The Tourangeaux Maxime Verger and Olivier Louault at the start

Touraine is very often represented at the 24 hours of Le Mans Motos. This 48^e edition is no exception to the rule. Two pilots from Indre-et-Loire will start on the famous Bugatti circuit, in Superstock (the second category, behind the Formula EWC): the Tourangeau Maxime Verger and the Noyantais Olivier Louault. With each a very different level of experience: it will be the third participation for the first, aged 32, and the eleventh for the second, 49 years old.

“It was my second participation as a holder, because in 2022, I was fourth pilot”, Specifies Maxime Verger, who joined a team from Doubs, AG Racing Team, of the initials of its creators Amandine Creusot and Gabin Bruyat. “With Gabin, we were competitors on the track a few years ago. It’s funny to join your team now. »» Le Mans will be the only race of the year for Tourangeau, which will share the handlebars with Amandine Creusot, William Wallart and Mélodie Coignard, a mixed quartet. “I got to know them at the pre-Mans tests in early April, they integrated me well. »»

Olivier Louault, he already knows his three teammates well within the T2C Racing team, because all are from the same club as him, the Val de Vienne Moto. It is often that the Noyant-de-Touraine pilot participates with friends, like last year: “It was a bit of a snatch because one of the pilots had injured free tests, so I was called on Thursday, I just had time to do five laps in qualification before the race. But in the end, we did 10^e in superstock, it was great ”, he says.

A beautiful 50^e Year for Olivier Louault

This year, with Jeremy Ollivier, Reynald Landreau and Mathieu Medigue, Olivier Louault is supposed to make three of the four innings of the world endurance championship with, after Le Mans, the 8 hours of spa in early June and the golden bowl in mid-September.

All this by carrying out the seven rounds of a speed competition in parallel, the European Bikes (a French championship with only European brand motorcycles, of 1,000 cm³) and his job as a train driver at the SNCF! “It’s quite complicated to do everything, all my leave go into the motorcycle. But I am happy to be able to do this again by having the level to make correct times, in the year of my 50th birthday ”, rejoices the pilot, who started late, at 33 years old.

If the two Tourangeaux therefore do not have the same experience of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, they however share the same objective: to make a TOP 20 at the scratch and a TOP 10 in the Superstock category. “With the pilots with whom I am, there is potential”, Ensures Maxime Verger. The one who is also co-manager of a motorcycle store in Chambray also has “Revenge to take: during my participation in 2023, we had to abandon at 7 am”.

Tests in early April very different

Olivier Louault’s T2C Racing team (which has two 10^es places as best result in Le Mans) also experienced a fall last year, when before that, it was 19^e et 9^e in superstock. The top 10 therefore seems to be playable there too. But the pre-Mans tests in early April were complicated: “ We had electronics problems for two days, we struggled well, we hardly did a time because we especially tried to find the origin of the problem. But the tests are used for that ”, he relativizes.

On the contrary, these tests were perfect for Maxime Verger: “The times were correct, we settled the motorcycle, the technical team made great work during the two days and the weather conditions were perfect: it was ideal! »»

On the other hand, the race may run in the rain. What generate some fears for the two Tourangeaux, but not to the point of making them go back. Because for them as for all participants, the Mancelle event is the most important of the year!

Departure Saturday April 19 at 3 p.m., arrival Sunday April 20 at 3 p.m., live on Eurosport 2 and L’Equipe.