YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL QUALIFIES THIRD AT SPA
Yoshimura SERT Motul, the current leader of the 2024 FIM Endurance World Championship, has qualified in third position for the 8 Hours of Spa Motos, the second round of the series.
Based on its two best times from both qualifying sessions, the Franco-Japanese team recorded an average time of 2.19.357. The team’s third placing earned them an additional three points in the process.
The best times were set in the first qualifying session due to the better track temperatures. Black was the first rider from the team to go out. He set the third fastest time of his session in 2.19.360. The speed and efficiency of the team’s Suzuki GSX-R1000R was underlined by the performance of Masson, who claimed the second fastest time in his group, with a fast lap of 2.19.353. The team’s third rider to take to the Belgian track, Dan Linfoot, joined his team-mates at the front of the timesheet. The British rider finished in the top four of his group with a time of 2.20.040.
In the final session of the day, Yoshimura SERT Motul continued to push hard until the end of qualifying. Black (2.19.458) and Masson (2.19.671) were particularly impressive, both setting the fastest time of their session. Meanwhile, Linfoot made a significant improvement on his first qualifying session, setting a fast lap of 2.19.581.
Yohei KATO – team director
“It was a solid day, and we confirmed our potential. We’re competitive thanks to our three fast riders and I think we can close the gap on the two teams in front of us during the race. It’s ‘only’ an 8-hour race so we can’t make any mistakes on the track or in the pits. We need to stay very focused, and we’re looking for another good result.”
Damien SAULNIER – team manager
“We chose to work on the two qualifying sessions. It wasn’t a bad decision because Gregg and Etienne set good times in the first session, while Dan made good progress in the second. His performance freed him psychologically. In the race, our goal will be to stay on the pace without making any mistakes because an 8-hour race is too short to come back after a big blow. You have to adopt a slightly different strategy than in a 24-hour race.”
Gregg BLACK – rider
In the first session, we saw that there was still room for improvement. We were counting on the second qualifying session to make progress. We managed to find some solutions. I think we lacked a bit of time to really go for the perfect qualifying finish. We all feel confident for the race and have bagged a few important points for the championship.”
Etienne MASSON – rider
“The aim was to get a good place on the grid, to try and get away as quickly as possible and avoid any risks. Mission accomplished. The bike works well, the team is as efficient as ever and the atmosphere is very good. It’s a sprint race ahead of us. We’re going to have to attack to keep up the pace, but without rushing things or getting caught out. That’s the key point in an 8-hour race – not to make any mistakes.”
Dan LINFOOT – rider
“In the end, we qualified third. We would have liked to be a little further ahead but the whole team worked well, and we had a solid race pace. My team-mates set some excellent times. For my part, I was a bit behind, but I took a step forward in the last session by riding alone. We’re ready and I hope we can do even better in the race.”
The 8 Hours of Spa Motos at Spa Francorchamps, Belgium will start on Saturday the 8th of June at 1pm (CET).
