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24 Hours of Spa (motorcycle race)

Coordinates: 50°26′14″N 5°58′17″E / 50.43722°N 5.97139°E / 50.43722; 5.97139
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from 24 Hours of Liège)
FIM Endurance World Championship
VenueCircuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Location50°26′14″N 5°58′17″E / 50.43722°N 5.97139°E / 50.43722; 5.97139
First race1971
Duration24 hours
Previous names24 Heures de Liège, 8 Heures de Spa (2024)
Most wins (driver)France Christian Lavieille (4)
France Jacques Luc (4)
Most wins (manufacturer)Japan Honda (12)

The 24 Heures de Spa-Francorchamps Motos (previously called 24 Heures de Liège moto) is a motorcycle endurance race held annually since 1971 on the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Francorchamps, Stavelot, Wallonia, Belgium and is part of the Endurance FIM World Championship. In 2024 the race will be run in 8 hours format.[1]

History

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The inaugural event took place on August 28 and 29, 1971 on the Zolder circuit. The competition took place on two different circuits:

When the Bol d'Or moved from Bugatti Circuit to Circuit Paul Ricard at the end of 1977, the ACO created the 24 Heures Moto. The race became one of "the classics" of endurance racing along with the 24 Hours of Liège, the 8 Hours Of Suzuka, and the Bol d'Or.

At the end of 2001, the three 24 Hour classic races (Le Mans, Liège and the Bol d'Or) withdrew from the Endurance World Championship to create the Master of Endurance (an Endurance competition consisting on the 3 races that was held between 2002 and 2005). Le Mans and Bol d'Or returned to the Endurance FIM World Championship in 2006, but 24 Hours of Liége didn't while the track had lost FIM homolgation.

After twenty years of interruption, the race returned renamed as 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and as part of the FIM Endurance World Championship calendar with a ten-year contract.[2]

Winners

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24 Hours of Spa winners[3]
Year Riders Bike
Rider 1 Rider 2 Rider 3
1971 United Kingdom Clive Brown United Kingdom Nigel Rollason BSA
1972 France Georges Godier Switzerland Alain Genoud Honda
1973 United Kingdom John Williams United Kingdom Charlie Williams Honda
1974 France Jean-Claude Chemarin France Gérard Debrock Honda
1975 France Roger Ruiz France Christian Huguet Japauto
1976 France Jean-Claude Chemarin France Christian Léon Honda
1977 France Jacques Luc France Pierre Soulas Honda
1978 France Jacques Luc Belgium Jack Buytaert Honda
1979 France Jacques Luc Belgium Jack Buytaert Honda
1980 France Marc Fontan France Hervé Moineau Honda
1981 France Jacques Luc France Pierre-Étienne Samin Suzuki
1982 France Jean-Claude Chemarin Switzerland Jacques Cornu Switzerland Sergio Pelandini Kawasaki
1983 Switzerland Jacques Cornu France Thierry Espié Belgium Didier de Radiguès Kawasaki
1984 France Gérard Coudray France Patrick Igoa France Alex Vieira Honda
1985 France Hervé Moineau Belgium Richard Hubin France Jean-Pierre Oudin Suzuki
1986 France Gérard Coudray France Patrick Igoa France Alex Vieira Honda
1987 Belgium Richard Hubin Belgium Michel Siméon Belgium Michel Simul Suzuki
1988 France Hervé Moineau France Bruno Le Bihan France Thierry Crine Suzuki
1989 France Alex Vieira Belgium Stéphane Mertens United Kingdom Roger Burnett Suzuki
1990 Race cancelled
1991 Belgium Stéphane Mertens France Dominique Sarron France Christian Lavieille Suzuki
1992 United Kingdom Terry Rymer United Kingdom Carl Fogarty France Jehan d'Orgeix Kawasaki
1993 United Kingdom Steve Manley United Kingdom Simon Buckmaster United States Doug Toland Kawasaki
1994 France Adrien Morillas France Jean-Louis Battistini France Denis Bonoris Kawasaki
1995 France Jean-Michel Mattioli Belgium Stéphane Mertens Belgium Michel Siméon Honda
1996 Italy Piergiorgio Bontempi France Stéphane Coutelle United Kingdom Brian Morrison Kawasaki
1997 France Juan-Eric Gomez United States Doug Polen Australia Peter Goddard Suzuki
1998 France Christian Lavieille United States Doug Polen France William Costes Honda
1999 Portugal Telmo Pereira France Michel Graziano France Bruno Bonhuil Suzuki
2000 France Jean-Marc Delétang France Fabien Foret Australia Mark Willis Yamaha
2001 France Christian Lavieille United Kingdom Brian Morrison France Laurent Brian Suzuki
2002 France Christian Lavieille United Kingdom Brian Morrison France Laurent Brian Suzuki
2003 France Olivier Four France Sébastien Gimbert France Nicolas Dussauge Suzuki
race not held
2022[4][5] Germany Markus Reiterberger Ukraine Illia Mykhalchyk France Jeremy Guarnoni BMW
2023[6] Italy Niccolò Canepa Germany Marvin Fritz Czech Republic Karel Hanika Yamaha
2024[7] Italy Niccolò Canepa Germany Marvin Fritz Czech Republic Karel Hanika Yamaha

By manufacturer

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Wins Manufacturer
12 Japan Honda
11 Japan Suzuki
6 Japan Kawasaki
3 Japan Yamaha
1 Germany BMW
France Japauto[8]
United Kingdom BSA

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Spa's EWC eight will be great". fimewc.com. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  2. ^ Delisse, Alexis (14 May 2018). "Endurance : les 24 Heures de Spa de retour en 2022". moto-station.com..
  3. ^ Glon, Vincent. "Les Courses d'endurance en Belgique - Les 24 Heures de Liège". racingmemo.free.fr..
  4. ^ Gauthier, Stéphane (6 June 2022). "EWC 2022 : 24 heures de Spa Motos". racingforever.com..
  5. ^ "RACE REPORT: JAPANESE JOY MADE IN FRANCE AS YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL WINS EWC 24 HEURES MOTOS". fimewc.com. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022..
  6. ^ Pascual, Nicolas (18 June 2023). "EWC 24H Spa-Francorchamps : le YART-Yamaha triomphe en Belgique !". paddock-gp.com..
  7. ^ "Spa EWC glory for YART and Aviobike". fim-moto.com. 8 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  8. ^ "The history of Japauto". Retrieved 2024-04-22.
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