|
Bol d'Or Live Timing: Click on "Bol D'Or 2007 - 71eme Edition"
|
Words and Pictures: Martin Gelder
Race - and Championship! - Result
The 71st Bol d'Or 24 Hour race has been won by Yamaha GMT94, with SERT Suzuiki No.1 second and SERT Suzuki No.2 third. This is the first time that Yamaha GMT94 have won the Bol d'Or.
Yamaha GMT94 - Winners of the 2007 Bol d'Or
SERT Suzuki No.1's second place means that they are the 2007 QMMF Endurance FIM World Champions with one race still to go. Their main challenger Kawasaki France No.11 hit con-rod touble in the early hours of the morning and was forced to abandon the race. From that point on SERT No.1 were the world champions.
SERT Suzuki - 2007 QMMF Endurance FIM World Champions
Yamaha Phase One Endurance were fourth. They held third for an hour or so this morning but could not match relentless speed of the No.2 Suzuki. They did however, hold off a race long challenge from Kawasaki Bolliger who only slipped from fifth place after a freak pit lane crash in the final 20 minutes of the race.
This has been one of the toughest world endurance races for some years, with only half of the 57 starters making it to the finish. Congratulations to everyone who finished.
|
|
20 Minutes to Go
More drama at the end of an incident packed race. Horst Saiger crashed the Bolliger Kawasaki as he left the pit lane for the final time, seeming to wheelie as he switched off the pit lane speed limiter. The bike cartwheeled and destroyed its front wheel, and Saiger was unable to move it back the few metres necessary for his pitcrew - by now standing on the other side of the crash barrier within reach of him - to be allowed to help him.
The marshals watched as he tried to drag the bike by himself and dropped it twice. Once the Austrian rider had been forced to give up attempting to drag the Swiss Kawasaki, they quickly moved the bike to safety…
Bolliger's wheel, photographed after the race. The team were unavailable for comment.
|
|
2 Hours to Go
Top Five: GMT94, SERT1, SERT2, Phase One 3, Bolliger 8
Yamaha GMT94 are leading by a comfortable 9 laps, with SERT Suzuki No.1 in second place and uncatchable in the world endurance championship standings.
The real fight of the race is for third place, with SERT Suzuki No.2 and Yamaha Phase One having spent an hour within sight of each other on the track. Phase One's Nowland was able to stretch out a slight gap over SERT's Costes, but after the most recent stop SERT's Dietrich is now holding a 15 second lead over Phase One's Richards.
Dietrich, SERT Suzuki No.2
There are still two hours to go, and it looks as though traffic and back markers might play a hand in deciding the final podium position…
Yamaha Phase One pit stop
Bolliger are two laps behind this battle in fifth place, with National Moto another lap behind them.
Bolliger Kawasaki pit stop
|
|
4 Hours to Go
Top Five: GMT94, SERT1, Phase One 3, SERT2, Bolliger 8
SERT Suzuki No.2 have rejoined the race one lap behind Yamaha Phase One and just over 1 minute ahead of Kawasaki Bolliger. With four hours to go - the equivalent of five MotoGP races - the Suzuki's 2 second per lap advantage over Phase One could put them back in to third place.
SERT No.2 - Dietrich pushes in...
|
|
4 and a Bit Hours to Go
Top Five: GMT94, SERT2, SERT1, Phase One 3, Bolliger 8
Yamaha GMT94 took the lead at around 9:20 this morning and held it until their last stop, about 5 minutes ago. Suzuki SERT 2 passed GMT94 as they left the pitlane, but then crashed half a lap later, handing the lead back to GMT94 as Dietrich started pushing the Suzuki back to the pits.
SERT 2 have a ten lap - about 17 minutes - advantage over their team mates in third place, with Phase One a further two laps behind and Bolliger two more laps back. We do not yet know the extent of the damage to the Suzuki….
Yamaha Phase One - Glenn Richards
Kawasaki Bolliger - Horst Saiger
|
|
Overnight
Top Five: SERT 2, GMT94, SERT 1, Phase One 3, Bolliger 8
SERT Suzuki No.2 and GMT94 are currently on the same lap and fighting for first place; right now the gap is just 2.4 seconds. SERT Suzuki No.1 are 10 laps down in third place. All three bikes are currently lapping around the 1:45.5 mark.
Yamaha Phase One and Kawasaki Bolliger are about 30 seconds apart and changing positions as they pit for fuel and tyres. Phase One with Pedro Vallcaneras on board are lapping in 1:45.7ish.
SERT Suzuki No.1 One pitstop.
There is a long list of overnight retirements; here are some key ones:
Kawasaki No.11 - "A problem with a con-rod" at 4:54am
Kawasaki No.111 - Gearbox troubles at 2:39am
QERT Kawasaki: "Broken engine" at 6:30am
Motors TV MV Agusta: "Broken engine" at 2:20am
Ducati 98: Abandoned at 00:05am
BMW No.71: Crashed at 00:40am
The No.17 BMW crashed on the start/finish straight at 3:37am but Richard Cooper was able to continue. They are currently in 27th place.
Only 32 teams from 57 starters are still showing as running, and at least one of those - ABG Performance Suzuki - is in the middle of rebuilding an engine.
Sunday morning, 7:00am, ABG lift their rebuilt engine back into the bike's frame...
|
|
Hour 7 and 8
Top Five: SERT 2, GMT94, TKF 111, Bolliger 8, Phase One 3
Things seem to have quietened down slightly; the top three are unchanged but Bolliger Kawasaki in 4th place, Yamaha Phase One in 5th and National Motos in 6th are close enough to exchange positions with each pit stop.
Yamaha Phase One pitstop.
The No.11 Kawasaki and No.1 SERT Suzuki are now in 13th and 14th position and about 30 seconds apart. The Suzuki in particular is lapping as quickly as ever; 1:43.5 compared to 1:46.3 for SERT No.2 and 1:46.5 for GMT94. There are 16 hours still to go…
Alf's Kawasaki are in 48th place - last bike still running at the moment - after suffering from a difficult to trace electrical problem. They tracked it down to a failing coil, fuel injector and water temperature sensor and are now back up to speed.
Maco Moto Yamaha are one of the latest teams to retire, with failed engine bearings. Other retirements include numbers 30, 28, 33, 7, 666, 56, 6 and 68.
|
|
Hour 6
Top Five: SERT 2, GMT94, TKF 111, Bolliger 8, Phase One
More About The Crashes
Thanks to the Eurosport crew and the circuit bulletins we now have a better idea of what happened.
SERT Suzuki No.1's Julien Da Costa and No.33 Mail Performance Suzuki's Lee Jackson collided at one of the fastest parts of the course, the downhill kink after Chateau D'Eau. The Suzuki was able to be pushed back to the pits but Jackson's bike was totally destroyed; in the words of the circuit update, "pulverised".
No.56 Select Machines Honda then crashed, leaving the rider unable to get the bike back to the pits.
Two minutes later, Racing Team 28's Sebastien Moreno crashed, bringing the pace car out. Genous Suzuki and Dap Moto Honda then collided with each other while following the pace car ("safety car"?) down the start-finish straight. You couldn't make it up.
Luckily, no riders have been seriously injured in all of these accidents, although No.33 will be taking their bike home in several small envelopes.
|
|
Hour 5
Top Five: SERT 2, GMT94, Bolliger 8, TKF 111, Honda 55
SERT Suzuki No.2 are now leading after SERT No.1 crashed, dropping to around 40th place.
Yamaha Austria, who had been holding 3rd place, are out of the race after their engine failed just after seven o'clock. Igor Jerman was riding at the time: "It made a big noise then started to rattle. It's finished."
Igor Jerman: "It made a big noise then started to rattle. It's finished."
GMT94 are in second place two lap behind the leaders, with Kawasaki 111 a further two laps behind them. Bolliger are just 5 seconds behind the Kawasaki but are a lap clear of National Motos Honda in fifth place. Yamaha Phase One are in sixth place, in front of Suzuki LMS 72.
The No.11 Kawasaki is now in 30th place, lapping about 7 seconds a lap quicker than the bike in front, while the No.1 Suzuki is in 33rd place, lapping at a similar speed to the Kawasaki; these two are locked in a battle to fight their way through the field at a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult.
Kawasaki Diablo are another team to retire, after their bike hit gearbox problems. Alex Cudlin: "It kept dropping out of gear, and with only four hours covered it just wasn't safe to continue. James had it drop out of fifth when he was on the back straight."
There is some good news, however. The No.71 BMW is making a steady climb through the field as the twins advantage of lower fuel consumption comes into play; they are now up to 17th place overall. The No.17 BMW is back up to 36th place.
|
|
Hour 3 and 4
Top Five: SERT 1, SERT 2, YART 7, GMT94, Bolliger 8
Kawasaki No.11 had been making good progress but have now dropped to 46th place after apparently running out of petrol. Mazuecos pushed in, the bike was refuelled and immediately rejoined the race. That push cost them more than 10 laps.
The top three are unchanged. The No.1 Suzuki is about 40 seconds ahead of the No.2 Suzuki, with Yamaha Austria one lap behind. Yamaha GMT94 are fourth, almost a lap ahead of Kawasaki Bolliger. Kawasaki No.111 have been given a stop go penalty, dropping htem to 6th place, about 20 seconds in front of Yamaha Phase One.
|
|
Hour 2
Top Five: SERT 1, SERT 2, YART 7, TKF 11, Bolliger 8
STOP PRESS: 2 minutes after the report below was posted, Olivier Four dropped the GMT94 Yamaha. He was able to ride the bike back to the pits but the team lost just over one lap while making repairs, dropping to 7th place.
Top Five: SERT 1, SERT 2, GMT94, YART, TKF 11
A fantastic battle for second place has developed, with Yamaha GMT94 and SERT 2 swapping positions as they force their way through the back markers. This fight is not holding them up however, and SERT No.1 are only about 8 seconds ahead after the second round of stops.
The Suzukis do not seem to be able to stay out as long at Magny Cours as they have managed at other tracks, but Yamaha GMT94 seem to be able to make each tank of fuel last a couple of minutes more than their competitors.
Yamaha Austria are in a lonely fourth, ahead of Kawasaki France No.11 who were forced to come in for a Stop-Go after one of their riders missed the briefing earlier in the week.
Veteran Jehan D'Orgiex, who replaced Damian Cudlin on the No.111 Kawasaki, is now out on the track and lapping in around 1:46.4…
Yamaha Phase One are 11th, with Diablo Kawaski in 15th place. The No Limits Suzuki have recruited Damian Rowley for this race; they are currently 37th. Phil Giles crashed the No.33 Yamaha in the first hour, dropping the team to the back of the field; they have now climbed back to 49th place. Alf's Kawasaki are currently in 56th place; more info to follow.
The No.17 BMW has crashed while the team were in 28th place, they are currently back out on the track in 52nd place.
|
|
Start and First Hour
Top Five: SERT 1, SERT 2, GMT94, YART, LMS 72
SERT Suzuki No.1 are leading the race after opening up an immediate lead over the chasing pack. The two Kawasaki France bikes and the No.2 SERT Suzuki were initially close behind but Yamaha GMT94 and Yamaha Austria moved to third and fourth place after 10 laps, with the No.2 Suzuki holding onto second as the Kawasakis slipped back.
SERT Suzuki pull out an immediate lead
There had been some doubt over Kawasaki's race tyre choice, and it looks as though their gamble with a different compound did not pay off.
Yamaha Phase One climbed from 19th place to 9th after the first round of stops, after working for three hours non-stop to fix an oil leak and then replace a radiator. The bike they started the race on was untried but appears to be ok.
It wouldn't be the Bol without the "Grande Poulet d'Or"...
|
|
Bol d'Or 24 Hour - Warm Up
Yamaha GMT94 were fastest in this morning's warm-up session, lapping in 1:42.300. SERT No.1 (1:42.723) were second and Kawasaki France 11 (1:43.082) were third. Times set this morning are more likely to be representative of those we'll see in the race compared to previous fastest laps set using qualifying tyres. Kawasaki France's Steve Plater had a minor spill this morning after experiencing a lack of feel from his race tyres.
Yamaha GMT94, Sebastien Gimbert
Damian Cudlin will be replaced on the No.111 Kawasaki by former World Endurance Champion and Kawasaki France rider Jehan D'Orgiex, after Cudlin did not improve sufficiently on his earlier times.
Yamaha Phase One
Yamaha Phase One - having had a relatively trouble free so far - had an oil leak from a brand new engine during warm up, and are currently building a new bike with proven cycle parts and a good motor. The race starts in just over two hours...
Eurosport TV Broadcast Times
Here's when you can catch Clive McNeil and Roger Bennett live on Eurosport. The times below are CET - subtract 1 hour for British Summer Time.
Saturday 15th Sept
17:15 to 18:00 - Eurosport 2
19:00 to 20:30 - LIVE Eurosport International and British
22:15 to 23:00 - LIVE Eurosport 2
Sunday 16th Sept
08:30 to 09:15 - LIVE Eurosport International and British
10:00 to 10:45 - LIVE Eurosport 2
10:45 to 11:15 - LIVE Eurosport International and British
14:00 to 15:00 - LIVE Eurosport 2
Got some World Endurance news? send it to info@redleg.co.uk
|
|
www.Race24.com: International motorcycle racing information for teams, sponsors and spectators...
|
|
© 2007 Redleg Interactive Media
You may download pages from this site for your private use. No other reproduction, re-publication, re-transmission or other re-distribution of any part of this site in any medium is permitted except with the written consent of the copyright owner or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
|
|
