These tests, which are not obligatory, are open to teams that have entered for the 2017 24 Heures Motos, the second round of the 2016/2017 FIM World Endurance Championship. Thus, 48 teams out of the 72 entries received by the ACO will use these two days to get to grips with the Bugatti circuit.
The first event of the season for motorbikes at Le Mans, the French Superbike Championship, was held last weekend. Now it’s the turn of the entrants in the 24 Heures Motos to take over the circuit for two days testing, tomorrow and Wednesday 28/29 March. The riders will have their first taste of the new surface of the Bugatti track laid this winter, which gives more grip that should improve both performance and safety conditions. All the front-runners in the event will be present starting with the reigning victors, the SRC Kawasaki outfit and their no. 11 bike, as well as the works Yamaha (GMT 94 and YART), Suzuki (SERT), Honda (FCC TSR Honda and Honda Endurance Racing), and BMW (Tecmas BMW) teams. Other well-known endurance squads will also be present including the Junior Team Le Mans Sud (Suzuki), AM Moto Racing Competition (Kawasaki), and the only 100% women’s crew, the Girls Racing Team (Yamaha).
These two days of free practice are not open to the public. The sessions, which will be officially timed to give an idea of performance levels, will take place between 09:00 and midday and again between 14:00 and 18:00 on both days.
The Automobile Club de l’Ouest will also hold its traditional press conference to present the event, tomorrow Tuesday 28th March at 12:15 in the Welcome. It will be attended by Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), Jacques Bolle, President of the French Motorcycle Federation (FFM), Jean-Marc Desnues, Member of the bureau of the CCR of the FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) and François Ribeiro, Eurosport Events operating manager, the promoter of the FIM EWC, and the riders who have come to take part in the tests.
For journalists who wish to attend the test sessions and/or confirm their presence at the press conference please send an email to medias@lemans.org or phone 33 (0) 2 43 40 21 13.