Bol d'Or
The Bol d'or is a motorcycle endurance race, held annually in France.
History
The Bol d'or, first organized by Eugene Mauve, was a race for motorcycles, and automobiles limited to 1100cc engine capacity (in the 1950s the limit was raised to 1500cc, and later to 2000cc). To-day, the Bol d'or is a motorcycles race.[1]
Prior to 1953 there was only one rider : the record holder with 7 victories, French Gustave Lefèvre, won with an average speed of 107 kilometers/hour riding his Norton Manx during 24 hours.[2] From 1954 to 1977 the teams comprised only 2 riders, but it was increased to 3 riders in the interests of safety.
Until 1970 the race was held at various circuits, mainly Linas-Montlhéry and Saint-Germain-en-Laye. From 1971-1977 the Bol d'or was held at the Le Mans Bugatti circuit. For the next 22 years the event took place at Paul Ricard, after which it moved to Magny-Cours. When the race left Le Mans the 24 Heures du Mans was established, so that with the Bol d'or's return there are now two annual 24-hour motorcycle endurance events at Le Mans. The Bol d'or is now held in the spring, while the 24 Heures du Mans is in the early September slot formerly used by the Bol d'or.
24-hour motorcycle endurance racing has a strong Francophone base, with the three main events held in France (Le Mans & Magny-Cours) and French-speaking Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps), and the most successful teams and riders are French. In 1992 an all-British team of riders won the race; and British rider Terry Rymer has had consistent results. In the 1970s the competitors included Phil Read and Neil Tuxworth, who later headed Honda Racing UK, additionally the Mead & Tomkinson racing team fielded "Nessie", a revolutionary bike with hub-center steering.
Circuits
- 1922: clay track located in Vaujours, Clichy-sous-Bois and Livry-Gargan, 5.126 km (3.185 mi) long. One rider per motorcycle.
- 1923-1936: Loges track in Saint-Germain-en-Laye
- 1927: Fontainebleau
- 1937-1939: Linas-Montlhéry
- 1938-1946: No race
- 1947-1948: Saint-Germain-en-Laye
- 1949-1950: Linas-Montlhéry
- 1951: Saint-Germain-en-Laye
- 1952-1960: Linas-Montlhéry
- 1961-1968: No race
- 1969-1970: Linas-Montlhéry
- 1971-1977: Le Mans
- 1978-1999: Paul Ricard
- 2000-2014: Magny-Cours
- from 2015 : Paul Ricard.
The race is part of the a part of the Endurance FIM World Championship. The 2006 edition was the 70th edition of the race.
The race is accompanied by a motorcycle rally, carnival and other motorcycle related events.
Results
| Rider 1 | Rider 2 | Rider 3 | Manufacturer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 |  Tony Zind | - | - | Motosacoche |
| 1923 | Tony Zind | - | - | Motosacoche |
| 1924 |  René Francisquet | - | - | Sunbeam |
| 1925 | René Francisquet | - | - | Sunbeam |
| 1926 | Damitio | - | - | Sunbeam |
| 1927 | .svg.png){kind=small} Lempereur | - | - | FN Herstal |
| 1928 | Victor Vroonen | - | - | Gillet-FN Herstal |
| 1929 | Victor Vroonen | - | - | Gillet-FN Herstal |
| 1930 | Paul Debaisieux | - | - | Monet-Goyon |
| 1931 | Patural | - | - | Velocette |
| 1932 | Louis Jeannin | - | - | Jonghi |
| 1933 | René Boura | - | - | Velocette |
| 1934 | Willing | - | - | Velocette |
| 1935 | René Boura | - | - | Norton Motorcycle Company |
| 1936 | Edgar Craët | - | - | Gillet-FN Herstal |
| 1937 | Tabart | - | - | Norton Motorcycle Company |
| 1938 | Robert Tinoco | - | - | Harley-Davidson |
| 1939 | Edouard Hordelalay | - | - | Motobécane |
| 1940 - 1946: not held - World War II | ||||
| 1947 | Gustave Lefèvre | - | - | Norton Motorcycle Company |
| 1948 | Jacques Lenglet | - | - | BMW |
| 1949 | Gustave Lefèvre | - | - | Norton Motorcycle Company |
| 1950 | Gustave Lefèvre | - | - | Norton Motorcycle Company |
| 1951 | Gustave Lefèvre | - | - | Norton Motorcycle Company |
| 1952 | Pierre Collignon | - | - | Moto Guzzi |
| 1953 | Gustave Lefèvre | - | - | Norton Motorcycle Company |
| 1954 |  Johann Weingartmann | Helmut Volzwinkler | - | Puch |
| 1955 |  Oldrich Hameršmid | Saša Klint | - | Jawa Motors |
| 1956 | Gustave Lefèvre | Georges Briand | - | Norton Motorcycle Company |
| 1957 | Gustave Lefèvre | Georges Briand | - | Norton Motorcycle Company |
| 1958 | Inizan | Mutel | - | Triumph Engineering |
| 1959 | Jean-Claude Bargetzi | Georges Briand | - | Norton Motorcycle Company |
| 1960 | René Maucherat | René Vasseur | - | BMW |
| 1961 - 1968: Not held | ||||
| 1969 | Michel Rougerie | Daniel Urdich | Honda | |
| 1970 |  Tom Dickie | Paul Smart | - | Triumph Engineering |
| 1971 | Percy Tait | Ray Pickrell | - | Triumph Engineering |
| 1972 | Gérard Debrock | Roger Ruiz | - | Honda |
| 1973 | Gérard Debrock | Thierry Tchernine | - | Honda |
| 1974 | Alain Genoud | Georges Godier | - | Kawasaki motorcycles |
| 1975 | Alain Genoud | Georges Godier | - | Kawasaki motorcycles |
| 1976 | Alex Georges | Jean-Claude Chemarin | - | Honda |
| 1977 | Christian Léon | Jean-Claude Chemarin | - | Honda |
| 1978 | Christian Léon | Jean-Claude Chemarin | - | Honda |
| 1979 | Christian Léon | Jean-Claude Chemarin | - | Honda |
| 1980 | Pierre-Etienne Samin | Frank Gross | - | Suzuki |
| 1981 | Dominique Sarron | Jean-Claude Jaubert | - | Honda |
| 1982 | Jean Lafond | Hervé Guilleux | Patrick Igoa | Kawasaki motorcycles |
| 1983 | Dominique Sarron | Raymond Roche | Guy Bertin | Honda |
| 1984 | Jean-Pierre Oudin | Patrick de Radiguès | - | Suzuki |
| 1985 | Alex Vieira | Gérard Coudray | Patrick Igoa | Honda |
| 1986 | Dominique Sarron | Pierre Bolle | Jean-Louis Battistini | Honda |
| 1987 | Dominique Sarron | Jean-Michel Mattioli | Jean-Louis Battistini | Honda |
| 1988 | Alex Vieira | Dominique Sarron | Christophe Bouheben | Honda |
| 1989 | Alex Vieira | Jean-Michel Mattioli | Roger Burnett | Honda |
| 1990 | Alex Vieira | Jean-Michel Mattioli | Stéphane Mertens | Honda |
| 1991 | Alex Vieira |  Miguel Duhamel | Jean-Louis Battistini | Kawasaki motorcycles |
| 1992 | Terry Rymer | Carl Fogarty | Steve Hislop | Kawasaki motorcycles |
| 1993 | Dominique Sarron | Jean-Marc Deletang | Bruno Bonhuil | Suzuki |
| 1994 | Dominique Sarron | Christian Sarron |  Yasutomo Nagai | Yamaha |
| 1995 | Terry Rymer | Jean-Louis Battistini | Jéhan D'Orgeix | Kawasaki motorcycles |
| 1996 | Alex Vieira | William Costes | Christian Lavieille | Honda |
| 1997 | Terry Rymer | Brian Morrison | Jéhan D'Orgeix | Kawasaki motorcycles |
| 1998 | Terry Rymer | Brian Morrison |  Peter Goddard | Suzuki |
| 1999 | Terry Rymer | Jéhan D'Orgeix | Christian Lavieille | Suzuki |
| 2000 | Jean-Marc Deletang | Fabien Foret | Mark Willis | Yamaha |
| 2001 | Brian Morrison | Christian Lavieille | Laurent Brian | Suzuki |
| 2002 | Jean-Michel Bayle | Sébastien Gimbert | Nicolas Dussauge | Suzuki |
| 2003 | Jean-Michel Bayle | Sébastien Gimbert | Nicolas Dussauge | Suzuki |
| 2004 | Vincent Philippe | Keiichi Kitagawa | Matthieu Lagrive | Suzuki |
| 2005 | Vincent Philippe | Keiichi Kitagawa | Matthieu Lagrive | Suzuki |
| 2006 | Vincent Philippe | Keiichi Kitagawa | Matthieu Lagrive | Suzuki |
| 2007 |  David Checa | Sébastien Gimbert | Olivier Four | Yamaha |
| 2008 | Vincent Philippe | Julien Da Costa | Matthieu Lagrive | Suzuki |
| 2009 | Vincent Philippe | Freddy Foray | Olivier Four | Suzuki |
| 2010 | Vincent Philippe | Guillaume Dietrich | Freddy Foray | Suzuki |
| 2011 | Vincent Philippe | Freddy Foray | Anthony Delhalle | Suzuki |
| 2012 | Julien Da Costa | Gregory Leblanc | Olivier Four | Kawasaki motorcycles |
| 2013 | Jeremy Guarnoni | Gregory Leblanc | Loriz Bas | Kawasaki motorcycles |
| 2012 | Gregory Leblanc | Mathieu Lagrive | Nicolas Salchaud | Kawasaki motorcycles |
Side races
- La Tasse d'or (the golden cup), reserved for motorcycle of less than 50cc (known as the coffee cup: "tasses à café")
- Le Bol d'or classic (the classic golden bowl): reserved for classic motorcycles
- Le Bol d'argent (the silver bowl): amateur competition taking place before main competition.
External links
References
- ↑ Eugene Mauve was the president of a French Club, Association motocyclecariste de France, but also a driver. After, Maurice Vimont managed the race for motorcycles : Marcel Delaherche and Luc Melua were technical marshals. To-day, if the AMCF Club is always existing, Larivière Editions leads the manifestation.
- ↑ The winners of Bol d'or.