EWC 24H Spa-Francorchamps: Its victory at Spa over 24 hours ends a 14-year wait for the YART Yamaha!

Top Austrian team leads EWC provisional standings after first 24-hour victory since 2009
Reigning champion, that of FCC TSR Honda France finished second and the Belgian team of BMW, third
National Motos Honda pockets a hard-fought success in the Dunlop Superstock Trophy

YART Yamaha Official EWC took the lead in the FIM Endurance World Championship provisional standings with victory at the 24H SPA EWC Motos today (Sunday), a result which ends a 14-year wait for the Austrian team on a double clock.

Despite a somewhat lethargic start from Marvin Fritz, the YART Yamaha quickly moved up a gear to fight with its opponents in the title race on the emblematic Spa-Francorchamps Circuit.

FCC TSR Honda France held the lead after eight hours of racing, and YART returned the compliment after the sixteenth. But if the Austrian team stayed out of trouble, exhaust problems forced FCC TSR Honda to spend five minutes in its pit just after the 16-hour mark of the race.

This costly stop allowed YART Yamaha to widen a gap, and even take a little too long to change a damaged rear tire just before the end of the 19th hour, to fly towards a first success in a 24-hour race since his 2009 triumph at Le Mans.

A happy Niccolò Canepa, who joined Fritz and Karel Hanika on the Bridgestone-equipped No. 7 machine, believes this is just the beginning for YART.

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He stated : " We have been chasing this victory for several years and I think it will be followed by many others. We all deserve it, and I'm very happy about it. Thanks to everyone involved in this project, and this is just the beginning.
It was a fabulous race. Honestly, it was difficult, very difficult. From start to finish, it wasn't easy. Until the last laps there was a question mark.
The team did a fabulous job at every pit stop and so did my teammates. We attacked from the first lap until the last. We never stopped believing in it. It's been a long time since we won a 24-hour race. But in our minds, there was only one goal: Win, no matter what. »

Fritz believes the win gives YART more than just the top spot in the provisional standings after the team has come close numerous times in its quest for 24-hour success. He stated :

« The championship lead is one thing. The biggest boost is the motivation for the staff and the drivers.
We attack very hard every race and every race something happens at the last moment. The biggest bonus is the motivation to show that YART can't just win in qualifying – we can win over 24 hours.
I can't say how many times we came close. I didn't have too many hopes, because I know that pole position never brings me luck. When we have pole position, I say to myself that it probably doesn't bode well. But in the end, we took everything. »

Hanika was delighted to be part of an important victory for YART. He stated :

« I'm super happy with this victory. It's my first over 24 hours, and the feeling is truly fabulous. The team did an awesome job. A big thank you to Yamaha, Bridgestone and all my teammates, everyone who is part of this team and my family.
The first 15 hours of racing were non-stop attack mode, so it was good to rest a little at the end. The race was clearly difficult. The competition was very tough. We couldn't stop attacking for a single turn. It was a great race for the spectators. »

THE BELGIAN WIN THE PODIUM RACE

The Belgian structure of BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team took full advantage of a series of disappointments suffered by the Yoshimura SERT Motul to take third place at home, with the Suzuki taking fourth.

BMW Motorrad was slowed by some mechanical issues during the first eight hours, but Yoshimura SERT Motul endured an unlucky race after being clearly in contention for the lead. Sylvain Guintoli wanted to stop in front of a garage that was not his during the first hour, then the team was penalized with a stop-go for a collision between Étienne Masson and the Holland Motorstore Racing motorcycle in turn 7, shortly before the end of the fifth hour.

The French team's misfortunes continued when their machine was forced to return to its pits for three minutes to resolve a technical problem after the sixth hour. And his chances of getting on the podium were gone for good when a water pump change was necessary three and a half hours from the finish.

Team Kawasaki Webike Trickstar finished fifth, having recovered well from an early race crash for Kazuki Watanabe who was taken to hospital for tests, but returned to the circuit to resume a rather quiet race by the following.

Another Belgian outfit, KM99 moved up to sixth place after 16 p.m. during a great night for its Yamaha, which was in 14th position after eight. Bastien Mackels had indeed crashed in Eau Rouge during the first, before his teammate Lucas Mahias slipped near the pit entrance after seven and a half hours.

Honda Viltaïs Racing took seventh place, Motobox Kremer Racing eighth, MANA-AU Competition ninth and TATI Team Beringer closed the top 10 – scoring points – in a race disrupted by rain at the end.

ERC Endurance Ducati was unable to repeat its fourth place finish from the EWC season opener at Le Mans, having to retire after almost four hours of racing. Wójcik Racing Team EWC suffered the same fate after seven and a half hours, as did Team Bolliger when their bike found itself stuck in the gravel after 18 hours of racing.

NATIONAL MOTOS HONDA WINS IN SUPERSTOCK

National Motos Honda has revived its FIM Endurance World Cup title hopes, taking the top step of the podium in the Dunlop Superstock Trophy category.

The French team, Honda Moto dealer and loyal EWC competitor, moved up to third place in the provisional standings thanks to their victory in Belgium, with Team 33 Louit April Moto taking second place after a close battle.

Honda No Limits, fourth at Le Mans for the season opener, finished third three laps behind the leaders and took provisional second place in the title race, depriving Chromeburner-RAC41-Honda, now leading in points, of the last step of the podium.

Sébastien Suchet, from National Motos, was delighted with this hard-won success. He stated :

« This circuit is very different from what we are used to, but the real challenge of this race was the competition. Our opponents didn't let us go throughout the race.
We gained tenths and seconds here and there to achieve this result. We couldn't leave room for error, but we did what was necessary. We had clear instructions, and it paid off.
Throughout the race we were often first, sometimes second or third, but at any time you could have put a pocket square on us and our opponents.
When you win, you feel less tired. I'm very happy for the team and for everyone. We had been chasing this victory for a while.
We had to do everything right, but sometimes things don't go as planned. This time we managed to do everything from start to finish, so I'm happy for everyone. »

FIGHT FOR SUPERSTOCK SUPREMACY

In this category, National Motos Honda found itself in an intense battle with RAC41 during the night. But disaster struck the last city after 16 and a half hours of racing when Chris Leesch crashed, forcing the team to make repairs in the pits.

This allowed him to salvage a fourth place, after overcoming mechanical problems in the final hour to return to the track and lead the FIM Endurance World Cup with 85 points – six more than Honda No Limits, who has 79 .

TRT27 Bazar 2 La Bécane took fifth place at Spa, and Slider Endurance sixth ahead of BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers.

Wójcik Racing Team STK placed eighth after being forced to pit before the 16-hour mark due to mechanical problems. Then Kamil Krzemień fell shortly after.

JMA Racing Action Bike finished ninth and Holland Motorstore Racing closed out the top 10 scoring points.