2011
Maxxis 25th Annual
Pont de Vaux 12 Hour ATV Race
Pont de Vaux, France
August 20-22, 2011
By:
Bill Lanphier
25th Maxxis Pont de
Vaux 12 Hour ATV Endurance Race Report ::CONTINUED::
Team
Somagri - This team from Belgium (just
north of France) lost five laps when their
Suzuki lost the rear shock. With a massive
fuel tank, they were able to stay on the
track for an hour and forty minutes between
refueling. Like many teams, these guys
ran a safer stock compression, but had
an aftermarket cam & exhaust. (Overall:
7th - Session 1: 2nd)
Riding for France would be multi-time
France and European champ Romain Couprie, last
year's PDV winner. His Yamaha France team would
also include Brit Paul Holmes and Joe Maessen
from the Netherlands. Other top PDV finishers
capable of another win would be Englishman Paul
Winrow and Ireland's Justin Reid. Those four
teams had the best shot of making the podium
at PDV, but with 98 other teams competing and
several past PDV winners either riding or managing
a hot team, nothing is ever certain in a 12-hour
race.
Romain
Couprie's Yamaha France - Couprie's
PDV winning quad for 2011 was almost
identical to the quad he raced &
won with at PDV 2010. This year however,
for more power, the team felt confident
going with a higher-compression piston.
Though the team gets full support from
Yamaha France and dealers, prep work
is done solely by Couprie's ace mechanic
from France. In addition to Couprie's
2011 PDV win, he's in a good position
this year to take both the French &
European ATV championships (Overall:
1st - Session 1: 1st - Session 2: 2nd
- Session 3: 2nd)
Prior to the flag drop on session
one, Romain Couprie's ace mechanic admitted,
"To win here this weekend, we can't stop
for anything other than rider changes, fuel,
and air filter checks. "Before the start
of the third and final session, the team was
still on that track, but not making any predictions.
"We could still lose the race in the last
30 minutes. The muffler was okay last night,
and I hope it'll be okay today!"
Team
TR Racing (Belgium) - This team's YFZs
are often the best looking at PDV, and
they're fast, as well. This year, they
missed the podium by only one lap. Said
team leader Rudy Remacle, "For
the podium, we need to be on the track,
not in the pits." They ran a flawless
race with stops only for fuel and rider
changes, and came frustratingly close
to a podium finish (Overall: 4th - Session
2: 6th - Session 3: 4th)
Race
Fans lined the fence along the track
& cheered on the many race teams
from around the world. The Pont de Vaux
is one of the most attended events in
the world because of its top notch world
class ATV racing
Paul
Holmes rounds the final turn and looking
-praying- for the checkers to appear,
the body language of this Couprie team
riders says it all. One additional lap
could have meant a second place instead
of a win for the team
