICHEL

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