YART Yamaha Secure Perfect Pole Position at Le Mans
The Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team of Niccolò Canepa, Karel Hanika, Marvin Fritz, and Reserve Rider Robin Mulhauser enjoyed a superb start to their 2024 FIM Endurance World Championship title defence by setting a new lap record on the way to securing pole position at the opening round of the season, the 47th edition of the 24 Heures Motos in Le Mans, France.
The YART Yamaha team got the defence of their FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) crown off to the best possible start at Le Mans, although the qualifying sessions were not without some drama.
After topping Thursday’s Free Practice session with a 1:35.348, the Austrian squad made an informed gamble regarding qualifying, deciding to use all of their fresh tyres during Thursday’s sessions.
This tactic immediately paid dividends when Canepa, despite still suffering from the shoulder injury he picked up during practice for the Daytona 200, set a new EWC lap record around the 4.185km Bugatti Circuit with a 1:34.708 to top the Blue group, beating his teammate Hanika’s previous mark from 2022.
Fritz then went out in the Yellow group and almost matched Canepa’s time, only to return to the box and see that it had been cancelled due to exceeding track limits. The German rider immediately went back out with three minutes left in the session and, on his only flying lap, recorded a 1:35.139 to finish on top of the timesheets.
Hanika aimed to go even faster in the Red Group, but a crash on his first flying lap saw the Czech rider forced to push the bike back to Pit Lane. The team showed their fighting spirit to get the bike repaired in under seven minutes, allowing Hanika to head back out and set a 1:35.028 to end the session quickest.
Mulhauser also showed good pace as he worked on testing parts and scrubbing in tyres for the team during the Green session, finishing in second with a 1:36.820. The team then continued their excellent form during the two-hour Night Practice, ending the session in second place with a 1:36.280.
Arriving at the track on Friday, the team was greeted by much colder and windier conditions, proving their choice to use all of their qualifying tyres on Thursday was a masterstroke. So, instead of chasing a fast time, they used the four twenty-minute sessions to work on race pace and to fine-tune the setup of the YART #1 R1, as well as working on finding the right Bridgestone tyre combinations for the race.
Due to this, none of the riders improved their lap times on Friday, but they all still managed to finish within the top four of their respective groups, showcasing their impressive speed on the race tyres and with a full tank of fuel. Their times from Thursday ensured that Canepa, Fritz, and Hanika all topped their groups on combined times to complete the team’s ideal preparation for the race.
In the EWC, qualifying times are decided by combining the best times of the two fastest riders. So, Canepa’s 1:34.708, added to Hanika’s 1:35.028, secured YART’s fourth pole position at Le Mans in the last five years with an average time of 1:34.868 and, in the process, claimed the maximum five points on offer.
It was also a good result for the Belgian-based KM99 team, with riders Jérémy Guarnoni, Florian Marino, and Randy de Puniet securing eighth place on the grid with a combined time of 1:36.087.
While both teams’ preparation for the race has been excellent, as always seems to be the case at Le Mans, the weather could still play a huge part during the 24-hour race. Temperatures are predicted to drop to zero degrees Celsius at night, and the chance of rain is an ever-present threat.
The action kicks off on Saturday with a 45-minute Warm Up session for the teams at 10:30 am (UTC+2) before the race begins with the traditional running start at 3 pm.
Free Practice Results
Night Practice Results
Qualifying Results
Niccolò Canepa – P1 1:34.708
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“I am thrilled, especially as I am still not 100% physically, so to secure pole position is great. I am delighted to have set a new lap record here at Le Mans, and my teammates did an amazing job. They were a bit unlucky on Thursday, but we still managed to set incredible lap times, and together, we got pole position. Now comes the hard part. The race will be tough and very competitive, and physically, I am not sure how I will be as the race progresses, but I will give 100% to go for the victory.”
Karel Hanika – P1 1:35.028
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“We are very happy to start from pole position tomorrow. We went “all in” during the qualifying sessions on Thursday. Niccolò set a new lap record, and Marvin was also very quick. Unfortunately, in my session, I crashed on my first flying lap and missed the chance to beat the lap record, but the team did an amazing job getting the bike fixed so I could set a pretty decent time and finish fastest in my group. With this pole, we have secured an important five points, but we also focused on some longer runs during Night Practice and Friday’s sessions, and we all feel good on the bike in “race mode”, which is what really counts. Thanks to the team for all their hard work and my teammates for doing an awesome job; now we are focused on the race.”
Marvin Fritz – P1 1:35.139
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team
“It is all about teamwork in the EWC, and I think we have learnt a lot over the last few seasons together. This shows in our pole position here, as Niccolò set a fantastic lap time while Karel and I also did a good job. After pushing for a quick time in Thursday’s qualifying sessions, today was colder, so it was more about using the track time to focus on our race pace and getting the feeling for the race tyres, and all three of us felt good on the bike and set fast times. We are confident for the race tomorrow.”
Robin Mulhauser – P1 1:36.820
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team – Reserve Rider
“Pole position to start the weekend—we could not expect better than this, and we have started the weekend in the best possible way. It is great to have the five points in the bag, but there are still 60 up for grabs in the race, so the guys are focused now on making sure we get the best result possible. I was working with the team to prepare some parts and test some settings for the race, and now it’s all about when the lights go out on Saturday.”
Mandy Kainz
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team – Team Manager
“It was the perfect start to the weekend. Pole position, a new lap record, and the maximum five points available during qualifying. How could I not be happy? Sure, we had some issues during Thursday’s sessions, and we could possibly have been even faster, but it has been an amazing start to our title defence. We are also looking good on race pace, so it is all about focusing on getting the best result possible and securing as many championship points as we can.”
