EWC Season Finale: YART and BMW battle it out for the World Championship title at the Bol d’Or!

Just one race stands between the Yamaha Austria Racing Team (YART) and successfully defending their title in the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC). The battle for the 2026 endurance crown will be decided at the historic Bol d’Or at the Circuit Paul Ricard on 19 and 20 September.

After three of four rounds this season, YART leads the overall standings with 112 points. The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team follows with 93 points, 19 points behind the Austrian Yamaha team. Yoshimura SERT Motul lies in third place with 84 points, already 28 points behind the leaders.

Despite what appears to be a comfortable lead, YART cannot simply sit back and manage their advantage in the 24-hour finale. At the Bol d’Or, important World Championship points are awarded not only for the final result but also for interim standings during the race. This means that the situation in the title race could change several times over the course of the 24 hours.

For YART, the race at Le Castellet is all about securing their fourth World Championship title, following those in 2009, 2023 and 2025. The team comprising Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika and Leandro Mercado arrive in the south of France as defending champions and prepared intensively for the showdown during a two-day test at the Circuit Paul Ricard in early September.

WM-Showdown beim Bol d'Or: YART hat 19 Punkte Vorsprung auf BMW

Foto: YART

BMW has an ace up its sleeve on the Mistral Straight

The 5.673-kilometre circuit poses a particular challenge for YART. Engine power plays a major role on the approximately 1.8-kilometre-long Mistral straight. YART crew chief Max Neukirchner believes the BMW M1000RR has a particular advantage there.

“We know that the BMW is extremely strong on the long straight and will probably be the fastest motorbike on the grid there,” the former GP and Superbike rider told SPEEDWEEK.com after the latest test. “It’s difficult for us to completely offset this advantage on the straight. That’s why we need to capitalise on our strengths elsewhere.”

BMW-Werksteam 2026: Van der Mark, Odendaal, Reiterberger

Foto: BMW

BMW are also arriving on the back of a win in Japan. At the prestigious 8-hour race in Suzuka, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team finished third, making them the highest-placed non-Japanese manufacturer on the podium.

YART, on the other hand, is banking on the balance of its trio of riders and the consistency of the Yamaha R1. “Marvin, Karel and Leandro are in great form at the moment and can clock lap times at a very similar level. That’s exactly what you need for a 24-hour race,” emphasised Neukirchner.

SERT lies in wait as the defending Bol d’Or champions

Mathematically speaking, Yoshimura SERT Motul is not yet out of the World Championship race either. The Suzuki team lies in third place overall on 84 points, 28 points behind YART. Furthermore, SERT knows how to win at the Circuit Paul Ricard: in 2025, the team claimed victory at the Bol d’Or.

Behind them, Kawasaki Webike Trickstar sits in fourth place in the World Championship with 73 points. AutoRace Ube Racing is fifth with 60 points, whilst ERC Endurance follows in sixth place with 53 points. For these teams, the focus at the final round is likely to be less on the World Championship title and more on improving their final standings.

SERT hat beim Saisonfinale noch Außenseiterchancen

Foto: SERT

In the Formula EWC class, a total of 17 motorbikes feature on the entry list. Yamaha fields five teams, whilst BMW and Kawasaki are each represented by four, Honda by three and Suzuki by one.

Alongside YART, BMW and SERT, the prominent names in the field include Kawasaki Webike Trickstar, F.C.C. TSR Honda France, ERC Endurance, AutoRace Ube Racing and the long-established Team Bolliger Switzerland.

56 teams at the grand season finale

In total, the entry list for the 89th Bol d’Or comprises 56 teams across four classes. Alongside the 17 teams in the Formula EWC, 24 teams are competing in the Superstock category. There are also 13 entrants in the Production class, as well as two experimental motorbikes.

This means that the final EWC round of the year will not only feature a close title battle but also one of the largest starting grids of the season. The Superstock category is particularly well-represented: Honda alone fields ten of the 24 motorbikes, Yamaha five and BMW three. Aprilia, Kawasaki and Suzuki are each represented by two teams.

However, with the World Championship title on the line, all eyes are on the frontrunners. YART has put itself in an excellent position with a 19-point lead, but BMW has a formidable package in the M1000RR on the fast circuit at Le Castellet.

YART-Crewchief Max Neukirchner

Foto: YART

Neukirchner therefore refuses to talk of a comfortable situation. “Of course, a 19-point lead is better than a 19-point deficit. But we mustn’t think that we can head to the Bol d’Or relaxed and just need to cross the finish line.” The defending champion’s goal is therefore clear: “We want to be world champions by Sunday evening.”

The World Championship standings after 3 of 4 races:

1. YART, Yamaha R1 – 112 points

2. BMW Endurance, BMW M1000RR – 93

3. SERT, Suzuki GSX-R1000R – 84

4. Kawasaki Webike, Kawasaki ZX-10RR – 73

5. Autorace Ube Racing, BMW M1000RR – 60

6. ERC Endurance, BMW M1000RR – 53

7. Team Bolliger Switzerland, Kawasaki ZX-10RR – 39

8. Motobox Kremer, Yamaha R1 – 36

9. Honda HRC, Honda CBR1000RR-R – 35

10. Maxxess by BMRT3D, Kawasaki ZX-10RR – 33