StoneBaker Racing riders Gino Rea and Dan Linfoot found themselves up
against some unexpected competition whilst competing in a low-key
endurance event at the Magny Cours circuit in France yesterday
(Saturday). Along with a mixture of continental racers and road
riders, seven-times F1 world champion Michael Schumacher was also in
attendance.

Travelling across the continent from their test session at Brno in the
Czech Republic last week, the team have been present at the track for
the past three days. Their aim was to give both riders the opportunity
to familiarise (or in the case of Rea, re-familiarise) themselves with
the 2.7-mile circuit ahead of their appearance there at the
penultimate round of the European Superstock 600 Championship in
October. The three days have comprised of open track time mixed in
with short races. Saturday's activities centred around a two-hour
endurance race which had to be red-flagged and restarted towards its
end. The StoneBaker duo took the win, with both riders completing two
half-hour stints aboard their YZF-R6 Yamahas. Schumacher, who has
competed in several motorcycle events in his native Germany this year,
made a private entry riding a Honda Fireblade. The former F1 world
champion took the decision to retire after completing the first third
of the race with no problems.

There was further cheer for the team on Sunday when Rea won the
Supersport race, despite having to set off from the pit lane after
being asked to remove his bike's on-board camera just before the start.

The weekend marked the first-ever entry into endurance racing for the
StoneBaker team who now face an endurance challenge of different type
- the 14-hour trek back to Brno to prepare for the sixth round of the
European Superstock 600 Championship which begins on Friday. Currently
Linfoot lies third in the series standings, with Rea seventh.

Gino Rea:
"Saturday was the best day for me with the endurance race win. There
were too many damp patches around the track throughout the test to
concentrate on lap times though. I had a good run round with Michael
Schumacher during the qualifying session and talked with him about lap
times before we were due to go out on the track. He seemed like a
genuine guy and appeared to be enjoying himself."

Dan Linfoot:
"The three days went pretty well, overall. It was definitely worth
doing the test as I have never raced here before. Today (Sunday) we
matched Gino's sprocket settings as well as stiffening up the front
suspension. That helped a lot and gave a good increase in speed. I
chatted to Schumacher a few times and he came over as a pleasant
enough bloke. He's not a bad rider either, even though he is
relatively new to the sport. Racing's obviously in his blood which I
suppose is to be expected when you've won seven world championships."