The 2012 Bol d’Or was marked by complex, shifting track conditions which made tyre choices and strategies particularly difficult. The lead was shared by just two bikes in the course of the 24-hour race.
The pole-winning SERT Suzuki got away to a great start to take an early lead in the wet. At 6:48pm (Lap 126), however, Vincent Philippe was caught out by a surprise shower on the final lap of his stint and his fall handed top spot to the N°11 Kawasaki. The Kawasaki SRC bike then topped the leaderboard for the next 14 hours, while SERT struggled with only two riders after Vincent Philippe was taken to hospital with a broken collarbone. During the night, Anthony Delhalle and Fabien Foret took turns to fight their way back up the order and their efforts were rewarded when the N°1 Suzuki emerged in front shortly after the 18-hour mark after the N°11 Kawasaki pitted.
It was then the Kawasaki SRC trio’s turn to do the chasing and the green machine succeeded in recovering the lead two hours later. After that, Da Costa, Leblanc and Four posted a series of quick laps to pull clear and lay the foundations for Kawasaki’s first Bol d’Or triumph since 1997. The N°11 bike completed 781 laps to win by a margin of 1m 41s.
GMT Yamaha emerged in third place at 4:35pm Saturday but lost the benefit of its work with half-an-hour remaining when it was passed by the similar YART-run bike (N°7).
The race was unfortunately short-lived for BMW Motorrad France Thevent whose bike was side-lined just 2½ hours after the start because of damage sustained in a fall during Damian Cudlin’s second stint.
The Superstock win went to 3D Endurance who finished clear of Penz 13 and Starteam 67. Meanwhile, Louit Moto 33’s three youngsters on the N°33 Kawasaki-Michelin) impressed by posting the class’s best qualifying performance and fastest race lap.
Sadly, Loris Baz, Jérémy Guarnoni and Nans Chevaux had to settle for seventh place in their category after a fall caused by oil on the track at 9:30pm Saturday. The threesome produced a remarkable fight back to finish 14th overall, while Loris Baz was the fastest rider on the track during the early morning’s rain. “Despite their age, they put in an amazing performance,” notes Michelin Competition’s Deputy Director and Technical Director Nicolas Goubert. “This was an extremely complex race as far as tyre choice went. We had to cope with very low temperatures and changeable track conditions but we had the pleasure of finishing on the podium in association with YART. It’s a pity for the N°99 BMW which had the potential to challenge for a top finish…”
Next round: Doha 8 Hours, Qatar (June 10).
