The YART Yamaha Official EWC Team put the disappointment of Le Mans far behind them today with a masterful victory in a challenging 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring. The team performed to perfection, securing a well-deserved victory, repeating their win of 2018.
Riders Broc Parkes, Marvin Fritz and Niccolò Canepa armed themselves with the best possible opportunity for victory, performing strongly in recent testing at the track and starting today’s eight-hour race from pole position. Their Yamaha YZF-R1 performed faultlessly throughout the race, giving them the perfect machine to fight for their second successive Slovakia win.
Having suffered a crash just a few days ago and subsequent pain in both shoulder and elbow, the team wisely chose to rest Australian Parkes after his first stint, with Fritz and Canepa stepping up to take on the challenge.
A strong start saw the no7 bike fighting and swapping places for the lead multiple times before establishing the front spot and settling in to a good rhythm. A stop-and-go penalty was then the first of the challenges to be faced, the resulting time loss relegating the team to second, with some nearly 30 seconds to make up to first. Unfazed, Fritz and Canepa took their turns on the R1, gradually eating the time back and taking advantage of others mistakes to re-take the lead.
The weather proved to be the other major competitor in the fight for the win, with light rain falling more than once on the circuit, making life difficult for the riders. Smooth control and calm patience saw YART deal with the changing conditions in control, and passing the finish line in first after eight hours to claim their hard-fought win.
It was another strong race for the teams enjoying Yamaha’s extended support program, with WEPOL Racing leading the way to finish fourth overall. VRD Igol Pierret Experiences Yamaha were right behind in fourth and Moto AIN bike rounded up the top ten in tenth. 3ART – Moto Team 95 worked hard to be in the points again, finishing 15h place.
Niccolo Canepa
YART Yamaha Official EWC Team
“We really deserve this after the bad luck in Le Mans. All the team did a good job in tough conditions. It was dry and hot, then cold and wet, and then dry again so it was really crazy. We had the best strategy, no mistakes and a good system. Now the championship is open again so the next races we will see what happens.”
Marvin Fritz
YART Yamaha Official EWC Team
“It was a hard race with and the team worked amazing, my teammates were fast and the bike works really good, we made the right choices in the conditions. My second stint it was hard, less rain but not wet enough for rain tyres. It was hard to find a rhythm and not make a stupid mistake, in the end it was great and we are super happy to get a win.”
Mandy Kainz
YART Yamaha Official EWC Team Manager
“This result is fantastic, we couldn’t be happier today with the efforts of the team and the reward it has given us. Broc was able to make a good stint, but we chose to not risk too much by him continuing after his injuries a few days ago. Both Marvin and Niccolò had great pace and were honestly unbeatable today. Our bike was performing brilliantly, so thank you to Yamaha, and especially to the team who worked hard to make sure we were first. This is the perfect way to move on from Le Mans, now the championship is interesting again, so we continue and see what we can achieve.”
Broc Parkes
YART Yamaha Official EWC Team