Magny-Cours: Honda Racing will be lining up on the grid in pole position for its first appearance in the FIM Endurance World Championship. This team, headed up by Neil Tuxworth and managed by Steven Casaer, has entrusted its CBR1000RR to a trio of Endurance specialists, Julien Da Costa, Freddy Foray and Sébastien Gimbert.
Just behind Honda Racing on the grid will be the Yamaha Racing GMT 94 Michelin with David Checa, Kenny Foray and Mathieu Gines, and the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team with Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Erwan Nigon.
The grid was largely fixed on Thursday during the first qualifiers as the riders were unable to improve on their earlier performances in Friday’s wet conditions on the track at Magny-Cours.
Only one rider, Matthieu Lagrive, still had to make his mark on the timesheets as he missed the first qualifying session after a crash in the free practice aboard the SRC Kawasaki. Despite a benign but painful crack to a vertebra, Lagrive clocked up a best time of 1’48.307 on a very tricky surface. Although the factory Kawasaki slipped back to 16th on the grid, Lagrive is now qualified to ride alongside his crewmates Gregory Leblanc and Nicolas Salchaud.
In Superstock, Junior Team LMS Suzuki has mounting ambitions. Baptiste Guittet, Etienne Masson and Gregg Black took fourth place on the grid behind the top teams.
In this Superstock category, they are ahead of BMW du Penz13.com Franks Autowelt Racing Team and the Kawasakis of Hall Motos 02 and the Qatar Endurance Racing Team.
Honda National Motos will be starting in fifth ahead of the Kawasaki of Bolliger Team Switzerland. In the qualifiers, they bested Monster Energy Yamaha YART, pushing it back into seventh on the grid.
The start of this edition of the Bol d’Or, the last to take place at Magny-Cours before it returns to the Castellet circuit in 2015, was to be given yesterday.
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