The crew of Team DG SPORT HEROCK , Didier Van Keymeulen, David McFadden and Lucas Mahias, got off to a flying start this week in preparation for the Le Mans 24 Hours Motorcycling Race.
The Team’s recent private practice sessions at the Sarthe circuit were highly successful and all three riders were happy with the bike’s handling and performance during the free practice sessions held this morning on a dry track.
Rain prevented the Team from really benefiting from the afternoon’s free practice. The three riders nevertheless took to the track in order to try out the motorcycle on a wet track. The “wet” configuration was rapidly confirmed.
The latest recruit, David “Mcflash69” McFadden, ended this first day’s practice on a new bike and a new circuit on a positive note. He did what the team expected of him and is confident going into the free practice on Tuesday.
Didier Van Keymeulen:
“This second part of the season is looking good for us. The team has worked hard in the workshops to improve the little details. Things should go well for this race. We really hope to be on the podium after the changes we’ve made to our Yamaha R1/K-Tech Suspension/Pirelli combination. Some of our rivals have to make calculations or try to hold on to their position in the Championship. That is not the case for us and we can really go all out for this podium!
The weather conditions will make all the difference. For the moment, the forecast is dry. A bit of rain would certainly help us but it would make for a tougher race overall.”
David McFadden:
“I am happy with my first experience of the bike. It was pretty easy to make the adjustment and thanks to my team mates I soon got the hang of riding the Yamaha R1. Because of all the things I had to learn today, I couldn’t really go out and attack. The main thing is for me to feel comfortable on the bike. I was surprised how easy it is to handle.
In the afternoon, I did 32 laps in the rain, which amounts to amost a relay. Once again, I felt comfortable and my times were good and regular. It should be a great first weekend in endurance.”
Lucas Mahias:
“This first day on the track went very well. I love this circuit because I have always been fast here. This morning, in spite of the chill, I did some good times. Generally speaking, I am happy at the way we started the week. This afternoon in the rain I had fun with our bike which is very easy to put into a skid on the corners. One thing is for sure, if it rains during the race, we shall be among the fastest out there.”
Olivier Aerts - Team Manager:
“This free practice day didn’t go quite according to plan because of the bad weather. We came here with excellent settings fine-tuned during our pre-Mans tests at the end of July. We were planning to use these as our starting point but the bad weather did not give us a chance to get up to the pace we were aiming for. But our riders were happy with the bike and we were able to validate the “wet” configuration this afternoon.
Our “new boy” Mc Fadden had to get familiar with the Le Mans circuit and with the bike and I’m really pleased with his approach and the way he has fitted in to the team. Team spirit is really important for us. He is making progress and learning fast what he needs to know to ride in endurance. Every time he gets on the bike, his times get significantly better. Our three riders need to be perfectly in tune with one another for the day of the race.”
The Le Mans 24 Hours Motorcycle Race will be broadcast live on the internet on FIM web Site on Saturday 21 September starting with the Warm-Up from 10h30 to 11h15, followed by the race, starting at 14h30 and running right through until 15h30 on Sunday:
www.fim-live.com
Communication DG SPORT - wwwdgsport.eu
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Team DGSPORT Herock – getting it together for Le Mans
