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ChromeBurner RAC41 Honda took 4th place in SPA

For a long time, ChromeBurner RAC41 Honda battled for the win in the Superstock class. However, a crash by Chris Leesch put an end to their winning chances. As at the 24 hours of Le Mans, the French team had the pace for at least a podium finish, but had to settle for fourth place.

The 24 hours of SPA Francorchamps took place on Saturday June 17 and Sunday June 18, 2023. As usual, the team consisted of Wayne Tessels, Chris Leesch and Jonathan Hardt. In this blog we tell you more about the race.

Excellent opening

Saturday, June 17, at 2:00 pm the 24 hours of Spa Francorchamps started. ChromeBurner RAC41 Honda was the fourth Superstock team to start the second race of the 2023 World Endurance Championship. Overall, the French team was eighteenth on the grid. It was very hot at the start and the track temperature also rose above 50 degrees. This caused problems, especially for the Superstock teams - who all have to use the same tires - at the front of the bike. In the first hours there were already several crashes of good teams.

ChromeBurner RAC41 Honda got off to an excellent start. Leesch had a good opening stint after which Tessels managed to take the lead in the Superstock class in his first outing. In the evening, the temperature dropped and things got a little easier in terms of grip. Leesch, Tessels and Hardt had good stints in the evening and night, with the team consistently riding first or second in the Superstock and seventh or eighth overall. Early in the morning the team fell behind to the lead a bit, but had the second position firmly in hand.

Two places lost due to crash

However, things went wrong around 6:30 a.m. when Leesch crashed. The bike could be brought back to the pits relatively quickly. The damage to the bike was repaired by the team in the pit box as quickly as possible. Of course, all of this took some time, causing ChromeBurner RAC41 Honda to drop back to fourth place in the Superstock and tenth overall. In the last hours, Tessels, Leesch and Hardt made another attack on the final podium spot. Tessels was riding toward the third team in his stint, but lost connection when he had a big moment and almost crashed. He managed to keep the bike on the track, but injured his back in the process. The Dutch driver was able to finish his stint though. In the closing stages of the race, the engine overheated, forcing him to go to the pits. The team was far ahead the fifth team and the fourth position was no longer in danger. After 24 hours of racing, ChormeBurner RAC41 Honda finished fourth in the Superstock in 11th place overall with Leesch on the bike.

In September, ChromeBurner RAC41 Honda will be back in action for the European Endurance Championship at the Bol d'Or at Paul Ricard.

Tessels about the race

Wayne Tessels: "I’m satisfied with the race we put together as a team. We battled for the win for a long time, but anything can happen during a 24-hour race. Unfortunately, we lost a lot of time in the crash. I’m very satisfied with my pace. It’s very unfortunate that I suffered a back injury in my last stint. We'll see what the damage is and of course I'll try to recover as well as possible for next week when I have to race in the Dutch Superbike at Oschersleben."

Photos: Florian Meuret Photographie