SERT BECOME 2024 FIM ENDURANCE WORLD CHAMPIONS

 

Yoshimura SERT Motul were in dominant form on Sunday the 15th of September, to win the 2024 Bol d’Or 24-Hour and, in doing so, reclaimed the FIM Endurance World Championship title. The win also gives Suzuki its 21st world crown in this discipline, making it the most successful brand in the Endurance World Championship.

 

This was the second victory of the 2024 season for the team, and the second world title for the Yoshimura SERT Motul squad.

The 87th Bol d’Or at the legendary Paul Ricard circuit in France signified the end of the 2024 EWC season. The Suzuki team arrived at the event with 110 points, and second place in the championship standings, just six points behind the leader. 

 

The team lined up in third position on the start grid after solid qualifying sessions. Gregg Black was super-fast off the starting block, grabbing his customary holeshot, and settling into a fast yet cautious pace as the early laps ticked away.

 

Etienne Masson took the second stint and followed the same strategy as Black, keeping a steady yet brisk pace with the focus on the championship win. Next up was British rider Dan Linfoot who continued to keep the Suzuki GSX-R1000R at the front.

The team’s strategy and problem-free stints saw Yoshimura SERT Motul leading at the all-important eight hour mark where they pocketed the maximum intermediate 10 bonus points.

 

A slight change of lead at the 11-hour mark temporarily pushed Yoshimura SERT Motul back to second, however, they quickly regained control and kept the competition at bay throughout the challenging night sessions. The team never looked back, increasing its lead and banking a further 10 points at the end of the 16th hour of racing.

 

After dominating the race, the Yoshimura SERT Motul was victorious at the 2024 Bol d’Or. Etienne Masson took the chequered flag with a lead of seven laps after a record-breaking 737 laps of the 5.673km Paul Ricard circuit. This win, combined with a win at Le Mans and podium finishes at Spa and Suzuka, secured the 2024 FIM EWC World Championship for Yoshimura SERT Motul.

The returning Gregg Black said post race, “I worked hard over the summer to get back into shape after my injury at the Suzuka test. I did as much as I could, but I wasn’t sure that I’d recovered 100% before tackling the Bol d’Or, which is a particularly difficult 24-hour race. I felt constant pain during my stints, and it became quite complicated for me towards the end of the race. But I was never in doubt. I wanted to play my part and stay with my team-mates right to the end. I fought hard and this victory has a special meaning for me.”

 

Etienne Masson added, “The Japanese worked extremely hard last winter to enable us to turn a corner in terms of performance and that helped us immediately in the first race. The championship then followed on from that with two 8-hour races which weren’t entirely to our advantage, but we still managed to claim two podiums. When we arrived here, we knew it was a circuit that suited us a little better. We all had an excellent feeling on the bike. I also had good team-mates to rely on. Nobody weakened. We all form a very strong team and we showed that once again with a win and the title at the same time.”

 

Brit Dan Linfoot commented, “Winning the championship in my first year in endurance racing, I couldn’t have dreamt of anything better. Of course, when you join a team like this, you know what’s at stake, but it’s been an incredible experience for me. I’d like to highlight the work of the team and my team-mates. I didn’t have their experience in a 24-hour race. Sometimes it was a bit more complicated for me during certain stints, but I’m happy with the race I did. I was fast when I had to be, and I played it safe when I had to. The aim was to try and bring home victory and the championship for the team. We achieved both.”