EWC's Fastest Team Have Sights Set on 2025 Title

The Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team (YART), led by Team Manager Mandy Kainz, shares a strong bond, both among team staff and among the riders as well. Together, they won the 2023 Endurance World Championship (EWC) title and took a strong 2nd overall in 2024. Among the many teams in the EWC, their dominant speed and wealth of experience set them apart as a top-tier squad.

In the past few years, YART has gradually increased their presence in the Suzuka 8 Hours paddock. Especially in the five years starting in 2015 (the year the YZF-R1 underwent a full model change), they competed at the front alongside the Yamaha Factory Racing Team. Following the 2020-2021 seasons, which were marked by the outbreak of COVID-19, the team took over from the factory team as Yamaha's top team starting in 2022. In 2024, they finished on the podium for the first time at the 8 Hours, completing a record 220 laps to take 2nd place, their best-ever finish in the event.

In 2025, YART won the opening round of the EWC season, the Le Mans 24 Hours, then came 3rd in the Spa 8 Hours and presently sit atop the championship standings with an 18 point gap to 2nd. They solidified their reputation as the fastest team in the EWC.

In mid-June, YART team manager Mandy Kainz and his riders arrived in Japan for to test for the Suzuka 8 Hours race looking happy and confident.

"I look forward to it every year. It's the best race," said Kainz, beginning his interview. With the Suzuka 8 Hours approaching, he spoke about the season up to this point. "So far, everything has been almost perfect. Despite facing all kinds of weather conditions, we won at Le Mans and finished on the podium at Spa, making it six podiums in a row. This is historic for our team. Since the opening race at Le Mans last year, we've been on the podium in every race. That's not something easy to do, and no other team has done it." Their incredible consistency is a source of pride for the team and has built an unshakable confidence, having overcome issues often faced when endurance racing against strong rivals.

"My role hasn't changed," says rider Marvin Fritz, who leads the team following the retirement of previous stalwart Niccolò Canepa. "Every year, our opponents get stronger and stronger. But personally, I broke the circuit record at Spa, and as a team, we all have a very fast pace. (Fritz also took pole position at last year's Suzuka 8 Hours.) Our bike, the riders, and the whole team is improving."

Fritz, who got engaged last February, said, "We're planning to get married in September this year. I have a great relationship with my fiancée. She's the best, she's my fiancée but also like my teammate, and she gives me the best support. She knows a lot about racing, too. She's Karel's sister, and their Dad was a racer, so I think she's got petrol running through her veins (laughs). Thanks to that, I can go even faster." His personal life is going smoothly, and at 32 years old, he's in his prime, speaking every word with conviction and radiating confidence with every move.

The youngest member of the team, Karel Hanika, keeps an even keel with his words and actions, not often letting his emotions bubble to the surface, but he's got a fiery spirit inside. "Niccolò was the strongest, fastest rider in EWC. I'm still getting used to seeing him wearing a different outfit during race weekends, but he does come to the track to see us. Still, it's sad that he's gone. No one can replace him, but Marvin and I want to reach his level, and it's important for us to keep pushing forward toward doing that," said Hanika, showing a positive attitude despite changes in the team following Canepa's departure.

This positive attitude within the team is helped in a large part by how well teammate Jason O'Halloran has already fit in. Kainz said, "Niccolò was appointed manager of Yamaha's road racing division and had to leave the team. We had many options for a new rider, but in the end, Niccolò made the choice on his replacement himself. It had to be an experienced rider, someone who could handle tough endurance races. So, it was hard to find just the right rider, but I think Niccolò's choice was the right one, because so far Jason has been performing very well."

O'Halloran first got together with the team at their Christmas party last year. He came to YART's Austrian workshop to meet everyone, and in February he took to the track in YART colors for the first time to test in Valencia. "For me, going from sprint racing in BSB to endurance in the EWC was a big change. In sprints, everything from the bike to the team is focused around me, but in EWC, we share the bike. That's a big difference. Plus, there are a lot of things about endurance racing that I've had to adapt to."

Jason has already had a thorough introduction endurance racing. "At Le Mans, I rode at night in the wet with dry tires, and I rode on a dry track with wet tires. At Spa, I did a double stint in the rain and had a big crash. If that had been in a sprint, a crash like that would have ended my race. But this endurance racing, and our team didn't give up. We had incredible results in those races, winning and taking 3rd." It is clear that Fritz and Hanika, along with the rest of the team, have great faith in him. "The transition couldn't have been smoother" O'Halloran says, having fully integrated into the team and become a major contributor to their success.

The Suzuka 8 Hours is an important battle for YART as they aim to win their third EWC title. While the main goal is to lift more points than their EWC rivals, YART will also have to contend with is the returning Yamaha Racing Team. The race has the potential to become a Yamaha vs. Yamaha battle at the front, and if so, it will be one of the highlights of the 2025 8 Hours.

"Of course, we're going for the win. We didn't come here to finish second," said Fritz. "It will be harder than last year. The heat is tough, but more than that, we have strong rivals here. You have the regular EWC teams we normally ride against, Trickstar, SERT, FCC, and BMW, and for the 8 Hours you add in HRC and Ducati that don't normally compete. And we want to beat the Yamaha factory team, number 21, too!"

"YRT has riders from MotoGP and WorldSBK, but only Nakasuga-san knows Suzuka. Two of the YRT riders don't know the Bridgestone tires well, but all three of our riders have a lot of experience with them. YRT has those super-fast riders, but we have both speed and experience, so it's hard to say what will happen. The most important thing is for us and YRT to work together to get a strong finish for Yamaha," says Hanika.

O'Halloran, who will be competing in his second 8 Hours, said, "The 8 Hours is a race I've always wanted to compete in and do well. If I can make it onto the podium, it will be one of the biggest results of my career. I mean, I'm aiming for the podium in every race, but the 8 Hours is especially hard. You've got top level riders and teams, so it's a very tough race. The conditions are hard, too. I've only competed in one 8 Hours out of all the years I've been watching it, but I really want to put together a good result."

Team Manager Mandy Kainz speaks about this year's race. "The #21 one factory Yamaha team has won many times, and they're back this year. Our other rivals are also really strong, so it will be a tough race. We have two goals. Number one is to be on the podium again. The other is to open up a bigger gap in the EWC standings. Of course, beating our Yamaha teammates is also a target. Last year, when (MotoGP rider) Zarco came, we weren't afraid. We have to show that we can win. We took pole position, so we have nothing to fear from anyone. This year, we'll just focus on having a good race without taking big risks".

YART will face rivals led by YRT, but even in this challenging situation, they remain calm. "In the past, we always took risks to get on the podium. But coming into this year, we already got a podium from last year, so we have less pressure and more breathing room than before," says Kainz. Depending on how the race goes, they may aim for the win, for the podium, or focus on earning as many points as possible. They can adapt their strategy as needed.

At this year's Suzuka 8 Hours, EWC's fastest team is aiming to make a big leap toward the goal of lifting the 2025 title.