Event preview: No time for a (Spa) break as EWC challenge intensifies
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31 May 2024
●New eight-hour format for Belgium’s round of the FIM Endurance World Championship
●Riders and teams predict flat-out battle for victory at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
●Belgian hero Xavier Siméon expects strategy to play key role in chase for success on iconic track
●Home hopefuls BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team and KM99 in the victory fight
●Yoshimura SERT Motul and National Motos Honda top Formula EWC and Superstock standings
Belgium’s round of the FIM Endurance World Championship might be shorter – from 24 hours to eight – but the intensity of the challenge facing the ace riders and their teams at the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps will shift up another gear next week.
Following two unmissable editions of the 24H SPA EWC Motos, round two of the EWC season will take place over eight hours with the first 8 Hours of Spa Motos scheduled from 7-8 June.
Thirty-four permanent EWC teams appear on the 37-strong entry list with BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team and Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team – the winners at Spa in 2022 and 2023 respectively – firmly in the fight for more success on the iconic 6.985-kilometre layout.
While a shorter race would suggest a tamer contest on paper, the reality is set to be anything but with riders expected to push from start to finish in a race where there will be no margin for error, no time for delay and a greater focus on strategy.
Rider-turned-team boss Werner Daemen, who heads up Belgium-based BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, said: “The teams are so professional that I expect everyone will go flat out from the start to the end, more like a sprint race. If you have an issue then it will be difficult to win and we see in the eight-hour races there are much more mistakes from the riders because they have to push like a sprint race and mistakes will happen for sure.”
Having overseen Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team’s Spa victory in 2023, and its capture of the FIM Endurance World Championship for Teams, Mandy Kainz said: “The track is good for us, it’s good for the tyres, it’s good for the riders. For the consumption we have to see for the strategy. On paper, we are one of the favourites but there are five or six teams who can win. But the one parameter you cannot calculate is the endurance parameter. If you crash the race is lost, you have to be very, very clever and find the compromise between speed and endurance. But we will come with an eight-hour spec.”
Xavier Siméon, the Belgian motorcycle racing hero turned expert pit reporter for Eurosport, said: “The race will be very, very fast. We know Spa is a very fast track so we will have a lot of action because the riders will push more than what they do in a 24-hour race. The race will be great but what the riders will face in Spa is the weather. The weather can be a mystery, it can be dry or wet and because the track is very long, what can happen is it can be raining in one part of the track but not in another part. It’s possible we will see double stints. In an eight-hour race you cannot make any mistake, especially because the level in EWC is very strong. The fuel consumption will be very important because the track is very long and all the time you can be on the track and not in the pits will be crucial. It will be a very exciting race.”
The 8 Hours of Spa Motos follows on from an all-action start to the 2024 EWC season, the 10th promoted by Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, at Le Mans in April. Click HERE for the race recap.
EWC TEAMS PACK ENTRY LIST FOR FIRST 8 HOURS OF SPA MOTOS
Thirty-seven teams, including 34 permanent FIM Endurance World Championship squads, have entered international motorcycle racing’s equivalent to a high-speed rollercoaster ride, the 8 Hours of Spa Motos. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY.
HOW POINTS ARE SCORED AT SPA AND HOW THEY STAND IN EWC
Click HERE to find out how points are scored in the 8 Hours of Spa Motos and click HERE for the provisional standings following the 24 Heures Motos.
MALMEDY PARADE AND AUTOGRAPH AN EXCITING SPECTACLE AND A THRILL FOR THE FANS
All motorcycles contesting the 8 Hours of Spa Motos will take part in a spectacular riding parade from Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps to the town of Malmedy on Wednesday 5 June. EWC riders will sign autographs for fans and pose for selfies before returning to the track. The parade gets under way at 16h00 CET with the autograph signing session from 16h30-18h00. Click HEREfor more information.
TUNE IN TO MAX
Next weekend’s 8 Hours of Spa Motos marks the first time that fans living in Europe will be able to watch the FIM Endurance World Championship on Max. Already available in the USA, the enhanced streaming service has been extended to 20 countries across the Nordics, Iberia, and Central and Eastern Europe, with more to follow later this summer. Max has something for everyone, combining HBO Max’s can’t-miss boxsets, Discovery’s real-life entertainment and Eurosport’s world-class sports. Click HERE to find out where to watch the EWC.
EWC RIDERS SAID WHAT?
Gregg Black (France), Yoshimura SERT Motul: “It’s an eight-hour race which means you can push your body, mental strength and bike that bit harder, knowing you’re ‘only’ going to do two to three stints. We basically do our stints for fuel and, with such a long straight at Spa, they are shorter, around 50 minutes, as opposed to nearly an hour at Le Mans. We know the track. It’s one of nicest tracks in world. It’s an old type of circuit with the countryside, an undulating profile, and some blind, really fast corners such as the famous Raidillon. It’s always impressive to carry speed through that corner. It shows the difference between slower and faster riders.”
Niccolò Canepa (Italy), Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team: “Winning at Spa last year was one of the best memories I’ve had with YART. To win our first 24-hour race after many years was really fantastic, especially on a mythical track like Spa. Our bike was very consistent and very easy to ride, especially in the infield part of the track. So when your bike is consistent you know exactly where to brake, exactly where to open the throttle. The lines are the same and that allows you to be consistent and fast.”
Loris Cresson (Belgium), BMRT3D maxxess Nevers: “Every race we want to deliver the best result but when it’s at home and everybody is there you have an extra motivation because you want to make everybody proud and you also want it for yourself. When we were competing in the Superstock class before we had a big ambition to win the race but, unfortunately, we didn’t do it. In Formula EWC we are fighting with the big guys and if we are on the podium it means there are only two teams or one team better than us so it’s a big motivation if we can do this.”
Jérémy Guarnoni (France), KM99: “An eight-hour race is another philosophy and it may be harder for us against the factory teams. But mistakes can happen and we have seen that in the Suzuka 8 Hours there are many mistakes. It will be less physical, of course, because three 24-hour races in one season was difficult for the riders, physically.”
Randy Krumennacher (Switzerland), Tati Team Beringer Racing: “I never raced at Spa before but I was there when I was a kid, around four years old, with my parents. I remember this but since then I never came back. Very fast tracks always suit me so I expect I can be fast there. Of course not knowing the track will make the first day hard but I like new challenges. We are already naturally very fast with the Honda on fast corners so I expect it to be a little bit easier. But I have my process for learning new tracks. For many years I watch the onboard videos, I walk the track and really memorise every single corner so I already go on track knowing quite a few things.”
Chris Leesch (Luxembourg), Chromeburner-RAC41-Honda: “It’s my favourite track so I guess I’m a little bit biased. It’s also the closest one to my home so it’s the closest thing I’m going to get to a home race, so I have very good emotions linked to the track. There are so many different elements to the track from the high-speed parts, the low-speed parts, blind corners, it’s just so different from any other track in the world. I think we all really enjoy going back there but it’s actually a very physical track, also mentally very tough because you have to push quite a lot to get a fast lap time. The bike is moving a lot, especially on the Superstock bikes we are sliding constantly on the rear so you have to push a lot more. You really have to push every lap to get a good lap time and you have to improvise in the fast corners. Because it’s a little bit less precise you need to have a big heart to be brave and push.”
Markus Reiterberger (Germany), BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “Coming to Spa is always special, the Tarmac is so nice and I am really loving it, it’s just amazing with so much grip. My team manager Werner [Daemen, from Belgium] was the former record holder so Spa is a good place for us.”
Tom Ward (Great Britain), TRT27 AZ Moto: “It’s a track you must respect but I’ve got quite high expectations for myself because I did the fastest ever stock Suzuki lap round there last year and I did really well in qualifying. Being on the Honda I definitely feel we can challenge for pole. With our rider line-up we’ll be really strong there. It’s meant to be me, Tom Oliver and Alex Olsen riding for TRT27 AZ Moto but Alex has broken his wrist and if he’s suffering with his wrist then me and Tom will do the race by ourselves. I know it will be physically harder but I feel like it could be better. I can’t wait.”
PROVISIONAL KEY EWC TIMINGS
Wednesday 5 June
14h00-20h00: Accreditation Centre open
16h00: Parade from Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps to Malmedy
16h30-18h00: Autograph signing session
Thursday 6 June
08h00-13h00: Accreditation Centre open
08h00-19h00: Media Centre open
09h00-11h00: Private Practice morning session
13h00-17h55: Private Practice morning session
14h00-20h00: Accreditation Centre open
Friday 7 June
08h00-13h00: Accreditation Centre open
08h00-22h00: Media Centre open
09h00-11h00: Free Practice
13h15-15h15: First Qualifying
14h00-22h00: Accreditation Centre open
17h00-19h00: Second Qualifying
19h15 (approx.): Post-qualifying press conference (Media Centre)
19h30-20h30: Pit Walk
Saturday 8 June
08h00-15h00: Accreditation Centre open
08h00-24h00: Media Centre open
09h00-09h45: Warm-Up
11h00-11h45: Pit Walk
13h00: Start of 8 Hours of Spa Motos
21h00: Finish of 8 Hours of Spa Motos
21h10 (approx.): Podium ceremony
21h30 (approx.): Post-race press conference (Media Centre)
8 HOURS OF SPA MOTOS ESSENTIALS
Where: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Location: Rte du Circuit 55, 4970 Stavelot, Belgium
When: 7-8 June 2024
Track length: 6.985 kilometres
Race distance: 8 hours
BEST LAPS:
Qualifying: Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team (Karel Hanika, 2m18.845s, 2022)
Race: Yoshimura SERT Motul (Sylvain Guintoli, 2m20.575s, 2023)
IN 100 WORDS:
After two memorable 24-hour races at the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium’s EWC round runs over eight hours in 2024, a recognition that having three 24-hour races on the calendar in the current economic climate is no longer achievable due to the significant financial investment required. The inaugural 8 Hours of Spa Motos takes place from 6-8 June with testing on Thursday, free practice and qualifying on Friday followed by the eight-hour race, which is due to start at 13h00 CET on Saturday. But there’s no change to the demanding 6.985-kilometre track layout, which was specifically modified for EWC racing.
FAST FACTS:
●The 24H SPA EWC Motos recreated the spirit of the famous 24 Heures de Liège, which counted as a round of the EWC up until 2001, when it ran for the first time in June 2022.
●It took place on a track upgraded specifically for the EWC as part of an investment programme costing 25 million euros.
●The return of the EWC to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps was first discussed in 2015, shortly after Warner Bros. Discovery Sports became championship promoter as part of a long-term agreement with governing body, FIM.
●At 6.985 kilometres, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the longest circuit on the EWC calendar.
●Appointed as the event coordination agency for the first 24H SPA EWC Motos in June 2022, PHA Claude Michy was named local event promoter for a nine-year period in September 2022, in addition to continuing its existing responsibilities associated with organising the event.
RECENT WINNERS*:
2023: Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team (Niccolò Canepa, Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika), 572 laps
2022: BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team (Markus Reiterberger, Illya Mykhalchyk, Jérémy Guarnoni), 508 laps
*Indicates winners of 24H SPA EWC Motos
ENTRY LIST: Available at the EWC Media Sportity channel, password: 2024FIMewc-Media or HERE.
RESULTS AND LIVE TIMING: https://www.its-results.com
EWC SPORTITY APP MEDIA CHANNEL REMINDER
The FIM Endurance World Championship's dedicated Sportity app media channel for the 2024 season is available using the password 2024FIMewc-Media. Sportity is a digital information resource widely used in sports events and championships around the world. It’s attractive to users because it keeps all relevant information in one place and is accessible through smartphones or computers. Users are made aware of new information becoming available through push notifications and the app can be downloaded for free via the App Store or Google Play. The EWC Sportity app dedicated media channel includes event timetables, entry lists, results, championship rankings, press release archive, spotter guides, press kits, rider profiles, roll of honour, key contacts and other essential information to assist media reporting on the EWC onsite or remotely. Other folders will be added throughout the season.
ARCHIVE SECTION ADDED TO EWC SPORTITY APP MEDIA CHANNEL: The FIM Endurance World Championship's dedicated Sportity app media channel now features an archive section. It contains the final FIM Endurance World Championship and FIM Endurance World Cup rankings for the first nine seasons the EWC has been promoted by Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, starting in 2015 when the titles were claimed by Suzuki Endurance Racing Team and Team Traqueur Louit Moto 33 respectively.
ENDS
EWC press enquiries: Richard Rodgers, +44 7503871575, media@fimewc.com
EWC TV enquiries: Paula Dequidt, paula.dequidt@wbd.com, Ousmane Sakira, ousmane.sakira@wbd.com
EWC media site: www.fimewc.com/media/home/
Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe press enquiries: Laura Cueto, laura.cueto@wbd.com
ABOUT WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY SPORTS EUROPE
Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe represents WBD’s portfolio of sports brands, channels and platforms in Europe. It collectively reaches 130 million people every month, engaging fans and broad audiences in more than 200 markets and in over 20 languages across all platforms where consumers are spending time, free-to-air TV, pay-TV, streaming, online and social. Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe includes the much-loved consumer brands Eurosport, Global Cycling Network (GCN), Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN) and Golf Digest, as well sports programming and content on discovery+ and Warner Bros. Discovery’s free-to-air TV networks. They connect audiences with the greatest sporting events in the world. This includes being the Home of the Olympics Games in Europe; tennis’ Grand Slams; cycling’s Grand Tours, more than 600 cycling broadcasts per year, the UCI Track Champions League, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series; the PGA TOUR year-round; The Ocean Race from 2023; the Snooker World Tour; the best electric racing series with ABB FIA Formula E World Championship; the FIM Speedway GP, Speedway of Nations and Speedway World Cup; and every major winter sports World Championship and World Cup event. Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe completes a full 360° offer with its events management and promotion division, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Events, which oversees 35+ events across five continents each year.
ABOUT THE FIM
The FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) founded in 1904, is the governing body for motorcycle sport and the global advocate for motorcycling. The FIM is an independent association formed by 121 National Federations throughout the world. It is recognised as the sole competent authority in motorcycle sport by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Among its 50 FIM World Championships the main events are MotoGP, Superbike, Endurance, Motocross, Supercross, Trial, Enduro, Cross-Country Rallies and Speedway. Furthermore, the FIM is also active and involved in the following areas: public affairs, road safety, touring and protection of the environment. The FIM was the first international sports federation to impose an Environmental Code in 1994.
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