Press release – YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL GOES SECOND FASTEST IN BOL D’OR QUALIFYING
September 16th, 2023.
YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL GOES SECOND FASTEST IN BOL D’OR QUALIFYING
Yoshimura SERT Motul set the second fastest time on the Suzuki GSX-R1000R in qualifying for the Bol d’Or, the third 24-hour race of the 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship and the final of the championship.
The team is preparing for the ultimate challenge of the season, the 86th Bol d’Or at the Paul Ricard circuit in France. Its fast-qualifying sessions across all groups has motivated the Franco-Japanese team.
Currently fourth in the overall standings, with a total of 77 points, the Suzuki team is 61 points behind the leader at the end of a difficult season in which luck has never been on its side. For this final event of the year in the FIM EWC championship, the clear objective is to finish with an excellent result. With 18 victories to its name, Suzuki has the most EWC wins.
The 47 teams involved have been preparing for this final, where the stakes are high. The demanding layout of the Bol d’Or circuit is notable for its 1.8km Mistral straight, a major challenge for the machines, which are pushed to the limit for more than 20 seconds. The points awarded are multiplied by 1.5, giving a maximum of 85 points. For Yoshimura SERT Motul, this is a valuable opportunity to move closer to the top of the final standings.
During the two qualifying practice sessions, the entire Suzuki team showed its determination to shine at the highest level in EWC. In the first session on Thursday afternoon, Gregg Black put in a very good performance with a best lap of 1.51.892, which placed him second in his session. Sylvain Guintoli led his stint with an impressive lap of 1.51.695. Étienne Masson finished second in his session with a time of 1.53.014.
In the second official qualifying, which took place on Friday, Black slightly improved his time to 1.51.636, which again ensured him second position. Building on his performance of the previous day, Guintoli secured third place with a time of 1.52.619. Finally, Masson made a significant improvement, with a best lap of 1.52.141.
Japanese rider Cocoro Atsumi joined the Suzuki crew at the Bol d’Or as a reserve rider and made a valuable contribution to the team’s work. He placed a best lap time of 1.53.142 in Q1 and then went on to be the fastest rider in the green group in Q2.
Over the two days of qualifying, Yoshimura SERT Motul was credited with a time of 1.51.665, the average of its two best times. This solid performance means the team will start from second place on the grid for the 2023 Bol d’Or. It also added four additional points to its championship tally.
The Bol d’Or 2023, gets underway today, Saturday September 16, at 15:00 CET. The race will be broadcast live in all five continents and in full on Eurosport Player. Highlights will be shown live on Eurosport and La chaîne L’Équipe in France.
Yohei KATO – team director
“I’m really pleased. We came very close to pole position, but second is a very good result. Since the Bol d’Or last year, we’ve often been unlucky, so this year we really want to finish on a high with a good result before concentrating on next season.”
Damien SAULNIER – team manager
“Of course, we were aiming for pole position, but second place is already a great performance and we’ve picked up some important points for the championship. I’m very happy with the week we’ve had. We know the potential of our riders, the bike, and the team. Everyone did a great job. Now we’re looking ahead to the race, where the aim will clearly be to give everything we’ve got to achieve the best possible result!”
Gregg BLACK – rider
“The hard work of the whole team has paid off. All three of us managed to beat our personal best times on this circuit. I’m really happy with the pace we’re setting and with the performance of the Suzuki, which came very close to pole position. The title isn’t decided yet, and we’re going to do our best to fight to the end.”
Sylvain GUINTOLI – rider
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to improve on my time in second qualifying and the first place slipped through our fingers. But I was able to set a good pace in the first qualifying session and that’s a positive point. It’s going to be a very competitive race with a lot of fast riders and different but very close machines. We’re looking forward to it and defending all our chances to finish this season well, which hasn’t been easy for the team.”
Etienne MASSON – rider
“It was a great qualifying session. We all rode well. Personally, I’m quite happy because it was the first time I have ridden this circuit on Bridgestone tyres. I had to get up to speed quite quickly. But I still managed to set a good time today. So, the first part of the mission has been accomplished. The race bike is competitive, we’ve got the right settings, power and good fuel consumption. It looks good. During the race, the weather conditions may change. It will be up to us to manage and make the right decisions.”
