BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team Triumphs on Home Soil at Spa
Bridgestone-supported teams once again delivered a strong performance at the 8 Hours of Spa Motos, the second round of the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship. In a race shaped by changing weather conditions and strategic tyre decisions, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team converted pole position into a memorable victory on home soil, while YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, Kawasaki Webike Trickstar, Yoshimura SERT Motul and the other Bridgestone-equipped squads battled for valuable championship points.
The weekend began in difficult conditions, with heavy rain disrupting practice and qualifying sessions. Despite the challenges, Bridgestone-supported teams occupied the top seven positions in EWC qualifying, underlining their pace and consistency ahead of race day.
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: Victory at Home
After coming agonisingly close to victory on several occasions in recent seasons, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team finally celebrated a home win at Spa-Francorchamps.
Starting from pole position, Markus Reiterberger, Steven Odendaal and Michael van der Mark delivered a composed performance across changing conditions to secure victory after eight demanding hours of racing. The team briefly lost the lead in the opening stages but quickly regained control and remained at the front for most of the race.
Rain showers midway through the event threatened to shake up the order, but the Belgian squad managed every challenge to take the chequered flag after 192 laps.
“We made massive steps forward over the winter, during testing, and again since we arrived,” said Markus Reiterberger after qualifying. “We kicked off this weekend on a completely different level compared to last year, and the overall pace is much faster now, especially here at Spa.”
YART Yamaha: Valuable Points in Difficult Conditions
Championship leaders YART Yamaha Official EWC Team arrived at Spa determined to continue their strong start to the season and showed impressive pace throughout the weekend.
After topping the only Free Practice session and qualifying second, the reigning world champions remained firmly in the fight during the race. Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika and Leandro Mercado opted for a fuel-saving strategy built around longer stints, hoping the weather would play into their hands.
However, rapidly changing conditions forced additional tyre changes and ultimately cost valuable time. Despite the setback, the Austrian squad secured second place and maintained its lead in the championship standings.
Kawasaki Webike Trickstar: Another Podium Finish
Kawasaki Webike Trickstar continued its impressive start to the 2026 campaign by securing a second consecutive podium finish.
Roman Ramos, Christian Gamarino and Grégory Leblanc navigated Spa’s ever-changing conditions with confidence, overcoming a crash during the race to bring the Kawasaki home in third place. Their consistency and reliability allowed them to capitalise on the misfortune of several rivals and collect another strong haul of championship points.
The result keeps Kawasaki firmly in contention as the championship battle heads to Japan.
Yoshimura SERT Motul: Fighting Back in Style
Few teams demonstrated resilience quite like Yoshimura SERT Motul.
Starting fourth on the grid, Gregg Black made a strong start before an early crash dropped the Suzuki squad deep into the field. With valuable time lost in the pits for repairs, a podium challenge initially appeared out of reach.
Instead, the team launched one of the standout recoveries of the race. Étienne Masson and Dan Linfoot steadily worked their way back through the order as conditions shifted between wet and dry, eventually climbing to fourth position by the sixth hour.
“We have to take the positives from this race because our primary objective was to score strong championship points, and we achieved that,” said Gregg Black. “The mechanics did an incredible job to get us back on track quickly. My teammates also completed very strong stints to bring us back into contention for the podium.”
The result keeps Yoshimura SERT Motul firmly in the title fight heading into Suzuka.
AutoRace Ube Racing Team: Continuing to Impress
The full-season newcomers from AutoRace Ube Racing Team continued to demonstrate their growing competitiveness in the FIM EWC.
After qualifying seventh, the Japanese BMW squad once again showed strong pace throughout the weekend and remained competitive against more established factory-backed teams. While they ultimately crossed the finish line in 25th place, their performance at Spa further underlined the potential of the team in its debut full championship campaign.
KM99: A Competitive Weekend Cut Short
Racing on home soil, Elf Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99 once again showed the speed that has made them a growing force in the EWC paddock.
The Belgian team qualified sixth and spent much of the race battling inside the top five. An unscheduled pit stop for a technical issue dropped the Yamaha down the order, but the team mounted an impressive recovery. Unfortunately, a heavy crash for Bo Bendsneyder late in the race ended hopes of a strong result.
Although the team eventually crossed the line 29th overall, the performance throughout the weekend demonstrated the significant progress made by the squad and offered plenty of encouragement for the remainder of the season.
F.C.C. TSR Honda France: Pace Without Reward
The defending Spa winners looked capable of fighting for victory once again.
After qualifying third, Alan Techer, Corentin Perolari and John McPhee remained among the front-runners during the opening stages and posted the fastest lap of the race thanks to Perolari’s impressive 2’19.750.
However, a technical issue in the closing hours brought their challenge to an abrupt end while the team was still firmly in contention.
Despite the disappointment, the performance shown throughout the weekend highlighted the speed and competitiveness of the Honda squad as they look ahead to the next round.
Team PMS99: Encouraging Spa Debut
After a challenging qualifying session affected by changing weather conditions, Team PMS99 started from 31st on the grid. Competing on the new Bridgestone BATTLAX V03 tyres, the French squad then mounted a determined recovery during the race, overcoming technical setbacks to finish 21st overall. The result provided a welcome boost after a difficult start to the season at Le Mans and highlighted the team’s fighting spirit.
Looking Ahead: Suzuka 8 Hours
With two rounds completed, the championship battle is beginning to take shape. YART Yamaha retains the lead in the standings, but BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team has closed the gap significantly following its home victory, while Yoshimura SERT Motul and Kawasaki Webike Trickstar remain firmly in contention.
Attention now turns to the legendary Suzuka 8 Hours on 3–5 July, where Bridgestone-supported teams will once again be aiming for victory in one of endurance racing’s most iconic events.
