FIM EWC 2026
Round One – 24 Heures Motos
4.185 km Bugatti Circuit, Le Mans
YART opens title defence with Le Mans win
YART Yamaha Official EWC Team has won the opening round of the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship, taking victory in the 49th edition of the 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans after 859 laps of the Bugatti Circuit. Yoshimura SERT Motul finished second, five laps behind, while Kawasaki Webike Trickstar completed the podium a further six laps back.
The final margin does not tell the full story. YART came into the race from pole position after Karel Hanika’s record-setting qualifying pace, but the defending champions dropped as low as eighth at the start before working back into contention. Marvin Fritz, Hanika and Leandro Mercado gradually forced their way into the fight and then managed the closing stages once BMW’s challenge began to unravel on Sunday morning.
BMW led for two-thirds before late trouble
For much of the race, the team to beat was BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. The #37 M 1000 RR of Markus Reiterberger, Steven Odendaal and Michael van der Mark had qualified just 0.032s off pole, then used strong race pace and a more efficient fuel strategy to control the race through the night. BMW banked bonus points by leading at both the eight-hour and 16-hour marks and looked on course for a breakthrough Le Mans result.
Instead, the race turned after dawn. BMW had technical issues in the final third of the race, and Van der Mark crashed, incurring a penalty after a collision and later a mechanical problem. The factory BMW eventually slipped to 23rd overall and 12th in the EWC class, finishing 72 laps down on the winners.
Sven Blusch – Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport
“Despite everything, we can be very proud of our performance at Le Mans. Of course, it wasn’t the ending we had hoped for. We had an extremely tough but very productive winter of preparation and were able to improve in every area – which I believe we demonstrated impressively up until hour 16. Our efficiency has increased. All three riders, Mickey, Markus and Steven, did a flawless job, and the pit stops worked very well. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough in the end. Nevertheless, we are all the more proud that we managed to get the bike across the finish line and score important points. We are also very proud of what our customer teams achieved. We secured fourth, fifth, and sixth places. ERC as the best BMW team showed an extremely strong race pace, with riders Kenny, David and Marcel in his 24-hour debut. The AutoRace Ube Racing Team also went straight into the top five in their first appearance – an absolutely top performance. There, we saw the potential that the very strong rider trio Naomichi, Sylvain, and Hannes can extract from the bike. We would like to thank James Bungo and Uwe Reinhardt for these performances. It is absolutely brilliant that, with Champion-HERT, we won the Superstock class by more than ten laps. Now, starting tomorrow, it’s time for hard work to begin preparations for Spa. The fight for the world championship continues there.”
That left YART clear to secure a second straight Le Mans victory and the best possible start to its title defence. YART came away from the weekend with 63 of the 65 available points; the Austrian squad leaves France leading the championship from SERT and Kawasaki Webike Trickstar.
Mandy Kainz – Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team Manager
“This is one of those rare endurance races where almost everything went perfectly. We made virtually no mistakes, the bike worked incredibly well, and the whole team performed at a very high level. Nothing came loose, nothing went wrong, and after all those laps the bike was still running as it had at the start. It was simply a perfect performance. To win the race and take all the points from qualifying, we can be very happy with how the championship has started.”
SERT and Kawasaki cash in
Yoshimura SERT Motul’s run to second was built on staying in the fight while others hit trouble. The Suzuki squad had to deal with electronic cut-outs early and a later shifter issue, but Gregg Black, Etienne Masson and Dan Linfoot still completed 854 laps and secured a valuable haul of points.
Yohei Kato – Yoshimura SERT Motul Team Director
“This second-place finish brings a mix of immense pride with a slight disappointment. Drawing on the lessons learned from last year, we opted to manage our pace in the opening stages. However, from the halfway point onwards, we were able to unleash our true potential and successfully hunt down the leaders. The riders, the machine, and the entire crew performed exceptionally well, executing our strategy to perfection. It is unfortunate that a few minor issues ultimately kept us from our goal. That said, a second-place finish is by no means a bad result. I want to express my deepest gratitude to our three riders for their outstanding efforts. Le Mans is essentially our team’s second home, so we will just have to save that victory for next year. Thank you to everyone for your incredible support.”
Kawasaki Webike Trickstar was similarly rewarded for consistency. Roman Ramos, Christian Gamarino and Grégory Leblanc completed 848 laps to take third overall, giving Kawasaki a strong opening score in a race where simply staying in contention proved as important as outright speed.
BMW still had reasons to leave Le Mans encouraged despite the factory squad’s late slide. ERC Endurance #6 finished fourth overall, AutoRace Ube Racing Team was fifth, and Champion-Hert Powered by MRP took sixth outright while also winning the Superstock class.
Honda’s finishing position did not reflect its pace
F.C.C. TSR Honda France ended the race 12th overall and ninth in the EWC class, but that result only told part of the story. Corentin Perolari started from the second row, immediately moved the Fireblade into the fight and then into the lead, with Alan Techer and John McPhee also keeping the #5 in the leading group through the opening stages.
Corentin Perolari – F.C.C. TSR Honda France
“We started 4th on the grid; I got off to a great start and had a good first stint, building up a lead of 10–15 seconds. My stints were consistent and fast, with a race lap record. But during the night, I collided with another rider, so that cost us time. The mechanics did a brilliant job. In 15 minutes, the bike was fixed. As my elbow was hurting a bit, I skipped a stint and then got back into the pace until the end. We didn’t give up. My teammates did the job and were very fast and consistent too. I’m a bit disappointed about that crash, but it’s part of racing. We’re scoring points, that’s the main thing. There are still three races to go, so it was important not to give up.”
The decisive setback came shortly after the sixth hour. While running third, Perolari was involved in a collision and had to return to the pit lane for repairs. The stop cost around 15 minutes, dropping the team to 30th overall and 28 laps down. From there, TSR Honda France spent the rest of the race recovering, climbing back to 12th overall by the flag.
Outright Fastest Riders
F.C.C TSR Honda’s Corentin Perolari set the outright fastest lap of the race by a handy margin on lap 638 with a 1:35.698, ahead of Gregg Black on 1:35.963 and Michael van der Mark on 1:36.018. Naomichi Uramoto was next on 1:36.086, followed by Sylvain Guintoli on 1:36.118, Etienne Masson on 1:36.184, Hugo Clère and Markus Reiterberger on 1:36.240, and Marvin Fritz on 1:36.257.
Top 10 fastest riders
1. Corentin Perolari (F.C.C. TSR Honda France, Honda #5) – 1:35.698
2. Gregg Black (Yoshimura SERT Motul, Suzuki #12) – 1:35.963
3. Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, BMW #37) – 1:36.018
4. Naomichi Uramoto (AutoRace Ube Racing Team, BMW #76) – 1:36.086
5. Sylvain Guintoli (AutoRace Ube Racing Team, BMW #76) – 1:36.118
6. Etienne Masson (Yoshimura SERT Motul, Suzuki #12) – 1:36.184
7. Hugo Clere (Tati Team AVA6 Honda #4) – 1:36.240
8. Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, BMW #37) – 1:36.240
9. Marvin Fritz (YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, Yamaha #1) – 1:36.257
10. Hannes Soomer (AutoRace Ube Racing Team, BMW #76) – 1:36.357
That list says plenty about the race. Honda, Suzuki and BMW all had riders near the top of the outright pace charts, but YART combined speed, consistency and execution better than anyone across the full 24 hours.
Superstock and Production winners
Champion-Hert Powered by MRP took Superstock honours for BMW, finishing 11 laps clear of Honda No Limits, with TRT27 AZ Moto completing the class podium.
In Production, Legacy Competition gave Yamaha the class win, ahead of Greenteam 42 Lycée Sainte Claire’s Kawasaki and Mana-au Competition’s Honda.
Next Up – Spa
The next round of the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship is the 8 Hours of Spa Motos on June 5-6, with YART leading the standings on 63 points from Yoshimura SERT Motul on 48 and Kawasaki Webike Trickstar on 42.
24 Heures Motos Results
 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pos
|
Team
|
Bike
|
Cat
|
Time/Gap
|
|
1
|
YART Yamaha Official EWC Team
|
Yam
|
EWC
|
24h01m09s.651
|
|
2
|
Yoshimura SERT Motul
|
Suz
|
EWC
|
+5 Laps
|
|
3
|
Kawasaki Webike Trickstar
|
Kaw
|
EWC
|
+11 Laps
|
|
4
|
ERC Endurance #6
|
BMW
|
EWC
|
+12 Laps
|
|
5
|
AutoRace Ube Racing Team
|
BMW
|
EWC
|
+12 Laps
|
|
6
|
Champion-Hert Powered by MRP 1
|
BMW
|
SST
|
+21 Laps
|
|
7
|
Team Bolliger Switzerland #8
|
Kaw
|
EWC
|
+30 Laps
|
|
8
|
Honda No Limits
|
Hon
|
SST
|
+32 Laps
|
|
9
|
Mana-au Competition
|
Hon
|
EWC
|
+35 Laps
|
|
10
|
TRT27 AZ moto
|
Hon
|
SST
|
+37 Laps
|
|
11
|
MAXXESS By BMRT3D
|
Kaw
|
EWC
|
+38 Laps
|
|
12
|
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
|
Hon
|
EWC
|
+40 Laps
|
|
13
|
Dafy-Kaedear-RAC41-Honda
|
Hon
|
SST
|
+40 Laps
|
|
14
|
Revo-M2
|
Apr
|
SST
|
+47 Laps
|
|
15
|
TEAM 18 POMPIERS IGOL CMS MOTOSTORE
|
Yam
|
SST
|
+49 Laps
|
|
16
|
TEAM RACING 85 by A2M2
|
Kaw
|
SST
|
+50 Laps
|
|
17
|
LRP Poland
|
BMW
|
EWC
|
+54 Laps
|
|
18
|
Junior Team le Mans Sud Suzuki
|
Suz
|
SST
|
+54 Laps
|
|
19
|
Wójcik Racing Team #77 SST
|
Hon
|
SST
|
+61 Laps
|
|
20
|
Aprilia le Mans 2 Roues
|
Apr
|
SST
|
+62 Laps
|
|
21
|
CAM RACING TEAM
|
Hon
|
SST
|
+65 Laps
|
|
22
|
Motobox Kremer Racing by 321
|
Yam
|
EWC
|
+68 Laps
|
|
23
|
BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM
|
BMW
|
SST
|
+72 Laps
|
|
24
|
Breiz motorsport
|
Yam
|
SST
|
+76 Laps
|
|
25
|
Team Étoile
|
BMW
|
SST
|
+78 Laps
|
|
26
|
LEGACY COMPETITION
|
Yam
|
PRD
|
+85 Laps
|
|
27
|
TEAM TECMAS – MINERVA OIL
|
BMW
|
SST
|
+86 Laps
|
|
28
|
WERC MOTORS EVENTS
|
Suz
|
SST
|
+86 Laps
|
|
29
|
GREENTEAM 42 LYCEE SAINTE CLAIRE
|
Kaw
|
PRD
|
+89 Laps
|
|
30
|
Mana-au Competition
|
Hon
|
PRD
|
+100 Laps
|
|
31
|
Kingtyre Fullgas Racing Team #116
|
Kaw
|
EWC
|
+117 Laps
|
|
32
|
Team HTC Racing
|
Yam
|
PRD
|
+118 Laps
|
|
33
|
MACO RACING Team
|
Yam
|
EWC
|
+118 Laps
|
|
34
|
ARTEC #199
|
Kaw
|
PRD
|
+128 Laps
|
|
35
|
T2C Racing
|
BMW
|
SST
|
+136 Laps
|
|
36
|
Flying Buffs M3 Racing
|
BMW
|
PRO
|
+143 Laps
|
|
37
|
TEAM 202
|
Yam
|
SST
|
+209 Laps
|
|
38
|
GRT 42 – KAWASAKI ORLEANS MOTO SPORT
|
Kaw
|
PRO
|
+209 Laps
|
| Not Classified (Retired) | ||||
|
39
|
JNcompetition
|
Kaw
|
SST
|
+394 Laps
|
|
40
|
LF RACING MOTO ATTITUDE
|
Yam
|
PRO
|
+425 Laps
|
|
41
|
NATIONAL MOTOS HONDA FMA
|
Hon
|
SST
|
RET
|
|
42
|
Team Supermoto Racing
|
Yam
|
PRO
|
RET
|
|
43
|
Team ORS
|
Kaw
|
EWC
|
RET
|
|
44
|
GRILLINI RACING TEAM
|
Kaw
|
EWC
|
RET
|
|
45
|
BASOMBA RACING
|
Yam
|
SST
|
RET
|
|
46
|
Team Grip Attack
|
Hon
|
SST
|
RET
|
|
47
|
TPC – Moteur Actif
|
Yam
|
PRO
|
RET
|
|
48
|
TEAM SLA / HONDA TOULON
|
Hon
|
SST
|
RET
|
|
49
|
TEAM METISS
|
Met
|
SST
|
RET
|
|
50
|
Slider Endurance
|
Hon
|
EXP
|
RET
|
|
51
|
TMC 35-PMO
|
Yam
|
SST
|
RET
|
|
52
|
PITLANE ENDURANCE
|
Yam
|
SST
|
RET
|
|
53
|
INFINITEAM FLAM RACING
|
Yam
|
SST
|
RET
|
|
54
|
Tati Team AVA6 Racing
|
Hon
|
SST
|
RET
|
|
55
|
3ART Best Of Bike Hamaguchi
|
Yam
|
EWC
|
RET
|
|
56
|
ETH by 2V Racing
|
Hon
|
SST
|
RET
|
|
57
|
Elf Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99
|
Yam
|
PRO
|
RET
|
|
58
|
PLAYERS
|
Kaw
|
EWC
|
RET
|
|
59
|
TEAM PMS99 YAM SERVICE
|
Yam
|
SST
|
RET
|
2026 FIM Endurance World Championship Points
|
|||||||
|
Pos
|
Team
|
Bike
|
Total
|
FRA
|
BEL
|
JPN
|
FRA
|
|
1
|
YART Yamaha Official EWC Team
|
Yamaha
|
63
|
63
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
|
2
|
Yoshimura SERT Motul
|
Suzuki
|
48
|
48
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
|
3
|
Kawasaki Webike Trickstar
|
Kawasaki
|
42
|
42
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
|
4
|
AutoRace Ube Racing Team
|
BMW
|
36
|
36
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
|
5
|
ERC Endurance #6
|
BMW
|
35
|
35
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
|
6
|
BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM
|
BMW
|
33
|
33
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
|
7
|
Team Bolliger Switzerland #8
|
Kawasaki
|
23
|
23
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
|
8
|
MAXXESS By BMRT3D
|
Kawasaki
|
21
|
21
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
|
9
|
Mana-au Competition
|
Honda
|
20
|
20
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
|
10
|
F.C.C. TSR Honda France
|
Honda
|
15
|
15
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
|
11
|
LRP Poland
|
BMW
|
15
|
15
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
|
12
|
Motobox Kremer Racing by 321
|
Yamaha
|
13
|
13
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
|
13
|
Kingtyre Fullgas Racing Team #116
|
Kawasaki
|
8
|
8
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
|
14
|
MACO RACING Team
|
Yamaha
|
7
|
7
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
|
15
|
Elf Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99
|
Yamaha
|
1
|
1
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
