[On-Site Report] BMW Dominates the 8 Hours of Spa, First Victory Since 2022! A Turbulent Weekend Dominated by Spa Weather

The second round of the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC), the 8 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, held from June 4th to 6th in Belgium, saw BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM achieve a dominant pole-to-win victory. YART Yamaha Official EWC Team finished second, followed by Kawasaki Webike Trickstar in third, marking BMW's first Spa victory since 2022.

This event was significantly impacted by the notorious "Spa weather" throughout the race week. Conditions fluctuated wildly from free practice to qualifying and the final race, with stable dry conditions only experienced during limited sessions. Amidst unpredictable weather, where even forecasts proved unreliable, the 8-hour race tested the pit crews' real-time decision-making based on rain radar and the riders' experience in adapting to Spa's ever-changing track conditions.

YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, winners of the opening round at Le Mans, arrived at Spa leading the championship standings, with Yoshimura SERT Motul, KWT, BMW, and Honda teams in pursuit.

Weather during FP3 before qualifying

Qualifying Attack Begins Amidst Chaos. BMW Proves Its Speed

The qualifying session for the Formula EWC class was held under overcast skies for the first session and rain for the second, with most teams unable to improve their times.

Despite the challenging conditions, BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM set the fastest time, securing pole position. BMW's average time of 2:18.703 was the only one to break into the 2:18 range. The second-placed YART Yamaha Official EWC Team and third-placed F.C.C. TSR Honda France both remained in the 2:19 range. Further down, multiple bikes were clustered in the 2:19 range, followed by those in the 2:20 range, highlighting the significant time gaps created by the fluctuating conditions.

The previous day's practice sessions were also difficult due to intermittent rain, preventing teams from completing consistent attack laps. However, BMW demonstrated stable averages from all its riders and showed strong adaptability to the changing track conditions. YART Yamaha also delivered a consistent performance, positioning themselves as one of the favorites for the win heading into the final race.

BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM, who secured pole position

In the Superstock (SST) class, TRT27 AZ moto took pole position. Revo-M2 came in second, followed by Champion-Hert Powered by MRP in third. The BMW teams were not in contention for the top spots, with the class dominated by European teams.

SST class pole position went to TRT27 AZ moto

A Tumultuous 8-Hour Race: Crashes, Rain, and Strategy Intertwined

The final race kicked off at 1:00 PM local time. Yoshimura SERT Motul took the holeshot, but BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM took the lead early on, with BMW in first place after one hour. F.C.C. TSR Honda France, YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, and Kawasaki Webike Trickstar followed.

The start of the race

During the race, the weather changed dramatically about three times, with rain and dry conditions alternating, creating the challenging conditions typical of Spa. Teams were forced to make split-second decisions to switch between wet and slick tires, and strategy and pit work played a crucial role in determining the race outcome.

Accidents occurred frequently from the early stages, with Japanese teams Yoshimura SERT Motul, Team Etoile, and AutoRace Ube Racing Team crashing. AutoRace Ube crashed twice but managed to finish the race, crossing the line in 25th overall.

Crashes involving top contenders and Yoshimura SERT Motul

Team Etoile's crash

Furthermore, with 4 hours and 50 minutes remaining, Ken Tsukada of Dafy-Kaedear-RAC41-Honda crashed. Kawasaki Webike Trickstar also experienced a crash but returned to the track after swift repairs, managing to stay in contention for a podium finish.

F.C.C. TSR Honda France showed strong pace and was briefly in contention for the lead, but technical issues forced them to retire with approximately three hours remaining, eliminating last year's Spa winners from the race and significantly shifting the dynamics.

Following this, BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM dominated the race with consistent pace and strategy. From lap 64 onwards, they effectively took full control of the race, steadily extending their lead with fewer pit stops and consistent lap times. They maintained error-free riding amidst the changing conditions, completing 192 laps to secure the victory. They finished 1 minute and 16 seconds ahead of YART Yamaha Official EWC Team, achieving their first Spa victory since 2022.

Close battle at the front

YART experienced a difficult start, dropping to around 10th place at one point, but quickly recovered to rejoin the lead battle. The rapidly changing weather made pit decisions challenging, forcing multiple pit stops in a short period and causing some time loss. However, they persevered to the end, finishing in second place.

Kawasaki Webike Trickstar secured third place, earning a podium finish through a tenacious performance that included recovering from a crash. Yoshimura SERT Motul finished fourth, showing an incredible comeback after an early crash but narrowly missing out on a podium spot.

Kawasaki Webike Trickstar

In the SST class, Revo-M2 took the victory. Wojcik Racing Team #77 SST finished second, and TEAM 18 POMPIERS IGOL CMS MOTOSTORE was third. Japanese team Team Etoile finished fourth in the class, just shy of the podium.

Revo-M2, the winner

Meanwhile, Champion-Hert Powered by MRP and NATIONAL MOTOS HONDA FMA retired, and Honda No Limits was not classified due to an issue on the final lap. Out of the 44 bikes that started, 40 finished, resulting in a completion rate of approximately 91%. Despite being at the mercy of the Spa weather, it was a survival race for many teams.

Championship Battle and Towards the Next Round at Suzuka

Despite the inclement weather, over 11,000 spectators attended, underscoring the popularity and established presence of EWC.

Following this result, YART Yamaha Official EWC Team maintains the lead in the series standings with 91 points, closely followed by Yoshimura SERT Motul (69 points) and BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM (68 points).

BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM's victory

The EWC series will next move to the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race in Japan in July. With the event taking place about a month earlier than usual this year, significant changes in ambient and track temperatures are expected, making tire management and setup adaptability even more critical than in previous years.

SST class podium ceremony

Production class podium ceremony