On entering the final round of the FIM Endurance World Championship, Michelin backed Yamaha France GMT 94 led in the overall series standings as the French manufacturer set its sights on a 15th world endurance title.
The first lap didn’t go well for the #94 Yamaha, as it was hit by another bike under braking on the very first corner. Forced to pit for some emergency repairs, the team rejoined the race three laps adrift, practically in last place.
With some consistently quick riding, the three Yamaha riders bounced back, and by midnight on the Saturday they were occupying a podium spot. During the early hours of the Sunday morning, they moved up from 3rd to 2nd.
At sunrise the GMT 94 team were greeted by some very mixed weather conditions, which they dealt with to close the gap on the lead team from 5 laps to just two laps. After that, David Checa, Kenny Foray and Mathieu Gines kept a cool head to collect second overall and make sure of GMT 94’s second world title, after securing one back in 2004.
To try and gain the edge on the competition, Michelin had produced new specification tyres for the Le Mans round, and the overall feedback was positive.
“Our tyres proved very competitive in all the different types of conditions and we succeeded in ensuring that the Yamaha was always on the right rubber at the right moment. Congratulations to everyone at GMT 94 and thanks for helping us to claim our 15th world title in endurance racing. We are delighted to have played apart in the team’s second place this afternoon,” said Piero Taramasso, manager of Michelin Motorsport’s two-wheel programmes.
