YART Yamaha Qualifies Second for 8 Hours of Spa Motos
The Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team of Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika, and Leandro Mercado will start Saturday’s 8 Hours of Spa Motos from second on the grid after a strong performance in mixed conditions during qualifying at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
After making a fast start to the weekend during Thursday’s Private Practice sessions, YART carried their form into Friday as changing weather once again played a key role in proceedings at the second round of the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC).
The reigning EWC champions were third-quickest in the opening Private Practice session, setting a 2:19.603 before moving to the top of the timing screens in Private Practice 2 with a 2:20.309. That left the Austrian squad third overall on the combined times heading into Friday, continuing their strong form at a circuit where they won in 2023 and 2024 and finished on the podium last season.
Rain greeted the teams for Free Practice on Friday morning, with the full wet conditions giving YART a valuable opportunity to refine the wet setup of the Bridgestone-shod #1 Yamaha R1 ahead of the race. Hanika set the fastest lap of the session with a 2:32.489, putting YART 1.301s clear of the rest of the field.
Conditions remained unpredictable for qualifying, with the first sessions taking place on a drying track before further rain affected the second runs later in the afternoon. In the opening Blue Rider session, Hanika produced a 2:19.378 to finish second, before Fritz went third in the first Yellow Rider session with a 2:19.215. Mercado then completed the opening qualifying runs with a 2:20.140 in the Red Rider session, placing him sixth in his group.
For the second qualifying sessions, Hanika was again immediately competitive, topping the second Blue Rider session in the wet with a 2:30.810. By the time the Yellow Rider session began, the track had dried significantly, allowing Fritz to show impressive pace as he set a 2:19.087 to finish second, only 0.354s from the top spot. The German was on course to improve again before crashing near the end of the session while pushing on another fast lap.
As the qualifying bike was being repaired, Mercado used the second Red Rider session to complete a handful of laps on the race bike, helping the team gather further information in the changing conditions and continue dialling in the setup ahead of Saturday’s race.
In the EWC, grid positions are decided by the average of the best lap times from each team’s two fastest riders. For YART, Fritz’s 2:19.087 and Hanika’s 2:19.378 were the times that counted, producing an average of 2:19.232. That secured second on the grid and four championship points ahead of Saturday’s eight-hour race, increasing YART’s championship total to 67 points.
YART will therefore start second as they look to build on their commanding start to the season, following victory at the 24 Heures Motos in April. Having arrived in Belgium with 63 points, the reigning champions have strengthened their advantage at the top of the standings to 17 points ahead of Saturday’s race, with 30 more points available for victory.
The Belgian-based Elf Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99 squad also showed strong pace at their home round with Randy de Puniet, Florian Marino, and Bo Bendsneyder on the #99 Yamaha R1. Marino’s 2:19.958 and de Puniet’s 2:20.099 were the team’s two fastest laps across qualifying, giving KM99 an average of 2:20.028 to secure sixth on the grid.
Track action resumes on Saturday with Warm-Up at 09:00 local time (CEST), before the 8 Hours of Spa Motos gets underway with the traditional running start at 13:00.
Free Practice Results
Qualifying Results
Marvin Fritz – P2
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“It has been tricky since we arrived here, but overall it was a positive qualifying for us. In the first qualifying session, I felt good in both wet and dry conditions, and we were provisionally second. Then, in the second session, the track was drying again, I put the qualifying tyre in, and I improved my time. Unfortunately, I crashed at the end of the lap, when I was three or four tenths faster than before at that sector. I am sorry to the team because it means extra work before tomorrow, but overall, the feeling is good. We are second on the grid, we scored more championship points, and that is positive. Now I am looking forward to the race.”
Karel Hanika – P2
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“We were a bit unlucky with the conditions, to be honest. In the morning, we were fastest in the wet, then the track started to dry in qualifying, and I felt okay, but I could not put the perfect lap together. Still, it was enough for second in my session, so it was okay, and my teammates also did a good job. Overall, we are quite happy with our qualifying performance. In mixed conditions, you never know what will happen, so we have to be ready for everything in the race. We have tried our best over these two days to find a good setup and a good way of riding in all conditions. The race will definitely be difficult, but I believe in myself, my teammates, and the team that we can achieve a strong result.”
Leandro Mercado – P2
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“It was a good day for us, even with the crazy weather changing all the time. The important thing is that we are second, we have scored good points, and now we are focused on tomorrow. I did not really get the chance to push in the second qualifying session because of the conditions, but we have a good feeling with the bike, and everything is working really well. Tomorrow will be very challenging with the weather, so we have to stay focused on our job and try to have a strong race.”
Mandy Kainz
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team, Team Manager
“It was not an easy day with the changing conditions, but the team handled everything very well. We were fast in the wet this morning, competitive again as the track dried in qualifying, and all three riders were quick in every situation. The most important thing is that the feeling with the R1 is good; we will start second, and we have added more points to our championship total, and increased our lead. Spa is always demanding, especially when the weather is like this, but we have prepared well, the riders are confident, and we are ready to fight tomorrow.”
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