2024 FIM EWC Round 4 — Bol d'Or 24 Hours | Race Report (14–15 September)
So close yet so far — leading the SST class with both the win and the title in sight, Team Étoile was forced to retire with just 4.5 hours to go.
At last the day arrived for the 2024 FIM EWC final round, the Bol d'Or 24 Hours. Having retired from the Le Mans 24 Hours earlier in the year, Team Étoile's goal here was to finish the race and aim for second in the championship — and, depending on the rivals' results, the title.
The race started at 15:00 local time with Kazuki Watanabe on board. Firing up the bike didn't go smoothly at the start and we were a couple of seconds behind, but Kazuki recovered all the delay by the end of the first stint, with Team Étoile running fourth in the SST class (12th overall). The riders for the race were Kazuki Watanabe, Yudai Kamei and Hikari Okubo; with so little practice time available, Shogo Kawasaki did not get to ride during the race.
Aside from the one time Hikari had to come back to the pit earlier than expected due to a rear-tyre failure, everything went quite smoothly. Team Étoile was running 2nd in SST (7th overall) at the five-hour mark, and 1st in SST (6th overall) by the 11th hour. It was as if the team was on course to win both the race and the championship.
The situation changed at the 19th hour. Yudai came back to the pit unexpectedly, feeling something strange on the bike. The mechanics worked on it quickly and sent him back out, but the bike stopped on track during his out-lap. It was towed back, and although the mechanics did their best to investigate and find a fix, the damage was catastrophic. The team decided to retire on lap 574.
It is important to remember that this was Team Étoile's first year in EWC — and yet the team took pole at Spa, finished 2nd in SST at Suzuka, and fought for the win at the Bol d'Or 24 Hours. It surely surpassed everyone's expectations.
The 2024 season ended with fifth in the SST championship standings. Team Étoile will aim for the series title in 2025.
To everyone who supported Team Étoile this season, we would like to thank each and every one of you — please race with us again next season.
Rider & team principal comments
Rider
Kazuki Watanabe
“It was quite windy and hot when the race started. We had a minor issue remaining from Friday qualifying, and because there was no morning practice before the race, we fully used the 15-minute sighting lap to make sure the bike was OK. The start did not go well; I tried to recover as much as possible on the first lap, but it was a bit risky — I touched other riders and ran wide at some points.”
“Despite how the start went, I'm happy with my first stint as I recovered all the lost positions. The bike felt good for the rest of the race, so I was mainly focused on managing the tyres. It felt so good that I could not expect such a failure at the end, so I was very disappointed to learn we had to retire.”
“It might be common at the Bol d'Or to end a race like this because of the long straight, but I still felt our bike was fine. I felt helpless, speechless — but it was well fought. The fact that we were fighting for the series title is amazing for a first-year team.”
“We only got a podium once, at Suzuka, this season, but I believe the potential of Team Étoile was proved to both ourselves and those who support us. We will come back stronger next year to fight for the series title.”
Rider
Yudai Kamei
“My pace wasn't the best at the start of the week, so I knew how much I could improve would be important. By the end my pace was decent in all conditions, so I'm happy about that. Being able to fight for the lead in the end was really good.”
“There wasn't much we could do to prevent the engine failure at the end, but it still leaves me with regrets. From here, we only look forward to next year.”
Rider
Hikari Okubo
“Looking back, we had an engine failure in qualifying 1, but after that the bike felt very good for the rest of the week. I'm very disappointed about how we had to finish the race — we were so close.”
“I think we showed our potential, that's for sure. It's not easy to do this well in EWC in your first year. Finishing the season fifth is not bad at all — a great start for Team Étoile.”
Rider
Shogo Kawasaki
“I'm mainly disappointed in myself. I was literally helpless, as I couldn't ride because of my pace. I could have done more for the team if only my pace had been better.”
“Although I couldn't ride here at the Bol d'Or, everything I experienced this year with Team Étoile — both as a rider and as staff — is precious to me, and I believe it will help my future self.”
Team Principal
Takashi Ichikawa
“I have two ways of looking back on the season. Taking pole at Spa, finishing 2nd at Suzuka, and battling for the win and the series title at the Bol d'Or in our first year is beyond what we expected. I can only thank the team.”
“On the other hand, I'm disappointed at how the engine failed with just over four hours to go at the Bol d'Or. Mixed feelings — 50% satisfied, 50% regret. I'm already focused on the 2025 season. We will go and get the series championship.”
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