Yamaha versus BMW: Canepa reveals exclusively where YART needs to step up in 2027

By winning the 2026 World Endurance Championship, BMW has broken the previous dominance of the Japanese manufacturers. At the Bol d’Or in mid-September, the BMW works team not only secured victory in the race but also the first EWC world title for a European manufacturer. Defending champions YART had to settle for third place and the runners-up spot after a difficult week of racing. Just four points separated the Austrian Yamaha team from the new world champion.

This raises a crucial question for Yamaha: will the R1 still be able to keep up with the more technically advanced BMW M1000RR in 2027? Especially as BMW is preparing a new homologation model for the coming season, whilst Yamaha continues to rely on the familiar R1 platform.

In an exclusive interview with SPEEDWEEK.com, Yamaha racing manager Niccolo Canepa explained why, despite losing the world championship title, he does not see any fundamental technical disadvantage.

“I can’t say anything about BMW’s new model because I don’t know how it performs,” the Italian clarified. “But I’m truly convinced that we can battle it out for victories with BMW, Suzuki and Honda.”

Niccolo Canepa

Foto: Gold & Goose

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As proof, Canepa points to YART’s recent successes. The team won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice in a row and secured the World Championship title in 2025. “We have the resources needed to win and be competitive – particularly in endurance racing,” emphasised Canepa.

Development of the Yamaha R1: How much potential is left?

The former racing driver does not deny that the R1 is no longer based on the latest generation of Superbikes. However, he says the bike is being continuously improved. “It’s true that it’s not the latest bike. But the bike continues to evolve every year,” Canepa assured.

In this regard, YART benefits from collaboration between various Yamaha departments. Alongside the endurance team, the Superbike test team and the Japanese development department are also involved. “There is a great deal of communication between the Superbike World Championship, our test team, the endurance team and also with the factory in Japan with regard to the Suzuka 8 Hours,” explained Canepa. “We work together as one big team to keep improving the bike.” That is why the Yamaha representative is confident that YART will remain among the title contenders in the years to come.

Fuel consumption: Yamaha needs to make improvements here

A key advantage for BMW at the Bol d’Or was the combination of high engine power and efficient fuel consumption. The M1000RR was able to complete longer stints than its rivals and thus save one pit stop over the race distance.

Canepa admits that Yamaha still has room for improvement in this area. “Of course, there’s scope for improvement in every area. That’s what we’ll be focusing on for next season,” he explained. “In some races we were very competitive in terms of fuel economy, but slightly less so at the Bol d’Or. We need to understand why that was the case.”

Nachteil: Die Yamaha R1 ist durstiger als die BMW M1000RR

Foto: YART

However, the actual difference in range was smaller than the strategy would have suggested. “To reveal a technical detail: we were very, very close to being able to complete an extra lap,” reported Canepa. “For various reasons, however, we decided to play it safe and not take too many risks. That’s why we always came into the pits one lap earlier.”

The missing lap was therefore not solely down to a significant technical deficit, but also to a deliberately conservative strategy. “The difference was actually very small on this circuit. But it was there nonetheless. We need to work on eliminating that gap.”

Back in the hunt from 2027: YART must take more risks

Canepa’s assessment of the different starting positions of the two title rivals is interesting. BMW had to get the most out of the season finale to still have a chance of winning the World Championship. YART, on the other hand, went into the final race as defending champions and World Championship leaders.

“I understand BMW’s situation. They’d never won the World Championship before and were probably in a position where they could take greater risks,” explained Canepa. YART, on the other hand, had acted somewhat more cautiously. The Yamaha team principal has announced a change in approach for 2027. “We were a bit more conservative. Now we no longer have the number 1 on the bike. That’s why we’ll try to be in their position next year.”

Vier Punkte trennten YART und BMW nach den vier EWC-Rennen 2026

Foto: YART

However, Canepa does not attribute the loss of the title solely to technical differences. The numerous crashes during the practice and qualifying sessions had already taken a significant toll on the team even before the race began. “I think that at YART this week, everything that could go wrong did,” recalled Canepa. “The riders weren’t physically at 100 per cent after the crashes. A lot of motorbikes were wrecked. When you start a race week like that, your confidence naturally takes a knock.”

Nevertheless, the Italian was impressed by how the team responded to the setbacks. “The team’s attitude really impressed me. Over the past four years, they’ve won the World Championship twice and finished as runners-up twice. You can see that their mindset is now focused on always giving their all and winning.”

At the Bol d’Or, apart from the bizarre pit stop mishap, the riders and the team had performed almost flawlessly. “We really can’t fault them. BMW did a fantastic job – both the team and the riders,” said Canepa, paying tribute to the new world champion.

At the same time, he is convinced that YART could have achieved more under better conditions: “Because of the many crashes and the physical condition of our riders, we weren’t able to give 100 per cent at the Bol d’Or. And 100 per cent would have meant that we could have competed with BMW.”

Four points and a missed opportunity

From Yamaha’s perspective, it is particularly painful that the World Championship title was ultimately lost by just four points. Canepa points to Karel Hanika’s crash in qualifying, which cost YART a potentially better points haul.

“I think that without Karel’s crash in qualifying, it would have been possible to score four points – exactly the four points we were missing in the end to win the World Championship,” he explained. Nevertheless, Canepa does not want to reduce the season to this one incident. “That’s part and parcel of racing. I remain proud of the team’s work. The results over the past four years are remarkable.”

Yamaha also secured the manufacturers’ title in 2026, a fact Canepa made a point of emphasising. “We’ve won the Manufacturers’ World Championship. We’re really proud of that, because this title is something special, particularly in the Endurance World Championship.”

It has now been confirmed that YART will field the same line-up of Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika and Leandro Mercado for 2027. Yamaha is thus banking on continuity in its rider line-up and the consistent further development of the R1 in its battle against BMW. Whether the progress made in terms of performance and fuel efficiency will be enough to reclaim the title remains to be seen in the coming EWC season.