The team remained in seventh position for the first section, battling in close contention with four other teams ‰ÛÒ including private French Honda team National Motos. A dramatic turn of events came with the break of dawn as the Yamaha Endurance Racing Team retired due to a technical problem and National Motos suffered a brake problem forcing them back two laps.
This elevated the Honda TT Legends into fifth place where they remained steady for the rest of the race, eventually finishing 18 laps behind the winning team to achieve their aim of finishing the 75th annual Bol d'Or. Keith Amor completed the final stint to bring the Firebalde past the chequered flag.
"The whole team has put in a massive effort and worked really hard to get ready for the Bol d'Or. It's a very hard, steep learning curve to do a 24-hour first rather than a six or an eight-hour,"
Steve Plater said. "All the guys have done a fantastic job so we've got a good base to progress from. We've got an awful lot to learn from this and hopefully we can come back fro the next round at Albacete being even more competitive.
Keith Amor added, "Right now I'm feeling relief, just massive relief. That was a tough race for me, it was really, really hard. The most important thing for me at the end there was to bring the bike over the finish line. We didn't have any major problems at all during the race, no stop and goes, no unplanned pit stops ‰ÛÒ it all ran very smoothly and I think that's why we got fifth. It just shows what the guys can do. Roll on the next one!
Neil Tuxworth, team manager, added, "I'm so happy for everybody in the team. Endurance racing more than any other event is a team effort and everyone has played their part tremendously. Our main objective was to finish and the second was to place in the top six and we've achieved both of those things so as a new team we are very pleased.
The final word was left up to race manager
Russell Benny, "Any successful result is a team effort and on this occasion the team have performed splendidly. Considering it's the first event of the year and the hardest event of the year, fifth place is beyond all our expectations. Congratulations must go to all the people who contributed ‰ÛÒ mechanics, timekeepers, caterers, everyone." he said
Main Photo: John McGuinness - race action
For full results click here
