YART shock ahead of the EWC final: Karel Hanika escapes serious injury

For YART, this weekend’s Bol d’Or is all about defending their World Championship title. But even before the actual race weekend got underway at the Circuit Paul Ricard, the Austrian Yamaha team was confronted on Tuesday with a situation that suddenly pushed the battle for the World Championship into the background.

During practice, Karel Hanika was involved in a serious crash involving a total of four riders. The Czech rider was lucky to escape with only minor injuries: following examinations at hospital that evening, it was confirmed that he had not suffered any broken bones.

Karel Hanika was unable to react

YART crew chief Max Neukirchner gave SPEEDWEEK.com a detailed account of how the incident occurred. Ahead of Hanika, his team-mate Marvin Fritz was riding in the slipstream of a Honda. Travelling at over 200 km/h, the Honda apparently slowed down significantly and suddenly due to a technical problem.

“Later, we were able to see very clearly from the data recording just how little time Marvin actually had,” reported Neukirchner. “From the moment he realised something was wrong ahead of him to the time he reacted, probably not even a second had passed.”

Fritz made contact with the Honda from behind but managed to avoid a crash. For Hanika, who was immediately behind, there was practically no way to avoid the collision. He crashed heavily, and his Yamaha was almost completely destroyed in the process. When Fritz subsequently returned to the pits, according to Neukirchner, it took just two words for the team to grasp the gravity of the situation: “Fuck, Karel.”

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Marvin Fritz mit YART-Crewchief Max Neukirchner

Foto: YART

Initially, at least, there was cautiously positive news from race control. Hanika had got to his feet unaided after the crash and walked behind the track barrier. He was then taken first to the medical centre and later to hospital for further examinations. Hanika complained of pain in his shoulder and collarbone area, as well as in his left leg.

Max Neukirchner had to find a possible replacement

This marked the start of a particularly difficult situation for Neukirchner. Whilst concern for Hanika was the main priority, YART simultaneously had to start running through possible scenarios for the World Championship final.

“On a personal level, you think of Karel – but from a sporting perspective, you have to be three steps ahead,” said the former World Superbike rider, describing the dilemma. “As crew chief, I have to be thinking right now: Can Karel ride? Can we compete with him on Thursday? Can he ride a 24-hour race? And if not: Who can replace him?”

Team manager Mandy Kainz, Yamaha Europe and Niccolo Canepa were informed. Even the search for a potential replacement rider would have posed major organisational challenges for YART, as, amongst other things, a suitable FIM licence and last-minute travel arrangements would have had to be sorted out.

For Neukirchner, who is familiar with the situation from his own time as a racing driver, this was the most emotionally difficult moment. “When I had to tell Mandy that we still had to start preparing the next steps, I had tears in my eyes.”

Relief on Tuesday evening

In the evening, the welcome news finally arrived: Hanika had not suffered any fractures. The Czech rider then contacted Neukirchner himself and made it clear that he wanted to race.

“When he came back to the circuit, we were all extremely relieved,” said the crew chief. “Of course, he was still limping, and after a crash like that, your whole body probably aches. But he was back.”

For Neukirchner, the fact that the Yamaha was a write-off became completely secondary. “We can replace a motorbike. We can replace parts. We cannot replace a person.”

Further setback for YART

But that wasn’t the end of the turbulent test day for the World Championship leader. Leandro Mercado later crashed in the second free practice session at Turn 5 following contact during an overtaking manoeuvre. The Argentine emerged unscathed, but his Yamaha required, amongst other things, an engine change.

Die YART-Mechaniker hatten am Dienstag viel Arbeit

Foto: YART

This left the mechanics with a mammoth task. One R1 had to be practically rebuilt from scratch following Hanika’s crash, whilst the second bike required an engine change.

Neukirchner was particularly impressed by the team’s reaction. “I’ve rarely seen our team like this. Not frantic, not irritable. Nobody lost their head. Everyone remained approachable, focused and simply got on with their job.”

Looking ahead to the 24-hour race, YART is trying to take something positive from Tuesday’s difficulties. “Perhaps our bad luck yesterday was actually a blessing in disguise,” said Neukirchner. “If these two situations were to happen to us during the race, our Bol d’Or would probably be over in no time.”

Clear mission: YART aims to defend the title

The events also highlighted one of the particular challenges of the Bol d’Or. On the fast Circuit Paul Ricard, professional works teams and top riders come up against significantly slower competitors. On the long straights in particular, the large differences in speed can lead to dangerous situations.

On the sporting front, however, everything remains the same for YART despite the turbulent start. The defending champions head into the season finale with a 19-point lead over the BMW works team and hold their fate for another world championship in their own hands.

“We’ve lost equipment and have a lot of work to do – but we haven’t lost any riders,” said Neukirchner, summing up Tuesday’s events. “Now we’re looking ahead. Our goal hasn’t changed. Together, we want to fulfil our dream and become world champions.”