2026 FIM EWC Round 1 Results

Cycle News Staff | April 21, 2026

The 49th running of the 24 Heures Motos at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans delivered a classic FIM Endurance World Championship opener, with the Yamalube YART Yamaha Official EWC Team emerging victorious once again to claim back-to-back wins following their 2025 success.

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team at 2026 24 Heures Motos — **(From left) Leandro Mercado, Marvin Fritz and Karel Hanika made up for a slow start to take the second straight Le Mans 24 Hours win for the Yamaha Austria Racing Team.**

Riding the YZF-R1 number-one, the trio of Karel Hanika, Marvin Fritz and Niccolo Canepa overcame a turbulent start to secure the win. Despite starting from pole position, YART completely missed the launch off the line and quickly slipped outside the top five in the opening laps. From there, the Austrian-backed squad was forced into full recovery mode, gradually rebuilding momentum through the night and into the early morning hours.

2026 24 Heures Motos YART Yamaha Official EWC Team — **YART Yamaha Official EWC Team**

The race shifted dramatically at dawn. The number-37 BMW M 1000 RR BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team entry of Markus Reiterberger, Steven Odendaal and Michael van der Mark had controlled much of the race through the first 16 hours, even surviving brutally cold night conditions that dropped to around 40.

However, their challenge unraveled in the second half. A crash for van der Mark, followed by a penalty after contact at turn seven, and later a mechanical issue, ended BMW’s hopes of a landmark Le Mans victory.

With its nearest rival eliminated, YART Yamaha managed the closing stages, maintaining a lead of six laps to secure Yamaha’s sixth overall victory at Le Mans.

Yoshimura SERT Motul at 2026 24 Heures Motos — **Yoshimura SERT Motul secured second place, overcoming early electronic gremlins and a late-race quickshifter issue.**

Behind the winners, Yoshimura SERT Motul secured second place aboard the Suzuki number 12, with Gregg Black, Etienne Masson and Dan Linfoot overcoming early electronic gremlins and a late-race quickshifter issue to bring the bike home.

Completing the podium was Kawasaki Webike Trickstar, with Cristian Gamarino, Roman Ramos and Gregory Leblanc guiding the Kawasaki number 11 to a steady, trouble-free run, capitalizing primarily on the misfortunes of BMW to finish third.

**Kawasaki Webike Trickstar at 2026 24 Heures Motos**

There were several notable retirements and setbacks throughout the field. The ELF Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99 Yamaha showed strong early pace before suffering an engine failure, while F.C.C. TSR Honda France endured a crash in the early hours. After extended repairs lasting over 15 minutes in the pits, the team rejoined but could only recover to 12th overall.

In Superstock, the BMW entry from Champion-MRP claimed a breakthrough victory, marking the Hungarian squad’s first win in the category. They were followed by No Limits Honda in second, with TRT27 AZ Moto rounding out the podium in third after returning to form following a Bol d’Or absence from the rostrum.

**2026 24 Heures Motos ERC Endurance #6**

In the Production class, Legacy Racing Team Yamaha number 96 secured the win after a tight battle, narrowly defeating the Green Team 42 Lycée Saint Claire Kawasaki. Newcomers Mana-au Competition impressed in their debut with a strong third-place finish.

2026 24 Heures Motos LEGACY COMPETITION — **2026 24 Heures Motos Legacy Racing**

**24 Heures Motos Champion-Hert Powered by MRP**

The opening round has YART Yamaha leading the FIM Endurance World Championship standings on 63 to SERT’s 48 and Kawasaki Webike Trickstar is third on 36. The next round is the 8 Hours of Spa Motos at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium on June 5-6. CN