Le Castellet  — The 89th Bol d’Or has concluded at Circuit Paul Ricard, and with it the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship season. The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team won the 24-hour race and claimed the world title by four points, the first FIM EWC crown for the German manufacturer and the first won aboard a European bike.

The #37 BMW M 1000 RR of Markus Reiterberger, Steven Odendaal and Michael van der Mark covered 742 laps (a new record at the Bol d’Or), finishing one lap clear of the #12 Suzuki of Yoshimura SERT Motul and two ahead of the #1 Yamaha of the YART Yamaha Official EWC Team.

The outcome carried particular weight for the Belgian-based squad. Twelve months earlier, at the same circuit, the same machine had been half an hour from the title when a mechanical failure ended its race. This time the M 1000 RR ran the full distance without a setback.

Starting from pole position, the #37 was briefly headed at the Le Mans-style start by Gregg Black on the Yoshimura SERT Motul Suzuki, then regained the lead on the opening lap. The early hours produced a sustained fight with the #5 Honda of F.C.C. TSR Honda France, settled by fuel range and pit-stop efficiency: BMW ran longer stints and completed the 24 hours with 36 minutes 26 seconds of cumulative pit-lane time across 26 stops, the lowest figure among the leading entries. It led both intermediate classifications, taking the maximum 10 points at eight hours and again at 16 hours.

Yoshimura SERT Motul, three-time consecutive winner of the event, moved from fifth in the opening hour to second overnight, passing the YART Yamaha and then the F.C.C. TSR Honda. Gregg Black, Etienne Masson and Dan Linfoot finished second, one lap down, and took third in the final standings.

Karel Hanika, Marvin Fritz and Leandro Mercado recovered from a difficult opening lap that dropped the reigning Champions outside the top 15. The #1 Yamaha ran fourth for much of the race before inheriting third place in the closing hours when the #5 Honda was delayed by a crash at Turn 1 and an eight-minute repair. The podium was not enough to retain the title, which YART lost by four points after winning it by one in 2025.

F.C.C. TSR Honda France finished fourth, six laps down, with Corentin Perolari setting the fastest lap of the race at 1’52.320 (181.8 km/h). Kawasaki Webike Trickstar completed the EWC top five.

Among the retirements were ERC Endurance #6, out after 629 laps, and the AutoRace Ube Racing Team, whose BMW was withdrawn following a fire in the sixth hour. 36 of the 56 starters were classified.

FIM Endurance World Cup: Wójcik Racing Team #77 SST takes the title

Wójcik Racing Team #77 SST won the Superstock class and the FIM Endurance World Cup by four points. Jordi Torres Fernandez, Milan Pawelec, Mateusz Molik and Hector Garzo Vicent brought the #77 Honda home sixth overall on 717 laps, ahead of the #36 Yamaha of 3ART Best Of Bike Hamaguchi and the #44 Honda of Honda No Limits.

Champion-Hert Powered by MRP, which led the class and the standings for most of the weekend, lost more than two hours in the garage overnight and finished eleventh in class. The Belgian team ends the season second, four points behind. Honda takes the Superstock manufacturers’ classification.

FIM Endurance World Trophy: Legacy Competition confirms

Audemar Motoclub Gemenos won the Production class in front of its home crowd, with Bastien Vigne, Arnaud Dejean, Quentin Benslimane and Tony Guerrero completing 666 laps. Legacy Competition finished second, two laps behind, which was enough to secure the FIM Endurance World Trophy with 134 points to 115 for ARTEC #199, third on the road and second in the standings. Yamaha wins the Production manufacturers’ classification.

Team Metiss took the Experimental class honours.

Manufacturers’ classification

Yamaha wins the 2026 FIM EWC manufacturers’ classification with 179 points, ahead of BMW on 167 and Honda on 141.

FULL RESULTS: https://fimewc.frclassification.fr/events/bol-dor-2026

The 2027 FIM Endurance World Championship season opens with the 24 Heures Motos at the Bugatti Circuit, Le Mans, from 8 to 11 April.

• What they said… 

EWC – Winner: BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team

Michael van der Makr: “This year, Werner, the team and BMW took another step forward. They were already really good before, but now they have reached the next level. We riders, Markus, Steven and I, always helped and pushed each other. We were unlucky at Le Mans, but after that the victory at Spa and the podium at Suzuka were something special. Here, we had to take pole position and win – and that’s exactly what we did. Of course, sometimes you also need a bit of luck, but BMW, Werner and the team had that on their side this year. I’m really happy!”

Steven Odendaal: “I couldn’t be happier. We have been trying to win this World Championship for a very long time. To lose it the way we did last year was simply heartbreaking. That makes winning it this year all the more special. We are three very strong riders in a fantastic team. Werner, his team and the guys at BMW have done an incredible job. The bike is truly amazing. Thank you very much to everyone who made this possible.”

Markus Reiterberger: “Finally, we have done it. Last year we had a bit of bad luck, so I was a little nervous during the final stint, but in the end, it worked out. I’m so happy for my team-mates: they were incredibly strong, just like the whole team. I don’t know how long I’ve been racing in this series with BMW, and I can hardly put into words how we feel now. I’m so grateful to everyone – and now let’s celebrate.”

Warner Daemen (Team Manager): “It’s a rollercoaster of emotions and thoughts. We started this project together with BMW seven or eight years ago, and we knew it would be difficult to compete against the Japanese manufacturers because they have much more experience. They started back in the 1970s. As a young brand in this racing scene, which came here in 2019, we naturally had a lot of smaller problems. We built something up – and that is a very important point: we didn’t just build the best motorcycle, we also built the best team. And together with BMW, with the hard work and the good equipment they provide us with, we were truly at the top this year. I am very proud to have won the title for BMW.”

• Highlights…