YART dominate final qualifying session at Estoril

2021 FIM Endurance World Championship
12 Hours of Estoril Final Qualifying

Yamaha’s Official EWC squad, Yamaha Austria Racing Team completely dominated the second and final qualifying session at Estoril overnight with all three riders topping their respective sessions to make for a combined team time that was almost a full-second ahead of Team BMW Motorrad World Endurance.

YART’s Karel Hanika set the outright individual benchmark and beat the record set in qualifying by Markus Reiterberger in 2020. The factory Yamaha’s Czech rider completed an impressive 1m37.674 fastest lap just ahead of his team-mate Marvin Fritz with a 1m37.857. They were the only two riders to come in under the 1m38 mark in the qualifying sessions.

The Yoshimura SERT Motul Suzuki team will start the 12 Hours of Estoril Endurance World Championship second round from third position on the starting grid tomorrow. Gregg Black was the first to set off in the morning session on the Portuguese track, under scorching sun and already high temperatures. Increasingly at ease with this new Bridgestone shod GSX-R1000R, Black improved his times from yesterday and finished third in his session with a time of 1m39.295. Xavier Simeon made his effort at the end of the session and recorded a 1m38.738. When the third team rider Sylvain Guintoli entered the track, the outside temperature had risen again but the Suzuki MotoGP test and development rider showed his talent in the very last lap with an exceptional time of 1m38.434. On the average of the three best times of the team (1.38.822), the Yoshimura SERT Motul squad ranked third on the timesheet.

F.C.C. TSR Honda France will start from fourth ahead of Tati Team Beringer Racing, who are among the leaders despite the absence of Alan Techer, with Tati followed by fellow independents VRD Igol Experiences, both privateer teams finished ahead of two factory teams, ERC Endurance-Ducati and Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar.  The F.C.C. TSR squad had made big progress in their set-up to put them in a much stronger position for the gruielling 12-hour race ahead.

In Superstock, a Kawasaki led the field. The first in class on the starting grid, BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers, will start from ninth ahead of Moto Ain, who held back by crashes. Other rivals for the Superstock win who are well placed on the grid are Team 33 Louit April Moto, Wójcik Racing Team and National Motos.

2021 FIM Endurance World Championship
12 Hours of Estoril Final Qualifying Results

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