The Qatar Endurance Racing Team on the podium with QMMF president Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah after the Losail race in 2012.

 

Agencies/Mies, Switzerland

 

The Bol d’Or will be the opener for another thrilling FIM Endurance World Championship season when it kicks off on April 26-27, 2014.

The QMMF Racing Team, riding a Kawasaki on Dunlop tyres, will return to the Superstock grid at the Nevers Magny-Cours circuit challenging the likes of 2012 winner Penz13.com Franks Autowelt Racing Team (BMW-Pirelli).

Riding for QMMF Racing team, who were the winners of the FIM World Cup from 2008 to 2010, will be Alexander Cudlin, Nina Prinz and Mashel al-Naimi.

Among the Formula EWC title contenders are Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, who have won thirteen World titles. The factory team has only been boosted by the addition of former BMW regulars Erwan Nigon and Damian Cudlin to its core crew of Vincent Philippe and Anthony Delhalle.

Team SRC Kawasaki, with an unbroken run of five successive victories at the Bol d’Or and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, is also among the race favourites. Aboard the factory Kawasaki (only racing the two French events), Gregory LeBlanc and Matthieu LaGrive could be joined by World Supersport champion Fabien Forêt.

Several of the permanent teams are making no secret of their ambitions to win the Bol d’Or and to contest the 2014 World title.

Yamaha Racing GMT 94 Michelin, runner-up in 2013, has recruited the best of the French Supersport riders: Mathieu Gines and Lucas Mahias will be joining forces with David Checa and Kenny Foray.

The other factory Yamaha, the Monster Energy Yamaha YART, with Pirelli tyres in 2014, will be at the start with Igor Jerman, 2013 Australian Superbike champion Wayne Maxwell and his fellow countryman Rick Olson.

Team R2CL, a private team (Suzuki-Dunlop), is also looking confident since it confirmed its high-powered and high-profile line-up of Guy Martin, Gwen Giabbani and Gareth Jones. They face an unknown quantity in the new Honda Racing factory team (Dunlop) whose CBR1000RR will be carrying a trio of Endurance specialists, Sébastien Gimbert, Julien da Costa and Freddy Foray.

Among the challengers are Bolliger Team Switzerland (Kawasaki-Pirelli), capable of taking the top teams by surprise, the Yamaha of Maco Racing Team (Dunlop), Honda National Motos, back among the permanent teams, and the Kawasaki of Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers (Dunlop).

The 24-Hour Bol d’Or will see the introduction of a major rule change in 2014. Points (10 points to 1 point) will be allocated to the ten first placed competitors in the intermediate rankings — 8 hours and 16 hours into the race. The idea of this bonus is to reward those who make the running over long-distance races.