#1Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team

The Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team contests the Endurance World Championship (EWC) full-time with former rider and team manager Mandy Kainz at the helm. The team’s parent organization, the Yamaha Austria Racing Team (YART) is also a large-scale dealer of Yamaha Motor products, among various other pursuits. The team began racing in 2001 and started competing in the EWC 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.

Looking at YART’s results in recent years, the team has displayed extremely fast pace across the board and has been a consistent championship contender. However, with the EWC calendar consisting of only four to five races per season, even a single mistake can take a team out of contention for the title. So, even though YART has had title-winning potential for many years, bad luck has kept the title just out of reach.

The 2023 season was different, however, as YART’s lineup consisted of Karel Hanika, Marvin Fritz, and Niccolò Canepa for the third year in a row. To start their campaign, the team took a 2nd place finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and followed it up with a win at the Spa 24 Hours, which was their first win since Estoril 2020, and their first 24-hour race win in 14 years. The win lifted them to the top of the championship standings. Continuing their challenge at the Suzuka 8 Hours resulted in a 23rd place finish due to a machine issue, which dropped them down to 2nd overall, 13 points behind the leaders. It all came down to the final round of the season, the 24 Hours of Bol d'Or, where YART took 4th, coming from behind to win their first title since 2009.

As defending champions for 2024, the team arrived at the first round of the season, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, having swapped their usual race number 7 for the number 1. The goal was to notch up a strong result to start the season well, and in the end a 3rd place finish achieved just that. At the following round, the 8 Hours of Spa Motos in Belgium on June 8, they qualified in pole position and stayed ahead of their rivals in the race to take the win and retain 2nd overall in the standings while narrowing the gap to the leaders to a single point, so that coming into the Suzuka 8 Hours they will be aiming to take a first-ever podium to vault to the top of the championship standings.

YART’s main partner for this year’s Suzuka 8 Hours is Yamalube, maker of Genuine Yamaha engine oils, and the team’s YZF-R1 machine will feature a special livery for the Suzuka 8 Hours with the Yamalube logo. For the event, Yamaha Motor will provide YART’s YZF-R1 with technical support and assist with team operations throughout the event.

EWC Team Results