Moto Ain confirms its riders for the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Posted on Mar 31, 2022 by George Penny
Following a successful pre-test the MOTO AIN team confirms the arrival of English rider Bradley Smith alongside riders Claudio Corti (Italy) and Corentin Perolari (France).
Bradley Smith:
"I have been racing since I was young and for 2 decades I have focused on MotoGP, which is the ultimate racing championship. I'm pretty happy with what I've accomplished, but as a true motorcycle racing enthusiast, I'm also looking for other competitions. The 24h of Le Mans is one of the most famous endurance races in the world and the idea of racing for 24h non-stop seems like a bit crazy if I'm being honest. Last winter, when Pierre presented this opportunity to race at Le Mans, it aroused my curiosity and I said to myself “Why not? ". We did several tests in Spain and the lap times were encouraging. The technical basis of the Yamaha R1 is good, although we are missing some factory parts compared to our rivals. Fortunately, I found space in my schedule and I am delighted with this challenge. I'm sure it will be difficult, but also pleasant to experience this event for the 1st time. Even though I already know the track, from my years racing the French Grand Prix, everything else is going to be new to me. Let's see what will happen!"
Pierre Chapuis: Director of the Moto Ain Team
"Each year I try to progress. I like to move forward. Last season, we managed to pass the milestone of the EWC category. The team achieved great results, including a 2nd place at the Bol d' Gold. But the EWC category is much more demanding than the Superstock category. The 2021 season has left its mark on the team, the drivers, the staff, the partners. And the most difficult thing after a season like this is always to confirm. This winter, everything was very, very complicated. The worst off-season since the creation of the team. But fortunately, several members of the team supported me to continue the project in 2022. The big partners like Yamaha, Dafy, Ipone also responded. present. Today I am really happy to have overcome all the obstacles to be on the starting line. We have a very good trio of riders for the 24 Heures Motos. On the first tests yesterday, the 3 riders are riding in the same second. They all have a good rhythm. This allows us to develop pper the motorcycle settings for the 3 riders at the same time. It's very positive. At the level of the bike, we remained on the proven basis of the Yamaha R1 of last year. We know that we are lacking in pure performance, but with our limited resources as a private team, we have to make choices, and I prefer to bet on our strengths, which are consistency and reliability. We can't wait to see what it can do on the track."
