The Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team of Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika, and Leandro Mercado broke their own lap record at the 24 Heures Motos to secure their third consecutive pole position, and their seventh in total, at Le Mans, as they got their FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) title defence off to the perfect start in France.
The reigning FIM Endurance World Champions wasted no time in getting up to speed at the 49th edition of the legendary 24 Heures Motos, ending the two-hour Free Practice session on Thursday morning in second with a 1:35.012.
The first qualifying sessions followed in the afternoon, with Hanika out first in the Blue Rider group. The Czech rider, who celebrated his 30th birthday earlier in the week, topped the session with a 1:34.576. His teammate Fritz then took to the Bugatti Circuit, and despite a red flag ruining his run on fresh Bridgestone tyres, he still set a 1:34.778 to secure top spot in the Yellow Rider session. Their new teammate for 2026, “Tati” Mercado, then faced his first qualifying session for YART, heading out on used tyres to set a 1:35.776 to finish fifth out of the Red Riders.
In the EWC, the best lap times of the two fastest riders are combined to produce an average that determines grid position. This meant that Fritz and Hanika’s times had secured provisional pole position for YART overnight, but there was still a lot more to come on Friday. Night practice followed, and the Austrian squad were the only team to break the 1:36 barrier during the session, posting a 1:35.941 and topping the timesheets.
Saving the best until the second qualifying sessions, Hanika managed to smash his teammate Fritz’s existing lap record, setting a 1:34.267 on the YART R1, which is the fastest EWC lap ever at Le Mans, ensuring he dominated the Blue Rider group. Fritz followed this up with an equally stunning 1:34.403, which put him under his own 2025 record (1:34.489) as the team kept up their relentless pace. Mercado also improved on fresh rubber, with the Argentine breaking the 1:35 barrier with a 1:34.756 to end the session in third, showcasing the pace shared by all three YART riders.
This meant YART had a stunning combined average time of 1:34.335, and have now secured six of the last seven pole positions on offer at Le Mans. They will once again start the race from the front of the grid, aiming to make it back-to-back wins at Le Mans following their maiden victory last season. It also means that they lead the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship before the race even starts, with five points awarded to the fastest team in qualifying.
It was also a strong qualifying for ELF Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99’s Randy de Puniet, Florian Marino, Alessandro Del Bianco, and Reserve Rider Bo Bendsneyder. They managed to set a combined average time of 1:35.030 to secure fifth on the grid, the Belgian squad’s best-ever EWC qualifying result.
Saturday at the 2026 24 Heures Motos kicks off with a 45-minute Warm-Up Session at 10:30, before the race begins with the traditional running start at 15:00 local time (UTC+2).
Combined Qualifying Results
Karel Hanika – 1:34.267
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“Great job from the whole team, and first of all, thanks to everybody. I felt really good on the bike over the last few days, so the team prepared a great machine for me, and I just did what I could. Of course, this sport is about a group of people, not just one rider, so it was an amazing job by Marvin, Tati, and all the guys in the box and outside. The big challenge is still to come over the next two days, and that is what matters most, but it is a great way to kick off the year and take the five points. We could not have wished for a better start, so I cannot wait for the race tomorrow.”
Marvin Fritz – 1:34.403
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“This feels very special. On Tuesday, we were still far away from where we are now. We always believed, but we also knew it would be difficult to get close to the BMWs. The team did an amazing job again, working all night and also after my crash on Tuesday. We feel great on the bike, and we did a good job putting a lap together, even if it was not the perfect one for either of us because of traffic in the last sector. Overall, it was a very good job. The main work starts tomorrow, but we are well prepared, and we cannot wait.”
Leandro Mercado – 1:34.756
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“I am really happy. My teammates did an amazing job, and so did the whole team. They were really fast yesterday and again today. In my session today, I had a fresh tyre, which I did not have yesterday, so it was nice to push and also get into the 1:34s. I am very happy. It is my first qualifying with the team, and we are on pole position, which feels amazing. The race is going to be long, but we are ready to fight.”
Mandy Kainz
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team – Team Manager
“What a job by the whole team. We know defending our title will be tough because our rivals have made big steps forward, but everyone in YART has worked so hard during the off-season to give us the best chance possible. When we arrived at Le Mans this week, we still had a lot of work to do to find the perfect setup with the R1, so to secure pole position again here, our seventh in total, is amazing. Karel deserved that after putting in an incredible lap, and to break the lap record again shows the pace we have. Marvin was just as quick, and considering it was Leandro’s first qualifying session with the team, he got up to speed very quickly. The race will be different because there are several teams with good pace, and it should be a really close battle. As always, our priority is to finish the race and secure as many points as we can to put us in the strongest position to defend our title.”
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