Sébastien Gimbert
Encyclopedia
Sébastien Gimbert
Sébastien Gimbert (born September 9, 1977, in Le Puy-en-Velay
, France
) is a professional motorcycle
road racer
. He currently competes in the Superbike World Championship
. His greatest success has come in the Endurance World Championship
, and the bulk of his career has been spent on Yamaha YZF-R1
motorcycles.
He was France's 250cc champion in 1996 and 1997, before moving up to the 500cc World Championship
on a privately entered Honda
in 1998
and 1999
, and racing in the 250cc World Championship in 2000
, without many front-running displays.
From 2002 to 2004 he was primarily an endurance racer. He has won the biggest 24-hour races in the sport - Le Mans
, Spa-Francorchamps and the Bol d'Or
. He helped the team to the Endurance World Championship
in 2004.
Gimbert also remained active in shorter races, finishing 2nd in the French Super Production series in 2003 and doing several rounds a year later. He also raced his R1 in 3 Superbike World Championship
races, taking a pair of 4th places despite 2 slow starts at Magny-Cours
in , a year with few manfuacturer backed bikes. As a result of this, he was hired by Yamaha Motor France as their second rider in WSBK for . He finished 16th overall in , and 19th (without a top 10 finish) in .
He raced in the Supersport World Championship for finishing 20th overall. He also won the 2007 Bol d'Or
endurance race.
Sébastien Gimbert (born September 9, 1977, in Le Puy-en-Velay
Le Puy-en-Velay
Le Puy-en-Velay is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in south-central France.Its inhabitants are called Ponots.-History:Le Puy-en-Velay was a major bishopric in medieval France, founded early, though its early history is legendary...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) is a professional motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
road racer
Road racing
Road racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
. He currently competes in the Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship is the worldwide Superbike racing Championship. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities...
. His greatest success has come in the Endurance World Championship
Endurance World Championship
Endurance World Championship is the premier worldwide endurance motorcycle racing championship. The championship season consists of a series of races held on permanent racing facilities. The results of each race are combined to determine two annual World Championships, one for teams and one for...
, and the bulk of his career has been spent on Yamaha YZF-R1
Yamaha YZF-R1
The Yamaha YZF-R1 is an open class sport bike, or superbike, motorcycle manufactured by Yamaha Motor Company since 1998.-1998–1999:Yamaha launched the YZF-R1 after redesigning the Genesis engine to offset the crankshaft, gearbox input, and output shafts. This "compacting" of the engine made the...
motorcycles.
He was France's 250cc champion in 1996 and 1997, before moving up to the 500cc World Championship
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
on a privately entered Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
in 1998
1998 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1998 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 50th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.-Season summary:Mick Doohan and Honda continued to dominate the 500 class with the Australian taking 8 victories and Honda winning all but one race. Simon Crafar winning the British Grand Prix for...
and 1999
1999 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 1999 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 51st F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.-Season summary:The dominant reign of Honda's Mick Doohan came to an end with serious injuries suffered in practice for the Spanish Grand Prix. In his absence, his Honda team-mate Àlex Crivillé...
, and racing in the 250cc World Championship in 2000
2000 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 2000 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 52nd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.-Season summary:Kenny Roberts, Jr. fulfilled the promise of his 2nd place in 1999 by winning the championship for 2000 with 2 races to spare...
, without many front-running displays.
From 2002 to 2004 he was primarily an endurance racer. He has won the biggest 24-hour races in the sport - Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans (motorcycle race)
The 24 Hours of Le Mans Moto is a motorcycle endurance race held annually since 1978 on the Bugatti Circuit Le Mans, Sarthe, France...
, Spa-Francorchamps and the Bol d'Or
Bol d'or
The Bol d'or is a motorcycle endurance race, held annually in France. Originally, it was an automobile as well as motorcycle race. The automobiles were limited to 1100cc engine capacity until the 1950s when the limit was raised to 1500cc, and later to 2000cc...
. He helped the team to the Endurance World Championship
Endurance World Championship
Endurance World Championship is the premier worldwide endurance motorcycle racing championship. The championship season consists of a series of races held on permanent racing facilities. The results of each race are combined to determine two annual World Championships, one for teams and one for...
in 2004.
Gimbert also remained active in shorter races, finishing 2nd in the French Super Production series in 2003 and doing several rounds a year later. He also raced his R1 in 3 Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship is the worldwide Superbike racing Championship. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities...
races, taking a pair of 4th places despite 2 slow starts at Magny-Cours
Magny-Cours
Magny-Cours is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.It is best known for being the home of the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, a famous motor racing circuit . It formerly hosted the Formula One French Grand Prix.-References:* -External links:*...
in , a year with few manfuacturer backed bikes. As a result of this, he was hired by Yamaha Motor France as their second rider in WSBK for . He finished 16th overall in , and 19th (without a top 10 finish) in .
He raced in the Supersport World Championship for finishing 20th overall. He also won the 2007 Bol d'Or
Bol d'or
The Bol d'or is a motorcycle endurance race, held annually in France. Originally, it was an automobile as well as motorcycle race. The automobiles were limited to 1100cc engine capacity until the 1950s when the limit was raised to 1500cc, and later to 2000cc...
endurance race.
External links
- sebgimbert.com Official website