The Honda N.1 was slightly ahead of the 46th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Motos on Saturday evening, seven hours after the start of the endurance race marked by the fall of the Suzuki N.12, defending champion.

At 10:00 p.m., the world champion Honda, driven by the trio Josh Hook, Mike Di Meglio and Alan Techer, was one lap ahead of the N.37 BMW of the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team and two of the N.7 Yamaha of the YART in the standings. of this first round of the world championship (EWC), which started at 3:00 p.m. on the Bugatti circuit (4.185 km).

The three teams, which are among the favorites this weekend, fought for the lead for most of the afternoon, which should continue into the night, while the defending champion at Le Mans, the SERT’s Suzuki N.12 is still a long way off.

And for good reason, the Marseillaise sung, the start on the cob given under the cloudy sun but without rain, the race started on the hats of wheels… and in the gravel for the Suzuki.

From the first lap, the Frenchman Gregg Black crashed in the first corner, forced to return to the pits before leaving almost half an hour later, to the applause of the public but with 18 laps behind the head of the race and this while SERT had won pole position the day before after qualifying.

The trio Black, Sylvain Guintoli and Etienne Masson succeeded throughout the day in gaining places, managing to move up to 32nd place, but far from the lead (20 laps behind) and from the prospect of a hat-trick after having won the 2021 and 2022 editions. But the night is going to be long.

The race was also marked by three retirements: the Yamaha N.21 of the Spanish team Bimtrazer Fly which started with only one pilot, Iker Carracedo, the Yamaha N.96 of MotoAin, fourth on the starting grid. And the N.24 of BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers.

In the Superstock category, which brings together the machines closest to production motorcycles, the Yamaha N.9 of the Tecmas MRP BMW Racing Team is in the lead.

The 24 Heures Motos, the first of four stages of the World Endurance Championship (EWC), will end on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. 54 pilots took the start.