The Bol D'or at the Circuit de Nevers in Magny Cours, France, is the opening race of the 2013 FIM World Endurance Championship for motorcycles.
Last year, weather came into play. This year, many of the same racers are back for the Bol D'or. Team SRC Kawasaki will be the team to beat in this race. They are defending champions of the Bol D'or. The team's riders are Gregory Leblanc, former Kawasaki World Superbike rider, Loris Baz, and Jeremy Guarnoni. BMW Motorrad France also has some new riders. They include British Supersport and Superbike racer Karl Muggeridge, and Sylvain Barrier from France. Monster Energy Yamaha is back. Their team will have Igor Jerman from Slovakia, and two Australian riders in Broc Parkes, and Josh Waters.
Honda TT Legends has new riders, too. Cameron Donald is not racing with the team this year, making way for two Michael's. Michael Rutter, and Michael Dunlop, join John McGuinness and Simon Andrews. Not too many changes at SERT (Suzuki Endurance Racing Team). Julien Da Costa rejoins the team along with Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle, and Alex Cudlin. No changes at Yamaha GMT 94 except for the bike's colors. David Checa will share with Kenny Foray, Matthieu Lagrive and former World Superbike rider, Maxime Berger.
Time to race. It's cold, and rain could play a factor in this race. It's round one of four in the 2013 FIM World Endurance Championship. Bike #11 for SRC Kawasaki is on pole, again, shared by the trio of Leblanc, Baz, and Guarnoni. Three classes will run. EWC (Endurance World Championship), SST (Superstock), and Open. The Open class has two bikes. One is built by one of the teams, (the #45 Metiss JLC Moto, Metiss 1000 shared by three French riders. The other, is a Ducati 1199 Panigale, for Team Scuderia Deux Roues, (bike #17). They also run an all French squad.
The Superstock class will see a battle between Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki. For flavor, there is one BMW, and one Aprilia RSV4. This is bike #6 for Aprilia Le Mans 2 Roues, once again, with a French riding squad. SRC Kawasaki starts from pole. Five minutes before the race start. Clear the grid, and be ready for a thriller. 24 hours is a long time, and a lot can happen. The one minute board appears. Time to go racing everybody. FIM Endurance World Championship 2013, is go! The riders sprint to their machines, and will take off, starting the race.
Gregory Leblanc takes the lead. But Vincent Philippe wastes no time at all, pouncing on that front spot. In third is bike #3, a French entered Superstock Suzuki GSXR in the hands of Anthony Loiseau, Romain Maitre, and Jonathan Hardt. Loiseau is on board bike #3 for the start. Brock Parkes runs fifth overall behind the LMS Junior Team bike. This is the #72 Suzuki GSXR1000 shared by Baptiste Guittet, Etienne Masson, Nans Chevaux, and Nicolas Pauhair. Both Yamaha GMT 94 and Honda TT Legends are working their way through the field, with David Checa and Michael Dunlop riding those bikes respectively.
Gregory Leblanc passes Vincent Philippe for the lead. The race is now a few hours old, and rider changes will come, as Loris Baz prepares for his stint. A smooth stop for SRC Kawasaki, as Loris Baz does board the bike. SERT will take over in P1 momentarily. Vincent Philippe is in traffic, which might allow Baz to gain some ground. Holding third is the Yamaha (#94). Kenny Foray has taken over from David Checa. BMW is now fourth. Sylvain Barrier takes over the bike from Sebastien Gimbert.
Sylvain Barrier pits the BMW again, and will stay on the bike. He is doing a double stint. Gimbert did a single. Karl Muggeridge is not set to go on the bike yet. Oops. Rider change at Yamaha YART. Sheridan Morais of France takes the place of Josh Waters. He has taken over from Broc Parkes. But, more drama. Someone ditches their bike. Uh oh. It's Sylvain Barrier on the BMW. Not good. Well, actually, Barrier's bike doesn't have much damage as he checks the dashboard before heading back on track.
Barrier will rejoin in seventh overall. What happened to him? He hits a bump in the last corner in the Lycee complex, and just lays the bike down with some sparks. Sylvain Barrier runs behind Simon Andrews on the #77 Honda TT Legends Honda CBR1000RR. Kenny Foret will take over the Yamaha when the team pits, as team manager Christophe Guyot, looks on. Mathieu Lagrive runs second in the overall. Yamaha GMT 94 passes SERT in the pit lane. Loris Baz hangs in there, making his way around bike #21, the PL Performances Suzuki GSXR1000 in Superstock. On the rider's strength for that bike are Frenchmen Cyril Lepand, Romain Delanoe, Patrick Blanchet, and Stephane Charloux.
Jeremy Guarnoni explains how cautious the SRC riders are being out there on a track that is becoming slightly damp. They are on intermediate tires (which are not slicks and not full wets, but are inbetween). Loris Baz brings the Kawasaki to the pits. There is a rider change, and Guarnoni takes over. Guarnoni may have two slick tires on that motorcycle. Watch out, because it's like riding on ice. Anthony Delhalle has taken over the #1 Suzuki from Vincent Philippe. He is being pursued by the #55 National Motos Honda CBR1000RR shared by Gregory Junod and Nicolas Metro, both of France.
Sebastien Gimbert is now riding his first stint on the #99 bike, running sixth overall. Anthony Delhalle has dropped the Suzuki, someplace. Once again, in this incident, the bike isn't severely damaged, and can be fixed in pit lane. Broc Parkes now runs fourth overall for Monster Energy Yamaha Austria. SERT pits, opting for a rider change, as Vincent Philippe gets back on the bike after Delhalle's off course incident earlier. The tail of the Suzuki is already battered, and has racer's tape on it. Gregory Leblanc is pulling out a gap over the Yamaha GMT 94 bike. Will Kawasaki turn this field green with envy? OK. Pun intended.
Meanwhile, SERT's problems go from bad to worse as Vincent Philippe crashes again. This triggers a safety car. The weather is acting up. Or, there's something physically wrong with the GSXR1000. Philippe gets the bike back to pit lane. But, he had to be winded after his fall. The bike is taken straight to the garage. Nans Chevaux, riding the #72 Junor Team LMS Suzuki is going well. They are second in Superstock, behind the #3, the similar GSXR belonging to AM Moto Racing Competition. The race approaches the end of the fourth hour.
So, at that time point, here are the top ten runners.
1. EWC #11 SRC Kawasaki Kawasaki ZX10R
Leblanc/Baz/Guarnoni
2. EWC #94 Yamaha France GMT 94/
Michelin Yamalube Yamaha R1
Checa/Foray/Lagrive/Berger
3. EWC #99 BMW Motorrad France
Thevent BMW S1000RR
Gimbert/Barrier/Cudlin
4. EWC #77 Honda TT Legends Honda CBR1000RR
McGuinness/Rutter/Andrews/Dunlop
5. EWC #55 National Motos Honda CBR1000RR
Junod/Metro/Dunlop
6. EWC #7 Monster Energy Yamaha YART Yamaha R1
Jerman/Parkes/Waters/Morais
7. SST #3 AM Moto Racing Competition Suzuki GSXR1000
Loiseau/Maitre/Hardt
8. SST #72 Junor Team LMS Suzuki Suzuki GSXR1000
Guittet/Mason/Chevaux/Pauhair
9. SST #13 Penz13.com Frank's Autowelt
Racing Team BMW S1000RR
Vallcaneras/Pridmore/Takada/Mercer
10. Open #45 Metiss JLC Moto Metiss 1000
Michel/Huvier/Cheron
Bike #14 hits the pit lane. They have an Isle of Man TT veteran in Conor Cummins on their team. But he's new to endurance motorcycle racing. This is the #14 Maco Racing Team Yamaha R1 and he is sharing with Frenchman Denis Bouan. The riders get a massage and have something to eat. But, rest doesn't come too much. They usually go two hours between stints before the team calls them to the pit to get back on the bike.
As night falls, Simon Andrews does just that, taking over on the #77 Honda TT Legends machine. It's getting dark at Magny Cours. So, use the headlights on the front of the bike. Meanwhile, SERT is having a fraught race. It's going from bad to worse as they make repairs to the motorcycle, and while the clock is their enemy, it is a friend to the green machine, the Kawasaki for SRC. Julian Da Costa will take over the Suzuki, and they bring the bike into the pit lane, refueling it, ready to keep going. SERT team manager Dominique Melliand explains how he's had to calm down a couple of his riders, and be a psychologist in a way.
But, they'll get back at it, and run to a pace. Kenny Foray is still on the #94 Yamaha. However, he'll hand over to Matthieu Lagrive on the next pit stop. The Yamaha does pit from first place overall, and Foret will hand over to Lagrive. SRC Kawasaki will take over the race lead. Sylvain Barrier continues on the #99 BMW. But, on the next pit stop, Karl Muggeridge will take over for his first stint in competition. SRC Kawasaki takes over the lead. Jeremy Guarnoni at the controls. But, Guarnoni makes a scheduled pit stop, and will hand the bike back over to Gregory Leblanc.
More woes for BMW. Karl Muggeridge ditches the bike on his outlap. They were running third overall as Muggeridge frantically pushes the bike into pit lane and into it's garage. The bike will be fixed by the crew. But Karl Muggeridge has to be spent after that. They've lost spots, and lost time. But Sebastien Gimbert will take it back on track. Gimbert is not comfortable on the bike. So, soon, as darkness has fallen over Magny Cours, it could be game over for BMW Motorrad France. Gimbert runs wide into Lycee, and has to pit.
Auf wiedersehen BMW. Gesundheit. Farewell. BMW team manager Ian Wheeler, is disappointed, and rightfully so. Better luck next year. Simon Andrews will bring in the #77 Honda and Michael Dunlop will take over. Simon Andrews ran his whole 50 minute stint. But, he had fuel spilled on him, and looks to be in some pain. Honda TT Legends team manager Glen Richards, says the team hopes for a podium place at the end. Sheridan Morais pits the #7 Yamaha R1 for Monster Energy Yamaha YART. Igor Jerman will take over. The #7 bike runs third overall, headed into the hours of darkness at Magny Cours. Kenny Foret, on the Yamaha, runs second right now.
Despite the crash in the Lycee corner, Yamaha team manager Christophe Guyot is confident the team will run strong through the nighttime hours. SRC Kawasaki pits. Loris Baz is off the bike. So, here's the top ten after eight hours.
1. EWC #11 SRC Kawasaki Kawasaki ZX10R
Leblanc/Baz/Guarnoni
2. EWC #94 Yamaha France GMT 94/
Michelin Yamalube Yamaha R1
Checa/Foray/Lagrive/Berger
3. EWC #7 Monster Energy Yamaha YART Yamaha R1
Jerman/Parkes/Waters/Morais
4. EWC #77 Honda TT Legends Honda CBR1000RR
McGuinness/Rutter/Andrews/Dunlop
5. SST #3 AM Moto Racing Competition Suzuki GSXR1000
Loiseau/Maitre/Hardt
6. SST #72 Junor Team LMS Suzuki Suzuki GSXR1000
Guittet/Mason/Chevaux/Pauhair
7. SST #13 Penz13.com Frank's Autowelt
Racing Team BMW S1000RR
Vallcaneras/Pridmore/Takada/Mercer
8. EWC #14 Maco Racing Team Yamaha R1
Bouan/Cummins/Roccolin
9. SST #9 DGSport Herock Yamaha R1
van Keymeulen/Schouten/Mahias
10. EWC #2 Team R2CL Suzuki GSXR1000
Giabbani/Dietrich/Buisson
The darkness sets in and the riders acclimate to cooler weather in the overnight hours. Riders and teams alike will change focus. The racing slows a shade. But, the crews and riders will still have to be on top of their game. SRC Kawasaki pits. Gregory Leblanc takes over. Suzuki is playing catch up. Conor Cummins is now on his bike, (the #14 Maco Racing Yamaha R1). He takes over from third rider Massimo Roccolin. Honda TT Legends also pits as John McGuinness hands over the bike. They change tires, and brake pads. Simon Andrews takes over the bike.
Suzuki Junior Team manager Damien Saulnier debriefs with his mechanics. The team is prepping for a pit stop. 30 seconds. Get this one right, chaps. The Suzuki is in the box. Yes. Make an adjustment to the bike. Final words of encouragement to the new rider, "go get 'em!" "Hey guys, is the oil OK?" "Huh?" "Is the oil OK?" "Yes sir." "You looked at it? How much?" "Two blocks. It's OK." "When you have to sign off for oil, it's impossible. There's one day left." More strategy.
"By now, uh, we'll do, it's nearly 6:00 A.M. If it's OK, the day will come soon." Etienne Masson tells of his stint. "The thing is, I looked, and it said, lap 30, and after what seemed like 45 minutes, it said, 29. I was like, 'oh no'. 'Well, you should have something like three hours now. Go get some sleep. Come back happy, and we won't stop." At Yamaha GMT 94, they are still P2, as confirmed by Christophe Guyot, to his rider. Kenny Foray will pit.
GMT 94 is running like clockwork, doing a routine stop as Foray steps from the bike. Guyot talks to Foray. "Well, excellent, Kenny. Yes, you did 2:42's and that's the plan." "I came to do that. But, there was a lot of traffic. Maybe at the start of the stint, I fell into a group of slow guys." "Well, that's how it is. You did really well. Thanks. Superb. Go and rest." Sixteen hours into the race. The sun is going to rise soon, as a dark bluish hue fingers the sky, and sparks the transformation from darkness, to dawn. Kawasaki is playing games with a snoozing rider or crewman. "Hey, dude. Wake up!" Here are the standings after 16 hours.
1. EWC #11 SRC Kawasaki Kawasaki ZX10R
Leblanc/Baz/Guarnoni
2. EWC #94 Yamaha France GMT 94/
Michelin Yamalube Yamaha R1
Checa/Foray/Lagrive/Berger
3. EWC #7 Monster Energy Yamaha YART Yamaha R1
Jerman/Parkes/Waters/Morais
4. EWC #1 Suzuki Endurance Racing Team Suzuki GSXR1000
Philippe/Delhalle/Da Costa/Cudlin
5. EWC #77 Honda TT Legends Honda CBR1000RR
McGuinness/Rutter/Andrews/Dunlop
6. SST #72 Junor Team LMS Suzuki Suzuki GSXR1000
Guittet/Mason/Chevaux/Pauhair
7. SST #13 Penz13.com Frank's Autowelt
Racing Team BMW S1000RR
Vallcaneras/Pridmore/Takada/Mercer
8. SST #3 AM Moto Racing Competition Suzuki GSXR1000
Loiseau/Maitre/Hardt
9. EWC #2 Team R2CL Suzuki GSXR1000
Giabbani/Dietrich/Buisson
10. EWC #55 National Motos Honda CBR1000RR
Junod/Metro/Dunlop
Suzuki have amazingly made it from 33rd place to being fourth overall! Wow! Kudos to them for gaining back so many spots! Penz 13 and the Suzuki Junior Team battle for Superstock honors. Both teams are on the same lap. But, this is the closest battle of the whole race. Kawasaki leads in the overall. But, Yamaha GMT 94 are steadily closing in on the green bike. Two teams who have had fraught races are the #69 Ecurie Chrono Sport and the #8 Team Bolliger Switzerland Kawasaki's. They've endured electrical gremlins.
Bolliger runs 13th in the overall. Sharing the riding chores are Austrian Horst Saiger, Jose Manuel Luis Mita of Spain, Switzerland's Marc Wildisen, and Mita's countryman, Gaston Garcia Blosco. Ecurie Chrono Sport's Kawasaki is shared by Mickael Mecene of France, and his countrymen, (two Lionel's), Lionel Bergeron, and Lionel Herveux, as well as Julien Ferre. Honda TT Legends is fifth, and the riders cannot get a good feel for the bike at the moment. The motorcycle is being attended to in the garage, and the team is sussing out the problem as it's uncertain of the source. John McGuinness will return to the track.
SERT is catching up to Yamaha YART. But, team manager Mandy Kainz says the team has no specific plan. The race is not over. But, there are problems. Honda TT Legends, goes up in smoke! John McGuinness on bike #77 has an engine explosion, as there was a burst of flame out of the back of the bike! The team was dealing with an oil leak. But, there's more to it than just a severed oil line. McGuinness pushes the bike back, and fortunately makes it to pit lane, looking exasperated. At the seventeen and a half hour mark, the motor in that CBR1000RR has gone ka blammo, and it's game over.
Yamaha GMT 94 is expected to pit. They are beginning to have issues, too. So, these top factory teams are running into difficulty just as the sun rises over the Circuit de Nevers on Sunday morning. The crew seems to be working on the wiring harness of the #94 machine. Kenny Foray was at the controls when the bike came in. Matthieu Lagrive will take over riding chores next. But, the safety car has been deployed again, because the #77 Honda burned up all the oil in the crank case and spewed it all over the track.
The mess will need to be cleaned up, pronto. GMT 94 will have a bit more time to suss out their problems. But, for now, they will fuel the bike and get Matthieu Lagrive back into the fight. Lagrive and Foray hav done most of the riding. Very few mentions of the other two riders at GMT 94, Maxime Berger and David Checa. The bike restarts and is back on track, to the applause of the crewmen. He was dealing with an electrical problem, engaging the rev limiter when it wasn't supposed to be on.
Yamaha GMT 94 will not win. They might get a podium. As for Honda TT Legends, au revoir. Their race is run. Better luck next year. SRC Kawasaki seems like they will be the last team standing when it comes to the factory bikes. Kawasaki team manager Gilles Staffler, is confident, and knows they can build up a lead over the Yamaha. Soon, the track will be back to green flag conditions. Gregory Leblanc pilots the Kawasaki right now.
Here's the running order after 20 hours, with four left to run in the Bol D'Or.
1. EWC #11 SRC Kawasaki Kawasaki ZX10R
Leblanc/Baz/Guarnoni
2. EWC #7 Monster Energy Yamaha YART Yamaha R1
Jerman/Parkes/Waters/Morais
3. EWC #1 Suzuki Endurance Racing Team Suzuki GSXR1000
Philippe/Delhalle/Da Costa/Cudlin
4. EWC #94 Yamaha France GMT 94/
Michelin Yamalube Yamaha R1
Checa/Foray/Lagrive/Berger
5. SST #13 Penz13.com Frank's Autowelt
Racing Team BMW S1000RR
Vallcaneras/Pridmore/Takada/Mercer
6. SST #72 Junor Team LMS Suzuki Suzuki GSXR1000
Guittet/Mason/Chevaux/Pauhair
7. EWC #2 Team R2CL Suzuki GSXR1000
Giabbani/Dietrich/Buisson
8. EWC #55 National Motos Honda CBR1000RR
Junod/Metro
9. SST #50 Team Motors Events April Moto Suzuki GSXR1000
Fastre/Lucas/Savary/Chevrier
10. SST #67 Star Team PAM Racing Suzuki GSXR1000
Prulhiere/Maurin/Longearet/Deletrez
SRC Kawasaki is ten laps ahead of second place with four hours remaining. Brock Parkes is trying his best to bring YART home on the podium and beat Suzuki. They are slightly slower than the YART Yamaha. Vincent Philippe pits and hands over to Anthony Delhalle. Yamaha GMT 94 is back on track with a fixed wiring system. But, Kawasaki will be hard to beat as the hours drift by. David Checa is running on the #94 bike.
There is another crash late in the going for the Open class prototype Ducati Panigale. Lionel Ancelin takes a tumble, but though it looks bad, he's able to get up and might continue in the race, looking for a finish for the new Ducati Panigale. Penz 13 is still running well in the lead of the Superstock division, holding off their rivals from the Suzuki Junior Team. Etienne Masson is on the #72 bike, while Steve Mercer is the rider of bike #13. Jason Pridmore will take it home for Penz 13 on their BMW S1000RR. The Suzuki still has to pit.
Loris Baz explains his uncertainty about overtaking to the crew, saying, "when you overtake, you have to be real sure about when you're braking. I was always breaking to the inside. Then, I had to pass around the outside. Once I was past, I gave it some gas, and moved out the gap to a second." Jeremy Guarnoni is riding the leading Kawasaki, and David Checa is trying to unlap himself. It's Yamaha vs. Kawasaki. Yamaha GMT 94 is still fighting for the podium.
Meanwhile, more problems for the Open division Ducati Panigale. The rear tire and rear frame have completely collapsed, and it looks more like a cruiser than it does, a Superbike. The Panigale has had a fraught race. Meanwhile, Etienne Masson is preparing for a pit stop for the #72 Suzuki. This will be the final pit stop of the race, for this team. How will they do? But, before we get to that, the Penz 13 BMW is in trouble again. They've been called in by the marshals for a stop and go penalty. Why? That changes the lead in Superstock, and the #72 team will be leading the division over the Penz 13 BMW.
Baptiste Guittet has taken over the #72, which now leads Superstock. Rico Penzkofer, the Penz 13 team manager says that Jason Pridmore might have hit the cone at the end of pit lane. Cyril Huvier now leads the Open class. With the problems for the Ducati Panigale, the #45 Metiss 1000 for the Metiss JLC Moto team, is leading the class. At the moment, they are running in 12th overall. Time is running short. The crowd cam to see the end of the race early this morning. Loris Baz is already waving to them. This is the final hour of the race.
Bike #11 comes in for it's final stop. Gregory Leblanc will take the bike to the checkered flag. Brock Parkes is going to take it home for the #7 team, Monster Energy Yamaha Austria. Also, National Motos runs eighth, as in the last part of the race, Michael Rutter has gone over to help Gregory Junod and Nicolas Metro. The Superstock class win will go to the #72 bike that has been documented for most of the race. SRC Kawasaki wins the race, and Gregory Leblanc takes the bike over the line before diving for the pits and parc ferme. Magny Cours is SRC Kawasaki's house. They've won this Bol D'Or race so many times, and this will add to that tally.
Here are the overall and class winners:
Overall/EWC: #11 SRC Kawasaki Kawasaki ZX10R
Gregory Leblanc, Loris Baz, and Jeremy Guarnoni
SST: #72 Junor Team LMS Suzuki Suzuki GSXR1000
Baptiste Guittet, Etienne Masson, Nans Chevaux, and Nicolas Pauhair
The winners complete 808 laps... 2,214 miles. In Superstock, Suzuki Junior Team completes 788 laps... 2,159 miles. Monster Energy Yamaha Austria has the points lead, because SRC Kawasaki will not contest the entire 2013 FIM World Endurance Championship season. The next race is the Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan, coming up on the last weekend in July. Will have highlights of that race, when they come along. So long for now.
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