The Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team of Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika and Leandro Mercado will start Saturday’s 89th Bol d’Or at Circuit Paul Ricard from seventh as it bids to defend its FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) crown and secure a third world title in four years.
YART remains firmly in control of its championship destiny heading into the season finale. The reigning champions will take a 14-point advantage into the 24-hour race, where 60 points are available, as they aim to secure back-to-back titles and a fourth world championship overall.
The Austrian squad arrived in France with a 19-point lead and began the official sessions positively despite Hanika still feeling the effects of a crash during Tuesday’s Private Practice.
YART worked through its planned tyre-compound evaluation during Thursday’s Free Practice and continued fine-tuning the #1 R1 for the demands of the race. Fritz crashed early in the session before Mercado was caught out by oil left on the circuit following another rider’s incident late in the running, but the team responded to finish fourth overall.
Mercado set YART’s fastest Free Practice lap with a 1:51.702, confirming the pace of the R1 and giving the team confidence in its longer-run performance ahead of qualifying.
Under the EWC qualifying system, the final classification is calculated using the average of each team’s two fastest riders. Championship points are awarded to the top five teams on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis, making qualifying an important part of the title fight before the race has even begun.
The first qualifying sessions on Thursday evening brought further challenges. Hanika’s Blue Rider session was interrupted by a series of red flags, and when the action resumed, he crashed on oil left on the track and was unable to set a time.
Fritz responded with a 1:52.565 in the Yellow Rider session before Mercado recorded a 1:52.974 in the Red Rider session. Their two laps gave YART an overnight average of 1:52.770 and placed the team provisionally seventh overall.
With track temperatures rising on Friday, the second qualifying sessions provided the riders with one final opportunity to improve. Hanika’s initial run on fresh tyres was again interrupted by a red flag, but the Czech rider regrouped and produced a 1:52.121, showing incredible fortitude despite nursing bruising and feeling sore from his previous crashes.
Fritz then delivered YART’s fastest lap of qualifying with an impressive 1:51.767. Mercado followed with a 1:52.004, meaning their two times formed the team’s final combined average of 1:51.885.
That secured seventh for the Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team. Although YART missed out on the qualifying points awarded to the top five, the riders and crew showed their resilience throughout a demanding two days and ensured the team remains in a strong position for the title-deciding race.
The five points awarded to the fastest qualifying team reduced YART’s championship advantage from 19 to 14 points, but with 60 points available during the Bol d’Or, the reigning champions remain masters of their own destiny.
The Elf Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99 Yamaha will start ninth after recording a combined average of 1:52.151, just 0.266 seconds behind YART. Florian Marino produced the team’s fastest lap with a 1:52.032, while Randy de Puniet’s 1:52.270 completed the two-rider average. Bo Bendsneyder recorded a 1:54.484, with Lucas Mahias also part of the four-rider line-up, ensuring a second Yamaha R1 will start the Bol d’Or inside the top nine.
In Superstock, Team 18 Pompiers Igol CMS Motostore was the leading Yamaha in sixth in class and 18th overall with a combined average of 1:54.347. Yamaha also placed three R1s inside the top four in the Production category. Audemar Motoclub Gemenos qualified second with a 1:57.535, Production championship leader Legacy Competition secured third with a 1:58.369, and Team HTC Racing finished fourth with a 1:58.409.
The results leave Yamaha fighting for honours across the Formula EWC, Superstock and Production categories heading into the final race of the 2026 season, and they remain in contention to secure four championship titles at the Bol d’Or: the FIM EWC Teams’ and Manufacturers’ crowns, plus the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ titles in the Production category.
Saturday’s 30-minute Warm Up begins at 08:55 local time, while the 89th Bol d’Or begins with the traditional Le Mans-style running start at 15:00 CEST and finishes 24 hours later at 15:00 on Sunday.
Bol d’Or Qualifying Results
Marvin Fritz – P7 – 1:51.767
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“I am feeling okay after the crash, so personally everything is fine. It has been the toughest and worst week we have experienced in all my time with the team, but we are a team and we never give up. Everyone has worked amazingly, especially after everything that has happened and all the work required to rebuild the bikes. I believe our luck will come back because the race starts tomorrow, and that is where the most points are available. We are strong, we are a good team, and we will push as hard as possible to achieve our target.”
Karel Hanika – P7 – 1:52.121
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“This has been the most difficult weekend of my endurance career. It has not been easy, with a lot of bad luck, crashes and mechanical issues. Our starting position is not ideal, but it does not represent the work we have done. At the test here two weeks ago, we were very strong and consistent over the longer runs, and the feeling with the bike was very good. I have a couple of minor injuries, so the race will be tough, but I will do my best. It is all still to play for.”
Leandro Mercado – P7 – 1:52.004
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“It has been a really hard week with a lot happening. Our starting position is not ideal, but we feel very good with the bike, and we have the speed. We are still working; we are focused, and the race starts tomorrow. We are confident and concentrating on our job. Hopefully, everything will be cleaner in the race, and we can put the bad luck behind us. We are a strong team, and we know what we need to do.”
Mandy Kainz
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team, Team Manager
“It has been an incredibly difficult week, but the riders are okay, and the team has done an outstanding job repairing the bikes and keeping us moving forward after everything that has happened. Seventh is not the position we wanted, but we know our race pace is strong and there are still 60 points available. Our championship lead is now 14 points, but nothing has changed in our approach. We must focus on our own race, avoid mistakes and perform at our best. The target is to fight for victory and retain the world championship.”
Michael Le Pard (“Mr. Totalmotorcycle”) is the Founder of Total Motorcycle, the world’s largest motorcycle information site, trusted by over 430 million riders since 1999. With over 34 years of experience in motorcycles, gear and rider culture, he has built a global community dedicated to empowering and inspiring motorcyclists.
Total Motorcycle remains his passion project. Combining expert research, hands‑on knowledge and a commitment to helping riders make informed decisions about bikes, gear and safety worldwide.
