RST at Le Mans: Grit, Glory, and 24 Hours of Pure Endurance

There’s nothing in the world quite like Le Mans.

For 24 hours, riders live on the edge of control — hurtling into darkness, emerging into dawn, chasing not just a finish line, but a kind of immortality. It’s where experience meets chaos. Where strategy meets survival. And this year, as the opening round of the 2025 FIM EWC, the 24 Heures Motos delivered an unforgettable chapter in EWC history.

RST was proud to stand in the paddock once again — our kit worn by many of the most fearless, relentless riders on the planet. What unfolded at Le Mans was more than a race. It was a true test of heart, performance and endurance.

The Opening Salvo: Speed, Setbacks, and Setup

Qualifying set the tone. The YART Yamaha team lit up the time sheets with a searing pole lap — a new benchmark at the Bugatti Circuit. But beyond the headlines, other riders were also laying down markers of intent.

RST Factory rider Sylvain Guintoli, a veteran of the paddock these days, brought surgical precision to the weekend. His feedback during setup was gold dust, helping fine-tune the BMW bike for both the day’s heat and night’s cool, damp air.

Alan Techer, ever the iron man, balanced consistency with that special EWC aggression — always thinking two stints ahead, eyes not just on speed, but on strategy.

Kenny Foray looked razor-sharp throughout practice. Having worn the tricolour on his leathers for years, Le Mans is sacred ground for him — and it showed. A calculated and composed rhythm, built on experience and instinct, made him one of the most consistent riders across the entire event.

Meanwhile, Florian Marino impressed with his trademark tenacity. Quietly composed in the garage, absolutely ferocious on track. He soaked up pressure in traffic and found time in places others backed off — especially through La Chapelle and the fast sweepers at the back of the circuit.

National Motos Honda: A Masterclass in Superstock Resilience

In the Superstock category, all eyes were on National Motos Honda. Representing the essence of endurance — passion, perseverance, and precision — the team mounted an almost flawless campaign. Their CBR1000RR-R Fireblade was a metronome of reliability, but it was the riders who elevated their effort to something special.

From the first hour, they ran smart. Avoiding first-lap chaos, keeping their nose clean, and slowly inching up the order as night fell. Their teamwork in pit stops was textbook. Every front wheel change, every fuel rig swap — coordinated like choreography.

Their consistency paid off. Through crashes elsewhere, late-night rain, and a dramatic final stint, they held their ground. When the chequered flag finally fell, it wasn’t just a win in class — it was a win in character.

Through the Night: Endurance in Every Sense

The overnight hours saw the race unravel and rewrite itself. The lead changed hands, pit walls lit up with tension, and bikes limped back to garages with mechanical scars and shattered bodywork.

It was here that experience counted. Riders like Guintoli and Techer were the steady hands when everything around them was uncertain. Through oil on track, scattered rain showers, and moments of sheer chaos, they made no mistakes. Foray kept the pace high when others backed off, while Marino played guardian — defending position, holding track space, and protecting team interests.

This was racing distilled to its essence: vision limited to a headlight beam, confidence built on trust, and pace dictated by feeling rather than telemetry.

Heartbreak and Heroism: The Final Hours

As the race moved into its final quarter, the leaderboard began to stabilise — but the weather had one final curveball.

Rain returned with intensity just after the 22-hour mark. Some teams gambled. Others played safe. For a time, it looked like one of the race leaders — a green-liveried outfit with a long EWC pedigree — would ride the storm to victory. But in a cruel twist of fate, they crashed out with under an hour to go. It was brutal. After such a flawless run, one slip on wet tarmac brought dreams undone.

Seizing the opportunity was a Yamaha outfit that had spent much of the race clawing their way back from early disaster. From 21st place to P1 — it was a comeback for the ages, made possible only by perfect teamwork, rider composure, and a refusal to yield.

And while they celebrated, other victories were unfolding across pit lane.

National Motos Honda had done it — Superstock winners at Le Mans. Foray, Techer, Marino, Guintoli — each had left something of themselves out on the circuit. Whether it was a podium or just a finish, the achievement was immense.

What Le Mans Teaches You

Endurance racing doesn’t hand out easy wins. It demands everything. And then a little more.

For riders like Guintoli and Techer, who carry the weight of expectation, Le Mans is about legacy. For Foray and Marino, it’s about grit, about earning every second. And for teams like National Motos Honda, it’s about collective excellence — hundreds of actions, perfectly executed, for 24 hours straight.

RST’s gear was pushed to its limits. Triple stints through the cold. Rider swaps in the wet. Heat, sweat, rain, pressure — our suits endured everything our riders did. And when the chequered flag fell, we stood beside them, proud and humbled.

This wasn’t just a race. It was a statement.

The Road Ahead

Le Mans has opened the 2025 EWC season with a thunderclap. The championship standings are wide open. Lessons have been learned. Rivalries reignited.

For RST and our family of riders and teams, the mission continues. Next round, new circuit — same fire.

Here’s to the ones who never give up, to the ones who fight through the darkness, and to every soul brave enough to race the clock at Le Mans.

We were there. We’ll be back. And we’re just getting started.

#TeamRST