24 Hours, 2011 Edition: breaking record(s)!
Records are made to be broken: The Powerslide and RPM Var Poli Girls Teams very well knew that. The firsts had in mind their 208 laps of last year: They did far better and set the bar of the 24hr. higher, managing 211 laps. The seconds broke the record of the Sarthe Loops Racing with six more laps, completing 187 laps...
Par alfathor
There were 619 competitors altogether, from teams (10 skaters max) to solos, through enduros (5 skaters max) and pairs. After 24 hours on the Bugatti, under a blazing sun hardly soften by the wind all Saturday and Sunday afternoon, they had given everything. At 4 PM most of them were jumping for joy… but this general state of happiness was nearly instantly followed by a great wave of tiredness!
The victory was played in the early evening for the Powerslide Team. The ten international skaters (Guyader, Arlidge, Levrard, Sourisseau, Fernandez, and others of that ilk), slowly but surely left behind the EO Skates Solution Resto Team, their main opponents: At 7:30 PM already they were one lap late. However their win was not an easy one – you should never take it as granted in Le Mans, because hazards can happen at any time… Pascal Briand, the first relay runner, started slowly, a bit disadvantaged by his “on-board” camera and by the fact that his skates were loose (you always have to rush at the start).
Arm wrestling won by Powerslide
Obviously, EO Solution Resto didn’t let Powerslide push them around: they attacked in the evening, and then again during the night. For a long while, Powerslide was “only” two laps ahead, and everything was still possible. But finally the arm wrestling turned in favor of Yann Guyader’s team-mates: between the two teams, there were about 20 seconds of difference at each relay. And after 24 hours the “black and white” were five laps ahead.
But the real aim of the Powerslide team was above all to break the 24hr. Record that they had set the previous year. In order to do so, the ten team-mates had to average 6:45 by lap. Efficiently coached by Christophe Audoire, they sticked to the line-up, and they speeded up again after the flag of the night. In the last relay, Yann Guyader, the ultimate runner, could have played safe with 210 laps. But he passed the line a couple of seconds before 4 PM: one more last one – speeding like a conqueror sharing his victory with the thousands of people crowded on the circuit for the 211th lap (i.e. 883 km!)
RPM Var Poli Girls with 187 laps
Behind, the battle rages, especially between the teams of Lyon (GRS Masters), Coulaines (CRS Team) and Horizons University: the scale finally tips in favor of the latter, despite the fierce resistance of the two other teams. In the struggle, the endurance team of Valence d’Agen, Futurol’Industries, managed to reap benefits: Robin Duez, Matthieu Barrault, Bruno Tavant, Benjamin Douchin not forgetting Gabriel Frégona and cie. followed hot on their heels to win the title in the Endurance Category and seize the fourth place in Scratch!
There is no real surprise in the Women’s category: The RPM Var Poli Girls Team had constituted an international team with Belgians (including Nele Armée), Dutchwomen (including Mariska Huisman), a Swiss and an Italian – and French for sure (Laetitia Le Bihan as the captain and Mélissa Chouleysko). They got the work done with a total of 782.6 km, ending up at the 10th place in Scratch! The second team in the Women’s ranking, EO Skate Girls, ends up 17 laps behind: it’s another dimension…
The records and winners
The lap record was also broken this weekend. In the Men’s category Yann Guyader and Ewen Fernandez brought the lap-time down to 5:58, while for the Women the record is now 6:51. On a Bugatti circuit with the Dunlop hill as a starter, and then straight lines disturbed by a headwind, this is just exceptional.
In the other categories, the winners are: GRS Master in the Seniors’ in front of Nordine Saïdou’s Solutions Resto and Gigasport Isc Team; Roazhon Roller Team Duo in the Pairs’; Ascap Peugeot 3 in the Firm Ranking; Sweet Kiwis in the Women’s Endurance Category; Rphil Mister 578km in the Men’s solos (573.3 km but still a great win!) in front of Philou@rouliroula.com and Tokyo Awa Yukata of Tokyo; last but not least Hilde Solo wins the Women’s Solo category completing 115 laps, i.e. 481.4 km, ending up 394th out of 619 in the scratch.
It is just impossible to relate all the anecdotes, all the stories, all the meetings, all the reunions in the paddocks. These 24 hours were moments of joy, of pressure, of tension, of discouragement… of thrills too, when the sun rises over the Dunlop or when you lift your eyes towards the crowded stands at 4 PM… of relief and happiness when the clock stops, because you surpassed yourself to reach your aim. It has become a mythical race and people come from everywhere in Europe (Belgium, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom…) and even from everywhere in the World (New-Zealand and Japan were probably the furthest destinations) to have the opportunity to skate on the Bugatti. To put is simple, it’s a wonderful adventure, and you just want to do it again, each and every year!
Main Results
General Ranking
1) Powerslide / Ligne Droite – 211 laps – 883.0 km – 36.6 kph
2) Eo – Solutions Resto – 206 laps – 862.1 km – 35.6 kph
3) Horizons University – 199 laps – 832.8 km – 34.5 kph
4) Futurol’Industries – 198 laps – 828.6 km – 34.3 kph
5) Csr Team – 197 laps – 824.4 km – 34.2 kph
6) Grs Masters – 196 laps – 820.3 km – 33.9 kph
7) Solutions Resto – 193 laps – 807.7 km – 33.5 kph
8) Gigasport Isc Team – 193 laps – 807.7 km – 33.4 kph
9) Tns Mercant Orthomol – 188 laps – 786.8 km – 32.6
10) Rpm Var Poli Team Girls – 187 laps – 782.6 – 32.4 km
Lap record: 5:58.237
Women’s Ranking
1) RPM Var Poli Team Girls – 187 laps – 782.6 km – 32.4 kph
2) Eoskates Girls – 170 laps – 711.5 km – 29.3 kph
3) Génération Lyonnes – 166 laps – 694.7 km – 28.7 kph
4) Tempish Inline Girls – 163 laps – 682.2 km – 28.1 kph
5) Tns Fun Chixx – 151 laps – 631.9 km – 26.2 kph
Lap record: 6:51
Pair Ranking
1) Roazhon Roller Team Duo – 156 laps – 652.9 km – 27.1 kph
2) Lsst Duo Ii – 153 laps – 640.3 km – 26.5 kph
3) Tempish Fossa.cz – 149 laps – 623.6 laps – 25.9 kph
4) Team Double Sk-Unt – 141 laps – 590.1 km – 24.5 kph
5) Allez Les Deux – 137 laps – 573.3 km – 23.7 kph
Men’s Endurance Ranking
1) Futurol’Industries – 198 laps – 828.6 km – 34.3 kph
2) Kiwy – 181 laps – 757.5 km – 31.4 kph
3) Londonskaters Enduro – 180 laps – 753.3 km – 31.1 kph
4) Longchamp Roller Team – 179 laps – 749.1 km – 30.9 kph
5) Kladno Inliners – 173 laps – 724.0 km – 29.8 kph
Firm Ranking
1) Ascap Peugeot 3 – 176 laps – 736.6 km – 30.5 kph
2) Ascap Peugeot 4 – 161 laps – 673.8 km – 27.9 kph
3) 11Ème Rama – 159 laps – 665.4 km – 27.5 kph
4) Sp91Speed – 155 laps – 648.7 km – 26.9 kph
5) Pub Crawlers – 153 laps – 640.3 km – 26.4 kph
Student Ranking
1) Cnamikaz – 142 laps – 594.3 km – 24.6 kph
2) Lasalle’Hissante – 141 laps – 590.1 km – 24.4 kph
3) Sarbacnam – 125 laps – 523.1 km – 21.5 kph
4) Rollerium Trem’Ens – 124 laps – 518.9 km – 21.4 kph
5) Ricochet – 108 laps – 452.0 km – 18.6 kph
Women’s Solo Ranking
1) Hilde Solo – 115 laps – 481.3 km – 20.1 kph
2) Miss-Syl-73 – 102 laps – 426.9 km – 17.7 kph
3) Lilibrindacier – 96 laps – 401.8 km – 16.5 kph
4) 50% Twins, 100% Solo – 90 laps – 376.7 km – 15.6 kph
5) Velyse Solo – 73 laps – 305.5 km – 12.6 kph
Men’s Solo Ranking
1) Rphil Mister 578Km – 137 laps – 573.3 km – 23.7 kph
2) Philou@Rouliroula.Com – 131 laps – 548.2 km – 22.6 kph
3) Tokyo Awa Yutaka – 130 laps – 544.1 – 22.5 kph
4) Seul-Le-Mans Laurent – 114 laps – 477.1 km – 19.7 kph
5) Earthbeat Tokyo Naoki – 114 laps – 477.1 km – 19.7 kph
Seniors Ranking
1) Grs Masters – 196 laps – 820.3 km – 33.9 kph
2) Solutions Resto – 193 laps – 807.7 km – 33.5 kph
3) Gigasport Isc Team – 193 laps – 807.7 km – 33.4 kph
4) Tns Mercant Orthomol – 188 laps – 786.8 km – 32.6 kph
5) Rshc 388 – 184 laps – 770.0 km – 31.8 kph
Useful Links
Download the full results pdf file
Translated by Close Yr E’s
Photos: Alfathor, EO Skates
