The final round of the Moto Endurance World Championship (EWC) took place this weekend at the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet: the Bol d'Or 87. With the Yart Yamaha only 6 units ahead of its runner-up, the Yoshimura SERT Motul, everything was still to play for...
Double success for Yoshimura SERT Motul at Le Castellet!
After triumphing at the 24 Heures Motos du Mans in April, the Franco-Japanese team pulled out all the stops for this final stage of the season. Thanks to an almost faultless race, the Yoshimura SERT was able to avoid the many pitfalls of endurance racing, while its main rivals had to contend with technical incidents and other unforeseen events.
With Gregg Black, Étienne Masson and Dan Linfoot aboard the Suzuki n12, the team took the lead in the early hours of the race and maintained its lead. Leading the intermediate classifications after the eighth and sixteenth hours, collecting precious bonus points in the process, the Yoshimura SERT was crowned world champion after 737 laps. Celebrating its 20ᵉ Bol d'Or success, the SERT clinches its 19ᵉ world title.
Endurance rhymes with consistency
In an environment as unforgiving as endurance racing, consistency and reliability are often the keys to success. While their rivals struggled, Yoshimura SERT Motul avoided the pitfalls and managed their race perfectly. Their success was all the more impressive given that the team's ageing Suzuki was up against more recent and powerful bikes such as the Yamaha and BMW. Gregg Black, back after a serious wrist injury (which prevented him from taking part in Suzuka), showed his determination to once again add his name to the Bol d'Or honours list.
Like his team-mate Étienne Masson, the driver from Charente has now won his fourth EWC title. "Psychologically, you have to hang in there. I gritted my teeth and kept up the pace. It was one of my toughest races physically. But I'm proud to have done it," said Gregg Black after the race.
RACE ON @greggblack - king of the start again #FIMEWC #BoldOr pic.twitter.com/Cy3KodvOt8
FIM EWC (@FIM_EWC) September 14, 2024
Bol d'Or 2024: setbacks for YART Yamaha and BMW
The YART Yamaha team, leader in the overall standings, saw its title hopes dashed in the first hour of the race due to a rear tire defect that damaged bodywork components. The n1 Yamaha, ridden by Niccolò Canepa, Marvin Fritz and Karel Hanika, tumbled to 31ᵉ position before dramatically climbing back up to 3ᵉ place. Despite this committed effort, it was not enough to retain their championship position.
For their part, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, who had secured pole position for the third year running, had an eventful race. After struggling to stay in touch with the SERT Suzuki overnight, mechanical problems in the early hours of the morning relegated the n37 BMW to 5ᵉ final place.
Confirmation for Team KM99
One of the highlights of this 2024 edition of the Bol d'Or remains the remarkable performance of Belgian team KM99. In their second season in the EWC, the Yamaha n99 team of Randy de Puniet, Jérémy Guarnoni and Florian Marino punctuated the year with a magnificent 2ᵉ place, seven laps behind the SERT. This podium propels KM99 as the best independent team of the year, marking their first EWC podium.
Superstock class: the Sapeurs-Pompiers flamboyant
In the Superstock category, the n18 Yamaha of the CMS Motostore Sapeurs-Pompiers put in a remarkable performance, finishing 4ᵉ overall and winning the SST class. Unlike Kenny Foray's TECMAS MRP BMW Racing Team, which started from pole position and led at mid-race before having to retire at 4am, the Sapeurs-Pompiers managed to avoid mechanical problems to stay in the leading pack.
It was also a success for the AG Racing Team, led by Amandine Creusot, who finished 20ᵉ overall and 13ᵉ in Superstock.
Bol d'Or 2024 final results
1. Yoshimura SERT Motul - Suzuki (Suzuki n12) 1st EWC
2. KM99 (Yamaha n99) 2nd EWC, 7 laps down
3. YART - Yamaha (Yamaha n1) 3rd EWC, -16 laps
4. Team 18 Sapeurs-Pompiers CMS Motostore (Yamaha n18) 1st SST, -17 laps
5. BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team (BMW n37) 4th EWC, -19 laps
6. Chromeburner-RAC 41-Honda (Honda n41) 2nd SST, -21 laps
7. TRT27 AZ MOTO (Honda n27) 3rd SST, -24 laps
8. Team 33 Louit April Moto (Kawasaki n33) 4th SST, -25 laps
9. 3ART Best of Bike (Yamaha n36) 5th SST, -32 laps
10. JMA Racing Action Bike (Suzuki n34) 6th SST, -34 laps
Final 2024 EWC World Championship standings
1 - Yoshimura Sert Modul - Suzuki n12 : 173 points
2 - Yart - Yamaha - Yamaha n1 : 159 points
3 - BMW Motorrad Team - BMW n37 : 119 points
4 - KM 99 - Yamaha n99: 89 points
5 - Tati Team Beringer - Honda n4: 66 points
Yoshimura SERT Motul's dazzling victory punctuated an exceptional season, in front of 71,000 delighted fans. The 2024 edition of the EWC is drawing to a close, but there's more racing to come this year. The Paul-Ricard circuit will reopen at the end of September for the French Superbike Championship (September 27-29).
All weekend details can be found here.
Photo credits: Warner Bros. Discovery
