With seven FIM S1GP Supermoto World Championship titles to his name heading into the 2020 season, France’s Thomas Chareyre (TM) had already attained legend status in the FIM S1GP SuperMoto World Championship – and he was intent on building on this reputation this year.
• All the 2020 FIM World champions
The thirty-two-year-old did not disappoint his fans as he raced to his eighth crown, though it was too close to call until the chequered flag came out for the final race of the season following a fierce fight with Germany’s Marc-Reiner Schmidt (Honda).
The series got under way with the GP of Lombardia at Castelletto Di Branduzzo at the end of August where Chareyre drew first blood with victory in the opening race, but a second and a third in the final two races of the day saw him trail home behind Schmidt who backed up a second-place finish in race one with two wins.
Chareyre was back on top three weeks later at the GP of Italy at Ortona, taking a second and two wins to turn a five-point deficit to Schmidt into a four-point lead as his rival crashed twice in the final race.
The showdown came seven days later at the GP of Europe at Busca. As they had done at Ortona, Chareyre and Schmidt traded wins and second places in the opening two races meaning the gap still stood at four points with just one moto to go.
It was Schmidt who signed off with a win, but while he had won the battle it was Chareyre who won the war with his runner-up finish giving him the title by one slender point.
PALMARES
FIM S1GP Supermoto World Champion: 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020