A Great Weekend for Motobox Kremer Racing #65 Ends in Technical Trouble
The 2025 Bol d'Or 24 Hours didn't end the way Motobox Kremer Racing #65 and Twan Smits had hoped. The team ran inside the top ten for much of the race, but a technical problem ended their race early.
Thursday's schedule packed in free practice, the first qualifying session and night practice — a demanding day that required strong pace straight away. After two hours of practice Smits posted a 1'55.984, good for 20th and just four seconds off the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team.
The first qualifying session followed, with times set by averaging each team's two fastest riders; Smits set the team's best lap. His average of 1'55.609 was good for 24th on the combined session. The single night practice session left Motobox Kremer Racing #65 20th overall.
Friday was relatively quiet, with only the crucial second qualifying session on the schedule. Smits' 1'54.362 was among the fastest times of the pairing, and the averaged 1'54.476 secured 16th on the grid.
The race started at 3pm on Saturday. After four hours the team held 15th; an hour before midnight Smits had moved up to 14th overall, ninth in class. At the halfway point they sat 13th overall and tenth in class, running cleanly, and after sixteen hours they'd climbed to eighth overall and fifth in class — an impressive run that suggested a strong finish was possible.
After eighteen hours, with six laps and around four hours left, the engine failed while running ninth. It brought an early end to a promising result.
"It was an incredibly strong week from the whole team and all the riders," Smits said, adding that the team was proud of the pace they'd shown despite the setback.
