Endurance: TSR Honda dominates the 24 hours of Le Mans

F.C.C. TSR Honda France has won the 24 hours of Le Mans.

Yoshimura SERT Motul started on pole position for the 24 Heures Motos after a rain-affected qualifying session. The race was highly anticipated, with the F.C.C. TSR Honda France squad looking to retain their title.

There was drama at the start, with the #777 Wojcik Racing Team STK bike crashing before the first corner. Drama and crashing continued, with the pole position #12 SERT bike making contact with Josh Hook. This crash sent the Suzuki into the gravel and destroyed the motorcycle, returning the team to the pits.

The  #21 Bimtrazer Fly Yamaha R1’s motor would expire at turn one, putting oil onto the circuit. The #37 BMW and the #11 Kawasaki were sent through the gravel at high speed after hitting the oil on the track. This brought out an early safety car which lasted for around 30 minutes.

The race was back underway with YART Yamaha battling for the race lead against the #333 Honda ViltaÏs Racing team. The #9 Tecmas MRP BMW was leading in the EWC Superstock class.

The Yoshimura SERT Motul bike returned to the track after 30 minutes in the pit box, dropping down to 52^nd. They quickly began to make up laps which were lost after the lengthy repairs to the bike. 

The #27 TRT 27 Bazar 2 La Becane team had an all-British line-up with Tom Ward, David Shoubridge, and Thomas Oliver riding the Suzuki. The team qualified in 31^st position and made their way to 26^th place after one hour. Tom Ward had his own crash after his Suzuki began to smoke.

After a good start to their race, #7 YART Yamaha sat in second position chasing F.C.C. TSR Honda France. 

Chaz Davies completed the opening stint for the #6 ERC Ducati, after qualifying in sixth position. They would battle in the opening stint with the #11 Team Kawasaki Webike Trickstar and #4 Kawasaki.

YART Yamaha takes the lead

YART Yamaha took the race lead after four hours on the #7 Yamaha R1 and extended their lead to over seven seconds. They would lead until their next stop after five hours, dropping down to third. They had an issue with their front brake calliper and had to replace the part, losing valuable minutes. 

Nightfall approached, with the #37 BMW taking the race lead from F.C.C. Honda after another round of pit stops. Temperatures dropped around the Bugatti circuit, with riders unable to have a rest around the 2.6-mile track. 

Oil was dropped on the circuit, with YART Yamaha crashing on it in the early hours of Sunday morning. Another front runner, the #333 Honda also had a crash after the 12-hour point in the race.

This incident allowed the #6 ERC Ducati to get promoted into second position, with TSR Honda extending their lead to three laps.

SERT Suzuki made their way into 12^th position overall, after a strong comeback from last year’s winners. Less than 12 hours remained in the race, with the Yoshimura team hoping for more points.

Metiss had their own struggles in the race, while leading in the experimental class, and retired from the race. The #37 BMW had their own struggles, crashing throughout the night, with lengthy repairs made.

Conditions were not great as the sun came up, with riders facing heavy fog in their morning stints. Temperatures also dropped down to below five degrees Celsius, making the morning stints very tricky.

The Wojcik Racing Team had another crash later in the race, suffering a crash in the cold conditions. The safety car came out once again after a crash from the #55 National Motos Honda.

Once the safety car period was over it was still the F.C.C. TSR Honda France bike at the front, leading by four laps. YART Yamaha was in a second after a dramatic night, while BMW was trying to close the gap to second.

Drama for SERT

Another engine would expire, dropping oil on the track at Le Musee which would cause multiple crashes. The #90 and #41 crashed on the oil, with the #41 Chromeburner Honda losing the Superstock race lead.

The #12 SERT team made their way into seventh position, but would also hit the oil, sending the bike into the barriers.  This crash broke the rear suspension, forcing the team to pit once again.

Josh Hook came across the line to win the 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans after an incredible ride. The number one bike would take the number one spot on the results sheets and would win by two laps.

Niccolo Canepa came home in second position after 24 hours, onboard the #7 YART Yamaha. YART Yamaha ran into some issues in the race but would find a solution and battled their way to the line.

The BMW Motorrad finished the race in third position, with Kenny Foray bringing the bike home at Le Mans. The #333 Honda finished the race in fourth position, ending the race without a screen.

Tecmas MRP BMW Racing won the Superstock class at the line and finished eighth overall in the race. The #33 3ART Best of Bike team finished third in the Superstock class, with Chris Walker rounding out the top 10 in the class.

Round one is over with F.C.C. TSR Honda France as your Championship leaders, as they look to retain their title this season. The next round of EWC will take place at Spa-Francorchamps, on the 16^th-18^th of June.

Image credit: EWC