Lehmann victorious in R7 ‘SuperFinale’ at Bol d’Or
Words and images courtesy Yamaha Motor Europe
Eighteen year old German, Lennox Lehmann is the Yamaha R7 European Cup champion after winning both races of the SuperFinale held at Paul Ricard in a supporting event to the Bol d’Or Endurance World Championship round.
After impressing in their respective national R7 Cups and Challenges, 28 riders from 11 different countries lined up on the grid for the two races, in front of the tens of thousands of fans watching on from the grandstands at the 87th edition of the historic Bol d’Or in Le Castellet, France.
The 5.777km Circuit Paul Ricard layout, with the R7 riders on the full track with the chicane halfway down the Mistral straight, provided the perfect setting for some dramatic racing action thanks to its fast, flowing nature.
RACE 1
Windy conditions, with gusts up to 75km/h, made things tricky for all the competitors but as soon as the lights went out, a group of eight riders engaged in a great battle at the front, with the lead changing hands numerous times around the historic 5.637km Le Castellet circuit.
The R7 riders provided some spectacular racing to keep the fans in the grandstands and those watching live on YouTube entertained during the nine-lap race, but with three laps to go, it was pole-sitter Lehmann, a former WorldSSP300 rider, who made a break at the front of the field, timing it to perfection.
Behind him evolved an incredibly tight fight for the podium as the chasing group battled amongst themselves, with the following six riders crossing the line separated by less than a second. Conte held on to second in the sprint to the finish, just 0.061s ahead of former FIM R3 bLU cRU World Cup rider Peristeras in third.
The 18-year-old German rider waiting until the last three laps to pounce and secure victory by 3.128s ahead of Italian Davide Conte and Ioannis Peristeras from Greece.
Lehmann ‘s victory put him in the driving seat to become champion and win a brand-new R7 as the ultimate prize, with the best-combined points tally from the two races counting towards the final result.
Lehmann said: “It was a difficult race because of the wind, and there were a lot of crashes, especially in Turn 2. At the start, I tried to stay out of trouble and just follow the other riders, and then during the last three laps, I pushed to make a break, and fortunately for me, it worked out to perfection. I am already looking forward to Race 2, and I will aim to try and win again!”
The leading trio got to take to the podium in front of the fans on the main straight, with Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team Manager Mandy Kainz presenting the trophies, and each rider also receiving a free pair of race tyres from Pirelli.
RACE 2
The grid remained the same for Race 2 on Saturday and, starting from pole again, Lehmann got a superb jump off the line to lead into the first corner and over the opening laps, there was an intense battle at the front, with a leading group of 14 separated by less than 2.8s and constantly swapping places, as the slipstream down the Mistral straight allowed for any breakaways at the front to be quickly countered.
In the early stages, Manuel Margarito, Eric Molina, and Devis Bergamini looked to be in control at the front, with Lehmann dropping down as low as ninth at one point. As the race progressed, Peristeras and Folger manoeuvred themselves into podium contention, and slowly but surely, Lehmann started to pick off the riders in front. The German rider hit the front, with his compatriot Folger in hot pursuit and Peristeras chasing hard,just before the red flag came out on lap seven due to a crash.
Having completed two-thirds race distance, that meant the results were based on the riders’ positions as they crossed the line at the end of lap six. This saw Lehmann awarded the victory by 0.387s ahead of last year’s winner Folger and Peristeras in third, just 0.736s off the win, with the Greek former R3 World Cup rider repeating his result from Race 1.
Lehmann had timed his charge to perfection in the Yamaha R7 European Cup SuperFinale Race 2 at the Bol d’Or, with the victor of Race 1 hitting the front just before the second race was red-flagged to double up and become the Yamaha R7 European Cup SuperFinale overall winner, ahead of Valentin Folger in second and third-placed Ioannis Peristeras.
Highlighting the close racing on display for the fans watching at the track and on Yamaha Racing’s YouTube channel was the fact that only 1.868s separated the top eight riders.
In the Yamaha R7 European Cup SuperFinale, the points from both races are combined to give the overall standings. This meant that, after winning both races, Lehmann was crowned the winner with 50 points, while Folger, who finished fourth in Race 1, was second overall with 33 points, and Peristeras was third with 32 points, as the overall results matched the podium from Race 2.
After being announced as the Yamaha R7 European Cup SuperFinale Winner, Lehmann said: “Wow! This feels amazing. I have really enjoyed the whole experience, the bike, the track, and getting to race in front of all of these fans was incredible. It has been a lot of fun. I have made some new friends here, and the whole atmosphere in the Yamaha R7 European Cup SuperFinale village has been great. Going home as the winner always feels good, and winning both races and taking the overall victory is incredible. I want to thank Yamaha, my team, and everyone involved with the Yamaha R7 European Cup SuperFinale for an awesome weekend.”