Thursday, November 17 2011
Season finale in Doha, Qatar saw riders David Checa, Kenny Foray and Matthieu Lagrive of the Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone team power to the finish line on their YZF-R1, grabbing their first victory of the year. They consequently came in at third place in the 2011 Qtel c.
Beginning eight hours at Doha on Saturday, the GMT 94 R1 was quick off the mark, battling for the lead alongside fellow Yamaha riders Igor German, Steve Martin and Katsuyuki Nakasuga from Monster Yamaha YART. In a dramatic ninth lap, Monster Yamaha YART’s Nakasuga went down in a collision with Sébastien Gimbert. This sent the Austrian team right to the tail end, with a one lap deficit. Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone managed to avoid the smash and took this advantage to push their Yamaha team into the lead. Thanks to some effective pit work and consistently good runs from Checa, Foray and Lagrive, the team maintained this lead- holding off constant advances from the Suzuki Endurance racing team. The French Yamaha squad slowly but surely created a comfortable gap, finally completing a total of 231 laps to take a well-earned first place on the season finale podium.
Despite the collision in the early stages, Monster Yamaha YART riders put in an outstanding performance and pushed on through the field to complete the final race of the season in fourth place- just shy of a podium position. They were closely followed by the Spanish Yamaha of YMES Folch Endurance with Dani Ribalta, Pedro Vallcaneras and Jose Manuel Luis Rita, who finally crossed the line in sixth place.
The Belgian Yamaha DG Sport Herock Team took a smooth victory in the Superstock category, giving the YZF-R1 ‘the double’ in Doha. Riders Raymond Schouten, Hugo Marchand and Josep Monge all completed trouble free stints and all ran a perfect race, exactly following the lined out strategy.
Four of the seven Yamaha YZF-R1 machines entered completed the 2011 Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship in the top ten positions, with Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone, Monster Yamaha YART, YMES Folch Endurance and Maco Racing Team finishing up the season in outstanding third, fifth, sixth and ninth places respectively.
Christophe Guyot, Team Manager, Yamaha Racing France GMT 94 Ipone: “The three riders perfectly handled a situation that is never easy to manage. They had to maintain a high pace while remaining cautious. All three really wanted this win. David, Matthieu and Kenny are a very close-knit team with the talent to match their ambition. Last but not least, Michelin gave us the performance and safety needed on a track where tyres are a key to success. We experienced no mechanical problems all season and it’s great to be back in the winners’ circle.”
David Checa: “I am really happy to get back to winning with my team, GMT 94. I want to thank the mechanics, who allowed us to spend the least amount of time in the pits. Thanks to Yamaha. Thanks to Christophe. Thanks to Michelin. I can’t wait for 2012 on the new R1.”
Matthieu Lagrive: “I have had some difficult times in the past. With GMT 94, I am enjoying racing again. Racing as I love it, with a team that became a family. With team mates who are my friends first. Winning today is an immense joy for me. After this crossing of the desert, I feel ready to race in the next Dakar!”
Kenny Foray: “This is my first race win in a world championship. A great moment. Many thanks to my teammates, Matthieu and David. The Michelin tyres were incredible. And the Yamaha was fantastic. Thank you!”
Olivier Aerts, Team Manager, Yamaha DG Sport Herock: “We always said that we had the perfect package to win and here in Qatar we have run the perfect race. We had to return to the box earlier than foreseen but thanks to that we had one less stop at the end of the race. Thanks to the tyres we received by Michelin, we could do two stints with the same set of tyres, which made us gain a lot of time at the stops. Michelin has been a very important support throughout this season and an ace for this victory. Linked to a trouble-free race and a high-performing trio of riders, that pays off!”
