European Classic Series 2014

Pressemeldung:

The Nürburgring is confirmed !
Little by little, the 2014 season of the European Classic Series is being shaped. In the beginning of January we received the final confirmation : the ECS participants will meet on 5, 6 and 7 September on the Nürbürgring track ! The race will take place during the Moto-Bike Festival, organized by the MSF-Sauerland. This club is also the organizer of the 8 Hours of Oschersleben, round of the FIM Endurance World Championship.

And although, for obvious safety reasons, this mythical track no longer includes the windings and extreme length of the old track (Nordschleife), the new track has all the features to make it a dream journey for all bikers. For 4 hours , motorcycles built before 1982 will get to prove that they have lost none of their superb and that they can still clock amazing lap times .
Moreover this season, to avoid any abuse or any disputes , each of these classic bikes will have to be equipped with a technical passport of confomity.
This round on the Nürbürgring will be the third part of the championship after our spring stopover on the French Castellet track on 4, 5 and 6 April and our summer round on 4, 5 and 6 July at Spa-Francorchamps.

An although there is still our rendez-vous in Aragon on 24, 25 and 26 October, it could even be decisive to determine the final rankings in this nice classic endurance season
We recall that the entry forms for these events are already on the website www.europeanclassicseries.eu as are the technical passports mandatory for each enterred bike. The regulations underwent some changes based on past experience.

For more information: http://www.europeanclassicseries.eu

"Beau monde" and some nice machinery for a race that already promises to be exciting

Merely a few days before the start of the second edition of the European Classic Series, anxiousness has taken over the small world of endurance. This for several reasons. First of all the fact that this first round takes place on a mythical track : Le Castellet. The same track where once some of the best and breath taking editions of the Bol d'Or took place, ever since it was closed for a long time to the public. Also because of the fact that for this first European round that will take place on April 4th, 5th and 6th in the framework of the Sunday Ride Classic, the entry list of riders and machines promises a high-end 4 hours race, starting on Saturday at 18h.
If we take a look at the bikes that enrolled, up to now all machines above 750cc, it is clear that this championship has become the main goal of the season for most of the teams.
We see the titleholders, Sweatshop Phase One, with a Kawasaki ( 1978 ) equally performant as the assistance in the box of the team that once was an active player in the Endurance World Championship. But also a lot of good teams from last season, such as the Dudu Team, the three ACR teams, TT Racing Black Forest, Ride4Fun, MotoBel, Peppo Racing Team and Red Fox, to name just a few.
We can make the same conclusion if we look at the riders : quality and a touch of nostalgia. Several riders return to their old love on a track where they fought long hours for a few shreds of glory. For Peter Linden, Henk Van de Mark, Alain Genoud, Patrick Orban and Richard Hubin, it is a reunion among old friends. For the former Belgian World Champion it will be even more emotional as Hervé Moineau will be the flagman. Richard who will share the seat of a magnificent Suzuki Harris with Grégory Fastré, also a world champion since last year, hopes that his former French team mate will be able to wave that chequered flag on his victory.
Information and registration : www.europeanclassicseries.eu

Pressemeldung:

It was down to the final round before the eventual winners of the first event of the European Classic Series 2014, held on the Paul Ricard Le Castellet circuit on 5th April were made known. In fact, during the 4 hour race Richard Hubin/Grégory Fastré (Suzuki Morena) and Peter Linden/Cormac Conroy (Kawasaki) finished in an almost sprint fashion whilst the Kawasaki of Banfield/Godfrey/Collins was constantly in ambush.
Notwithstanding a rather overcast sky, the fifty odd competitors enjoyed a dry track throughout the entire weekend. The 5.800m long circuit is now somewhat different from the one previously used during the Bol d’Or era, with the Verrerie curve being made tighter and the addition of a chicane on the long Mistral straight. Alterations which made it impossible to compare lap times with those of the past. Lap times that were dominated by Greg Fastré, definitely the fastest rider of the entire pack.
On Saturday, under a welcoming sun, Hervé Moineau gave the start and once again it was Fastré who immediately set the pace for the pack. It should be noted that the future rivals of the recent modern world endurance champion had to take the start from the back of the grid, the Kawasaki Phase One not being fitted with an electric starter.
The start of the race was marked by the fall and retirement (broken flywheel) of the team Moto Bel’ Moto Guzzi of Charles-Artigue/Sleurs, but also the fall of the Honda Harris RS of father and son Neate, teamed up with Nigel Manning-Morton. The machine, which had been pushed back to the pits underwent lengthy repairs prior to rejoining the track, but ultimately finished well down notwithstanding the fact that it had been noted to be one of the favourites. As required by the regulations the first of the mandatory pit stops took place after 45 minutes. There was merely a rider change for the leading Suzuki, without any refuelling whilst Haquin/De Dieuleveult (Kawasaki) then provisionally took over the lead. However the fuel consumption calculations for the Suzuki 56 proved to be wrong and after only ten laps Richard Hubin crawled back into the pits. Banfield/Godfrey/Collins grabbed this opportunity to take the lead whilst Cantalupo/Sardi (Suzuki) slotted themselves into the leading top three.
Quite clearly if on the one hand the Suzuki 56 was running like clockwork, the interventions in the pits was extremely slow. As such a twisted stand resulted in an enormous loss of time, obliging Greg Fastré to record some good lap times. Especially seeing over time Peter Linden/Cormac Conroy had succeeded to weave their way through the meshes of a motley pack and were taking advantage of dusk to bring their Kawasaki Phase One up into the lead. Poorly adjusted headlights further penalised Hubin’s progress, however his team-mate, driving a double stint finally managed to clinch victory by a mere 12 seconds.
“Despite various 2nd and 3rd places, I had never won at Le Castellet” Richard Hubin admitted from the top tread of the podium. Now sixty years old, and thirty years after my world title it wouldn’t be bad to add a European title to my record of achievements. And for my 90th I’ll see what I could still pull out of the bag!” the Verviers based rider added with a deadpan face.
The battle for 3rd place also remained undecided for a long time. It was only during the final relay that the Banfield/Godfrey/Collins Kawasaki (the only one to finish in the same lap as the two leaders), clinched a slight advantage over the Suzuki of Cantalupo/Sardi, the latter also being threatened by Haquin/De Dieuleveult.
In the Classic 1000, the Segoni Special of Bellucci/Quieti/Zaccarelli slotted themselves into the top-10 throughout the entire event, and finally finished in an excellent 8th place, and had no trouble in getting the better of the Ducati of Dreisörner/Korfmacher, which finished 7 laps down.
Following this highly successful and well fought first round, competitors can’t wait for the 5th July for the second confrontation, to be held on the home ground of the winners of the day, namely the circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, during the Bikers’Classics.
All results to be found on www.afcmicro.com

Photos: European Classic Series

Ergebnisliste: http://www.afcmicro.com/2014/END/RIC/124.pdf

Pressemeldung:

A true tidal wave of registrations has hit the European Classic Series! For the second round of the Bikers’ Classics to be held at Spa-Francorchamps on 5th July, masses of registrations have arrived from all corners of Europe.

Notwithstanding the fact that this Belgian Ardennes circuit can welcome a large number of teams, only very few places remain available and the latecomers will only have themselves to blame if they cannot compete in this major endurance party. Looking at the teams already registered it definitely will be a great party on Saturday at 20.00hrs, when Alain Genoud, former world champion of the speciality will give the start for what will be an intense 4 hours battle and will, as per usual be full of twists and surprises. It would be stupid not be a part of it!

Winner of the first round of the championship at Le Castellet, Richard Hubin and Grégory Fastré logically come out as the favourites on home ground. The two Belgians know the circuit like the back of their hand and from the outset will impose a hellish pace. However, as they proved in the south of France where they kept up an unbelievable suspense right through to the chequered flag, the Kawasaki of Linden/Conroy and Banfield/Godfrey are fully determined on taking revenge. They will not be the only ones out to claim a place on the podium seeing the Suzuki of Cantalupo/Sardi and the Kawasaki of Haquin/De Dieuleveult, who were lapping in the same times as the leaders, hope, like many others to climb up in the hierarchy. All the same, the top places will be expensive to come by at the end of these 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps that promises to be quite simply exceptional.

For information and registration visit www.europeanclassicseries.eu

Following that of champion in World Endurance, the European title also for Richard Hubin and Gregory Fastré!

It was in the 77th lap of the final round held at the end of October in Aragon that the European Classic Series title came to a head, the moment when the Sweatshop Phase One team were obliged to retire their Kawasaki as the result of a mechanical problem. This left the door wide open for the former World Endurance champions Richard Hubin and Grégory Fastré to add the well deserved European title to their record of achievements. Having won three of the four events, the Belgian duo scored the maximum number of points possible.
In fact various competitors had forgotten this, but as stipulated in the regulations only three of the four results are taken into consideration to establish the season’s hierarchy. This meant that the Phase One team finished as vice-champion, notwithstanding their retirement recorded in Spain.
This final round was held in the best possible conditions and was particularly close in the beginning. There was a certain uncertainty right from the timed sessions as four riders had dropped under the 2.09 mark chasing a Grégory Fastré who had put in a strong lap time of 2.07.925, confirming Team Force’s intentions.
There was a perfect unhindered start apart from the # 88 of Christian Haquin who remained stuck on the line. As such a completely botched start for the Les Melting Potes who notwithstanding this managed to climb back up through the pack right up to the foot of the podium following a further trouble free race.
Up front there was a solid battle not only between the Phase One Kawasaki and the Suzuki of Team Force but also with the Alf Classic Endurance Kawasaki permanently in ambush.
The few falls without any serious injuries only brought out the safety-car to clean up a long oil spill. These 30 minutes at a reduced speed obviously regrouped the pack and meant that everything still had to be played for. We all know the outcome. Brasher/Linden/Simpson were forced to throw in the towel in the 77th lap, allowing Hubin/Fastré and Banfield/Godfrey/Collins to go full out into battle. Under threat from the English the Belgian duo could never relax, the two teams in the same lap battling it out through to the finish with less than one minute separating them after 4 hours of racing. The Dutch riders van der Mark/Brand, representing the Runner Team completed the podium, but with more than two laps down on the winners and new European Classic Series champions.
In Classic 1000, for the victory of the day, the Scuderia Officine Toscane 2 took over the relay from the Scuderia Officine Toscane 1 that was forced to retire. One could understand the frustration of Bellucci and Zaccarelli who thought that they had lost the title prior to being reminded, to their obvious delight, the rule of the three results out of four. Notwithstanding their retirement, the title was theirs!
In 750TT, the Ducati of the Capelli Belli team, second in Spa and victorious at the Nürburgring, clinched a further victory and secured the title. A success acquired without any major suspense following the broken engine of their rivals of the Galerna Taldea team, who were obliged to race their spare motorbike out of the rankings in this splendid Spanish round.
Information: www.europeanclassicseries.eu