24h Motos
YART-Yamaha Official EWC Team has won the 49th edition of the 24 Heures Motos. At the end of a thrilling race marked by a very high pace and a record attendance of 76,700 spectators, it is the Yamaha YZF-R1 #1 that takes victory. Ridden by Karel Hanika, Marvin Fritz and Leandro Mercado, it gives Yamaha a sixth win at the Le Mans endurance classic. The Austrian outfit claims a second consecutive victory and the third in its history.
The 24 Heures Motos have given birth to legends. Each edition has revealed champions, and every on-track moment has tested character. Here, competitors discover what they are truly capable of. To win this 49th edition, Karel Hanika, Marvin Fritz and Leandro Mercado, riders of the Yamaha #1 from YART-Yamaha Official EWC Team, had to deliver a flawless performance to beat Suzuki, BMW, Kawasaki and Honda.
Although the blue machine started with a fuel consumption disadvantage compared to its rivals, its riders compensated by setting a very high race pace. What commands respect is that their path to victory was free of mistakes and was on pace for a distance record.
BMW dreamed of becoming the first European manufacturer to win the 24 Heures Motos with the M1000RR #37 of the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. The Belgian outfit even led the race until the 17th hour. That is when things unraveled due to traction control issues. Then Michael van der Mark (four-time Suzuka 8 Hours winner) crashed while overtaking a lapped machine. The Dutch rider had hoped to follow in the footsteps of his father, Henk, winner in 1984 with Suzuki. A beautiful story that nearly was. Finally, with 1 hour 44 minutes remaining, the Hyperbike suffered another mechanical issue. The German brand finished 23rd.
In the Suzuki camp, after a 2025 edition marked by six crashes and the loss of the world endurance title by a single point (to YART-Yamaha), the 49th edition was approached with a spirit of revenge. Yoshimura SERT Motul relied on its proven GSX-R 1000 to make the difference. But reliability alone is not enough. To aim higher, the team needed more pace, those crucial tenths that decide races. This is where things became difficult.
The Japanese squad ultimately finished second (five laps behind the winning Yamaha), focusing on the championship standings. A new machine is already in preparation for next year, with unchanged ambition: to continue building its legacy and strengthen its status as the most successful manufacturer in 24 Heures Motos history, targeting a 16th victory.
Kawasaki secured third place. Kawasaki Webike Trickstar entered a new ZX-10R featuring a revised aerodynamic package with large wings, along with updated chassis geometry. These upgrades were not enough to match Yamaha and BMW, but showed promising potential and strong resilience.
Special mention goes to Grégory Leblanc, five-time 24 Heures Motos winner, who lost ten kilos to reduce the weight gap with his teammates due to setup requirements.
The major absentee from the podium was Honda. The CBR 1000 RR-R #5 of F.C.C. TSR Honda France was clearly in contention early in the race before Corentin Perolari crashed after the 21-hour mark. The Japanese team finished 12th, 40 laps behind the winners.
As in 2025, the best independent team at the finish was the BMW M1000RR #6 from ERC Endurance #6. Ridden by Marcel Schrötter, Kenny Foray and David Checa, it finished fourth. The BMW #76 of AutoRace Ube Racing Team completed the top five. This Japanese outfit was competing in its first 24-hour race and benefited from the experience of Sylvain Guintoli, double winner of the event. It is expected to return in 2027 with strong ambitions.
In the Superstock category, no fewer than ten teams were in contention for victory. National Motos Honda FMA aimed for a historic third consecutive win at Le Mans, but the Honda #55 retired after engine failure following 613 laps and 19 hours of racing.
Despite taking pole position, the BMW #25 of Team Étoile could not capitalize due to at least three crashes, finishing 13th with regrets.
Ultimately, it was the BMW #38 of Champion-HERT Powered by MRP that took victory. Bálint Kovács, Jan Bühn, Loris Cresson and Máté Számadó won ahead of the Honda #44 of Honda No Limits and the Honda #27 of TRT27 AZ Moto. Third place was a strong result for team manager Eric Tanésie, celebrating 30 years in endurance racing.
The 2026 edition marked the second year of the Production category, featuring machines close to road bikes. Eleven motorcycles were on the grid.
The Yamaha #96 of Legacy Compétition and the Kawasaki #42 of Green Team 42 Lycée Sainte-Claire and #199 of ARTEC 199 fought for the lead. The turning point came late in the morning when the leading Kawasaki #42 suffered a chain failure. The Yamaha #96, ridden by Jordy Manneveau, Pierre Gelas, Ludovic Hauser and Jonathan Hugot, inherited the lead and went on to win. The Kawasaki #42 finished second, ahead of the Honda #531 of MANA-AU Compétition.
Sixty machines started. Twenty-four hours later, only 40 saw the chequered flag. Night conditions, fatigue and incidents once again highlighted the harshness of the event. For many amateurs, simply being on the grid is already an achievement. Finishing the race, regardless of position, feels like a hard-earned victory.
The next round of the FIM EWC World Endurance Championship will be the 8 Hours of Spa Motos. The race will take place on Saturday, June 6.
EWC Category Top 5 :
1. Yamaha #1 YART-Yamaha Official EWC Team – Karel Hanika / Marvin Fritz / Leandro Mercado – 859 laps
2. Suzuki #12 Yoshimura SERT Motul – Gregg Black / Étienne Masson / Dan Linfoot – +5 laps
3. Kawasaki #11 Kawasaki Webike Trickstar – Roman Ramos / Christian Gamarino / Grégory Leblanc – +11 laps
4. BMW #6 ERC Endurance – Marcel Schrötter / Kenny Foray / David Checa – +12 laps
5. BMW #76 AutoRace Ube Racing Team – Naomichi Uramoto / Sylvain Guintoli / Hannes Soomer – +12 laps
Superstock Top 3 :
1. BMW #38 Champion-HERT Powered by MRP – Bálint Kovács / Jan Bühn / Loris Cresson / Máté Számadó – 838 laps
2. Honda #44 Honda No Limits – Gabriele Giannini / Miquel Pons Payeras / Ricardo Brink / Doriano Vietti-Ramuss – +11 laps
3. Honda #27 TRT27 AZ Moto – Thomas Ward / Thomas Oliver / Eemeli Lahti / Maiku Watanuki – +16 laps
Production Top 3 :
1. Yamaha #96 Legacy Compétition – Jordy Manneveau / Pierre Gelas / Ludovic Hauser / Jonathan Hugot – 774 laps
2. Kawasaki #42 Green Team 42 Lycée Sainte-Claire – Julien Bonnet / Alexy Negrier / Jules Blanc / Corentin Garcia – +4 laps
3. Honda #531 MANA-AU Compétition – Baptiste Felgerolles / Maximilian Spitzer / Tony Jeuland / Olivier Garreau – +15 laps
Fastest lap : Honda #5 F.C.C. TSR Honda France – 1:35.698
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