Anybody heard Galibier or JC Verdier turntables?

I have a Platine. Absolutely love it. I like the solidity of the music that flows from it. And it is certainly a set and forget machine. I know lots of other TTs use massive platters w/o any special bearing support, and they seem to be fine like that. But that's an awful lot for a point load on a thrust bearing. For me, I like the fact that the Platine's platter dosen't rely on that type of system. The bearing will NEVER wear out, that's for sure. And no worries about future increases in bearing rumble.

The magnets are very large in diameter. The shaft/sleeve (bearing) clearance is minimal. You can watch the platter rotate, and it doesn't move up and down at all. Different record weights affect platter height imperceptibly, and if it actualy does, would tend to compensate for the presumably thicker LP with respect to cantilever SRA.

If you think that's a problem, you can use the supplied ball bearing to fix the height of the platter so it is unaffected by weight increases or decreases. Some say the use of the ball improves performance by providing a path to the bearing housing for spurious vibrations.

"This is typically after every race and I do
know that the forces acting on the supension are greater than that of the pulley system acting on the side of the platter and it's spindle/shaft bearing."

You misunderstand what we are talking about when we say 'bearing' in the context of a TT. It isn't the spindle/sleeve surface we are talking about (this bearing surface has minimal load as you point out). We are talking about the thrust bearing load, and it is VERY substantial. 40 lbs on a point ain't nothing to sneeze at. It was already pointed out that the delrin thrust bearing went from a convex surface to a concave surface in one poster's experience. You can always change out the delrin bearing, however. I personally would be concerned with an increase in bearing rumble as the thrust surface wears...but that's just me.