Honda Endurance World Championship Team Completes Pre-Season Testing in Spain

Monteblanco test - Monteblanco 16.03.2015                           Honda Racing completes pre-season testing at Monteblanco The Honda Racing team took part in a four-day test at the Monteblanco circuit in Spain last week in preparation for the 2015 Endurance World Championship, which begins with the Le Mans 24 Hours on 18-19 April.   The team was blessed with warm and dry weather conditions for the duration of the test giving endurance specialists Freddy Foray, Julien Da Costa and Sébastien Gimbert plenty of time on the bike in the Spanish sunshine. It was a full schedule over the days with plenty of track time for the team, who were able to test different settings and work with Dunlop on the tyre selection for the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP.   Towards the end of the week, the riders performed a few race simulations, allowing them to find a good set-up suiting all riders and achieving consistency in their lap times. Off-track, the team spent time practicing its pit stops, something its super-slick crew are known for with their efficiency and speed.   The Honda Racing team left Spain with confidence ahead of the official pre-Le Mans test in just over two weeks time (31 March - 1 April) and is looking forward to the first round of the championship at Le Mans.   For all the latest news on the team follow @HondaRacingCBR on Twitter. Neil Tuxworth     team manager “The test went very well, we had no major problems with the bike, no accidents and also we’ve learnt a lot of things. An important thing for the riders was that we performed a lot of long runs on the bike, to simulate an endurance stint.   I think we’re in a good position for Le Mans, we have three riders that we know very well, they all have experience on the Fireblade and we’ve made some changes to the bike for this year. There will be other strong teams this season, but we feel we’ll be one of the strongest teams at Le Mans.” Steven Casaer     race manager “The test went well for us. We started off testing the bike’s set-up and all the new racing parts that we have on the bike. Then, we made the most of this test to get prepared for the mechanics’ interventions in the event of a crash or a technical problem, in order to be more efficient – the whole team played the game very well and we came out with many solutions to improve our actions on the bike during races. Everything is heading in the right direction for the pre-Le Mans test.” Freddy Foray “After these four-days I feel we’ve achieved something really efficient with the bike regarding the electronics. I’m really happy about the test and I am looking forward to Le Mans to see if the work done throughout the winter has been effective, because it is always important to be able to compare yourself with the other teams to get to know where you really are.” Julien Da Costa “We are really lucky to be able to test this much during the winter season, because it is rarely the case in the world of Endurance. We’ve completed eight testing days so far and are really happy with the turn of events. We worked a lot on the bike and its set-up and have some new things we can’t wait to test in real race conditions. I’m confident going into this season with a years experience with Honda Racing and the good tests we’ve completed over the winter." Sebastien Gimbert “These tests are useful because they allow us to perfect the bike’s set-up, but they are really positive for us as well because we found our rhythm. Every winter, a rider has many doubts about how he is going to be able to get back to the same level as the previous year, so these tests are important for us to feel more confident. The team did a lot of work, the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP is great to ride and what’s more important: the relationships within the whole team are really good. I can’t wait for Le Mans!”   Copyright-free images © 2015 Honda Racing.

Team Honda Announces Riders for 2015 Endurance World Championship

News 12.01.2015                           Honda confirms rider line-up for the 2015 Endurance World Championship Honda Motor Europe has announced that it will retain the formidable rider line-up of Julien Da Costa, Freddy Foray and Sebastien Gimbert for its 2015 Endurance World Championship campaign. The three former EWC champions will contest the full season aboard the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP as the Honda Racing team renews its quest to clinch the championship title. 2014 produced many positives for the team, including its maiden race victory at the Oschersleben 8 Hours, where it led the race from the start to finish. The crew and riders will be looking to continue this momentum as they approach 2015 with the clear aim of racing to win. To kick off the new season and as part of Honda Motor Europe’s continued commitment to maximising its riders’ potential, Julien Da Costa and Freddy Foray will today be taking part in an assessment day at the English Institute of Sport – the organisation behind much of Team GB’s outstanding success at the London 2012 Olympics. The data collected from the physio and isometric tests and strength and conditioning assessments will be collated to form the basis of the riders’ training and fitness programmes for 2015. Pata Honda’s World Superbike contenders Sylvain Guintoli and Michael van der Mark, Honda-Zanardo’s Enduro star Alex Salvini and Honda Racing road racers John McGuinness and Conor Cummins will also attend. Gimbert is unable to take part due to illness. The full 2015 Endurance World Championship calendar is still to be confirmed by the FIM, but the season will begin with the return of the Le Mans 24 Heures Moto to its traditional slot on 18/19 April. Pre-season testing will begin in March. For all the latest news on the team follow @HondaRacingCBR on Twitter.  Neil Tuxworth We’re very pleased to have re-signed Julien, Freddy and Sebastien for the 2015 EWC season. There’s no doubt that they are three of the strongest riders in the championship and we have high hopes for the year ahead. The most significant benefit to retaining all three riders – aside from their combined outstanding EWC track record – is the fact that we have a year’s worth of data and results to work from. This, coupled with the extensive pre-season testing programme we have planned and the hard work that the crew has put in on the bike over the winter, means that we are in a very strong position for 2015. Julien Da Costa I'm very excited about the 2015 season because last year, mechanical issues aside, we were competitive in all races. We have a very strong team and a strong bike so this year should be amazing! We really want to win races, especially a 24-hour race to show that we can do it, and we also dream of becoming world champions, but EWC races are very difficult. The best thing for me about Honda Racing is the great team that we have around us: the mechanics, physio, timekeepers... everyone is so professional and friendly and we all take care of each other. We are a family and to win the championship would be such a reward for everyone’s hard work. Today’s fitness assessment has been a very positive way to start the year, giving us the motivation we need to work hard to achieve our goals.  Freddy Foray I’m really looking forward to starting this new year. For 2015, I will only be doing World Endurance so it means I can focus 100% on winning the championship. We were a very strong team in 2014 but we did have some bad luck. Now we have a year of experience together as a team and we have learned so much that there is no doubt we can come back even stronger in 2015. I am really happy to be able to start the season with the training day at the EIS because it puts us in the right frame of mind to begin the season – we’ll be aiming to win from the start!  Sebastien Gimbert I’m very happy to be with Honda for a second year. The winter break is very long and I’m looking forward to seeing the team and riding the bike! My goal for the year is the same as my goal every time I get on the bike - to give it my best and to win races and the championship. Freddy, Julien and I work very well together and our riding styles and times are very similar, which is really important. We have a very professional team, the best bike that is easy to ride in all conditions and now a year of experience behind us. The team has worked very hard over the winter and I trust them and look forward to 2015.   Copyright-free images Gimbert, Da Costa and Foray   On the podium at Oschersleben   Sebastien Gimbert   Freddy Foray   Julien Da Costa © 2015 Honda Racing.

Honda's Endurance World Championship Season Comes to Early End at 24 Hours of Le Mans

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

24 Hours of Le Mans - Le Mans 21.09.2014                           Honda Racing forced to retire from the 24 Hours of Le Mans The 2014 Endurance World Championship season drew to a disappointing close for the Honda Racing team as it was forced to retire from the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the early hours of this morning. The retirement came after 14 hours of eventful racing in which the team and its riders, Julien Da Costa, Sebastien Gimbert and Freddy Foray, had fought back from 19th to second place following a minor early-race crash. Having collected nine bonus championship points for lying second at the eight-hour stage, the team lapped comfortably until 3.30am when Da Costa was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop after feeling vibrations on the bike. A two-hour period followed in which the Honda Racing crew located the problem, which was caused by a gear tightening on the gear shaft, and worked tirelessly to repair the machine and get it back on track. Da Costa re-joined the race and returned to the pits several times, but despite the team’s hard work, they eventually made the decision to retire from the race on safety grounds. The final EWC standings will be decided when the race ends at 3pm this afternoon. It’s has been a year of highs and lows for Honda Racing, but the team ends the season with its debut EWC win under its belt and a determination to come back fighting in 2015.  Neil Tuxworth     team manager This is an incredibly disappointing and frustrating end to a very eventful season for us. The riders and the crew have worked so hard for the whole season and we didn’t deserve to end it like this, but on the positive side, we have achieved our first-ever EWC victory this year and we know that we have the ability to lead and win races. Endurance is tough and you have to take the lows with the highs. I’m proud of the team and I think we can still hold our heads high.  Julien Da Costa It is very disappointing to suffer with problems at four of the three races this year. We are a strong team and we know we can win, but we have suffered a lot of bad luck with the bike.  Freddy Foray This is not how we wanted to end the season and I am disappointed. It’s been a difficult year for the team, who have worked so hard, and after the win in Germany we hoped we could end the year with another one. It was not meant to be but that is endurance.  Sebastien Gimbert I would obviously prefer to win the last race at Le Mans but I would also have preferred to finish and win the Bol d’Or without a technical problem – that goes without saying. The whole team has worked really hard and given so much and I can’t fault them. There is always next year and we will come back stronger. © 2014 Honda Racing