Le Mans 24-hour: Two on the bounce for Yoshimura SERT

Yoshimura SERT Motul began the defence of its FIM Endurance World Championship title in style thanks to back-to-back wins in the Le Mans 24-hour.

Gregg Black, Sylvain Guintoli and Xavier Siméon were supreme as they claimed a home victory for the locally based squad in the 45th year.

Always quick, always consistent, the trio combined perfectly and never faltered, the only major scare coming when their Bridgestone-equipped Suzuki GSXR-1000 ran short of fuel during a lengthy safety car period late on Saturday afternoon.

Otherwise, it was a result that reflected Yoshimura SERT Motul’s professionalism and meticulous preparation during 24 challenging hours, an approach that was visible up and down the pitlane as tireless human endeavour – mainly by volunteers – took centre stage.

“It’s an incredible victory and much harder than last year,” said British-born Frenchman Black, who was able to take the traditional running start despite breaking his heel during the Le Mans Pre-Test last month. “The other teams were really, really strong so we had to keep pushing for 24 hours, so the stints were intense, fast and the pace was absolutely incredible. My teammates did a great job, we’re really happy and proud.”

“Last year we won the 24 Heures Motos and Bol d’Or and this year we have three 24-hour races,” Team Director Yohei Kato added. “We developed the bike and make our team work focused on the 24 hours, so to achieve this win I am very satisfied with our team, our bike and our riders.”

YART – Yamaha Official Team EWC started the EWC season opener on pole position for the third year running after Karel Hanika set a new lap record during Friday morning’s second qualifying session. But when the Yamaha YZF-R1 wouldn’t fire up at the