Yoshimura SERT Motul fought back from an early race set back at the 24 Heures Motos in France. The #12 Suzuki was circulating at the back of the field at the one-hour mark but with a heroic effort from the riders and crew the team finished in seventh position some 23 hours later.
Winners of the two previous editions of the opening round of the Endurance World Championship at Le Mans Yoshimura SERT Motul were in a good position and poised for a repeat performance this year. The team qualified on pole and were in a good place for the start of the 2023 championship.
Fast-starter Gregg Black grabbed the holeshot however his lead was brought to an abrupt halt in turn one when an accident caused both rider and bike to somersault into the gravel. The crash was hard and severely damaged the team’s GSX-R1000R, however Black dug deep and managed to get the bike back to the team garage. The hugely experienced Yoshimura SERT Motul technical crew set about quickly repairing the Suzuki in just 17 minutes. Amazingly 29 minutes after the start of the race and 18 laps down Black was back out on the Bugatti racetrack.
It was clear to all that any hope of victory were destroyed but as ever and in keeping with its ethos the team never gave up. With a mission to salvage championship points the three Yoshimura SERT Motul pilots – Gregg Black, Sylvain Guintoli and Etienne Masson – embarked on a courageous climb up the standings.
At the halfway point the team had closed the gap and were up to 21st place. The three Suzuki riders maintained their fast pace throughout the night despite the particularly cool temperatures. At daybreak their efforts were rewarded with a move up to seventh position.
At the end of a courageous race Yoshimura SERT Motul left the Bugatti Circuit seventh on the day and seventh in the championship with 23 points scored.
Yohei Kato – Team Director, "It was an extremely difficult race and this is not the result we wanted. We really wanted to win here at Le Mans however our challenge for a third consecutive 24 Heures Motos win unfortunately ended on the first corner of the first lap. The crash was caused by contact with another rider but that’s part of racing. Our GSX-R1000R was really badly damaged but our crews showed tremendous teamwork and were able to repair the bike in 17 minutes. The whole team remained highly motivated and we pushed our way up to 7th place. The points for that position together with the five points from pole position in qualifying means we have gained 23 points. The championship has just started and we want to retake the win this year. The whole team is focused on trying to make up the lost points with the Yoshimura-tuned Suzuki GSX-R1000R!"
The second round of the 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship will take place in Belgium from the 16th to 18th of June at the 24H Spa EWC Motos.