Friday, July 1, 2022
MCNews
  • NEWSLatest
  • REVIEWS
  • LATEST BIKES
  • RACING
  • FEATURES
  • TOURING
  • PRODUCTS
  • MEDIA
    • GALLERY
  • MORE
    • POPULAR ARTICLES
    • MCNEWS COMMENTS
    • MAIN FORUM
    • CONTACT US
    • ABOUT US
No Result
View All Result
MCNews
  • NEWSLatest
  • REVIEWS
  • LATEST BIKES
  • RACING
  • FEATURES
  • TOURING
  • PRODUCTS
  • MEDIA
    • GALLERY
  • MORE
    • POPULAR ARTICLES
    • MCNEWS COMMENTS
    • MAIN FORUM
    • CONTACT US
    • ABOUT US
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
MCNews

BMW heartbreak at Le Mans

Trev by Trev
September 23, 2013
in Motorcycle News
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare

BMW France out of Le Mans 24 Hours with gearbox failure while leading by three laps

BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent were forced to retire from the 24 Heures Moto at Le Mans due to a terminal mechanical problem after 14 hours of racing.

The #99 BMW S1000RR, ridden by Sylvain Barrier, Josh Waters and Sébastien Gimbert, led the race for nine hours to the halfway point, before losing time to a minor problem with the exhaust and dropping back to second place.

Waters was pushing to make up time on the leading SRC Kawasaki when he encountered problems downshifting. The Australian returned to the pit box, where the team mechanics worked to rectify a mechanical problem with the gearshift mechanism.

Despite their best efforts the problem proved terminal, with Gimbert returning to the pit box for the final time after just one lap, leaving the team with no option but to retire the #99 BMW from the race.

The bikes will be returned to BMW in Munich, where they will be stripped and analysed to ascertain the exact cause of the gearshift problem.

It was a bitter blow for BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent, who were on track to end their 2013 Endurance World Championship campaign on a high, before the mechanical failure put them out of the season finale with 10 hours of the race left to run.

Sylvain Barrier – “It’s a shame, a real shame it had to end this way, because the team and my teammates on the bike worked really hard since the beginning of the weekend. We rode a good race and kept things on a level plane, not too high, not too low, so to go out in this way is frustrating. But now we need to work, even harder than we did this weekend, to make sure we don’t have the same problem in the future.”

Josh Waters – “Really disappointed to hold a two-lap lead through what most people say is the hardest part of the night, only to go out of the race with a mechanical problem. You could see from the timing screens that we were holding our own at the front, only for this to happen. The team did a great job and I’d like to thank them for giving me this opportunity. It’s a hard way to finish, no question, but racing can be like that sometimes.”

Sébastien Gimbert – “It doesn’t matter how long you lead the 24 Hours of Le Mans for, only your position when you see the chequered flag is important. This weekend we had a fast bike, fast tyres and three fast and safe riders, backed by a strong team. We didn’t crash, we didn’t make any mistakes, but we’re still out of the race after a mechanical. It’s hard on everyone; the team, my teammates and me, but that’s the 24 Hours of Le Mans for you; it’s a tough race. ”

RelatedPosts

Aprilia’s season of Superbike savings | Save $2000

Aprilia’s season of Superbike savings | Save $2000

June 30, 2022
Royal Enfield Scram 411 | Ready. Set. SCRAM! ✊

Royal Enfield Scram 411 | Ready. Set. SCRAM! ✊

June 30, 2022

Volker Scheck: Team Principal – “Obviously we’re bitterly disappointed to go out of the race in this way, especially after leading until after the halfway point, but that’s endurance racing for you. The mechanical failure that put us out of the race is not something we’ve encountered before. It’s not been possible to identify the cause of the problem here at Le Mans, but this will be the priority when the bikes are returned to the workshop. The team has done a fantastic job here at Le Mans. I know they are devastated by the retirement, but they can hold their heads high after a job well done. The same is true of our riders, who were equally committed to our goal this weekend. They rode a sensible race and took advantage of the mistakes of others to lead until half race distance. We can’t ask more of them than that. It’s a frustrating end to what has been a difficult season, but we’ll regroup over the winter and come back stronger in 2014.”

Team_BMW Day2_GuyMartin BMW_Halfway_1024 Waters

Trev

Trev

Motojourno - Founder of MCNews.com.au - Australia's leading resource for motorcycle news, reviews and race coverage for over 20 years.

Related Articles

HRC Misano Test | Mackenzie to wildcard | Bautista extends contract

HRC Misano Test | Mackenzie to wildcard | Bautista extends contract

June 30, 2022
New Piaggio MP3 models debut in Paris

New Piaggio MP3 models debut in Paris

June 30, 2022
Aussie teenager stars on Flat Track Singles debut in America

Hi-res images from ProMX Round Five at Maitland – Gallery C

June 30, 2022
Join Yamaha as a VIP guest at the 2022 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix - Phillip Island from 14 to 16 October

2022 Yamaha MotoGP Hospitality Bookings Open

June 30, 2022
Load More

SOCIALS

  • 7.2k Followers

SUPPORT OUR SUPPORTERS

INCASE YOU MISSED

Ruprecht & Garcia share EnduroGP of Italy wins | Milner P5

Ruprecht & Garcia share EnduroGP of Italy wins | Milner P5

June 27, 2022
Difficult night for the Aussies at FIM Speedway GP of Poland

Difficult night for the Aussies at FIM Speedway GP of Poland

June 26, 2022
Jake Gagne unstoppable at The Ridge

Jake Gagne unstoppable at The Ridge

June 27, 2022

GET LATEST NEWS IN YOUR INBOX

MCNews

MCNEWS.COM.AU is a specialist on-line resource that provides motorcycle news for motorcyclists. MCNews covers all areas of interest for the motorcycling public including news, reviews and comprehensive racing coverage.

© 2022 MCNews

No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
    • ALL NEWS
    • ALL NEWS CONDENSED
    • POPULAR ARTICLES
    • BMW News
    • Honda News
    • Husqvarna News
    • KTM News
    • Suzuki News
    • Yamaha News
    • Triumph News
    • CFMOTO News
    • Ducati News
    • Moto Guzzi News
    • Royal Enfield News
    • Kawasaki News
    • Aprilia News
    • Harley News
    • Indian News
    • MV Agusta News
    • Benelli News
    • GASGAS News
    • BETA News
    • Norton News
    • Victory News
    • EBR News
    • Rieju News
    • E-Bike News
    • Scooter News
    • LAMS News
    • ATV / SSV News
  • REVIEWS
    • All Bike Reviews
    • LAMS Reviews
    • KTM Reviews
    • Honda Reviews
    • Yamaha Reviews
    • Triumph Reviews
    • BMW Reviews
    • Suzuki Reviews
    • CFMOTO Reviews
    • Ducati Reviews
    • Kawasaki Reviews
    • Husqvarna Reviews
    • Aprilia Reviews
    • Benelli Reviews
    • BETA Reviews
    • E-Bike Reviews
    • EBR Reviews
    • GAS GAS Reviews
    • Harley Reviews
    • Indian Reviews
    • Kymco Reviews
    • Moto Guzzi Reviews
    • MV Agusta Reviews
    • Norton Reviews
    • Royal Enfield Reviews
    • Scooter Reviews
    • Sherco Reviews
    • Victory Reviews
    • Rieju Reviews
  • NEW PRODUCTS
  • LATEST BIKES
    • ALL LATEST BIKES NEWS
    • BMW
    • Honda
    • Husqvarna
    • KTM
    • Suzuki
    • Yamaha
    • Triumph
    • CFMOTO
    • Ducati
    • Moto Guzzi
    • Royal Enfield
    • Kawasaki
    • Aprilia
    • Harley
    • Indian
    • MV Agusta
    • Benelli
    • GAS GAS
    • BETA
    • Norton
    • Victory
    • E-Bike
    • Scooters
    • LAMS
    • Rieju
  • RACING
    • ALL RACING
    • ROAD
      • MotoGP
      • WSBK
      • ASBK
      • BSB
      • Real Road / TT
      • Historic Road Racing
      • Japan / Asian Road Racing
      • Endurance Road Racing
      • American Road Racing
      • NZ Road Racing
      • Supermoto
      • FIM Junior GP & MiniGP
    • DIRT
      • Supercross
      • AMA MX
      • Australian Pro MX
      • MXGP
      • Enduro / Rally
      • Dirt / Flat Track
      • Speedway
  • FEATURES
  • TOURING
  • GALLERY
  • LATEST COMMENTS
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT US
  • COMMUNITY FORUM

© 2022 MCNews