The Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team of Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika, and Leandro Mercado powered to a sensational victory at the 24 Heures Motos after producing a faultless performance, securing back-to-back victories at Le Mans and getting their FIM Endurance World Championship title defence off to the perfect start.
After securing pole position on Friday, with Hanika also setting a new outright EWC lap record of 1:34.267 around the Bugatti Circuit to help claim the maximum five points on offer, and showing searing pace throughout the week, YART were primed to fight for victory before the lights went out on the 49th edition of the 24 Heures Motos.
After a start that saw them momentarily drop to eighth, they immediately hunted down the leaders and began closing on the front. After three hours, they hit the lead and started to open a gap as Fritz, Hanika, and new signing for 2026 Mercado kept up a relentless pace on the Bridgestone-shod YART R1 carrying the #1 plate.
As the hours ticked down, it became a two-way battle for victory with the #37 BMW. YART were setting the pace and stretched their advantage to 30 seconds at the front, but their rivals’ better fuel economy meant they could complete four more laps per stint. This saw YART relinquish the lead due to having to make an extra pit stop.
Throughout the night, the lead changed hands at each pit stop, and it looked like it would go right down to the wire, with YART securing nine points at the eight and 16-hour marks for running second. Then, after 17 hours, the BMW crashed out of victory contention, which gave YART a four-lap advantage at the front.
From that point on, Fritz, Hanika, and Mercado continued to push, extending their lead at the front in a faultless performance by the Austrian squad. As the hours passed, they stretched their advantage further, and Fritz took the chequered flag to seal victory after completing 859 laps, five more than their closest rivals, to complete a dominant win.
Not only did that make it back-to-back victories for YART at the legendary endurance race, but it also made them the most successful Yamaha team in the history of the 24 Heures Motos with three wins, while Yamaha has now won at Le Mans six times in total. The result means YART have started their EWC title defence in superb fashion, securing 63 of the 65 available points. There was more success for Yamaha in the Production class, as Legacy Competition, with Jordy Manneveau, Pierre Gelas, and Ludovic Hauser, took victory with a total of 774 laps.
Unfortunately, after qualifying in fifth and enjoying a superb start, the ELF Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99’s Randy de Puniet, Florian Marino, and Alessandro Del Bianco were forced to retire from the race with a technical issue after four hours.
Next up in the 2026 EWC is the 8 Hours of Spa on 6 June.
24 Heures Motos Full Race Results
Marvin Fritz – P1 – Laps 859
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“Amazing way to start the year with the number one on our bike. To take back-to-back wins here at Le Mans is incredible. Last year it happened on my birthday, and this year it came just before, so maybe I gave myself an early present. The team did an amazing job. We struggled at the start of the week, and I started the weekend with a crash in the gravel, but we sat down together, worked through it, and turned the bike into a winning package. In the race, it felt unbelievable, and even at the end, when I wanted to ride a bit slower, the pace was still there. A huge thank you to the whole YART team, especially my teammates. They did a fantastic job, made no mistakes, and that is how you win Le Mans.”
Karel Hanika – P1 – Laps 859
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“It is an amazing start to the season, and with even more points than last year, it is a great way to begin. It wasn’t a perfect weekend because we had some issues in practice. We were trying to find the right way because a few things weren’t working as usual, so we had to make a few modifications to the bike and adapt our riding. But we did a great job, moved forward, and the bike felt amazing in the race. We had no technical problems and no issues in the pit stops, so overall it was a great weekend. We got the lap record, pole position, and the race win, so we could not ask for much more. Now we look ahead to the next race.”
Leandro Mercado – P1 – Laps 859
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“It feels like a dream. To join this team for my first race and come away with pole position and the win is incredible. The race was perfect, so it was an amazing feeling. I want to thank the whole team for a fantastic job. My teammates were also really fast, and together we made no mistakes. We were faultless in every pit stop; it was a clean race, and I am so happy. It is an amazing feeling.”
Mandy Kainz
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team – 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.”
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