Hard-Fought Third for YART Yamaha at the 8 Hours of Spa Motos
The Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team of Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika, and Jason O’Halloran produced a superb display to battle through treacherous track conditions, a couple of crashes, and a stop and go penalty at the 8 Hours of Spa Motos to secure their sixth podium in a row and extend their FIM Endurance World Championship lead to 18 points after two rounds of the 2025 season.
The Austrian squad headed into Saturday’s race having extended their advantage at the top of the EWC standings to fourteen points after qualifying in second and claiming four out of the five points on offer on Friday. When it was time for the traditional running start at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, the track was still slightly damp in patches but drying. However, heavy rain was on the way, but YART were confident they could fight for the win after showing excellent pace in both wet and dry conditions during practice and qualifying.
A tricky start that saw them drop down the order, but Fritz began a superb fightback during the first stint, which saw him recover to third, just 1.8s behind the leaders. Hanika took over as the team adopted a strategy of using the Czech rider and Fritz to attack in the dry conditions, with the duo going back-to-back for the first few stints, keeping O’Halloran in reserve for when it rained.
This was partly because it was the first time that the Australian rider was racing at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, where the rain on Thursday and Friday meant he had only been able to complete about 15 laps in the dry, and also partly because the “O Show” is known for his wet weather prowess.
Just before the hour mark, Hanika took the lead and traded places at the front in an excellent battle. However, a slight delay during the next pit stop saw Fritz rejoin 20 seconds behind the leaders. Once again, he and Hanika showed stunning pace to reduce the gap to nine seconds before the predicted rain finally arrived just after the two-and-a-half-hour mark. When it did, Hanika handed the Bridgestone-shod YART R1 over to O’Halloran, who proved that the team’s strategy was a master stroke.
His pace in the mixed conditions, with some sections of the track under standing water, and others completely dry due to its 6.985km layout, was simply breathtaking. He was lapping over a second faster than anyone else. O’Halloran retook the lead just after three hours of racing as the rain became torrential and, after doing a double stint, he had opened up a 56-second gap at the front in a sensational display of wet-weather riding.
At the five-hour mark, the team were 46 seconds in front, when Fritz ran wide into the gravel at Turn 10 and had a very small crash as he tried to stop the bike. Immediately rejoining, he still enjoyed a 20-second lead, but more bad luck was on the way.
YART were given a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for O’Halloran touching the handlebars of the bike after a mix-up before the bit stop had been completed. Although he lost 48 seconds due to the penalty, he still rejoined in second. Getting his head down as the rain got heavier, O’Halloran retook the lead after six and a half hours, but with their third victory in a row at Spa in sight, disaster struck. As a bike ahead crashed, he was stuck behind a back marker who ran wide. Determined not to receive another penalty, this time for overtaking under a yellow flag, he also had to dramatically slow down and run wide. Unfortunately, when he attempted to get back on the racing line, he suffered a huge highside.
Despite being in obvious pain, he heroically rode the R1 back to the box with just one handlebar and luckily escaped any significant injuries. The team did a superb job of repairing the bike in under four minutes, and Hanika took over for a double stint to finish the race. Riding like a man possessed, he clawed back over 40 seconds on the team in third, and with just under an hour to go, he overtook them.
Keeping up the pace until the chequered flag, YART completed 187 laps to secure their third podium in a row at Spa after winning in 2023 and 2024. They also extended their lead in the EWC standings to 18 points after an incredible team effort that saw them secure 25 of the 35 points on offer, adding to their victory at the opening round of the season in Le Mans.
The Belgian-based Elf Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99 squad of Florian Marino, Randy de Puniet, and Jérémy Guarnoni started from eighth on the grid but unfortunately had to push the bike back to the pits during the early stages of the race after running out of fuel, which dropped them down to 30th. Mounting a sensational comeback in front of the passionate local fans, they finished the race in a respectable 12th overall, and ninth in the EWC class.
There was more success for Yamaha in the FIM Endurance World Trophy, as Team SuperMoto Racing made it two wins out of two in the new for 2025 category, plus Team 18 Pompiers Igol CMS Motostore secured second in the FIM Endurance World Cup and an impressive 10th overall.
The next round of the 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship is the 46th edition of the legendary Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan, which will take place from August 1st to 3rd.
8 Hours of Spa Motos Race Results
Marvin Fritz – P3 – 187 Laps
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“We really wanted to win, and we came so close, but overall, after everything that happened, considering my little off when I lost the front, Jason’s big crash, the stop and go penalty, plus the yellow flags that cost us about 15-20 seconds because we were not allowed to overtake, it was not easy. So, considering all that, finishing third and ahead of teams who made no mistakes shows how fast we were. I am so proud of the whole team, Karel was amazing all race, especially at the end in the wet, and Jason showed everyone how good he is. He did such a fantastic job in the awful conditions, doing double stints and lapping quicker than anyone else by a long way. We also extended our lead in the championship, plus it was our sixth podium in a row, and we are already looking forward to flying to Japan!”
Karel Hanika – P3 – 187 Laps
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“It was a tricky race with the weather conditions; it was pretty similar to Le Mans in that respect, but we had an even better feeling with the R1 here, and I think we were even stronger. We felt good in the dry, mixed, and wet conditions and were leading quite comfortably. Still, then we had the stop and go, which was a shame, and also two crashes, so unfortunately, we couldn’t make it a hat trick of wins here at Spa, but I am happy that at least we could fight back and secure the podium, which was our sixth in a row. Overall, we are happy. Of course, we would have preferred to win, but we scored some good championship points, and the whole team worked incredibly hard. I am very proud of them. Now it is time to turn our sights to Suzuka and ensure we keep fighting for the championship.”
Jason O’Halloran – P3 – 187 Laps
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“It was my first time here racing at Spa, and I enjoyed everything about it. The track is fantastic, and the atmosphere was incredible. The team were on a high, having won here the last two years in a row, and we all wanted to continue that winning streak. The conditions were incredibly tough because they constantly changed throughout the race, but I knew I felt good and strong in the wet. The strategy for the race was for Karel and Marvin to attack in the dry, as I didn’t get the chance to do many laps on a fully dry track during the previous day, then to throw me into the mix once the heavens opened. I did a double stint, put nearly a minute into the team in second, and felt brilliant on the bike. I made a small mistake during a pit stop, and due to some confusion, I touched the bike at the wrong time, so I had to do a stop-and-go penalty. After that, I managed to get back into the lead. Then I was about to overtake a back marker when the yellow flags came out, so I had to stay behind them. They ran wide, I think, as they thought I was going to pass, but I obeyed the yellow flag and slowed down to stay behind them, and unfortunately, coming back onto the racing line, I had a massive highside. It was such a shame for everybody, as we had worked so hard to get back into the lead following the penalty. But this is endurance racing, and Karel did an amazing job at the end to pull back 40 seconds on the team ahead and secure the podium. It was a real team effort, and I cannot wait to get back on the bike at Suzuka.”
Mandy Kainz
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team – Team Manager
“It was a superb performance from the whole team. We had really good pace in all conditions, with Marvin and Karel spearheading the attack in the dry, and Jason showing everyone what he is capable of in the wet. We had worked so hard to build a lead, and we were still in front even after Marvin’s little crash. Unfortunately, we had a stop-and-go penalty for a small mistake, which cost us over 40 seconds, but Jason managed to retake the lead before his crash. He was unlucky, as he was caught behind a slower bike during a yellow flag, and it was the kind of crash that could happen to anyone; we are just grateful he is okay. After that, Karel put in an amazing double stint at the end to catch and overtake the team in third, and we can be happy with our sixth podium in a row, plus extending our championship lead. I am proud of each member of the team for their efforts, plus the R1 and the Bridgestone tyres worked amazingly, so we are already looking forward to Suzuka.”
