POSTED: 27/04/2022
The Yoshimura SERT Motul team (Sylvain Guintoli, Gregg Black and Xavier Simeon) has won the 2022 24 hours of Le Mans, a result of back-to-back wins at the prestigious event. Gregg Black took the opener on the number one-plated GSX-R1000 and took the race for himself from the second he was off the grid.
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As the race started to settle the reigning world champions occupied third for the early hours of the race, before pushing to first place by Saturday evening. Solid night stints showcased exceptional skill and determination from the team to keep things on track. As day broke Black set a new lap record, highlighting the physical and mental spirit of these racers and of course, the GSX-R1000's continued performance.
After a continuous 24 hours of high-pressure racing, the team took the win by a substantial one minute and 45 seconds. The result brought 63 championship points, qualifying performance and team celebrations all around.
Riders Sylvain Guintoli (right), Gregg Black (centre), and Xavier Simeon (left).
"I was expected to do the start because I usually do pretty well. This year it was a bit different; I crashed heavily in the preparatory practice a few days ago where I broke my heel. In the end, I managed to get over it and ensure a good start. Then it was an incredible race, with a very strong pace from the beginning to the end. We had to push as hard as we could in every stint because we had some really strong competitors. My team mates were also very strong and the whole team did a great job."
"This is a very different victory to 2021. The race was difficult. We needed the speed, the strategy and the whole team in the box that worked perfectly. Our fuel consumption was also better than our opponents and that also played an important role. We gave everything this weekend and we can be proud to go home with the trophy."
"The team really did a great job on the strategy to allow us to do a maximum of laps and a minimum of pit stops. On the track, the bike showed extraordinary potential. We were able to set some incredible lap times. In fact, Gregg broke the absolute record in the race. But it was still a tough race because we had to push hard to the finish line."
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