After two days of testing at Le Castellet, Damien Saulnier, boss of the SERT and the Junior Team, looks back on the program of the two teams. Two weeks before the race (September 18-19), he returned satisfied with these tests.
BMW ahead, SERT not far behind… Was it the Pre-Mans scenario that was replayed during the Bol d’Or tests?
BMW drove well, yes, but we were like them on the first day. On our side, we know where we are, and on the second day, we are only a tenth, if we compare with the times of the drivers. We can say that we have a good motorcycle-tires-riders-team package.
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The SERT returns satisfied with the tests two weeks before the Bol d’Or. © Jérome Fouquet
Rather satisfied with these tests, then?
We go home satisfied, of course. Unlike Estoril, where we did not immediately find the right settings, our four drivers quickly felt good. This allowed us to work faster on the bottom, on shock absorber settings, those little details. However, the basis for Le Castellet was the same. Maybe the track is a little less demanding on the bike. Sylvain and Kazuki, who did not know the track, were quickly able to take it in hand, too, and in the end, everyone had fun on the track.
Is the Suzuki different from the one seen at the 24 Hours of Le Mans?
The Japanese of Yoshimura have made the bike evolve, but it’s mostly fine-tuning. Above all, we have made changes to the tire-pilot-suspension agreement. There are no new pieces per se, we just make the whole thing progress.
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The SERT returns satisfied with the tests two weeks before the Bol d’Or. © Daniel Fouray
What are the differences between the Castellet circuit and the Le Mans track?
It’s a faster track. Above all, the efforts are different. Guys complain a little more about the shoulders of the neck. In the straights, you take 300 km / h, up to 320 with the aspirations. There are fewer sharp turns than on a circuit like the Bugatti. It is above all that things are going fast.
Is a fluid race like Le Mans possible?
If we stay away from worries, the maturity of the bike allows us to consider a race like at Le Mans. In Estoril, we could see that it only takes a small fall to transform your race. If we leave behind, the scenario is different. And Endurance remains Endurance.
How will you approach the Bol d’Or? With the championship in mind, or victory in the race?
The Bol d’Or cup is well installed in the workshop, I don’t want to give it back (laughs)! Rather than the championship or other, it is the victory that we think!
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The SERT returns satisfied with the tests two weeks before the Bol d’Or. © Jérome Fouquet
On the Junior Team side, in Superstock, what was the program?
Valentin Suchet did not know the track, and he very quickly managed to go fast. We drove at a minimum: a mechanic, a driver, we put gasoline and he chained the laps. In view of the Le Mans problems, I think we could hope for a podium. At the Bol d’Or, if you don’t have too many worries, with the pace presented by Valentin, the podium is possible, but you still have to experience a quiet race.
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