#7Yamalube Yamaha EWC Official Team by YART

The YART Yamaha Official EWC Team contests the Endurance World Championship (EWC) full-time with former rider and team manager Mandy Kainz at the helm. As their name indicates, the parent organization of this group of endurance racing specialists is the Yamaha Austria Racing Team (YART) based in Austria. The team began racing in 2001 and started full-fledged EWC competition in 2002. After ranking 3rd in the 2005 season, they consistently challenged for the title, placing 2nd, 3rd and 2nd again in the championship before finally clinching the title in 2009 with four victories.

More recently, the team was a constant frontrunner in the 2016-2017 season. An unfortunate retirement at the Bol d’Or season opener hurt their points total, but they still battled for the championship title, never featuring outside the top five at the remaining rounds and finished 3rd. The following season, they won the 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring but were unable to finish the other four races and ended up 16th overall. For the 2018-2019 season, the Austria-based squad got off to a strong start by finishing 2nd at the Bol d’Or, but had a DNF in Round 2. Posting another win at the 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring brought them back into the running, but another DNF at the 8 Hours of Oschersleben took the team out of contention for the title. Their 6th place finish at the Suzuka 8 Hours gave them 4th in the overall ranking. The team’s speed has never been in doubt, but bouts of bad luck have consistently kept the title from their grasp.

The opening round of the 2019-2020 season was met with some more bad luck as a patch of oil spilled on the track by a rival led to a crash just as the team had taken the lead. The following race was the inaugural Sepang 8 Hours and there they overcame inclement weather and on-track incidents to take their first win of the season, vaulting into 4th overall. However, the spread of COVID-19 throughout Europe and the world brought changes to the racing calendar from April onward, moving Le Mans to August, the Bol d’Or to September and the Suzuka 8 Hours to November.

The team line-up for the rounds in August and September will see Czech racer Karel Hanika alongside regulars Niccolò Canepa and Marvin Fritz as they battle aboard the 2020 model YZF-R1. However, for the Suzuka 8 Hours season finale, All Japan JSB1000 contender Kohta Nozane will return to the team in Hanika’s place. Further, Yamaha Motor will provide technical support for the team’s racebike and Yamaha’s genuine oil brand Yamalube will serve as the title sponsor. The Yamalube Yamaha EWC Official Team by YART will be looking not only for a podium finish at the 8 Hours, but also to clinch its first championship title win since 2009.

EWC Team Results