18 July 2018
Two Japanese BMW teams have made a good showing at Suzuka over the past few years. One team in particular to look out for is BMW Financial Services 135, a regular Top 20 finisher. Shinya Takeishi will partner with British Superbike riders Michael Laverty and Christian Iddon to ride the BMW 135. But BMW Motorrad 39, another S1000RR-mounted Japanese team, will no doubt make its presence felt thanks to a strong trio of riders. Daisaku Sakai, winner of the 2009 Suzuka 8 Hours and FIM endurance world champion with Suzuki Endurance Racing Team in 2011, will be riding the BMW #39 alongside Australian racing brothers Damian and Alex Cudlin.
A championship duel
Mercury Racing’s face-off with NRT48 will also make for an interesting duel. Just two points separate the two teams in the 2017-2018 FIM EWC provisional standings. Czech squad Mercury Racing, which mustered a 47th-place finish at last year’s Suzuka 8 Hours, has Frenchman Sylvain Barrier riding alongside two Czech riders, Karel Hanika and Ondřej Ježek. German team NRT48 is making its Suzuka debut with a trio comprising French riders Kenny Foray and Julien Da Costa and British racer Peter Hickman. The two Frenchmen have already reaped rewards at Suzuka in recent years, notably a 3rd-place finish for Kenny Foray in the 2012 race and a 4th place for Julien Da Costa in 2013.
29 March 2024
Florian Alt will embark on his eighth season as a Viltaïs Racing rider in 2024 with a clear target to strive for in the FIM Endurance World Championship.On each round of the EWC, Alt and his Honda-powered team-mates, Leandro Mercado, Steven Odendaal and reserve rider James Westmoreland, will be hunting for the podium – and they’ve gone to great lengths over the winter to try to achieve their goal.Having completed EWC 2023 by claiming a fine runner-up spot in the Bol d’Or and with a second-successive Independent Trophy title in the bag, Honda Viltaïs Racing will head to Le Mans next month for the season-opening 24 Heures Motos aiming high, as 27-year-old German ace Alt explains.
28 March 2024
Team 202 will fly the flag of the National Police Motorcycle of Club of France during the upcoming FIM Endurance World Championship season.Florent Parret’s Superstock outfit, which has raced in the EWC since 1998, once again features serving police officers Sofian Lhuillier and Gilles Minutello – along with Parret – in its line-up.And after placing 31st overall and 19th among the Dunlop-equipped Superstock category contenders in last year’s 24 Heures Motos, the Yamaha-powered outfit is hoping to make more progress when the Le Mans event opens the 2024 EWC season next month.“Sofian and Gilles had never participated in the 24 Heures Motos and their knowledge of motorcycle racing was limited,” Parret told 24h-motos.com. “The goal was for them to gain experience. During the race, we had three crashes. Despite this, we consider that the result of the race is satisfactory, because we wanted to take the chequered flag.“We are more relaxed than last year because Sofian and Gilles know what to do and know their limits. Thanks to the experience gained, they will gain speed. They will again approach the race with great caution because endurance is a demanding discipline. If we do not experience hazards, by definition, we should gain places in the ranking. Our goal is to do better than in 2023 by getting closer to the top 20 in the general ranking.”Team 202 has prepared for the 2024 season with tests in Spain and France. It will also take part in the Pre-Test for the 24 Heures Motos from 2-3 April.
27 March 2024
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team will defend its FIM Endurance World Championship crown carrying the number one on its R1.Although championship-winning teams usually use the number one during their title defence, it wasn’t previously an official requirement in the EWC – until the rules were updated for 2024.According to the regulations from EWC governing body Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, “the world champion of the previous season will wear number 1 during the current season”.However, in the event of YART being unable to defend its EWC title in 2024, it can revert to its traditional number seven in 2025 as “its former racing number will be protected during the period it wears the 1”, in line with the regulations.Marvin Fritz, who partnered Niccolò Canepa and Karel Hanika to the 2023 EWC title, said: “This is something we were dreaming of for a long time and we can’t wait to start the new season with the number one on our bike.”The 24 Heures Motos opens the 2024 EWC season at Le Mans in France from 18-21 April. Click HERE for ticket information. Photo: Facebook.com/MarvinFritz.2