YART Yamaha to ‘Czech’ Out 2021 EWC Season in Most
YART Yamaha are hungry to end their season on a high this weekend as the 2021 FIM Endurance World Championship comes to an end with the inaugural 6 Hours of Most in the Czech Republic.
Niccolò Canepa, Karel Hanika and Marvin Fritz return to FIM Endurance World Championship action this weekend as the season concludes with the 6 hours of Most.
Coming off the back of a non-finish after a technical failure ended the team’s Bol d’Or while leading in the 11th hour, the Yamaha Austrian Racing Team are determined to secure a positive result and end their 2021 season on a high this weekend.
Although Most is new for the EWC series, it is a track that YART is familiar with following a strong wildcard in the World Superbike Championship in August. Marvin Fritz and Karel Hanika both demonstrated strong pace with the pair fighting inside the top ten throughout the event despite using different tyres to the usual Bridgestones they use in the Endurance championship. Team-mate Canepa is also familiar with the 4.149km Most circuit after the Italian joined his former IDM Superbike and 2013 Red Bull Rookies champion team-mates for a day of testing earlier this year.
A late addition to the 2021 calendar following Suzuka’s cancellation, Most, located in the northwest of the Czech Republic, was opened in 1983 on the 140-hectare site of a former coal surface mine to host the car and motorcycle races held on various tracks in the city of Most. Featuring 21 corners with nine to the left and 12 to the right with a mix of both high and slow speed turns, the circuit creates a flowing nature that should suit the R1 as proven by PATA Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK’s Toprak Razgatlioglu and Andrea Locatelli who recorded a total of four podium finishes across three races with the Turkish rider standing on the top step twice.
A former lap record holder at Most, Hanika and his team-mates are confident of a strong result after a tough 2021 season sees Mandy Kainz’s team head into the final round tenth in the Endurance World Championship standings. Yamaha leads the manufacturer’s standings with a 48-point advantage.
Moto Ain come into the final round of the series off the back of an incredible podium finish at the Bol d’Or. The VRD IGOL EXPÉRIENCES team are also full of confidence after a top six finish at Bol d’Or with four other Yamaha outfits filling the final positions inside the top ten.
The 6 hours of Most, originally scheduled to be an eight-hour event, will commence on Thursday 7th October with free practice kicking off at 09:00 local time. The blue riders will get qualifying underway at 12:00 and will run through with two sessions each, ending at 15:40pm before night practice. Friday will see a flurry of track activity for the WTCR before EWC returns on Saturday 9th October with the flag dropping for the 6 hours of Most at 11am local time.
Niccolò Canepa – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team
“I’m happy to race with YART again this week! This season has not gone as we had hoped but we have an opportunity to end the season in a positive way. I know the circuit after a test with YART and my team-mates know the circuit well after their World Superbike wildcard which they did very well at. I think we’re in a good position for the race and we are ready to fight for a strong result.”
Karel Hanika – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team
“I’m looking forward to racing with my YART team again, this time at my home circuit. I’ve ridden the track before for a test and I joined this year’s World Superbike championship for their round in August with my team-mate Marvin Fritz. It’s a track that I like, I was quick there in the past and we showed good potential during the weekend with the World Superbike paddock. This season has been difficult, we’ve had a lot of bad luck but we’re going to Most 100% focused with the aim to win. We will do everything we can to achieve a good result and I hope we can finish the year on a high and give the team something to celebrate after a tough year!”
Marvin Fritz – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team
“We have a small advantage heading into Most because we were there for the World Superbike round and we were fast! We’re looking forward to the race because it’s a track that should suit our R1. We did test with different tyres but we’re sure that our Bridgestone tyres will work well. Niccolò joined us for a test and we were all really fast and the feeling with the Yamaha at Most was good. We’ve been unlucky this season but for the final round we have nothing to lose. The team deserves a good result so we will give it our all to deliver. We have no pressure because we don’t have to focus on the championship so all we need to do is give everything to make sure we’re celebrating on top of the podium!”
Mandy Kainz – YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, Team Principal
“Most was a last-minute decision from our promoters Eurosport, but I guess we will have an advantage! We didn’t know that our final race would take place in the Czech Republic, but we participated in the World Superbike round with Marvin and Karel who were both stunning. Marvin was inside the top ten and Karel showed good pace too despite using Pirelli tyres. It’s true that we’re going into this round a little bit blind because we haven’t tried the track with the Bridgestone tyres, but I’m confident that our package will be strong. We have nothing to lose after what has been a very difficult season; we’ve been one of the fastest teams, but we’ve also been the unluckiest so for that reason our goal for Most is no different and that’s a podium finish. We have nothing to lose because we’re not in a championship fight and therefore our target is clear. We’re going to Most to bring a trophy home!”