YART Wins Third FIM Endurance World Championship Title at Bol d’Or

October 15, 2025

October 15, 2025—On September 20 and 21 at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France, Round 4 of the Endurance World Championship (EWC) was held. In it, Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team riders Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika, and Jason O'Halloran completed 725 laps riding the YZF-R1 to finish second. The result secured them a one-point lead over their rivals in the standings to win the 2025 title. It was YART's third EWC title win, following victories in 2009 and 2023.

For the 2025 season, YART stalwart Niccolò Canepa retired from road racing to take the position of Road Racing Sporting Manager at Yamaha Motor Europe, shifting into a support role for the team. Replacing him to complete a new lineup for YART was British Superbike regular Jason O'Halloran, while at the same time the addition of the newly winglet-equipped 2025 YZF-R1 made it a fresh start for the new year.

At the season-opener, the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, Fritz set a new lap record to claim pole position. The race itself was chaotic as the weather played a large part, resulting in over 200 crashes. YART also suffered multiple crashes, but when the race leader crashed with less than an hour remaining, this allowed YART to pass them and take the win.

The following round was the 8 Hours of Spa Motos in Belgium, where YART crashed while leading late in the race. After repairs, they rejoined and overcame a 40-second deficit to take 3rd, resulting in a podium finish for the sixth consecutive race, carrying on a streak that began with Round 2 in 2023. They also extended their lead in the championship standings to 18 points over the team in 2nd.

After standing on the Suzuka 8 Hours podium for the first time in 2024, this year’s race saw the team crash multiple times in the early stages before being forced to retire. Even so, they retained the championship lead by a single point coming into the final round.

YART faced a three-way battle for the title in the final round, up against the Yoshimura SERT Motul team (SERT) and the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team (BMW). Starting from third place, YART worked on chasing down BMW, and with 30 minutes remaining, an accident for BMW propelled YART into 2nd and simultaneously to the top of the points standings. O'Halloran completed the final stint for the team to take the checkered flag in 2nd and secure the team's third EWC title, along with a second consecutive EWC Constructors' title for Yamaha.

#7 Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team

Marvin Fritz
"I cannot put into words how I feel now. After winning in 2023, this feels very special to add our second title, plus it is a great wedding present! It was always our dream to win the championship, especially after our victory in Le Mans and the podium in Spa. But then we had to retire at Suzuka, which was a shame as we could have come here leading the standings by 20 points, but instead we only had a one-point advantage coming into the race. However, this was an incredible team effort; everyone gave 100% and we did it again. I am so proud of my teammates and every single person in the team. Thanks to Yamaha, Bridgestone, and all the people involved in bringing this trophy home."

Karel Hanika
"Honestly, I can’t really enjoy the feeling yet, as I am still exhausted. It was one of the most difficult races of my life as I was suffering very badly from a stomach problem during the night. I tried to keep going until it was not possible, so in the morning, luckily, Marvin and Jason could take over for three hours as I rested. This meant I could recover and ride towards the end again. This shows what an amazing team effort it was. I am so proud of them all. We demonstrated significant improvement at this track, not only for the riders, but also for the bike and the team, which is very promising for the future. It is awesome to win my second Endurance World Championship, but I don’t want to stop at two; I want a third, a fourth, and I never want to stop. Thanks to everyone who was a part of this, Yamaha, Bridgestone, and of course, every single member of our incredible team."

Jason O’Halloran
"It is still sinking in, to be honest. We had a great year. We won at Le Mans, and then led at Spa before my crash, but we fought back to the podium. Obviously, we had our issues at Suzuka and didn’t finish the race, which meant it all came down to here. It was my first time riding at Circuit Paul Ricard. I literally only completed my first laps in Private Practice on Tuesday, so I didn’t know what to expect. Despite this, I enjoyed the circuit; we worked through the 24-hour race as you do and never gave up. You don’t ever want to see your competitors go out the way they did. BMW made a fantastic race, and they also deserved to be standing here today. It’s been an amazing season. Thanks to my teammates, Yamaha, Bridgestone, and, of course, everyone involved in YART, I am incredibly proud to be a part of this team."

Mandy Kainz
“What can I say. This is endurance racing. We worked so hard, but it looked like the championship was out of our reach, and then that happened. It was an incredible finish, and I am so proud of all of the team. We did not quite have the pace of our rivals, but they never gave up. We kept fighting, despite all three riders and a number of the mechanics suffering from a nasty stomach bug. It still hasn’t sunk in yet, if I am honest, our third world title… wow! I want to thank Yamaha, Bridgestone, all of our sponsors, and every single member of the team. We did it! I would also like to mention the BMW team, who were outstanding, and they did not deserve to lose the championship this way. We have all had bad luck, but this was something else, and I want to congratulate them on a superb season-long battle.”