Team Bolliger Switzerland went from FIM Endurance World Championship elation to elimination during the season-deciding Bol d’Or from 12-15 September.
After scoring four intermediate points for holding seventh place in Formula EWC after eight hours of racing, the Kawasaki-powered squad was forced to retire during the ninth hour following engine failure.
Team Manager Kevin Bolliger explained: “Highs and lows are notoriously close together and, as we know, racing can be very tough. After the joy of the first four points after eight hours, this was immediately dampened again after the last pitstop. Half a lap after our last pitstop, our bike's engine blew up and, unfortunately, we had to retire from the race with a major engine failure. Our riders and the whole team gave their all throughout the week and the race, but unfortunately luck was not on our side this weekend and so we did not finish the last race of the season.”
Its non-finish in the Bol d’Or restricted Team Bolliger Switzerland to sixth place in the final FIM Endurance World Championship ranking, a strong result nevertheless for the independent outfit.
Despite its Bol d'Or exit and losing Pedro Romero from its race line-up after the Portuguese was injured in a heavy crash early in Free Practice, hopes for 2025 are already high.
“We can look back on a positive season with good results, which we will build on and come back even stronger next season,” Bolliger said. “Our riders and the whole team have done a very good job all season, which is the perfect basis for future success.”
Following Romero’s injury, Frenchman Anthony Loiseau was recruited from his Kawasaki Webike Trickstar reserve rider role to partner Austrian Nico Thöni and Spain’s Alex Toledo.
Original Source [ FIM EWC ]
