With three rounds of the 2011 Endurance World Championship, the Isle of Man TT and the Ulster GP already complete, it is now time for the Honda TT Legends to tackle a classic endurance event – the Le Mans 24-Hour. The team will head out to France this week for the fourth and penultimate EWC round on 24/25 September.

Road racing experts John McGuinness, Keith Amor and Cameron Donald, who is standing in for injured rider Steve Plater, will compete in the team’s second 24-hour race of the year. The EWC season opened in April with the Bol d’Or 24-hour, where the Honda TT Legends managed a very respectable fifth place finish. The aim for Le Mans is to improve on that position to place inside the top four.

Having completed a successful two-day test at the famous circuit just three weeks ago, the whole team is in a positive frame of mind and looking forward to the challenge of the legendary ‘24 Heures Moto’.

Neil Tuxworth

The Le Mans 24-hour is one of the most famous races on the World Endurance calendar and it’s an event that the team is very excited about. We feel that we have learned a lot this season, particularly having finished the 24-hour race at the Bol d’Or in April where we came fifth. We’d like to not only finish the Le Mans 24-hour, we’d also like to improve on our position and the target is to be inside the top four. I feel confident that with the experience of the team and riders over the past few months, this should be an achievable objective.

John McGuinness

I can’t wait to get back to endurance racing. We’ve already taken part in some classic events this year and Le Mans is another iconic race at a famous circuit so I’m looking forward to it. I competed in the Le Mans 24-hour in 2004 and we tested at the track a couple of weeks ago, so I know what it’s about and I know that it will be tough. We’re looking for a solid result at this race. We’ve had a bit of bad luck over the last couple of events so this time we really want to do a nice tidy job, bring the bike home and finish in a decent position.

Keith Amor

I am looking forward to taking part in such a famous event – it will definitely be a tick off the list of things I have always wanted to do. The Bol d’Or was tougher than I ever could have imagined and I plan to approach Le Mans in a very different way to make sure I reserve my energy. It’s a marathon not a sprint! We’ve been working with our team physio to prepare ahead of the race and hopefully this will stand us in good stead. I can’t wait to be back with the endurance team.

Cameron Donald

I’m really excited about doing my first 24-hour race. We had a positive test a couple of weeks ago, which was my first experience of the Le Mans circuit and it really is a fantastic track. There aren’t a lot of places to rest so it’s going to be tough but there are plenty of passing spots and it’s great to ride. I went to the Bol d’Or as reserve rider for the TT Legends so I didn’t race but the atmosphere there was amazing. I’m really looking forward to getting out there and racing at Le Mans.


The 24-hour race will run from 3pm (Central European Summer Time) on Saturday 24 September until 3pm (CEST) on Sunday 25 September.





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