This weekend will see the YART Yamaha Official EWC Team back in action and returning to the scene of their triumph in 2018 at the 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring. The team have bounced back from a disappointing end to the previous round’s DNF at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, determined to repeat their dominant form of last year’s Slovakian adventure. Riders Broc Parkes, Marvin fritz and Niccolò Canepa all carry good form at the circuit, Parkes and Fritz as part of last year’s winning team, and Canepa riding for GMT94 Yamaha in 2018 finishing a close second behind the YART.
YART are determined to repeat their stunning performance of last year where they ended a long drought of top podium honours with a decisive win at the Slovakia Ring. The weather for the 2019 edition of the 8 Hours looks to be less promising than the year before, but the team have proved strong in all conditions, and Marvin Fritz was able to break the lap record in testing there recently, set by Max Neukirchner in 2018.
The team go into the race sitting in seventh in the overall standings with 52 points, and with Yamaha leading the Manufacturers standings with 104 points.
Of Yamaha’s extended supported teams, WEPOL Racing will be looking to repeat their SST podium from Le Mans, 3ART – Moto Team 95, Moto AIN bike and VRD Igol Pierret Experiences Yamaha are determined to build on their Le Mans points haul and The Slovakian Maco Racing Team are focused on improving on their 32nd position finish at the last race to dip into the EWC points scores.
Located near the village of Orechová Potôn, 35 km south-east of the Slovakian capital Bratislava, near the Austrian border, the Slovakia Ring circuit opened in 2009 as a test track for car manufacturers. It was not long before the track began hosting international car racing events such as the FIA GT championship and the FIA WTCC. The track is 6km long and 12km wide, with 14 bends, and is therefore both fast and technical. The track hosted their first FIM EWC race in 2017.
Marvin Fritz
YART Yamaha Official EWC Team
“Le Mans is behind us. We had a few sessions last week here at Slovakia Ring and I broke the lap record from Max Neukirchner from last year. A 2:03.118. Niccolò and myself tested few things and now we feel much better on our R1. We’ve really good memories here from our last year’s victory here at Slovakia Ring. We will try to get the most points as possible from this race weekend.”
Niccolò Canepa
YART Yamaha Official EWC Team
“After the difficult race in Le Mans we are really looking forward to Slovakia 8 hours. Last week we had a very good test here. Me and Marvin were really fast and under the track record. Last year the YART Team won this race, so the Yamaha fits perfectly to this circuit. We are ready to fight!”
Mandy Kainz
YART Yamaha Official EWC Team Manager
“We are coming here with full confidence in our riders, our bike and our performance. Le Mans was obviously disappointing, but this is behind us now, as we know anything can happen in endurance racing. We know we can be really strong here in Slovakia, we proved this last year. The conditions will not be the same this weekend, but they will be the same for all competitors so we will as always do our best, never give up and aim for the top of the podium.”
Broc Parkes
YART Yamaha Official EWC Team