Kawasaki wins the 2016 24 Heures Motos!

72 300 spectators flocked to the Le Mans Bugatti circuit to participate in this major motorbike festival, and they saw the no. 11 works Kawasaki ridden by French aces Grégory Leblanc, Mathieu Lagrive and Fabien Foret win the race. The “Greens” emerged victorious at the end of the 24 Heures Motos marked by a no-holds-barred-battle among the front-runners and numerous race incidents. This success at Le Mans puts them in the lead in the FIM World Endurance Championship (FIM WEC) and they also set two records.

High sporting stakes, entertainment, innovations and a festive ambience meant that all the right ingredients were in place to make the 2016 24 Heures Motos THE major motorbike festival. The 72 300 spectators who came to see the first round of the FIM WEC made the right choice, and the ACO recorded an attendance figure that was 1 800 people higher compared to 2015. This is proof of the growing interest generated by endurance motorbike racing whether for the enthusiasts or the ordinary spectators, whose numbers continue to increase, in particular among female fans who were honoured this year. The no. 39 Kawasaki line-up consisting of Leblanc, Lagrive and Foret won the 39th running of the 24 Heures Motos in style. Helped by this performance the Japanese make clinched the record for the number of victories in the Sarthe event with 13 titles! Leblanc became the second rider to win the most important motorbike endurance race in the world on five occasions (2010-11-12-13-16), after Alex Vieira (1986-88-89-90-95), the record for the number of victories. Completing the top 3 were the no. 50 Suzuki and the Japanese team’s no. 5 Honda in second and third places respectively after great performances as they were not expected to achieve such a result. The no 50 Suzuki entered by the Team April Moto Motors Events had to battle throughout the race to finish ahead of its rivals and clinch second spot in the event. The Japanese in the F.C.C TSR Honda team were making their maiden appearance in the 24 Heures Motos and they rode a masterly race, learned the Bugatti circuit and overcame all the traps to seal the final place on the podium. After 24-hours indecisive racing Louis Bulle, Gabriel Pons and Lukas Trautmann riding for the Team 3Art Yam’Avenue made the best of the conditions and won the Superstock category on their no. 36 Yamaha. Completing the podium was the no. 48 bike entered by the NRT 48Race Event UG team and the no. 3 AM Moto Racing Competition Kawasaki. The only machine in the experimental category, the no. 45 Metiss entered by JCL Moto for Christophe Michel, Cyril Huvier and Emmanuel Cheron, finished 20th overall. The second round of the FIM World Endurance Championship will take place on 10-11 June in the Portimao 12 Hours in Portugal. The next event for motorbikes on the Bugatti circuit will be the French Grand Prix on 6-8 May, the fifth round on the 2016 MotoGP calendar.