The F.C.C. TSR Honda France will start the Bol d’Or, the final round of the 2024 FIM EWC Championship, from 5th place on the grid.

・Class / FORMULA EWC ・Machine / HONDA CBR1000RR-R
・Circuit Paul Ricard (5.771 km) / France
■Result / Overall Qualifying Classification / 5th
・Blue Rider / Josh Hook / 1:53.426 ・Yellow Rider / Mike Di Meglio / 1:54.195
・Red Rider / Alan Techer / 1:53.693　・Green Rider / MANFREDI Kevin / 1:55.186
・Average of 2 Best Laps / 1:53.560

45 teams gathered at the legendary Paul Ricard circuit to conclude the 2024 world endurance racing season at the 87th Bol d’Or held on 14 and 15 September.

The track, which combines a wide variety of turns and is particularly well known for its long, 1.8-kilometre Mistral straight, where the bikes reach speeds of over 300 km/h for almost 20 seconds, puts the reliability of the machines and the condition of the riders to the test.

For this final round, Italian Kevin Manfredi will join the usual trio of riders, composed of Josh Hook, Mike Di Meglio and Alan Techer, as reserve rider.
After taking part in free practice, the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team set off at 5.20pm on Thursday 12 September for the 1st qualifying session, in sunny conditions but with a strong wind and cool temperatures. The three permanent riders set consistent times, with an average of 1.54.350. Kevin Manfredi made his contribution to race preparation with a time of 1.57.731.

The following day, during the second session scheduled from 11am in similar track conditions, all four riders made significant improvements. Josh Hook gained 7 tenths with a best time of 1.53.426, placing him 5th in his session. Mike Di Meglio improved by 3 tenths with a time of 1.54.195, finishing 6th in a session disrupted by a red flag. Alan Techer made a major step forward by more than a second with a fast lap of 1.53.693, placing him 4th. Finally, Kevin Manfredi also confirmed the team’s good performance by improving his time by 2.5 seconds, finishing 2nd with a time of 1.55.186.

■Josh Hook – rider
“The very windy conditions didn’t make qualifying very enjoyable, but after solving our problems at the start of the week, we were able to put in a number of laps to prepare for the race. We had a very good second session, improving on each other’s times. I’m confident for the race because the bike works well, we have a good pace and the wind should drop for the race.”

■Mike di Meglio – rider
“I’m quite happy because we had some electronics problems yesterday and HRC came up with a number of solutions that worked well. The conditions are really difficult. I felt the wind more today, but I was still able to improve my times. We have a good pace to fight for the podium. The most important thing is to avoid making mistakes during the race and to stay focused, because in 24 hours anything can happen.”

■Alan Techer – rider
“Our race pace is good. Thanks to the work of the whole team in finding solutions, the bike is now working very well. We used qualifying to prepare for the race with a full tank and race tyres. The conditions were tricky because the wind was really strong, with gusts that threw the bike off the racing line. But the feeling on the handlebars is good and there should be less wind tomorrow, which is better for us and should enable us to have a good race.”

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