Bol d'Or 2012: DG Sport

Olivier AERTS, Team Manager :
Let’s not be fussy, to finish 10th overall in a World Endurance race and 4th in Superstock is a great result for a Team of our category!

We have only had two days to prepare, test and set-up our new Yamaha R1 2012 and to familiarize ourselves with the new Pirelli tires. Furthermore, we engaged three new riders who didn’t know each other, making the task even more difficult. In short, the first test was very difficult to say the least!

And it were those difficulties that give our Team hope for the future of the Team:
- We didn’t face any sort of technical problem, nor crash,
- The bike, well prepared, performs perfectly
- The engine running hot in 2011 is a thing of the past,
- The traction control system has helped the riders enormously on a tricky track due to the weather conditions.

Summarizing, we are happy because we gave it our all and the end result is very satisfying and honorable.

I would like to thank the team with the highest possible praise because we won a battle on ourselves, together.

Didier Van Keymeulen :
It was a fantastic race in very hard conditions, but I really enjoyed it. First of all, we have a great atmosphere within the team and it is a real pleasure to ride Yamaha R1 in this kind of race. A full 24 hours of racing is always going to be tough, but it all depends on the circumstances inside a team  how you are able to deal with that challenge.

I would like to thank everyone within the team as we had some small issues during the race, but everyone reacted in a calm and firm manner and that is what good endurance racing is all about.

My team was on top of the podium before and after this experience I’m convinced we can renew that success pretty soon. This race was the perfect test and we are ready to battle for the next one!

Alex Cudlin :
I’m happy with the way the race went. Unfortunately, I had an injury to deal with. So the race was very hard, physically. I had to dig very deep to push on. Thanks to my great team mates Didier and Gianluca, taking over some of my stint so I could have a breather, and also thanks to the Team who ran a fantastic race technically and tactically. To finish 4th in these circumstances shows just how good this team is. I’m sure we have a great year ahead of us!

Gianluca Vizziello :
I am very pleased with the way the team worked during the race, especially during the night when I decided to drop the pace a little so I had a better chance not to ruin the excellent work done by the team. Racing for 24 hours straight is very exciting, but mostly very exhausting. So for the next races I will adapt my training schedule to get even more fit and fight for the win.

A special thanks goes out to my team manager who stayed close to me during the entire race and to motivate me when I was in doubt, as I’m still fairly new in this Endurance racing game!