BMW wins Bol d’Or to seal first EWC title by four points

FIM EWC 2026

Round Four – Bol d’Or
Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, France

BMW win FIM EWC crown

BMW has turned last year’s Bol d’Or heartbreak into a history-making world title, with Markus Reiterberger, Steven Odendaal and Michael van der Mark winning the 2026 finale to wrest the FIM Endurance World Championship from YART Yamaha by just four points.

Twelve months after a late mechanical failure snatched the championship from its grasp, Werner Daemen’s Belgian-based squad delivered the perfect response. Pole position, maximum points at both intermediate checkpoints and victory gave the #37 BMW M 1000 RR all 65 points available at Paul Ricard.

The winning trio completed a record 742 laps, with Yoshimura SERT Motul one lap behind and YART another lap back in third. BMW became the first European motorcycle manufacturer to win the FIM EWC title.

For YART, a podium after a bruising build-up was an impressive recovery, but second place was what the reigning champions needed. Gregg Black, Etienne Masson and Dan Linfoot occupied that position for Suzuki when it mattered, ending their own campaign third in the championship.

Australian Max Stauffer’s race ended in disappointment when Motobox Kremer retired shortly before the 16-hour mark, while Wójcik Racing claimed both the Superstock race win and World Cup. Legacy Competition secured the Production World Trophy.

BMW starts taking points before the race

YART arrived with 112 points and a 19-point advantage over BMW, but the challengers immediately began eating into that cushion. Van der Mark and Reiterberger combined for a pole-winning average of 1m50.837, more than six-tenths clear of AutoRace Ube’s BMW. Yoshimura SERT Motul was third, just three-thousandths behind the second-placed team.

YART qualified seventh and missed the points awarded to the top five. BMW’s five-point reward for pole therefore reduced the championship gap to 14 before the running start.

The Austrian squad had already endured four crashes across Tuesday’s private practice and Thursday’s sessions. Hanika was particularly battered, while the mechanics faced a major rebuild. Getting all three riders and a competitive R1 to the start had required considerable work.

Opening hours: Honda takes the fight to BMW

Black produced another of his rapid starts to launch the Suzuki into the lead, but van der Mark had the BMW back in front by the end of the opening lap. Behind them, Marvin Fritz completed lap one in 16th on the YART Yamaha before charging back towards the leading group.

Fritz’s recovery included a 1m52.450 on lap six, which remained YART’s fastest lap of the entire race. After an hour, the leading BMW, Naomichi Uramoto’s AutoRace Ube BMW, F.C.C. TSR Honda and YART were covered by less than 13 seconds.

Suzuki’s first stop was less tidy. A front-wheel-change problem cost around 15 seconds, dropping the #12 to fifth, while its initial hard-tyre choice made it difficult for Masson and Linfoot to find the pace they wanted as conditions changed.

BMW settled into a van der Mark, Odendaal and Reiterberger rotation, with Honda countering through Alan Techer, Corentin Perolari and John McPhee. The two teams repeatedly exchanged the lead as their stints and stops played out.

At two hours BMW led Honda by just over three seconds. An hour later Honda was ahead by less than four-tenths, and at four hours the #5 still held a slender advantage of less than a second. This was a sustained contest, with Honda leading 56 laps over the course of the race.

Perolari underlined Honda’s speed with a 1m52.320 on lap 122, the fastest lap of the race. Van der Mark’s best of 1m52.421 was only a tenth slower, while every rider aboard the eventual top four machines would record a lap in the 1m52s.

AutoRace Ube’s challenge unravelled much earlier. The #76 crashed at Turn 10 during the fourth hour, having run second at the first hourly checkpoint. Its race subsequently ended after 140 laps, with the official EWC report recording a fire in the sixth hour.

Hours five to eight: BMW’s advantage begins to count

The leading BMW’s fuel range increasingly shaped the race. Once into its regular rhythm, the #37 generally covered 28 laps between stops, compared with YART’s predominantly 26-lap runs. Those extra laps extended BMW’s stints and gradually reduced the number of visits required to the pit lane.

BMW was back ahead at five hours, with Honda a little over a minute behind. Suzuki had moved past YART into third, and by six hours Black, Masson and Linfoot were within roughly 23 seconds of the Honda on the same lap.

The lead kept changing during the pit cycles until BMW took over on lap 198. From there, the #37 led every remaining lap, a sequence of 545 laps that carried it all the way to the chequered flag.

At eight hours, BMW had completed 248 laps and led Honda by a minute and a half. Suzuki was third on 247 laps and YART fourth on 246. BMW collected ten championship points, Honda nine, Suzuki eight and YART seven, cutting the Yamaha squad’s remaining advantage to 11 points.

Through the night: Suzuki recovers, and Honda fights back

A change of tyres helped Suzuki’s race come together as temperatures fell. Black, Masson and Linfoot began recovering the ground lost early, and the #12 was second at the nine-hour checkpoint, less than two seconds ahead of Honda with both on 278 laps.

Suzuki remained second at halfway, one lap behind BMW, with Honda another lap back and YART a further lap behind. The Suzuki riders’ consistency was striking: their eventual best laps were all within eight-hundredths of one another, Black quickest with a 1m52.750 ahead of Linfoot’s 1m52.801 and Masson’s 1m52.828.

Honda was still very much in the contest for second, however. At 14 hours it was back ahead of Suzuki by around 24 seconds, and remained second at 15 hours with the margin reduced to roughly 11 seconds. The order continued to shift as the stops unfolded.

By the second points checkpoint at 16 hours, Suzuki had regained second. BMW led on 495 laps, followed by Suzuki on 494, Honda on 493 and YART on 492. Another ten points went to BMW against YART’s seven, leaving the defending champions just eight points ahead before the finishing points were applied.

Etienne Masson

“As soon as the temperatures dropped slightly and we were able to change tyres, things really improved. From then on, we performed very well, both in the pits and on the track. Unfortunately, the #37 was very strong this year. They didn’t make a single mistake and maintained a very high pace throughout the race.”

Morning charge keeps YART in contention

YART’s fastest opening lap sequence had come from Fritz, but Mercado and Hanika both produced strong morning runs. Mercado set his personal best of 1m52.672 on lap 514, before handing over to Hanika.

Despite the effects of his earlier crashes, Hanika then delivered one of his strongest stints, repeatedly circulating in the low 1m53s. His pace allowed him to contest track position with the leading BMW even though the Yamaha remained behind on race distance.

Van der Mark was also quick in that phase, so BMW retained control at the front. Across the full race, its three riders each completed nine spells aboard the #37, maintaining the same orderly rotation until Reiterberger took the final run to the flag.

YART gradually closed on Honda. At 17 hours the #1 was around 82 seconds behind the #5 on the same lap; by 19 hours that had shrunk to 29 seconds, and at 20 hours the margin was down to around 19 seconds.

Then Honda’s race took a costly turn. A Turn 1 crash during the 21st hour led to an extended visit to the pits. The stop record shows the #5 entering at 20 hours 31 minutes and remaining in pit lane for more than 11 minutes, promoting YART into third.

Honda briefly fell behind the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99 Yamaha as well, before recovering fourth. Its speed was enough to lead early and challenge for second deep into the race, but the late delay left Techer, Perolari and McPhee eight laps behind the winner.

A different final half-hour for BMW

YART now had a podium position, but still needed to catch Suzuki to save the championship. Fritz continued the chase before Mercado took the final stint, while Black brought the #12 home for Yoshimura SERT Motul.

There was no repeat of BMW’s crushing late failure from 2025. Reiterberger completed the job, and although the leading machines circulated together in the closing laps, the race-distance gaps remained decisive: BMW on 742 laps, Suzuki on 741 and YART on 740.

The pit figures help explain how such evenly matched machinery became separated. BMW made 26 stops for a cumulative 36 minutes 27 seconds in pit lane. Suzuki made 27 stops totalling 38 minutes three seconds, while YART’s 28 stops added up to 39 minutes 57 seconds.

That gave BMW around a minute and 37 seconds less pit-lane time than Suzuki, and three-and-a-half minutes less than YART. Sustained speed, fuel efficiency and clean execution all contributed to a victory in which the #37 led 684 of the 742 laps.

Markus Reiterberger

“Finally, we have done it. Last year we had a bit of bad luck, so I was a little nervous during the final stint, but in the end, it worked out. I’m so happy for my team-mates: they were incredibly strong, just like the whole team.”

Karel Hanika

“On Friday, I felt really bad and wasn’t even sure I would be able to race. I found the beginning difficult, but my physio did a great job, and we worked through a good process that improved my condition. Towards the end of the race, I actually started to feel better. Even if I had been at 100 per cent, I do not think it would have changed the result, so we have to be happy with third.”

Stauffer’s race ends after 16 hours

Max Stauffer shared the Motobox Kremer Yamaha with Lennox Lehmann and Bastian Ubl, completing six spells aboard the #65 before the team’s race ended after 445 laps.

Stauffer’s best was a 1m55.561 on lap 116, only around three-tenths slower than Lehmann’s eventual team benchmark. Motobox was 18th overall and 11th in Formula EWC at halfway, but accumulated delays through the morning and recorded its final lap shortly before the 16-hour mark.

The retirement left Stauffer and Lehmann 11th in the published EWC riders’ ranking, with Motobox also 11th in the teams’ standings on 36 points.

Max Stauffer

“Unfortunately, after 16 hours of racing, we had to retire from the race. Tough pill to swallow for myself and the Motobox-Kremer-Racing#65, but I would like to thank them for all of their hard work.”

Late setbacks reshape the top ten

Kawasaki Webike Trickstar completed the Formula EWC top five with Roman Ramos, Christian Gamarino and Grégory Leblanc. The #11 spent much of the race disputing fifth with KM99, but both teams lost substantial time before the finish.

KM99’s Randy de Puniet, Florian Marino and Bo Bendsneyder held fifth at 16 hours and were briefly fourth following Honda’s delay. A late technical problem then left the #99 stranded for an extended period. The team repaired the Yamaha and returned to complete 668 laps, finishing 21st overall and ninth in Formula EWC.

ERC Endurance also failed to finish, retiring after 629 laps. Only 36 of the 56 starters were classified as finishers.

MACO Racing took eighth overall and sixth in Formula EWC with Martin Vugrinec, David Checa and Oliver König. Mana-au Competition and PMS99 Yam Service completed the next two EWC positions, while Team Metiss won the Experimental class in 14th overall.

Wójcik wins the Superstock showdown

Wójcik Racing’s #77 Honda claimed sixth overall and the Superstock victory with Jordi Torres, Milan Pawelec, Mateusz Molik and Hector Garzo, completing 717 laps to beat 3ART Best Of Bike Hamaguchi by two laps. Honda No Limits finished third in class, followed by Team 18 Pompiers Igol CMS Motostore.

The result also secured the FIM Endurance World Cup for Wójcik by four points, 108 to 104 over Champion-Hert Powered by MRP.

Champion-Hert had led the class at both eight and ten hours, but the #38 BMW’s night came apart through a series of delays. It remained on 343 laps at both the 12- and 13-hour checkpoints, eventually recovering to 11th in class and 20th overall.

Wójcik was leading Superstock at the 16-hour points checkpoint and converted that position into the win. Pawelec supplied the team’s fastest lap, a 1m53.777, during the morning. 3ART’s runner-up finish and Team 18’s fourth gave Yamaha two of the top four in class.

Legacy takes Production title as Audemar wins Production

Audemar Motoclub Gemenos won the Production class with Bastien Vigne, Arnaud Dejean, Quentin Benslimane and Tony Guerrero, completing 666 laps. Legacy Competition followed two laps behind, with ARTEC #199 third on 659.

ARTEC had led the class at the 16-hour checkpoint and remained in front at 20 hours, but a delay during the following hour dropped the Kawasaki behind both Yamahas.

Legacy’s second place was enough to secure the Production World Trophy on 134 points, 19 ahead of ARTEC. Yamaha also won the Production manufacturers’ title, while Honda topped the Superstock manufacturers’ standings.

Bol d’Or Results

Pos	Team	Cat	Laps
1	BMW Motorrad World EWC	EWC	742
2	Yoshimura SERT Motul	EWC	741
3	YART Yamaha	EWC	740
4	F.C.C. TSR Honda	EWC	734
5	Kawasaki Webike Trickstar	EWC	718
6	Wójcik Racing #77	OHS	717
7	3ART Best Of Bike	OHS	715
8	MACO Racing	EWC	714
9	Honda No Limits	OHS	713
10	Team 18 Igol CMS	OHS	712
11	Mana-au Competition	EWC	712
12	Junior Team LMS Suzuki	OHS	701
13	PMS99 Yam Service	EWC	696
14	Team Metiss	EXP	691
15	Aprilia Le Mans 2 Wheels	OHS	682
16	SLA / Honda Toulon	OHS	679
17	JMA Racing Action Bike	OHS	677
18	TRT27 AZ Motorcycle	OHS	674
19	CAM Racing	OHS	673
20	Champion-Hert MRP	OHS	669
21	Elf Marc VDS / KM99	EWC	668
22	Audemar Motoclub Gemenos	DRP	666
23	Legacy Competition	DRP	664
24	Team 202	OHS	661
25	ARTEC #199	DRP	659
26	High Side April Moto Louit	DRP	657
27	LC Racing	OHS	651
28	HTC Racing	DRP	645
29	Tati AVA6	EWC	640
30	Focus Endurance	DRP	635
31	Grip Attack	DRP	627
32	Moto Sport 56 by JMA	DRP	627
33	CSR Endurance	OHS	614
34	Supermoto Racing	DRP	605
35	Mana-au Competition	DRP	590
36	Team FMR 34	EXP	589
37	ERC Endurance #6	EWC	629
38	Racing 85 by A2M2	OHS	518
39	PMS Racing	OHS	503
40	Team 113 VIP	OHS	502
41	Motobox Kremer	EWC	445
42	DSE-RAC41	DRP	411
43	Greenteam 42	DRP	397
44	Slider Endurance	OHS	383
45	Infiniteam Flam	OHS	353
46	Bolliger Switzerland #8	EWC	331
47	Dafy-Kaedear-RAC41	OHS	274
48	Revo-M2	OHS	205
49	MAXXESS by BMRT3D	EWC	202
50	AutoRace Ube	EWC	140
51	Flying Buffs M3	DRP	131
52	National Motos Honda	OHS	127
53	Tecmas Minerva Oil	OHS	83
54	LRP Poland	EWC	57
55	Team Star	OHS	30
56	Grillini Racing	EWC	16

How BMW overturned a 19-point deficit

BMW’s title was built across the entire weekend. The team arrived with 93 points against YART’s 112, then took five points for pole while YART’s seventh on the grid earned none.

Leading at both eight and 16 hours added another 20 points for BMW. YART collected 14 from two fourth places, leaving the Yamaha squad ahead 126 to 118 before the finishing points were awarded.

Victory brought BMW 40 points and a final total of 158. Third was worth 28 to YART, which finished on 154. Second place would have earned YART 33 points and taken it to 159, enough to retain the championship by a single point.

That’s why Yoshimura SERT Motul’s position was so important. Suzuki’s three qualifying points, eight points at the first checkpoint, nine at the second and 33 for finishing second produced a 53-point weekend and third in the championship on 137.

BMW therefore outscored YART by 23 points at the finale, overturning the 19-point deficit to win the championship by four.

First Endurance crown for BMW

The breakthrough capped a season in which BMW recovered from problems at Le Mans to win at Spa, finish third at Suzuka and win the Bol d’Or. Van der Mark joined Reiterberger and Odendaal as a full-time member of the squad this year, and the three riders delivered the team’s first EWC title together.

Steven Odendaal

“I couldn’t be happier. We have been trying to win this World Championship for a very long time. To lose it the way we did last year was simply heartbreaking. That makes winning it this year all the more special. We are three very strong riders in a fantastic team.”

Werner Daemen

“We built something up – and that is a very important point: we didn’t just build the best motorcycle, we also built the best team. And together with BMW, with the hard work and the good equipment they provide us with, we were truly at the top this year. I am very proud to have won the title for BMW.”

YART finished the season with a Le Mans victory and three podiums from four rounds. The Bol d’Or also delivered Yamaha’s third consecutive Formula EWC manufacturers’ title, with 179 points against BMW’s 167 and Honda’s 141.

Kawasaki Webike Trickstar finished fourth in the teams’ championship on 105 points, ahead of AutoRace Ube on 64 and ERC Endurance on 62. F.C.C. TSR Honda’s fourth at Paul Ricard helped lift it to seventh in the final standings on 61.

2026 FIM Endurance World Championship Points

Pos	Cat	Team	Riders	Points
1	EWC	BMW Motorrad	M. Reiterberger / S. Odendaal / M. Van Der Mark	158
2	EWC	YART	K. Hanika / M. Fritz / L. Mercado	154
3	EWC	Yoshimura SERT Motul	G. Black / E. Masson / D. Linfoot	137
4	EWC	Kawasaki Webike Trickstar	R. Ramos / C. Gamarino / G. Leblanc	105
5	EWC	AutoRace Ube	N. Uramoto / S. Guintoli / H. Soomer	64
6	EWC	ERC Endurance #6	M. Schrötter / K. Foray / D. Checa	62
7	EWC	F.C.C. TSR Honda	A. Techer / C. Perolari / J. McPhee	61
8	EWC	Mana-au Competition	M. Fetz / K. Aebi / N. Vasta	49
9	EWC	Bolliger Switzerland #8	N. Thöni / A. Toledo / V. Valtonen	43
10	EWC	MACO Racing	M. Vugrinec / D. Juhász / M. Prasek	37
11	EWC	Motobox Kremer	M. Stauffer / L. Lehmann / M. Kofler	36
12	EWC	Honda HRC	T. Takahashi / J. Rea / S. Chantra	35
13	EWC	Elf Marc VDS / KM99	R. De Puniet / F. Marino / A. Delbianco	34
14	EWC	MAXXESS by BMRT3D	D. Sanchís / T. Edwards / M. Gregorio	33
15	EWC	Tati AVA6	H. Clere / M. Di Meglio / I. Viñales	31
16	EWC	LRP Poland	E. Boulom / S. Morais / D. Webb	28
17	EWC	Yamaha Factory	K. Nakasuga / J. Miller / A. Locatelli	25
18	EWC	PMS99 Yam Service	M. Delestre / R. Maher / F. Mincione	25
19	EWC	SDG HARC-PRO Honda	Y. Kunii / T. Nagoe / K. Abe	14
20	EWC	Honda Asia-Dream Astemo	N. Atiratphuvapat / K. Pawi / M. Putra	13
21	EWC	ATJ with NTT Docomo	S. Iwata / K. Suzuki / T. Kunimine	12
22	EWC	S-Pulse Dream Suzuki	S. Nishimura / J. Folger / J. Guarnoni	11
23	EWC	Marumae Team Kodama	Y. Kodama / M. Stauffer / T. Takahashi	10
24	EWC	Kingtyre Fullgas #116	B. Ubl / V. Gauthereau / L. Cirard	8
25	EWC	KRP Sanyo Kogyo & RS-ITOH	Y. Sano / K. Sano / R. Sugawara	7
26	EWC	Astemo Pro Honda SI	K. Nozane / T. Hada / K. Arakawa	6
27	EWC	Honda Suzuka	B. Young / G. Nakajima / M. Watanuki	3
28	EWC	Shinsyuren with Totec	H. Nakajima / K. Okuda / I. Higashimura	2

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