By Special thanks to Czech Road Racing statistician Jan Vavra for putting together another fascinating stats based article, which revolves around 21st Century French racers circulating around the Czech Republic’s most acclaimed real roads circuit, Horice.
Jan’s recently compiled piece, reads as follows:
The first French rider participating in non-yesteryear races at Horice in 2008, was Jonathan Goetschy. Ten years after that ´La Buche´ set the quickest lap time (2.18.122) of all time by a French competitor at Horice.
To the present times 41 riders in total from the France have participated at Horice (not on classics machinery).
First sound of ´La Marseillaise´ at Horice for winning a race, was in 2014 within the 300 Curves of Gustav Havel event, when Pierre Favre took 250 GP race spoils.
Ex World Supersport rider Matthieu Lagrive has three wins from Czech TT+IRRC races and two wins from 300 Curves of Gustav Havel. Amalric Blanc is fastest Supersport newcomer in overall Horice history. Eddy Ferre, Vincent Guillermin and Pierre-Yves Bian were also very fast as Horice newcomers.
The rise of French road racing was illustrated this year on Manx shores, via Horice participants, Manx Grand Prix newcomers Julien Cregniot, Gerald Dath, Eddy Ferre, Cyril Lecocq and Kevin Rigot. Matthieu Lagrive was also a new addition to the TT Races entry-list.
They expand the list of great French riders who have tackled both Horice and either the Manx GP or TT Races.
To name but a few this includes:
Pierre-Yves Bian, John Ross Billega, Amalric Blanc, Wayne Bourgeais, Xavier Denis, Yann Galli, Jonathan Goetschy, Quentin Limousin, Fabrice Miguet, Timothee Monot, Franck Petricola and Richard Vuillermet.
There are some added racers from France who have sampled Classic machinery races at Horice, like Dimitri Gautret, Rene Lorre and Dominigue Euzenot.
The riders from France to have sampled Horice, read as follows:
Horice participants 2008-2023
(Personal best lap time located near racers name)
Jonathan Goetschy – 2.18.122
Pierre-Yves Bian – 2.18.480
Matthieu Lagrive – 2.18.757
Amalric Blanc – 2.19.589
Eddy Ferre – 2.19.612
Romain Cleaz-Savoyen – 2.19.831
Vincent Guillermin – 2.21.082
Julien Cregniot – 2.21.116
Kevin Rigot – 2.23.142
Eddy Maniguet – 2.23.549
Stephane Bednarek – 2.24.845
Steven Bellavoine – 2.25.063
Jerome Bagard – 2.25.124
Cyril Lecocq – 2.25.292
Yann Galli – 2.25.359
Gerald Dath – 2.25.375
Ludovic Paureau – 2.25.513
Wayne Bourgeais – 2.25.782
Fabrice Miguet – 2.25.789
John Ross Billega – 2.26.009
Herve Somson – 2.26.816
Boris Liegeois – 2.27.007
Ryan Trocherie – 2.27.437
Arnaud Motte – 2.27.721
Quentin Limousin – 2.27.807
Peter Lionel – 2.27.825
Franck Petricola – 2.28.721
Nicolas Therouin – 2.30.390
Richard Vuillermet – 2.31.011
Bernard Faivre – 2.31.515
Peter Hartmann – 2.31.705
Nicolas Robert – 2.31.835
Pierre Favre – 2.34.926
Fabrice Faivre – 2.38.104
Viviand Loic – 2.40.981
Ismael Benayad – 2.42.987
Patrick Alzinger – 2.43.426
Xavier Denis – 2.45.528 (set during practice session)
Timothee Monot – 2.49.084 / 2.39.049 (set during practice session)
Phillippe Delaunay – 2.49.267
Alexis Delaunay – 2.53.905
In memory of Fabrice Miguet, Franck Petricola and Pierre Favre.
Photo credit: Nick Wheeler
Words by Jan Vavra
