Dream Podium for YART Yamaha at Suzuka
Marvin Fritz, Niccolò Canepa, and Karel Hanika produced a sensational performance to secure second place and claim the first podium for the Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team at the legendary Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race, in the process extending the reigning champion’s advantage at the top of the overall standings to six points after three rounds of the 2024 FIM Endurance World Championship.
In the build-up to the race, it has been no secret how much a podium at Suzuka would mean to YART Team Manager Mandy Kainz and his entire squad. It has always been their long-held dream, and while they have come close in the past, fate and bad fortune have seen one continually escape their grasp.
The signs were good for 2024, though, with the Austrian-based squad heading into Sunday’s 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race full of confidence after winning the last round of the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC), the 8 Hours of Spa Motos, in imperious fashion.
They continued this rapid pace into practice in Japan before dominating Friday’s qualifying sessions after setting a combined time over half a second quicker than anyone else and winning Saturday’s Top 10 Trial with a stunning 2:05.130 lap from Fritz to secure pole position.
As 11:30 am local time rolled around on Sunday, and with the sweltering heat and intense humidity constantly on the rise, the countdown to the epic race began with Canepa taking the reigns of the Bridgestone-shod YART #1 R1 for the traditional “Le Mans” running start.
When the flag dropped, the Italian got away well and was second into the first corner, but it did not take him long to go on the attack, leading across the line at the end of the first lap. He extended his lead and kept his rivals at bay for several laps before becoming involved in another enthralling fight at the front towards the end of his stint and handing over to Fritz.
The German immediately took up the mantle with a blistering pace, consistently lapp in the 2:08s as YART started to consolidate second position, opening up a gap to the teams behind as they matched the leader’s lap times. Next was Hanika’s first stint, and he continued the good work, helping to increase the advantage over the team in third and showcasing how consistent all three team members’ times were.
As the race continued, the trio maintained their excellent rhythm and were meticulous on track, not making a single mistake. This, combined with the team’s strategy to focus on their own race and not their rivals, plus the faultless work of the YART mechanics during the pit stops, saw them open up more of an advantage over the chasing pack.
The work continued into the second half of the race for the team, and at the six-hour mark, the gap between YART and the leaders was 36.813s, as they continued to try and chase them down, with the advantage over the teams behind now over a lap.
They kept on pushing, and with just over 30 minutes remaining, Fritz came in from a last stint that saw him set the team’s fastest lap of the race, a 2:07.907, and handed over to Hanika, who, after the leaders made their final pit stop, faced a seemingly unassailable 52-second gap to the team in front. Although, as is often the case in endurance racing, there was still some late drama in the pipeline.
It arrived in the form of Race Direction announcing, with 15 minutes to go, that the leaders were under investigation for their latest pit stop. Then, with less than five minutes to go, it was confirmed they would receive a 40-second time penalty after the race, meaning their lead over YART was suddenly effectively only 12 seconds.
Hanika was already pushing on track while all of this was unfolding, although the fall of darkness and constant traffic made it tricky. He was given the hurry-up signal on the pit board, and as the clock ticked down, the Czech rider started to eat into the lead during the final few sectors to ensure a tense finish.
When the fireworks lit up the night sky to signal the end of the race, Hanika had closed the gap even more, but he ran out of time. He finished the race just 7.860s behind the winners (after taking into account penalties), bringing the YART #1 R1 home to ensure the dream podium and maintain the team’s 100% record of finishing on the box this season, having come incredibly close to securing a scintillating last-gasp victory.
It was truly a moment to remember for the riders and the entire team as they took to the podium and celebrated in front of thousands of passionate Yamaha fans in the grandstands. To showcase just how competitive they were, the 220 laps completed by Canepa, Fritz, and Hanika were a joint new EWC record at the circuit.
After leaving Spa trailing the championship leaders by one point, YART now leads the championship standings with 116 points after the five they picked up during qualifying and the 24 they collected during the race, which sees them extend their advantage over their nearest rivals to six. Yamaha (122 points) also retains its lead in the EWC Manufacturer’s standings with a five-point advantage heading into the final round of the season.
The Belgian-based KM99 team of Jérémy Guarnoni, Florian Marino, and Randy de Puniet ensured there were two R1s in the top ten as they produced an excellent performance to finish in tenth after completing 215 laps in total.
There was more success for Yamaha in the Superstock category, as the Taira Promote Racing team of Keito Abe, Sho Nishimura, and Shinya Mikami ensured another Suzuka podium for the manufacturer by completing 211 laps to claim third in class and 19th overall.
The final round of the 2024 EWC season, the 24-hour Bol d’Or, where all titles are still on the line, takes place at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France, on the 14th-15th of September.
45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Results
Marvin Fritz – P2 – 220 Laps
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“I am delighted with this podium; it has always been our dream as a team, and we have finally achieved it! We pushed all the way against the factory Honda squad and can be proud of how close we came to winning it in the end. I am really happy with my race pace. My teammates did an amazing job, and we kept up the pressure to the end. We have shown that we can compete with the very best, and standing on the podium here at Suzuka will live with me forever. I want to thank the whole team, Yamaha, Bridgestone and everyone else who made this podium possible. Now we head into the Bol d’Or leading the championship, with our destiny in our own hands as we look to defend our title.”
Niccolò Canepa – P2 – 220 Laps
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“I can’t tell you what it means to me to have finished on the podium at Suzuka. This is such a tough race, and we did everything perfectly as a team to achieve this result without any mistakes, just like in Spa. To come so close to winning such a legendary event shows how far we have come as a team. I tried to push from the start but didn’t feel great with the soft front tyre on my first stint. This cost me a little time to the leaders, but we fought back and never gave up and showed our true character; the entire team came together to pull off a spectacular race, and now we can head into the season’s final round full of confidence.”
Karel Hanika – P2 – 220 Laps
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“This is a very special moment. We have shown good pace all week and continued the momentum from Spa into the race weekend. To ride across the finish line with the fireworks going off, knowing we had secured the podium, was an incredible feeling. Obviously, winning would have been amazing, but we gave it absolutely everything, and the whole team can be incredibly proud of what we have achieved. We focused on our own race and stuck to our strategy. My teammates were awesome, and we showed what we were capable of. Bring on the Bol d’Or!”
Mandy Kainz
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team – Team Manager
“Honestly, this podium at Suzuka is a real dream come true. I have been so close in the past, but finally, we have done it. We showed our potential all week, and the team has done an amazing job. The bike was set up perfectly for the race, the riders showed great pace, and we didn’t miss a beat with the pit stops. Ever since I started YART, I have dreamt of this moment, and I could not be prouder of the entire team for their efforts. I also want to thank Yamaha, Bridgestone, and everyone who supports us. We will enjoy the moment, for sure, but we are already looking forward to the Bol d’Or.”
