With world endurance going back to Spa for a 24 hour race, the first since 2003 we book the ferry and head to the Ardennes for the weekend. WIth the Zeebrugge boat now gone we are on the Rotterdam crossing, giving us a slightly longer journey. We make good time to the circuit, both of us having fueling issues, reckon mine is a dodgy fuel tap, but seems to run ok on prime with James’ GPz needing the float heights re setting once we arrive
Yamaha qualify on pole with Honda and SERT in hot pursuit, the opening laps were treated like a short circuit race by the riders, swapping positions throughout the first session before the pit stops started breaking up the teams. EWC award points at different stages of the race, 8 and 16 hours in, so it all counts towards the championship.
SERTs challenge to win came to an end after about 10 hours with rider Sylvain Guintoli forced into the pits with gearbox issues, 25 minutes later the team are out on track with a replaced gearbox and clutch! YART blow an engine 18 hours in, so that’s them done. BMW cross the line in first position after delays for crashes, oil spills and rain. The bikes are forced off track for nearly all of the last 3 hours or so before coming back on behind the pace car and then having the last 10 minutes or so to trundle round, except for FCC TSR Honda and SERT who are still hard at it fighting for 3rd with Honda pipping SERT for the last podium place but 4th still leaves SERT in the championship lead.
We finish the trip with a bit of grockle action, visiting the windmills at Kinderdijk not far from the port, another box ticked, just like the Norfolk broads tbh. The last few miles to the port are covered in heavy rain, via a quick restaurant stop in Rockanje before q’ing in the rain waiting to board the boat and homeward bound.