Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

(Above left) Piergiorgio Bontempl (8) was a crowd favorite early on as he slid his Kawasaki in every corner. (Above) Eric Mahe (5) leads Doug Polen (2); Pole~ teamed with Terry Rymer and Peter Goddard to eventually finish second. (Left) Pascal Guigou at speed In the south of France. Briefly_ ..._ ing rain, the most "enduring" among them were offered a second Le Mansstyle start at 9:30 a.m. Just like the day before, the remaining factory riders did battle among themselves, but their struggle would be interrupted by several incidents. At around 10 a.m., the Yamaha of Morillas/DeJetang/Whitham stormed into the pit in order to have the brake pedal replaced. At about the same moment, the other Yamaha went straight in one of the fastest corners of the track, but fortunately the rider didn't crash. The suspense continued when on the television screens it was clearly visible that a part of the rear wheel axle on the· second Suzuki was coming loose. Damon Buckmaster, who was not aware of the problem, only went into the pits two laps later when his team urged him to. In the meantime, Vieira was leading in front of Morillas and Rymer. At around 11:30 a.m. Sunday morning, the pace cars went out again - for the fourth time - when water on the track was once again becoming a problem. While everybody seemed to be in favor of stopping the race, the race director was still convinced that the race would go until the bitter end. For tradition's sake, they had no other choice: according to FIM regulations, a race can only be restarted twice. This, however, confronted them with another problem - if the weather didn't get better, the two pace cars would have to stop within the next two hours because they'd be out of fuel. In that case, the race would have to be finally stopped or the riders would have to race again in horrible conditions. Fortunately, the pace cars were able to leave the track 45 minutes later when the rain lessened s.lightly. With more than two hours to go, Vieira was leading in front of Morillas, Rymer, Gomez and Mattioli. And things were not over yet in this last "heat." In the closing stages, Morillas would lose second place while Gomez secured third despite a minor crash. When the red flags finally came out for the third and final time at 2 p.m., Vieira/Lavieille/Costes took victory, in front of Rymer/Polen/Goddard, Gomez/Protat/Buckmaster and Mori!las/Deletang/Whitham, with all three finishing on the same lap. The Guignabodet team, which took the title one year before, finished fifth and best privateer team. After the finish, the Yamaha team filed a protest against the second Suzuki team. According to team manager JeanClaude Olivier, the time keepers had made. a mistake: Whitham's crash had not taken as much time as Gomez', and moreover in the last restart from behind the pace cars, Gomez had been given almost a lap extra because he was in a different group than the Yamaha at the time when the lights turned to green again. After a three-hour meeting by the international jury, the protest was not accepted. l~ Bol d'Or Le Castellet, France ResultS: September 21-22, 1996 (Round 5 of 5) 1. Vieira I \..avieillel Costes (Hon); 2. Rymerl Polen I Goddard (Suz); 3. Gomez/ Protatl Buckmaster (5uz): 4. Morillasl Deletangl Whitham (Yam); S. Mattioli! Simeonf Guigou (Hon); 6. Carcial Cazadel Briguet (Han); 7. Mahel Nicottel Battistini .cYam); 8. Lovichif Kempener/ Olivieri (Hon); 9. Manneretl Mouzin/ Thomas (Yam); 10. Breitenstein! Romanensl Gasser (Ynm); 11. Coutellel Hislopl Ferraca (Kaw); 12. Amalricl BertinI Guinand (Hon); 13. Charpentier I Rolland-PHiguel Eisen (Hon); 14. Boschl Monotl Colaisseau (Kaw); 15. Guyotl Lussianal Mounier (Hon); 16. Marchandl Denisl Alize (Kaw); 17. Beltennannl Rothigl Winterbottom (Kaw); 18. Coql Sonfigliol Damide (Suz); 19. Cuzinl Couturierl Dimarino (Hon); 20. Guittetl Maedol Venturini (Kaw); 21. Snickers I Snickersl Orban (Suz); 22. Demoncourtl Jaggil Maisto (Due); 23. Rougel Bottarell Widmer (Hon); 24. MoriIJonl CornHI Lethin (Kaw); 25. Manning·Nortonl Aertsl Vankeymeulen (Suz); 26. Cortinovisl Detotl VaUet (Han); 27. Bizottol Maubonl This was the 60th edition of the 801 d'Or. The first race with that name was held on May 27, 1922. Back then. 28 riders took the start with the same mission: to get their bikes - on their own· to the finish 24 hours later. The Bol d'Or has always been a classic. ,even after it moved from the legendary Le M'ans circuit to Le Castellet. The final endurance ,aoe of the season alwaYs 'takes place a few days before the international Paris motorshow. "ihich explains the big interest from the Japanese makes (and the French importers) to success cin the track. A win in. the Bol assures good selling results a week later at Paris. The French motorcycle market has grown some 30, percent in ·,996 and rep· resents about I 15.000 bikes. The large displacement sportbike represent about 10,000 bikes in this market. Theret (Kaw); 28. Sialinol Schmaltzl Roche (Kaw); 29. Leblancl Gombaudl Gleyze (Yam); 30. Lippmannl Strauch/ Altzschner (Suz); 31. Barthod/ Caille/ Cogan (Han); 32. Puyo/ Subia./ Segues (Han); 33. Cheva.Uer/ Maugeril Papaux (Yam); 34.·Robertl Enjalbertl Burgart (Hon); 35. Powerl Skellenl Smith (Yam); 36. Bosonnetl MartinI Martini (Kaw); 37. Crafl Siegenthalerl Knutti (Kaw); 38. Beauvaisl Peanl Perilric (Suz); 39. Vanhaeltert/ CIanier/ Cuny (Suz); 4ll. FabT./ J=dan/ M• ..-u (Suz); 41. Lefevre/ Vid.l/ Prevot (5uz); 42 Willems/ Ruhroth/ Esterrer (Han); 43. Foretl Jolivetl Leglatin (Duc); 44. Baslel Kerbratl ComiUet (KaW); 45. Girardot I Giabbanil Dubus (Hon); 46. Fuchsl RobertI Bonvicini (Kaw); 47. Nortierl Guitell Manifesti (Suz); 48. Baylel Gallienl Karouby (Yarn). Time:. 17 hr., 25 min., 59.124 sec. Distance: 457 laps Average speed: 94.267 mph. with his career. "Thanks 10 endurance racing. I have ·seen much of the world." he seid. -And that experience lias given me a different rook on life. I do. not regret anything. except that I have not really had the chance to show what I am made of in 500cc Grands Prix. 1988 ahd ·89 were my top years, and in Suzuka Ihad the opportunity to race against men like NVayne"J . Gardner. (Michaell Doohan and

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