The Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team won the 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship following a tense finish to the season at Circuit Paul Ricard as Yoshimura SERT Motul won the 86th Bol d’Or.
Photos Courtesy of EWC
Austria-based YART was one of six teams in EWC title contention starting the 24-hour event, but endured a nervy conclusion to the race due to a temperature issue that forced the team to make multiple pit stops for repairs.
With defending champion F.C.C. TSR Honda France retiring after three hours following a mechanical failure and the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team dropping out of the lead fight due to two unscheduled pit visits, YART needed a top-nine finish to secure the championship.
Running with a special livery to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Yamaha R1, the Bridgestone-equipped YART trio of Niccolò Canepa, Marvin Fritz and Karel Hanika eventually finished fourth to take the EWC title behind race winners SERT, with Honda Viltais Racing and the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team taking second and third, respectively, on the Bol d’Or podium.
“The team did an amazing job, I’m really proud of them and my teammates were riding superbly,” said Czech Hanika, whose Yamaha was fully functioning at the finish. “Big thanks to Yamaha for this opportunity. Every rider participates in this championship because they want to win and that’s why we are here trying to do our best.”
YART takes the title with 181 points ahead of SERT at 161 and the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team at 160. With their failure to finish in France, former champions F.C.C. TSR Honda France drop to fourth in the standings at 149. CN
The Final Ranking of the 86th Bol d’Or Endurance Race and the provisional FIM Endurance World Championship and Cup points standings are available HERE.
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