Honda teams are ready for the FIM Endurance World Championship season opener at Le Mans
Circuit Bugatti, Le MansAfter a long wait, the 2021 FIM Endurance World Championship, initially scheduled for mid-April, gets underway this weekend (12-13 June) with the opening round, the 24 Heures Motos at the legendary Bugatti, Le Mans.
Honda’s endurance specialists F.C.C. TSR Honda France with riders Josh Hook, Mike Di Meglio and new recruit Yuki Takahashi will be targeting the top step of the podium aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, where they claimed victory last year.
With two victories at the 24 Heures Motos for Di Meglio and Hook, the F.C.C. TSR Honda France squad are quietly confident of holding the trophy again at the prestigious 24-hour race.
Other Honda powered teams competing in the event are National Motos and RAC 41 Chromeburner, both in the Superstock category. National Motos have moved into the Superstock class this season, with their aim to win the FIM World Cup aboard the Fireblade SP with a new ride line-up of Guillaume Antiga and Kévin Trueb who join Frenchman Stéphane Egea, who has been with the team since 2017.
The other Honda private team, RAC 41 Chromeburner, will count on a renewed three-rider line up. The team will be formed by Wayne Tessel, Grégory Fastré and Chris Leesch.
All Honda's endurance teams completed a successful pre-Le Mans test at the 4.185km circuit at the end of March, where they were able to work through electronic settings and different tyre compounds. After evaluating and collecting essential data, the teams and riders are ready to tackle the first race of the 2021 season.
Despite the 24 Hours Motos being held behind closed doors due to the global pandemic situation, the 44th edition will see 50 teams battling on track.
The 24 Heures Motos officially gets underway on Thursday 10th June with free practice, qualifying and night practice. The final positions on the starting grid will be determined after the last qualifying sessions, which takes place on Friday 11th June.
The race will be flagged off at 12:00 (CEST) on Saturday 12th June and finished at 12:00 (CEST) on Sunday 13th June.
It is very good to start the season, and we are looking forward to it now. It has been a long wait, which is not good for us because it has been a long time since we’ve been to the track racing, but finally, we are underway, so we are really looking forward to that. From the test, it was very positive in all conditions the bike is working very well and from what I’ve heard from the team, in that little bit extra time that we had, they made some improvements with the electronics which is the part we were struggling, so it is a step in the right direction. This time of the year, the weather is going to be warmer, so definitely it is going to be more physically on the bike, so we’ll see; I am ready and can’t wait to be there and see the team and work again.
I am happy to be back for the 24 Heures Motos, it’s been a very long wait, but I was preparing myself as best as possible. I am very excited to be there and with our new team member, with Yuki to see what we can do this year. As it is the first race of this season, it is crucial to get the maximum points for the championship and, of course, with a win.
I am very happy to be here, so finally we are going to race at Le Mans. It is my first time at the 24-hour race, so I don’t know how the race will be, but for sure that F.C.C. TSR Honda France is ready as they were champions here last year. Mike and Josh are very fast riders with a lot of experience, so it is like a dream for me and I am very happy to do the race with them. I will do my best and get a great result for the team.
