BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent‰Ûªs Damian Cudlin, SÌ©bastien Gimbert and Erwan Nigon looked all set to claim an historic podium finish in today‰Ûªs Suzuka 8 Hours race, until an electrical problem saw them drop from second to tenth in the last 40 minutes of the race.
Starting from 11th on the grid, the #99 BMW S1000RR made steady progress during the first six hours, benefitting from consistency of pace and a number of retirements from the front of the race to eventually move up into third place.
The team were promoted one more place when Vincent Philippe on the championship leading SERT bike crashed out of second place as the race entered the final hour. With just 50 minutes to go BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent looked certain to secure a first podium finish at Suzuka for a European manufacturer, and take the lead in the world championship standings as a result.
Unfortunately, it wasn‰Ûªt to be. Just a few minutes after taking second place the team had to pit in with an electrical issue which they didn‰Ûªt have time to remedy in the time remaining. Instead, Gimbert was despatched to do the best job he could in the final 40 minutes, on a bike that was now 20 seconds off the pace of the leaders.
The reigning French Superbike Champion fought as hard as possible, and was often well over the limit, but was unable to hold off challenges from behind and eventually had to settle for ninth place at the chequered flag. The riders and the team were obviously disappointed to miss out on a podium finish, but will take consolation from the fact that they have closed the gap to the leaders in the championship standings.
BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent will return to action at round four of the Endurance World Championship, the 8 Hours of Oschersleben in Germany, which takes place from 9 ‰ÛÒ 12 August.
‰ÛÏA podium finish at Suzuka is something that you dream about as a rider, something that you‰Ûªll be boring your kids with for years, so I‰Ûªm devastated to have got close enough to taste it only to miss out in the last 40 minutes," Damian Cudlin lamented.
"We rode a textbook race, made no mistakes and we were in sight of the podium when I came in to hand over to Seb for the final run. We knew there was something wrong as soon as he started the bike and, sure enough, he was straight back in after one lap. There wasn‰Ûªt time to start pulling the bike apart, so he went back out on a bike around 100km/h down on top speed compared to the competition. It must have been scary for him out there, but he held it together and brought it home in the top ten, when I was convinced we weren‰Ûªt even going to finish.‰Û
