A-XOC Bikers'Classics
A lot of people and above all a lot of interesting people at the start of the 13th edition of the 4 Hours of Spa Classic ! At the time when these lines are written, nearly 70 teams have registered, and not the least, since names like Guy Martin, Bruno Le Bihan, Grégory Fastré and Stéphane Mertens appear on the list of entries...
Like every year, the 4 Hours of Spa Classic are part of the A-XOC Bikers'Classics program. The 4 hour endurance race for classic bikes will take place on Saturday, July 6th from 6pm to 10pm, with practice sessions (qualifications, night session, warm-up) the day before. For this 13th edition, the 4 Hours integrate the European Endurance Cup, a championship that groups several events of its kind. After Le Castellet in May and Oschersleben in early June, Spa-Francorchamps will host the penultimate round of this FIM Europe Championship.
Who says 'FIM' and 'European' naturally says a large foreign participation. For this 2019 edition of the 4 Hours of Spa Classic, the teams come from all over Europe. France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland and of course Belgium. In terms of categories, the event is also well provided since on top of the usual classes of the championship (Maxi Classic, Classic, Formula and Open), the 4 Hours add the Evo DG Sport category.
So we should see beautiful machines on the track and in the pits with more modern bikes (Honda RC 30, Ducati 851, Suzuki GSX-R 750, Kawasaki ZR-7, Honda VFR), large displacements (Suzuki GSX 1100, Yamaha FJ 1200, Honda CB 1100, Kawasaki GPZ 1000), curiosities (Kawasaki Godier Genoud, Suzuki Harris Magnum, Moto Guzzi Le Mans, Nikko Yamaha Bakker, Suzuki Yoshimura, Yamaha TZR 250 ...). Operated by riders as fast as experienced, these Classics will ensure a show at all times.
Some teams to follow. In the Open category, the trio Greg Fastré - Stéphane Mertens - Bruno Le Bihan of the Force team on a Suzuki GSX-R 1100 Harris managed by Christian Hames with the support of Richard Hubin. Or the Team Classic Suzuki (Katana GSX 1100) with Peter Littlewood, Guy Martin and Richard Peter; the RST Edge Team (Suzuki GSX 1100 Harris) by Nick Edgeley and Johnny Towers ...
In Formula, two Belgian teams will try their chances: Vulcanet (Marc Detournay - Arnaud Repair) and Bikeparts Classic Racing (Sven Ketels - Denny Lannoo).
It's the Maxi-Classic category that will be the most crowded with 28 teams registered. Among them, regulars of the Spa event: the Road Runner Team (FJ Yamaha 1100 Nikko Bakker) of Henk van der Mark and Dirk Brand; the Italians of the Taurus Sages team (Suzuki Harris) : Giorgio Cantalupo, Sandro Caprara and Emiliano Bellucci; the New Zealanders (!) of the NZ Wild Hogs Team (Grant Dalton - Grant Woolford) ...
Nine teams in the Classic category, with the French Motobel team (Moto Guzzi Le Mans) of Christophe Charles-Artigues and Christian Haquin; the Belgian AM team of Patrick Chavane - Antoine Doncq (Suzuki GS 1000 Harris) and Performance 55 (Suzuki GS 1000) with Olivier Bolmont and Cédric Rosmant.
Finally, in the Evo DG Sport category, all eyes will be on Team Dholda Racing, victorious in 2018, with Gian Mertens and Yves Bollaerts (Honda RC 30), but also on Neate Racing (Honda RC 30) with Steven, Sam and John Neate, serious candidates for the podium.
Info and complete timing : www.europeanclassicseries.eu.
©A-XOC Bikers'Classics
