The Bol d’Or is a 24-hour endurance race for

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: Long-distance ...

s, held annually in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The riding of each bike is now shared by a team of three riders.

History

The Bol d’Or, first organized by Eugene Mauve, in 1922, was a race for motorcycles, and automobiles limited to 1100cc engine capacity (in the 1950s the limit was raised to 1500cc, and later to 2000cc). Today, the Bol d’Or is exclusively a race for motorcycles, although there are a number of side "attractions", such as races for amateur riders and for classic bikes. Prior to 1953 only one rider per machine was permitted. The record holder with seven victories, Frenchman Gustave Lefèvre, won with an average speed of 107 kilometers/hour riding his

Norton Manx The Norton Manx or Manx Norton is a British racing motorcycle that was made from 1947 to 1962 by Norton Motors Ltd. Norton had contested every Isle of Man TT race from the inaugural 1907 event through into the 1970s, a feat unrivalled by any ...

for the whole 24 hours. From 1954 to 1977 the teams comprised two riders, and then, in the interests of safety, this was increased to three. Until 1970 the race was held at various circuits, mainly Linas-Montlhéry and Saint-Germain-en-Laye. From 1971 to 1977 the Bol d’Or was held at the permanent Le Mans Bugatti circuit, which excludes the temporary street circuit section, exiting before the Tertre Rouge esses and rejoining at the Ford Chicane, excluding the section from the Tertre Rouge, Mulsanne, and Porsche Curves. For the next 22 years the event took place at

Paul Ricard Paul Louis Marius Ricard (; July 9, 1909 – November 7, 1997) was a French industrialist and creator of an eponymous pastis brand which merged in 1975 with its competitor Pernod to create Pernod Ricard. Ricard was also an environmentalist and t ...

, after which it moved to

Magny-Cours Magny-Cours () is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. It is the home of the ''Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours'', a famous motor racing circuit (whose name is often abbreviated to 'Magny-Cours'). It formerly hosted the Formula ...

. When the race left Le Mans the '' 24 Heures du Mans'' was established, so that when the Bol d'Or returned to Le Mans, there were for a time two annual 24-hour motorcycle endurance events on the Bugatti circuit. Until 2015, the Bol d’Or was held in the spring, while the '' 24 Heures du Mans'' was in the early September slot formerly used by the Bol d’Or. In 2016 things changed again: the "24 Heures du Mans" moved to the spring, while the Bol d’Or moved to

Circuit Paul Ricard The Circuit Paul Ricard () is a French motorsport race track built in 1969 at Le Castellet, Var, near Marseille, with finance from pastis magnate Paul Ricard. Ricard wanted to experience the challenge of building a racetrack. The circuit has h ...

In September. 24-hour motorcycle endurance racing has a strong Francophone base, with the three main events held in France (Le Mans & Magny-Cours) and French-speaking Belgium (

Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), frequently referred to as ''Spa'', is a motor-racing circuit located in Stavelot, Belgium. It is the current venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, hosting its first Grand Prix in 1925, and has he ...

), and the most successful teams and riders are French. In 1970, 1971 and 1992 all-British teams of riders won the races. British rider

Terry Rymer Terence William Rymer (born 28 February 1967) is an English former professional motorcycle road racer turned car and truck racer. Rymer won over 200 races in 20 years of competition during his motorcycle and car racing career. __TOC__ Motorc ...

has had consistent results. In the 1970s the competitors included

Phil Read Phillip William Read, (1 January 1939 – 6 October 2022) was an English professional motorcycle racer. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from 1961 to 1976. Read is notable for being the first competitor to win world championships ...

and Neil Tuxworth, who later headed Honda Racing UK. On occasion, the Mead & Tomkinson racing team fielded "Nessie", a revolutionary bike with hub-center steering.Bonham's
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Circuits

* 1922: clay track located in

Vaujours Vaujours () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris, in the département of Seine-Saint-Denis. Known for its wines and fruit until the end of the 19th century, Vaujours is now one of the ...

Clichy-sous-Bois Clichy-sous-Bois () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from central Paris.Livry-Gargan Livry-Gargan () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. History On 20 May, 1869, a part of the territory of Livry-Gargan was detached and merged with a part of the territory of Clich ...

, long. * 1923–1936: Loges track in Saint-Germain-en-Laye * 1927:

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau (; ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondissemen ...

* 1937–1939: Linas-Montlhéry * 1938–1946: No race * 1947–1948: Saint-Germain-en-Laye * 1949–1950: Linas-Montlhéry * 1951: Saint-Germain-en-Laye * 1952–1960: Linas-Montlhéry * 1961–1968: No race * 1969–1970: Linas-Montlhéry * 1971–1977:

Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le ...

* 1978–1999:

* 2000–2014:

* 2015–:

The race is part of the

Endurance FIM World Championship The Endurance World Championship ( FIM EWC) is the premier worldwide endurance championship in motorcycle road racing. The championship season consists of a series of endurance races (with a duration of six, eight, twelve or twenty-four hours) h ...

. The 2016 edition was the 80th edition of the race. The race is accompanied by a motorcycle rally, carnival and other motorcycle related events.

Results

Side races

* La ''Tasse d'or'' (the golden cup), reserved for motorcycle of less than 50cc (known as the coffee cup: "tasses à café") * Le ''Bol d’Or classic'' (the classic golden bowl): reserved for classic motorcycles * Le ''Bol d'argent'' (the silver bowl): amateur competition taking place before main competition.

External links

Bol d’Or official website

References

{{coord, 46, 51, 48, N, 3, 09, 57, E, region:FR_type:landmark_source:kolossus-cawiki, display=title Motorcycle races Motorsport competitions in France Endurance motor racing