Marvin Fritz (YART) ahead of the EWC finale: “It won’t be a walk in the park!”

YART’s (Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika, Leandro Mercado) preparations for the decisive race of the Endurance World Championship (EWC) were anything but smooth. On Tuesday, Karel Hanika was involved in a serious crash involving several riders, in which his Yamaha R1 was virtually completely destroyed. With just a few days to go before the Bol d’Or, however, the defending champions have at least received the all-clear regarding Hanika’s condition.

“The test didn’t go too well for us. Nevertheless, we’re well prepared and in good shape. Karel is fine,” reported Marvin Fritz in an exclusive interview with SPEEDWEEK.com. Fritz was riding directly in front of Hanika when the serious incident occurred.

The German was riding in the slipstream of a National-Motos team bike when it suddenly slowed down. “I was right behind it and about to swerve. Then their bike cut out and I touched the rear end,” said Fritz, describing those dramatic seconds. “I was incredibly lucky not to crash.”

Von Karel Hanikas Yamaha R1 war nicht mehr viel übrig

Foto: FIM EWC

It was only afterwards that the YART rider realised the full extent of the incident. “When I looked back, I saw four bikes lying on the ground, including my team-mate Karel. They were all a right mess.”

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The rider on the bike in front was also injured in the crash. “The rider whose motorbike cut out isn’t doing well at all. He’s in a stable condition. It really could have ended much worse,” explained Fritz.

No qualifying laps: full focus on race pace

From a sporting perspective, YART had already deliberately focused on the demands of the 24-hour race during the previous test at the Circuit Paul Ricard. A fast single lap played a secondary role in the preparations. “Even during the pre-test here, we never focused on qualifying pace, but instead concentrated on race pace. That went well and we were able to complete plenty of long runs,” reported Fritz. The German is also satisfied with the Bridgestone tyres.

Marvin Fritz

Foto: Facebook

Nevertheless, YART is keeping a close eye on the competition. “The top teams are all using Bridgestone. But it has to be said that the Dunlop tyres are performing very well here too. ERC-BMW, for example, is really strong.” Fritz is more concerned about the characteristics of the Circuit Paul Ricard. On the approximately 1.8-kilometre-long Mistral straight, he believes the Yamaha is at a significant disadvantage compared to the competition.

Yamaha R1 at a disadvantage: the straight holds YART back

“We’re really struggling on that long straight,” admitted the 33-year-old. “We’re losing between 0.5 and 0.7 seconds to the other top teams like SERT, Honda, BMW, and even Kawasaki. We can’t stay in their slipstream either; the others pull away from us. It’s not going to be an easy 24 hours for us.”

This disadvantage could already have consequences in qualifying. Important World Championship points are up for grabs for the five fastest teams at the Bol d’Or. Given the title race, every single point counts for YART. “We’ll have to make sure we don’t lose too much ground – or perhaps even manage to make up a bit of time. With that long straight, that’s obviously not easy for us,” says Fritz. “Nevertheless, we’ll give it our all and know what we’re capable of. We’ve got a strong team.”

The target for the starting grid is correspondingly ambitious. “In qualifying, we want to be among the top five teams – actually, in the top three.” The approach to the race is even more aggressive. YART heads into the season finale with a 19-point lead over the BMW works team, but has no intention of merely defending that lead.

Strategy for the 24-hour race: attack rather than defence!

“In the race, we’ll be going all out on the attack and don’t just want to score points,” announced Fritz. “We’ve never won the Bol d’Or, but we’ve often finished second, third or fourth. The aim is to win.”

The key will be to get the Yamaha through the full 24 hours. At the Bol d’Or in particular, past experience has repeatedly shown how quickly technical problems or crashes can ruin all tactical plans.

“To achieve our goal, we have to see it through, and that’s difficult, as the past has shown. We realise that we’ll have to look after the bike during the race,” emphasised Fritz.

YART (Fritz, Hanika, Mercado) kommt mit 19 Punkten Vorsprung zum Bol d'Or

Foto: YART

At least the weather forecast is giving the YART riders cause for optimism. Fritz is expecting temperatures of between 25 and 30 degrees and largely calm conditions. Wind, in particular, can have a significant impact on the fast circuit at Le Castellet. “We’re well prepared and feeling good,” Fritz summarised. “We’re in good spirits and looking forward to the weekend.”

YART therefore faces a difficult balancing act: the R1 must be looked after for 24 hours, whilst at the same time the defending champions are aiming for victory despite their top-speed disadvantage. Following the turbulent test, however, the strategy for Fritz is clear: go all out for their first Bol d’Or victory – and with it, another World Championship title.