Team Suzuki Press Office – September 18.
Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Team Motul were required to retire from today’s Bol d’Or 24 Hours EWC final round in France after spending a considerable amount of time in the pits, following machine issues.
Gregg Black, starting third on the grid, was second into the first corner and first out of it. He held the lead for several laps. When he handed over to Kazuki Watanabe, the team was battling with the leaders.
After just 34 laps of the Circuit Paul Ricard, Watanabe noticed problems with the team’s Suzuki GSX-R1000R and coasted back to the pit box.
As ever, Yoshimura SERT Motul’s crew pulled out all the stops to rebuild the machine and get the riders back out on track but, on this occasion, it was not to be. After more than three hours in the pits, the team was declared as ‘retired.’
Yoshimura SERT Motul Team Director Yohei Kato:
“Unfortunately, we had an issue with an engine failure. We were in a strong position at the time and the crew showed incredible team work to try and fix it, but it was very difficult due to lack of accessible parts.
“We needed to change certain components for safety reasons, however, even though Suzuki France did all they could to try and help to locate the correct parts, it wasn’t to be.
“Obviously, we are all extremely disappointed. I don’t like to say ‘this is racing’ but it is … I appreciate absolutely everything every member of the team did today to try and get the bike and guys back out on track. I am very proud of the way they worked.
“I’d like to thank our fans for keeping us motivated and apologise for being on track for such a short time today.
“The season is finished. At this point, we don’t know what the final ranking will be, but we did as much as possible and I am proud of the whole team and riders.”
