Lennox Lehmann produced a superb ride to win Race 1 of the Yamaha R7 European Cup SuperFinale, a support race to the FIM Endurance World Cup season-deciding Bol d’Or, at Circuit Paul Ricard today.
The 18-year-old German rider, who qualified on pole position, waited until the last three laps to make his move and secure victory by 3.128s ahead of Italian Davide Conte and Ioannis Peristeras from Greece.
Lehmann’s victory puts him firmly in contention to take the title and win a brand-new R7 as the ultimate prize, with the best-combined points tally from the two races counting towards the final result.
After qualifying on Thursday, 28 riders from 11 countries that had impressed in their respective national R7 Cups and Challenges took to the grid this afternoon as gusts of up to 75kph made for challenging conditions.
From the start a group of eight riders engaged in a thrilling battle at the front, with the lead changing hands numerous times around the 5.771-kilometre Le Castellet circuit. But with three laps to go, it was Lehmann, a former WorldSSP300 rider, who made a break at the front of the field, timing his charge to perfection with live coverage on YouTube.
“It was a difficult race because of the wind, and there were a lot of crashes, especially in Turn 2,” Lehmann said. “At the start, I tried to stay out of trouble and just follow the other riders, and then during the last three laps, I pushed to make a break, and fortunately for me, it worked out to perfection. I am already looking forward to Race 2, and I will aim to try and win again.”
Behind Lehmann, six riders crossed the line separated by less than a second. Conte held on for second in the sprint to the finish, just 0.061s ahead of former FIM R3 bLU cRU World Cup rider Peristeras in third.
Race 2 of the Yamaha R7 European Cup SuperFinale is due to get under way at 12h10 tomorrow (Saturday).
Relive Race 1 on the Yamaha Racing YouTube channel here and watch Race 2 live by clicking here.
Yamaha R7 European Cup SuperFinale Race 1 Results.
Original Source [ FIM EWC ]
