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P4 for ChromeBurner RAC41 Honda at Le Mans

ChromeBurner RAC41 Honda was on its way to a victory in the 24 hours of Le Mans, but unfortunately oil on the track prevented them from taking it. With only three hours to go, the team crashed due to the oil. The damage was quickly repaired, allowing the team to finish fourth in the Superstock and 14th overall. A great performance after the bad luck they had.

Read all about the race in this blog.

The 24 hours of Le Mans was the first round of the 2023 World Endurance Championship and took place on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 April. The next round of the World Endurance Championship is scheduled from June 15 to 18 at the 24 hours of Spa Francorchamps in Belgium.

Marching forward

After training days in changing conditions, it was dry at the start of the 24 hours of Le Mans. RAC41 ChromeBurner Honda with Wayne Tessels, Chris Leesch and Jonathan Hardt as drivers started the first race of the 2023 World Endurance season as the sixth Superstock team and 19th overall. Leesch started for the team. During the first hours, ChromeBurner RAC41 Honda raced at about the sixth position in the Superstock class. Tessels was able to run his stints well, although things always happen along the way during a 24-hour race. In the evening, the French team managed to get to the front.


By midnight - around halfway through the race - ChromeBurner RAC41 Honda arrived in second place in the Superstock class and rode in the top-ten overall. The night was very chilly with the temperature dropping to 2 degrees. This also resulted in many crashes. However, Tessels, Leesch and Hardt stayed very focussed and continued without mistakes. In the morning, the competitors also had to contend with fog at some parts of the track, which only added to the challenge. Around 10:00 o’clock in the morning, ChromeBurner RAC41 Honda took over the lead in the Superstock class for the first time. A nice duel with a BMW team ensued, with the battle for first place during each pit stop.

Oil on track

The lead to the third team was several laps, meaning ChromeBurner RAC41 Honda was heading for a great result. Unfortunately, this changed around noon. A rider's engine block broke down, leaving an oil trail on the track. The marshals got through too late, causing as many as three teams to go down over the oil. ChromeBurner RAC41 Honda was one of the unlucky ones. With a lot of damage, the motorcycle was brought back to the pits by Hardt. The team did a great job of getting the very battered motorcycle up and running again in half an hour. ChromeBurner RAC41 Honda did fall back to fourth place in the Superstock class and 14th overall due to the incident, a position they then managed to hold until the finish. In total, Tessels, Leesch and Hardt drove 787 laps during the 24 hours of Le Mans.

Tessels about the race

Wayne Tessels: “As a team we can be very proud of how we presented ourselves at the 24 hours of Le Mans. We were in full fight for the win, only we were unlucky to be in the wrong place on the track at the wrong time which caused Jonathan to crash over the oil trail. The team did an incredible job to get us back on track so quickly, only the chance of victory or a podium finish was gone. I do want to thank the team, Chris and Jonathan immensely for the great cooperation during the amazing World Endurance Championship event. It all went very well, but in 24-hour racing you also have to have luck on your side a little bit and that wasn’t the case now."

Photos: Florian Meuret Photographie