Suzuki Endurance Racing Team keeps pole position

ahead of SRC Kawasaki and Yamaha France GMT 94 Michelin Yamalube

“I don’t understand what the competition is doing!” Suzuki Endurance Racing Team team manager Dominique Méliand seems almost surprised that his squad kept the edge this morning in the second qualifying session for the Bol d’Or. Vincent Philippe, only rider to have ridden a lap in 1’39 at Magny-Cours during practice this time, and team-mates Anthony Delhalle and Fabien Forêt will be taking first position on the grid of the 76th Bol d’Or. But the official Suzuki riders did not improve on their performances of yesterday, and the competition is creeping closer on the clock.

SRC Kawasaki confirmed its second place on the grid on the back of performances by Julien da Costa, Gregory Leblanc and Olivier Four. David Checa and Matthieu Lagrive improved their best times on the Yamaha France GMT 94 Michelin Yamalube, but their success was not shared by Kenny Foray, who crashed, happily without serious damage. The French official Yamaha is still ahead of BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent, who staged a comeback after wrecking two machines in crashes during practice. Erwan Nigon, forced by the crashes to sit out the practice, had a best lap time of 1’40.740 today and will be onboard the official BMW with Sébastien Gimbert and Damian Cudlin.

BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent qualified in fourth position on the grid just ahead of the Monster Energy Yamaha YART ridden by Igor Jerman, Steve Martin and Gwen Giabbani, who did not manage to better their performances of yesterday. The Monster Energy Yamaha YART also crashed three times in practice.

The Kawasaki Louit Moto 33 with Loris Baz, Jérémy Guarnoni and Nans Chevaux aboard is firming up on its ambitions to win the Superstock class and will be starting the race in sixth position. In the Superstock category, Louit Moto 33 is ahead of Suzuki Junior Team LMS, eighth on the grid, and the Suzuki of Team Motors Events AMT Assurances, in the twelfth spot at the start.

Bolliger Team Switzerland’s Kawasaki is in the top 10 on the grid. This private Swiss team, which is celebrating thirty years of Endurance racing this season, has come to Magny-Cours without its emblematic team manager, Hanspeter Bolliger, who has just undergone surgery for a tumour on the optic nerve. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Team Yamalube Folch Endurance has moved up remarkably, taking ninth place at the start ahead of Honda National Motos. The 55 squads will be going into action tomorrow, Saturday, at 15:00.

Provisional Starting Grid After Qualifying 2