BMW win crazy 24 hour rollercoaster that was SPA

2022 FIM EWC
24H SPA EWC Motos

There was non-stop action and drama when the FIM Endurance World Championship returned to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the first time in 21 years as the Belgian track delivered a race that matched up to its legendary status.

While BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team celebrated a maiden 24-hour EWC victory to follow up its breakthrough success in the six-hour 2021 season decider last October, the circuit’s ultra-challenging nature and rain for the final five hours combined to ensure rider skill came very much to the fore in the 24H SPA EWC Motos.

As well as the efforts of riders Jérémy Guarnoni (France), Illya Mykhalchyk (Ukraine) and Markus Reiterberger (Germany), BMW’s success owed plenty to the expertise of its Belgium-based team, led by former rider Werner Daemen, and the reliability of the Dunlop-equipped BMW M1000RR.

Marc Bongers
BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director

“I am extremely happy. It was simply a fantastic weekend. I am so delighted for the team and the partners. It really was a deserved win, especially after the bad luck at the season-opener at Le Mans. We have worked very hard on the project over the last few years and solved a lot of details. It is just wonderful to be rewarded with a win on an absolutely faultless weekend. We made a very good start and it was like a sprint race early on. Our rivals struggled with technical problems or rider errors during the night. We did not make one single mistake. All the pit stops went perfectly and we stayed out the longest on one tank, while our riders also remained consistent, reliable and safe under the most challenging conditions. That all paid off in the end. Of course, those last two hours after the red flag were so tense, before the decision was made to restart the race. We had a lead of several laps so we just had to get the bike home. The tension levels were very high anyway, making it all the sweeter when we crossed the finish line to secure the first 24-hour win for a European manufacturer since 1971 and the first for BMW Motorrad.”

Kawasaki-powered and Pirelli-equipped Tati Team Beringer Racing excelled to finish as the top independent team in second overall with newcomer Loïc Arbel joining forces with existing French riders Grégory Leblanc and Alan Techer.

F.C.C. TSR Honda France was holding off Yoshimura SERT Motul for the final podium spot as both squads battled back from major setbacks during the night. 

A lengthy red flag period to enable the clean-up of a substantial oil spillage with less than three hours remaining meant Gino Rea would have only a handful of laps to reclaim the third place he lost to home hero Xavier Siméon in the pit-stop sequence prior to the race suspension. 

Despite the challenging track conditions, Rea and Siméon engaged in an intense battle for position with Rea coming out on top following several changes of order. 

The result means Suzuki-powered Yoshimura SERT Motul, the winner of the FIM Endurance World Championship last season and April’s 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans holds a 15-point advantage in the title chase heading to August’s Suzuka 8 Hours.

Yoshimura SERT Motul were in the lead after 10 hours only for Sylvain Guintoli to be forced to pit for a replacement clutch and gearbox for his Bridgestone-equipped Suzuki GSX-R1000R. The work took more than 25 minutes to complete and wrecked hopes of a home win for the team’s Belgian rider Siméon in the process.

F.C.C. TSR Honda France took advantage of the misfortune that hit its fellow Japanese team but they then had their own despair when Rea was onboard the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP as the chain failed after 15 hours of running. It left the Briton with no choice but to push his stricken bike back to the pits. That long delay plus the 15 minutes spent making repairs dropped F.C.C. TSR Honda France all the way down to tenth before their late comeback. It’s never over until it’s over…

Worse was to come for both squads when Anglo-Frenchman Gregg Black and Mike Di Meglio, from France, crashed their Suzuki and Honda respectively in quick succession as the Sunday morning rain intensified. Black managed to limp his wrecked machine back to the pits for rapid repairs while Di Meglio was able to continue without stopping having only inflicted limited damage to his bike.

Having started from pole, YART – Yamaha Official Team EWC was forced into an unscheduled pit stop for a replacement speed sensor after three hours. Despite the delay of more than four minutes, the performances of its riders Niccolò Canepa (Italy), Marvin Fritz (Germany) and polesitter Karel Hanika (Czech Republic) put the Austrian team back into contention. Following a battle for the lead between Fritz and BMW rider Mykhalchyk, it was the Japanese marque in front after 18 hours. But the advantage would not last when the YZF-R1, with Canepa onboard, suffered engine failure.

Mandy Kainz – YART Team Manager

“Today’s result was tough to take because the team did not put a foot wrong and fought back superbly from the sensor issue we had at the start, but this is endurance racing. Sometimes you need a bit of luck, and today we did not have that. It is a shame, as we had just taken the lead, and Niccolò was already opening a big gap at the front. We will take the positives from the weekend. We showed just how quick we can be and also managed to secure 21 championship points. Obviously, we would have preferred more points, but we will now turn our attention to Suzuka in a month and take confidence in the fact we performed so well here.”

Elsewhere, Wójcik Racing Team EWC 77 completed the top five followed by Viltaïs Racing Igol and Team Moto Ain, which overcame an overheating issue. Team LH Racing claimed Dunlop Superstock Trophy and FIM Endurance World Cup honours in eighth overall, courtesy of riders Enzo de la Vega, Johan Nigon and Lukas Trautmann. It finished ahead of Team Bolliger Switzerland and Team LRP Poland following a late change of positions between the latter pair.

Team 33 Louit April Moto had led the Superstock category but lost out on glory when Kevin Calia crashed in wet conditions with his Kawasaki suffering a blown engine in the process. Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers CMS Motobase had been second at the time but appeared to be in trouble when Baptiste Guittet was one of several drivers to crash at Les Combes. However, the French outfit managed to hold onto its second place ahead of OG Motorsport by Sarazin, which suffered with traction issues.

National Motos was in the fight for first when it retired after a stone damaged the Honda’s radiator and caused the engine to overheat. Two unscheduled pit stops for “technical issues” hit the No Limits Motor Team’s chances, which were further compromised when Stefan Hill crashed just before eight hours.

Danny Webb suffered a fall early into his first stint on the Superstock pole-sitting Wójcik Racing Team STK 777 Yamaha, which was also delayed by an accident for Maek Szkopek. BMRT 3D Maxxess Nevers dropped out of contention following a spate of delays. A crash for 3ART Best of Bike during the early hours of this morning led to a second safety car period after an accident for the JMA Racing Action Bike close to five hours had resulted in the first safety car.

Despite the JMA team’s Suzuki catching fire, exhaustive repairs enabled the squad to continue. Falcon Racing was denied a strong result by a blown engine, but Pitlane Endurance, Team Aviobike, RAC 41 ChromeBurner and Énergie Endurance finished in the top 20 among the eligible teams. TRT 27 / Bazar 2 La Bécane, Team 202 and ADSS 97 all finished, as did Formula EWC outfit Motobox Kremer Racing.

There was early heartache for Webike SRC Kawasaki France with Randy de Puniet crashing out shortly after two and a half hours of racing. After Florian Marino had led the pack into La Source for the first time and was part of the five-way fight for first during the opening hour, hopes of a strong result unravelled when Marino fell following contact at the chicane nearing the end of his stint. More than three minutes were lost while repairs were made to the ZX 10R before Etienne Masson could begin his stint, which was hampered when he also fell at the chicane due to brake issues. It led to a six-minute delay before de Puniet’s crash compounded a miserable afternoon. Marino, meanwhile, was taken to hospital for checks following his fall.

ERC Endurance-Ducati suffered an early setback when the German squad was forced to make an unscheduled stop due to a fuel pump issue, which followed a slow start from Xavi Forès. However, with the problem returning during the night the team was forced to retire.

24H SPA EWC Motos Results

EWC Teams Standings

SST Teams Standings

What’s Next?

The Suzuka 8 Hours is back on the FIM EWC calendar in 2022 having not taken place since 2019 due to the global health crisis. Operated by Honda-owned Mobilityland, Suzuka features a unique figure-of-eight layout and presents a considerable challenge for riders thanks to its wide variety of corners. Opened initially as a test track for the Japanese motor giant in 1962, the venue hosted the first edition of the famous Suzuka 8 Hours motorbike race in 1978, nine years before staging its first Japanese Formula One Grand Prix. The Suzuka 8 Hours has been a popular feature on the EWC calendar and a key fixture on the international calendar since with leading grand prix motorcycle racers taking part – and winning – over the years.

2022 FIM Endurance World Championship Calendar

1. 24 Heures Motos: 16-17 April 2022
2. 24H Spa EWC Motos: 4-5 June 2022
3. Suzuka 8 Hours: 7 August 2022
4. Bol d’Or: 17-18 September 2022
5. 5th Event TBC