6. VINCENT PHILIPPE
French superstar of endurance found his true calling after a season and a half of 250 Grands Prix. He retires as the most successful endurance rider of all time
Vincent Philippe ranks as one of international motorcycle racing’s most successful riders. But unless you are a fan of endurance racing, he probably isn’t familiar to you. In France, where pushing men and machines to their limits and beyond is something of a national pursuit, Philippe is a household name.
Our recent trip to the 100th anniversary edition of the Bol d’Or gave us a refreshed appreciation of the sport, and taught us something of the magnitude of the determined Frenchman’s achievements in the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC). He took his first EWC win in 2003
at the Le Mans 24-Hours on his racing debut riding for Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT), going on to win the first of the 10 titles he would rack up before retiring in 2019 at the age of 41. Philippe’s last EWC race victory was at the 2019 Bol d’Or, his ninth victory in the event.
As a bike-daft kid, motorcycles and the men who raced them occupied the young Philippe’s every waking thought. At the age of six or seven his father bought him a moped to first ride around the garden then later compete in hill climbs with his dad. His bedroom was filled with posters depicting the exploits of his racing heroes, men like Doohan, Schwantz and Rainey.
“My father helped me a lot, and without him I would never have succeeded. But I learned a lot on my own, and my level of riding was soon beyond my father’s,” he says. By the time he reached secondary school, Philippe’s obsession had reached such a pitch that he had to repeat his first year of studies.
Then, at the age of 14, Philippe finally took to the track proper for a season in the Coupe TZR125. “My family didn't have a lot of money, so it took me a long time to find my place and succeed at a higher level. I have great memories of my time in the French TZR125 Championship. But as an apprentice rider, I wasn't winning yet,” says Philippe.
Of course aside from a nascent talent that can be developed, the one thing all racers need is money when their skills are sufficiently honed to take them to the next level. “As I had little financial means, I ran in hill climb events in the French Mountain
Championship. It was inexpensive and very educational. I won two titles and that allowed me to shine on the circuit,” he says.
In 1997, Philippe secured a wildcard ride in the 125cc Grand Prix class at Le
