Forty-seven teams will chase success in the deciding round of the 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship, the Bol d’Or 24 hours, from 14-17 September.
Of the 47 teams – an increase of four compared to 2022 – 16 will be in contention for Formula EWC points with 28 eligible for the Dunlop-equipped Superstock category. In addition, the Experimental division has attracted three entries. Highlights include:
Big names in it to win it in EWC
Several leading EWC teams are set to contest the upcoming Bol d’Or. They include championship leader F.C.C. TSR Honda France, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, ERC Endurance Ducati, Team Kawasaki Webike Trickstar, Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team and Yoshimura SERT Motul.
Double joy for Viltaïs?
After claiming its breakthrough EWC victory by winning the 100th-anniversary Bol d’Or last September, Honda Viltaïs Racing, as the French team is now known, will chase a repeat Circuit Paul Ricard triumph. Although Florian Alt and Steven Odendaal were part of the 2022 Viltaïs line-up, Argentine Leandro Mercado was an EWC newcomer at the start of the 2023 season.
Champions and winners on show
As well as Florin Alt and Steven Odendaal, nine other former Bol d’Or winners will be in action, while the number of current or ex-EWC champions stands at 10.
Super in Superstock
The title tussle will go down to the Bol d’Or season finale in the Dunlop-equipped former FIM Endurance World Championship Superstock division. Chromeburner-RAC41-Honda tops the provisional standings ahead of Honda No Limits, National Motos Honda, Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team, Team 33 Louit April Moto and 3ART Best of Bike.
Coming from afar
For the second year running, the One RT Syncedge 4413 BMW will travel from Japan to contest the Bol d’Or. Team LRP and Wójcik Racing Team will travel from Poland, Maco Racing from Slovakia, ADSS 97 from United Kingdom, Holland Motorstore Racing from The Netherlands, Team Bolliger Switzerland from Switzerland and BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team and KM99 from Belgium, Aviobike and Honda No Limits from Italy and ERC Endurance Ducati and Motobox Kremer Racing from Germany.
The provisional entry list for the 86th Bol d’Or and the 30th to take place at Circuit Paul Ricard in southern France was revealed during an online press conference yesterday (Thursday). Jointly hosted by Jean-Baptiste Ley, the EWC Series Director, and Sophie Casanovas, President of Éditions Larivière, the Bol d’Or organiser, the press conference was also used to confirm the schedule for the event – which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year – and heard from riders Mike Di Meglio, Marvin Fritz and Jérémy Guarnoni.
Representing F.C.C. TSR Honda France, Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team and BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team respectively, the talented trio could have a major bearing on the outcome of the 2023 EWC title race, which will be decided during the Bol d’Or.
After three rounds, the FIM Endurance World Championship is finely balanced with 13 points between names and 74 points from first to sixth. With 85 points up for grabs, it means the championship outcome is wide open.
In addition to the Formula EWC crown, the FIM Endurance World Cup for the Dunlop Superstock Trophy will also be settled during the Bol d’Or with more than 10 teams in realistic contention for the crown.
Jean-Bapitste Ley, EWC Series Director, said: Following another typically action-packed FIM EWC season, it’s fantastic that five coveted titles will be up for grabs during the Bol d’Or. We can expect another epic weekend of entertainment from some of the sport’s best riders and their teams at this excellent facility that is Circuit Paul Ricard. With extensive live broadcasting around the world, the 2023 EWC season is set for a really exciting conclusion.
PROVISIONAL EVENT TIMETABLE:
Key preliminary FIM EWC timings are as follows*:
Thursday 14 September:
14h30-16h30: Free Practice
17h30-17h50: First Qualifying (Blue Rider)
18h00-18h20: First Qualifying (Yellow Rider)
18h30-18h50: First Qualifying (Red Rider)
19h00-19h20: First Qualifying (Green Rider)
20h30-21h30: Night Free Practice
Friday 15 September:
09h00-09h20: Second Qualifying (Blue Rider)
09h30-09h50: Second Qualifying (Yellow Rider)
10h00-10h20: Second Qualifying (Red Rider)
10h30-10h50: Second Qualifying (Green Rider)
Saturday 16 September:
08h30-09h15: Warm-up
15h00: Start of the 86th Bol d’Or
Sunday 17 September:
15h00: Finish of the 86th Bol d’Or
-All timings shown in CET
EVENT ESSENTIALS
WHERE: Circuit Paul Ricard, France
LOCATION: RDN8 - 2760 Route des Hauts du Camp 83330 Le Castellet, France
WHEN: 14-17 September 2023
TRACK LENGTH: 5.673 kilometres
RACE DISTANCE: 24 hours
QUALIFYING LAP RECORD:
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team – Illya Mykhalchyk, 1m51.641s, 2022
RACE LAP RECORD:
ERC Endurance-Ducati – Xavi Forés, 1m52.979s, 2022
IN 100 WORDS: Tony Zind rode solo to win the first Bol d’Or on a five-kilometre circuit of dirt roads close to Paris in 1922. For the 100th anniversary race in 2022, Florian Alt, Erwan Nigon and Steven Odendaal joined forces to triumph on Circuit Paul Ricard’s 5.673-kilometre layout. Since the first edition, seven venues have staged the race. Paul Ricard held its first Bol d’Or in 1979 and the 2023 event, the EWC season finale, will be the 30th at the track. At more than one kilometre in length, the Mistral Straight has turned the race into an exciting battle of attrition.
FAST FACTS:
- The Bol d’Or was first held in 1922 on a five-kilometre circuit of dirt roads between Vaujours, Clichy-sous-Bois and Livry-Gargan.
- Back then it was more a question of survival than an out-and-out race with one rider per bike allowed and no stops except for refuelling.
- Competitors had to wait until 1954 before they could count on a team-mate with a third rider not permitted until 1978.
- While the Bol d’Or celebrated turning 100 in 2022, the event was actually the 85th running and the 29th edition to take place at Circuit Paul Ricard.
- World War II, waning public interest and the COVID-19 pandemic respectively resulted in no Bol d’Or between 1940-46, 1961-68 and 2020.
EXPERT VIEW BY FLORIAN MARINO:
- This race is more tough for the bikes because we have such a long straight with full throttle, which is obviously not the best for the engine for 24 hours. After that it’s not such a difficult track, it’s a pretty flowing track but you need good references on the track to understand where to brake and also understand the mistral, as we say in France, the wind, which can adjust the braking points. If it’s dry we can manage but you need to understand how the wind can help you in some way and understand when you have to be careful and this is down to experience. I do some extra work in the gym to strengthen my neck because you can feel more tension on the neck with the long straight and the wind. But it’s quite a fun track with a lot of places to overtake which is good for the race.*
RECENT WINNERS:
2022: Viltaïs Racing Igol (Florian Alt, Erwan Nigon, Steven Odendaal) 718 laps
2021: Yoshimura SERT Motul (Gregg Black, Xavier Siméon, Sylvain Guintoli) 704 laps
2019: Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Vincent Philippe, Étienne Masson, Gregg Black) 313 laps
2018: F.C.C. TSR Honda France (Freddy Foray, Josh Hook, Mike Di Meglio) 698 laps
2017: GMT94 Yamaha (David Checa, Niccolò Canepa, Mike Di Meglio) 683 laps
HOW POINTS ARE SCORED
Bol d’or race points are multiplied by a factor of 1.5 and awarded to teams in the Formula EWC and Superstock categories as follows:
1st = 60 points; 2nd = 49.5; 3rd = 42; 4th = 36; 5th 31.5; 6th = 28.5; 7th = 25.5; 8th = 22.5; 9th = 19.5; 10th = 16.5; 11th = 15; 12th = 13.5; 13th = 12; 14th = 10.5; 15th = 9; 16th = 7.5; 17th = 6; 18th = 4.5; 19th = 3; 20th = 1.5.
Points will also be awarded to teams in the Formula EWC and Superstock categories after 8 and 16 hours of racing as follows: 1st = 10 points; 2nd = 9; 3rd = 8; 4th = 7; 5th = 6; 6th = 5; 7th = 4; 8th = 3; 9th = 2; 10th = 1.
Prior to the race getting under way, the fastest five Formula EWC and Superstock teams following the completion of Second Qualifying on 15 September will score points as follows: 1st = 5 points; 2nd = 4 points; 3rd = 3 points; 4th = 2 points; 5th = 1 point.
It means a Formula EWC or Superstock team can score a maximum of 85 points, providing they qualify on pole position, leader after both eight hours and 16 hours of racing and win their respective category. Provisional EWC standings ahead of the Bol d’Or are attached.
Original Source [ FIM EWC ]
