The Yamalube YART Yamama EWC Official Team of Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika, and Jason O’Halloran were crowned the 2025 FIM Endurance World Champions as they finished second at the title-deciding Bol d’Or in one of the most dramatic climaxes to a championship ever, securing the title by just one point after a sensational three-way battle, and in the process also ensured that Yamaha lifted the FIM Endurance World Championship for Manufacturers for the second year in a row.
YART arrived in France for the 88th edition of the legendary endurance race, leading the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) standings by one point from the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team (BMW). The Austrian squad qualified in fourth to secure another three points, but they conceded a point to BMW, who qualified in second, meaning they would start the race level on points in what would prove to be a thrilling EWC season finale.
Fritz took the first stint at Circuit Paul Ricard, and after a good start, settled into a superb rhythm. He handed over to Hanika in fourth, but it did not take long for the Czech rider to close the gap and get involved in a magnificent battle for third with BMW. O’Halloran took over, and the team continued to push, knowing every second counted. After two hours, they were third and had opened up a gap over BMW of over 40 seconds.
As the race progressed, YART started to fall back into the clutches of their rivals, and at the front, the Yoshimura SERT Motul team (SERT) were also bringing themselves into title contention. Showcasing just how close the racing was, Fritz and Hanika enjoyed some superb on-track battles, with less than half a second separating the YART and BMW teams at the 7-hour mark.
Unfortunately, an issue with a loose fairing saw YART have to spend extra time during three pit stops to try and fix it, conceding over a minute. This saw them drop back to fourth, but they never gave up. Hanika and Fritz went back-to-back for a few stints during the night, as their pace was slightly quicker than their teammate O’Halloran, due to the fact that the Australian had never ridden at the track before the Private Practice sessions on Tuesday.
At the eight-hour mark, YART were third, securing another eight points, but once again, they conceded a point to BMW, and two to SERT. It was the same result at the 16-hour mark, with the race turning into an enthralling three-way battle for the title, although YART knew they just needed to finish in second, ahead of BMW, even if SERT won, to be crowned champions.
YART kept pushing, showcasing their famous “never give up” attitude, and all three riders, despite suffering from a severe stomach bug, continued to push as hard as they could. As dawn broke on Sunday, Hanika was so sick that O’Halloran and Fritz went back-to-back for three hours to let him recover, with the trio showing remarkable fortitude to battle through the pain barrier.
As the hours ticked down, despite their best efforts, it looked like YART would have to settle for third in the race and second in the championship, but with the glorious sunshine at Circuit Paul Ricard replaced by threatening storm clouds on Sunday, adding an element of uncertainty to the mix. Then, with just 30 minutes to go in the race, the whole championship was thrown on its head.
In a dramatic turn of events, BMW suffered an engine failure, meaning that YART inherited second place, and were now heading the overall standings, but only by one point from race leaders SERT. Hanika handed over to O’Halloran for the final stint with just 20 minutes on the clock, two laps down on SERT, knowing they effectively just had to finish the race to be crowned champions, but just as he headed out, rain started to fall, adding to the pressure as they also knew that one mistake could cost them the title.
As the final seconds ticked down, the team watched on nervously from the garage, but the nerves turned to joy as O’Halloran brought the Bridgestone-shod R1 home in second after completing 725 laps to spark wild celebrations and deliver YART their third EWC title by the closest points margin in history, to add to their trophies from 2009 and 2023.
It also meant that Fritz, who had extra reason to celebrate after getting married a week before the race, and Hanika became double EWC champions, while O’Halloran secured his first title in his debut season with YART. Fuelling the celebrations even further was the fact that YART’s efforts also meant that Yamaha had claimed back-to-back FIM Endurance World Championships for Manufacturers.
It was an unfortunate race for the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99 of Florian Marino, Alessandro Delbianco, and Jérémy Guarnoni, who were looking to secure back-to-back podiums at the Bol d’Or, and they were on course for a top-six finish after a strong start before unfortunately being forced to retire due to a technical issue.
In the FIM Endurance World Cup, Team 18 Pompiers Igol CMS Motorstore produced an incredible performance to finish in sixth overall and fourth in class, and there was more success for Yamaha in the FIM Endurance World Trophy as Team Moto Ain secured the class victory. However, the championship leaders, Team Supermoto Racing, unfortunately missed out on the title after having to retire from the race, but still finished in second, meaning Yamaha also won the FIM Endurance World Trophy for Manufacturers.
Bol d’Or Race Results
Marvin Fritz – P2 – 725 Laps
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“I cannot put into words how I feel now. After winning in 2023, this feels very special to add our second title, plus it is a great wedding present! It was always our dream to win the championship, especially after our victory in Le Mans and the podium in Spa. But then we had to retire at Suzuka, which was a shame as we could have come here leading the standings by 20 points, but instead we only had a one-point advantage coming into the race. However, this was an incredible team effort; everyone gave 100% and we did it again. I am so proud of my teammates and every single person in the team. Thanks to Yamaha, Bridgestone, and all the people involved in bringing this trophy home.”
Karel Hanika – P2 – 725 Laps
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“Honestly, I can’t really enjoy the feeling yet, as I am still exhausted. It was one of the most difficult races of my life as I was suffering very badly from a stomach problem during the night. I tried to keep going until it was not possible, so in the morning, luckily, Marvin and Jason could take over for three hours as I rested. This meant I could recover and ride towards the end again. This shows what an amazing team effort it was. I am so proud of them all. We demonstrated significant improvement at this track, not only for the riders, but also for the bike and the team, which is very promising for the future. It is awesome to win my second Endurance World Championship, but I don’t want to stop at two; I want a third, a fourth, and I never want to stop. Thanks to everyone who was a part of this, Yamaha, Bridgestone, and of course, every single member of our incredible team.”
Jason O’Halloran – P2 – 725 Laps
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“It is still sinking in, to be honest. We had a great year. We won at Le Mans, and then led at Spa before my crash, but we fought back to the podium. Obviously, we had our issues at Suzuka and didn’t finish the race, which meant it all came down to here. It was my first time riding at Circuit Paul Ricard. I literally only completed my first laps in Private Practice on Tuesday, so I didn’t know what to expect. Despite this, I enjoyed the circuit; we worked through the 24-hour race as you do and never gave up. You don’t ever want to see your competitors go out the way they did. BMW made a fantastic race, and they also deserved to be standing here today. It’s been an amazing season. Thanks to my teammates, Yamaha, Bridgestone, and, of course, everyone involved in YART, I am incredibly proud to be a part of this team.”
Mandy Kainz
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team – Team Manager
“What can I say. This is endurance racing. We worked so hard, but it looked like the championship was out of our reach, and then that happened. It was an incredible finish, and I am so proud of all of the team. We did not quite have the pace of our rivals, but they never gave up. We kept fighting, despite all three riders and a number of the mechanics suffering from a nasty stomach bug. It still hasn’t sunk in yet, if I am honest, our third world title… wow! I want to thank Yamaha, Bridgestone, all of our sponsors, and every single member of the team. We did it! I would also like to mention the BMW team, who were outstanding, and they did not deserve to lose the championship this way. We have all had bad luck, but this was something else, and I want to congratulate them on a superb season-long battle.”
Posted on September 21, 2025 by Michael Le Pard
