August 25 2014.

Words and pictures: Rob McDonnell

The Yamaha “dream team’ of Jeremie Warnia and Romain Couprie clinched victory in the Pont de Vaux 12 Hour classic in a sweltering hot France on Sunday, August 25th, as the British challenge faded in the closing hours of the race. The French pair - fastest in qualifying and every race – secured victory by over a lap from a field of 90 teams. However their challenge almost went disastrously wrong in the very first of the three races!


Race three and 90 riders make a run to start the four-hour stint

With Warnia and Couprie having different tyre sponsors a plan was hatched to change all four tyres at each rider swap. Rather than change rear tyres the team instead changed hubs – already fitted with wheels – as this meant only removing one bolt instead of four. But in the three-hour first race, as Warnia led, the left rear came adrift. Warnia limped backed to the pits and once back in the race the pair fought back to third place at the finish. In the next leg, a five-hour race held mostly in the dark, they finished second behind last year’s winners – the Coma Suzuki team led by Florent Ramel – after rain mixed things up in the later stages. However, in Sunday’s scorching hot four-hour decider, with the two teams split by 16 seconds at the start, Warnia and Couprie were never headed.

CLICK HERE for the full report, results and pictures.