2026 FSBK Round 1, Le Mans: Roads Competitor Watch

Last season’s FSBK (Championnat de France Superbike) season opener at Le Mans, saw on track road racers like Jonathan Goetschy, Timothee Monot, John-Ross Billega and Gabriel Pons.

Over the past weekend, select roads scene competitors sampled this year’s FSBK season opener, including for example, 2025 Pontivy (France-Brittany) Hill Climb Supersport class winner, David Le Bail (P19 in Race 2 of ‘European Bike’ category, did not finish Race 1 of FSBK Le Mans event) and world class Sidecar stars, 2024 World Champions, previous three wheeling TT participants, Harry Payne/Kevin Rousseau (P1 x2), confirmed TT 2026 driver/passenger partnership, Tim Reeves/Melanie Farnier (Carl Cox Motorsport/LCR Honda – P2 x2).

Circuit Bugatti at Le Mans (2.6 miles long track, first opened in 1965), hosts this month (16^th-19^th April) first round of 2026 World Sidecar Championship plus the 49^th edition of EWC 24 Heures Motos.

The provisional 24 Hours endurance race start-list features various racers with road racing bows to their name, above-illustrated former IRRC, Manx GP racer John-Ross Billega, 2018 IRRC Superbike Champion Danny Webb, Prize of Krizevci experienced Martin Vurgrinec, Wayne Bourgeais, Ville Valtonen, Macau Grand Prix 2008 entrant Dan Linfoot.

Lancelot Unissart, Eemeli Lahti, Ricardo Brink, Bram Lambrechts, Nicolas Therouin, Joe Akroyd and Sheridan Morais (2022 Macau Motorcycle GP podium finisher).

Gabriel ‘Pon Pon’ Pons (afore-mentioned), potential 2026 Manx Grand Prix newcomer, although appearing on the provisional start-list of both FSBK and EWC Le Mans rounds with the experimental Metiss bike, is now a confirmed non-starter for both, due to health conditions. Wishing him a very speedy recovery.

Selected 2026 FSBK Round 1 Le Mans results, read as follows:

Sidecars – Race 1:

P1 – Harry Payne/Kevin Rousseau

P2 – Tim Reeves/Melanie Farnier

P4 – Manuel Moreau/Alice Roba

P10 – Raymond Leijdekkers/Oceane Bataille

P11 – Wiggert Kranenburg/Kevin Kolsch

P17 – Ismael Benayad/Thibault Loiret

Did not finish – Paul Leglise/Marjorie Cescutti

Disqualified – Ted Peugeot/Vincent Peugeot

Sidecars – Race 2:

P1 – Harry Payne/Kevin Rousseau

P2 – Tim Reeves/Melanie Farnier

P4 – Manuel Moreau/Alice Roba

P7 – Raymond Leijdekkers/Oceane Bataille

P10 – Wiggert Kranenburg/Kevin Kolsch

P14 – Ismael Benayad/Thibault Loiret

Did not finish – Ted Peugeot/Vincent Peugeot

Words by Jan Vavra