YART Yamaha's 24 Hours of Le Mans ended prematurely when a mechanical failure in the tenth hour ended their race while they were in second place. However, despite a good performance in the first half of the race, the team received 14 points in the FIM World Endurance Championship.
In high temperatures, Karel Hanika kicked off the 2021 YART season, but after a problem at the start, he found himself pushed back to 15th position. The race was quickly disrupted by an incident in the first corner for the Wojcik Racing Team, which allowed the Czech driver to return to the peloton. The former Red Bull Rookies Cup champion fought his way through the peloton and quickly found himself in the top 10 at the end of the first ten minutes. Five minutes later, Hanika was in the top 5 and continued her race for the podium.
Author of the best lap of the race, the 25-year-old continued to attack and climbed to third place before overtaking the Tati Team Beringer Racing Kawasaki at Garage Vert to take second place. With a gap of 2,7 seconds ahead of him, Hanika continued to push and caught the lead bike at the end of his first stint.
R1 number seven is now in the hands of Marvin Fritz, the German rider returned to the track just behind the SERT motorcycle, where he remained for the duration of his stint. Keeping the team in the race, Fritz returned to the pits, and it was the turn of the experienced Nicolò Canepa. A vital pit stop for the YART team allowed the Italian to take the lead, but he was unable to hold on during his stint. Struggling with rear grip due to the higher temperatures, the factory Yamaha team kept calm and put together laps while remaining within reach of the race lead.
As the four hours of racing approach, Karel Hanika is back on the R1 and making up for lost time during the pit stop. After following the SERT bike, the Czech rider took the lead of the race, and a titanic battle with Greg Black began. Hanika took the lead but gave it up by stopping a lap earlier than his rival. With a comfortable second place, the YART team continued to push and secured nine more points after eight hours.
However, YART's victory chase ended in dramatic fashion in the tenth hour when Marvin Fritz brought the R1 into the pits. Thanks to a heroic effort by the team, the engine was dismantled and rebuilt within an hour, but with the damage too great, the team was forced to abandon the race.
Despite the retirement, YART was able to score 14 points at Le Mans and is determined to continue its momentum in the second round of the season in Estoril, Portugal on July 17.
Karel Hanika – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team
« We are disappointed with this result, it is difficult to accept it. Until this problem, the feeling was not bad. It wasn't perfect because we were struggling with rear grip due to the high temperatures, but despite this we were able to maintain our place to stay as close to first position as possible. Our plan was to really attack in the night because we knew we were strong at that time, but unfortunately we couldn't show our potential. I'm very sad for the whole team but I know we will be back in Estoril to get a good result. »
Marvin Fritz – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team
« I don't know what to say, it's like a never ending story. Last year we finished fourth and this year we were very strong in practice, and we had pole position. We knew our strong point would be at night because our tires and our bike had performed well in night testing, so we knew that would be our strong point. We had a little more difficulty than expected during the day, but even before the technical problem we were catching the SERT by half a second to a second per lap and we were in a good position for the night race. Karel, Niccolò and I did a good job this week, the team did an incredible job and we deserved much more. The championship will be difficult because we lose a lot of points in the 24-hour races, but we are already focused to do our best in Estoril and recover some points. »
Niccolò Canepa – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team
« It's really frustrating to be knocked out of the race so early. I was fast, I didn't make any mistakes and I felt strong, but we didn't get what we deserved. The race was going as planned, the conditions were warmer than expected and we struggled a little more. But despite this, the gap was still very close for a 24-hour race! We knew we were only just beginning our journey, the night practice pace was half a second faster than our rivals, so we knew we had something extra. It's a shame but there's nothing we can do. There are no regrets because we had a good race, and we just have to focus on Estoril. We have to try to win races now because when you lose a 24-hour race in such a short season, the championship is over. »
Mandy Kainz – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, Team Manager
« Our plan was to control the race and follow the Suzuki because we had a little more difficulty in these conditions. We knew that our weather would come with the colder conditions, and we also proved it during the warm up. But suddenly we couldn't use the pace we had during the night when a technical problem with the engine ended our race. We will now turn our attention to Estoril, we must arrive in the best possible shape and win; that’s our goal. »
