Manuel Poggiali at the 24 Heures Motos

Endurance is attracting an increasing number of Moto GP riders. The latest name on the list is Manuel Poggiali, who will be making his return to racing at the 24 Heures Motos. A few days short of his 35th birthday, the San Marino rider, who has two Moto GP world titles to his credit (in the 125 class in 2001 and the 250 class in 2003), has announced he will be on the starting grid of the 24 Heures Motos, the second round of the 2017-2018 FIM EWC, at Le Mans on 21 and 22 April.

Poggiali will join private Italian squad Special Team Ducati by Z Racing, which is entering a Panigale R with riders Fabio Massei, Lionel Ancelin and Jacopo Zizza.

Poggiali told Alessio Piana of Italian website Corsedimoto that returning to racing in endurance feels like being reborn. “This is something I’ve been wanting to try, he said. I’ve always found endurance to be inspiring, even more so in recent times with Italian riders getting such good results. It’s a fast-growing sport, with ever-increasing audiences and visibility: all the more reason to go for it!There are three reasons in particular I’m drawn to endurance. First of all, riding at night. I’ve already done it, in Qatar [Ed: during the 2008 season, in the 250cc class], but we were racing in a much warmer climate, with the track lit up as bright as day. At Le Mans it’ll be totally different – when night falls, it really will be night! I’m hoping for good weather conditions so I can get acclimatized to racing at night, because there won’t be much testing before the race to help me prepare. It’ll be interesting to learn how to handle a 24-hour race and manage the stints smoothly. There won’t be much time to recover between stints, and that’s something new for me. Last but not least, I’m keen to find the right set-up for the bike with the other two riders on the team.”

Read the original article on Fimewc.com