After three action-packed rounds of the FIM Endurance World Championship in 2024, the curtain comes down on the EWC’s 10th season promoted by Warner Bros. Discovery Sports when the Bol d’Or takes place next week. Here’s a recap of some of the stories that have made the news in the last month. And a reminder that French-language versions of selected articles are available here: https://www.fimewc.com/fr.

TICKETS, TIMINGS AND TITLES AS EWC BOL D’OR SHOWDOWN NEARS
The highly anticipated deciding round of the 2024 FIM Endurance World Championship is just 10 days away. All four FIM EWC titles are up for grabs during the four-day event from 12-15 September, the timetable is set, and there’s still time to buy tickets with more information available HERE.

EWC TITLE CONTENDERS ASSEMBLE AS BOL D’OR GETS 45 ENTRIES
Forty-five teams will contest next week’s FIM Endurance World Championship season decider, the 87th edition of the legendary Bol d’Or. Of the packed entry, 34 squads are permanent EWC entrants with 14 of those contesting the Formula EWC category and 20 chasing success in the Dunlop-supplied Superstock division. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

IT’S IN THE GINES AS FORMER EWC CHAMPION RETURNS WITH TEAM 18
Mathieu Gines is revving up for a return to the FIM Endurance World Championship with Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers CMS Motostore. The 2014 EWC champion has joined the front-running Superstock squad for the season-deciding Bol d’Or. He will link up with existing Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers CMS Motostore riders Enzo de la Vega, Baptiste Guittet and Maxim Pellizotti for the 24-hour contest. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

JMA GETS MOHR FOR EWC BOL D’OR SEASON DECIDER
IDM Superbike rider Jan Mohr has joined a tweaked JMA Racing Action Bike line-up for the upcoming Bol d’Or. The 26-year-old from Austria will partner existing JMA riders Charles Cortot, Julien Lenoci and Milan Merckelbagh for the deciding round of the Superstock-based 2024 FIM Endurance World Cup, which is supplied by exclusive tyre partner Dunlop. Riding for the Champion-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team Mohr is 15th in the IDM Superbike standings after 10 of 14 rounds. He raced for OG Motorsport World Endurance Team in last season’s Bol d’Or, finishing 15th in Superstock. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

F.C.C. TSR HONDA FRANCE’S FOCUS QUICKLY SWITCHED TO EWC FINALE AFTER “VERY TOUGH” SUZUKA
Former FIM Endurance World Championship title-winning team F.C.C. TSR Honda France overcame a “very tough” 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race by switching its focus to the season-deciding Bol d’Or. Back at full strength with Mike Di Meglio returning from injury to partner Josh Hook and Alan Techer, F.C.C. TSR Honda France started Japan’s round of the EWC on 21 July in eighth place. But a crash for Hook after three and a half hours of action dropped the squad to 14th before further delays left it a distant 33rd at the finish. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

FRITZ: SECOND EWC TITLE IN “OWN HANDS”
Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team returns to Circuit Paul Ricard and to the scene of its 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship title triumph next with the prospect of landing back-to-back EWC crowns in its “own hands”. That’s according to team rider Marvin Fritz following the squad’s podium finish in the 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race, which it completed with a six-point title advantage over Yoshimura SERT Motul. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

HOW ATSUMI’S LATE-RACE PODIUM CHARGE KEPT YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL FIRMLY IN THE EWC TITLE FIGHT
Cocoro Atsumi’s late push for a podium in the 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race could prove the difference between FIM Endurance World Championship title success and failure for Yoshimura SERT Motul. The Japanese ace, who was promoted from his reserve rider role to the Suzuki-powered squad’s race line-up, was instrumental in Yoshimura SERT Motul beating Ducati Team Kagayama to third place at Suzuka, a result that keeps his employer firmly in the fight for overall EWC glory. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

LINFOOT’S THREE OUT OF THREE IN EWC
Yoshimura SERT Motul’s third place in the 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race marked the continuation of a remarkable record for Dan Linfoot. The Suzuki-powered team’s new recruit for this season has now finished in the top three in all rounds of the FIM Endurance World Championship held so far in 2024, a feat only Linfoot has achieved for Yoshimura SERT Motul due to various line-up changes. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

TATI’S EWC TITLE TARGET ON COURSE AFTER SUZUKA HEROICS
Tati Team Beringer Racing remains on course to finish the 2024 FIM Endurance World Championship season as the leading independent outfit – and with a top-three overall placing still in its grasp following a standout performance in the 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race. Hugo Clère, Randy Krummenacher and Corentin Perolari combined to fight their way through from 31st on the grid to finish 14th in the Formula EWC category in 15th overall, netting seven points in the process. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

GUINTOLI ANNOUNCES EWC BOL D’OR WITHDRAWAL
Sylvain Guintoli won’t contest the FIM Endurance World Championship-deciding Bol d’Or. The former EWC champion, who helped Yoshimura SERT Motul win the event last season, had been due to contest the 24-hour race as part of the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team line-up. However, he has confirmed his absence from the Circuit Paul Ricard-based event for personal reasons, for which he has the full support from the entire EWC family and beyond. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

TEAM RACING 85 PICKS EWC BOL D’OR QUARTET
Team Racing 85 by Soleane has named its quartet for the upcoming Bol d’Or, the fourth and final round of the 2024 FIM Endurance World Championship. Hugo Girardet and Christian Napoli, who have been ever-present for the Kawasaki-powered Superstock outfit this season, continue on the Dunlop-equipped ZX10R. Léo Meunier, who competed for Team Racing 85 by Soleane in April’s 24 Heures Motos, returns to the line-up after missing the 8 Hours of Spa Motos, while Matthieu Thibault, who joined for the Belgian round in June, forms part of French squad’s Bol d’Or attack. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

VIGNERON BACK IN EWC WITH TEAM X-TREM RACING
Having raced for Universv Moto82 Team in the 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans in April, Théo Vigneron will be back on FIM Endurance World Cup duty when Circuit Paul Ricard hosts the Bol d’Or. But rather than riding for the Kawasaki-powered Czech Republic-based squad, Vigneron will join the French Team X-Trem Racing outfit to ride a Dunlop-equipped Suzuki in the Superstock category. Vigneron, who is also from France, is part of Team X-Trem Racing’s four-strong rider line-up, which is permitted under new rules for 2024 allowing Superstock squads to field four riders rather than the maximum three allowed in the Formula EWC category. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

FLYING FINN LAHTI IS EWC BOL D’OR-BOUND A CHAMPION
Eemeli Lahti will start the Bol d’Or FIM Endurance World Championship season showdown a champion following his title triumph in his native Finland last month. The 27-year-old, who made his EWC debut in last year’s Bol d’Or, captured the Finnish Superbike crown for the first time, describing an “amazing” feeling afterwards. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

TCP RACING MAKES LINE-UP TWEAKS FOR EWC SEASON SHOWDOWN
TCP Racing is planning to make a tweak to its FIM Endurance World Cup line-up for the Bol d’Or. While Marcus Delestre and Félix Peron will race for the Yamaha-powered squad for the third time in 2024, Alan Agogue is set to make his TCP comeback after missing June’s 8 Hours of Spa Motos, Yvan Laetzig is a new recruit for the 24-hour contest. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

MYKHALCYHK TO THE FOUR AHEAD OF EWC DECIDER
FIM Endurance World Championship star Illya Mykhalcyk is a four-time winner of the Internationale Deutsche Motorradmeisterschaft Superbike title after a victory and a second-place finish at the Nürburgring last weekend gave him the points he needed to seal the deal. Riding for Werner Daemen’s Champion-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team, the Ukrainian had to bide his time before taking to the German track due to fog and rain delaying the event timetable. Despite his lack of preparation time and the fact he hadn’t ridden at the Nürburgring for five years, the 28-year-old took pole position before he beat Hannes Soomer to victory in the opening contest. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

TECMAS PRAISES EWC STAR ARBEL AFTER FRENCH TITLE TRIUMPH
Loïc Arbel’s capture of the French Supebike Challenger title last month came on the back of a “breath-taking season full of determination, talent and self-exaggeration”, according to his Tecmas Racing Team. Arbel, an outright podium finisher in the FIM Endurance World Championship, put the title beyond doubt with a win double at Circuit Carole in France on 25 August. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

EWC RACER DE LA VEGA GETS WORLD SUPERSPORT CHANCE
EWC racer Enzo De La Vega will contest his home round of the FIM Supersport 600 World Championship this weekend after being handed a wildcard entry for the Magny-Cours counter – further highlighting the importance of the FIM Endurance World Championship. De La Vega, who competes for Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers CMS Motostore in the Dunlop-supplied FIM Endurance World Cup for Superstock machinery, will ride for the Perles De Fruits Racing Team for the Supersport 600 round. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

NEXT GOAL UNDER DISCUSSION AFTER TEAM SUZUKI CN CHALLENGE BREAKS NEW GROUND IN EWC
Shinichi Sahara has outlined what’s next for Team Suzuki CN Challenge, Suzuki Motor Corporation’s ground-breaking entry in Japan’s round of the FIM Endurance World Championship. Competing in the Experimental class in the 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race, Team Suzuki CN Challenge’s factory-supported GSX-R1000R CN SPEC utilised 40 per cent bio-sourced sustainable ELF Moto R40 FIM fuel, plus other eco-friendly products. Speaking after the event, Suzuki Motorsport head Sahara said: “We not only finished the race as we had aimed, but we also finished in eighth place, so I feel a real sense of accomplishment. This doesn’t mean the project is over, and we still have work to do to gather data, verify sustainable items, and set our next goal.” CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

TRT27 AZ MOTO EWC TEAM SETS SIGHTS ON SUPER SUZUKA IN THE FUTURE
TRT27 AZ Moto will do all it can to be on the starting grid when the 46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race takes place next year. The frontrunning FIM Endurance World Cup outfit had been targeting an appearance in Japan’s 2024 EWC counter but was forced to put those plans on hold in the build-up to the legendary race. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

HOW KAINZ’S EWC SUZUKA DREAM FINALLY CAME TRUE
Mandy Kainz finally got to celebrate a podium finish in Japan’s round of the FIM Endurance World Championship, describing the achievement as a “real dream come true”. Kainz, who heads up Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team, oversaw riders Niccolò Canepa, Marvin Fritz and Karel Hanika claim a richly deserved runner-up placing in the 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race to Team HRC with Japan Post by 7.860s. YART started the event from pole position after it won the Top 10 Trial, the first for Yamaha sine 2017, and joined Team HRC in completing 220 laps to break the previous record of 219 set by Team Cabin in 2002. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

WEST APOLOGY AFTER EWC SUZUKA CRASH HOLDS BALTUS BACK
Anthony West said he was sorry after a rare error from the Australian ace during the closing stages of the 45th Coca-Cola 8 Hours Endurance Race left AutoRace Ube Racing Team languishing in 20th overall and 16th in Formula EWC at the completion of Japan’s EWC counter. With Belgian Moto2 rider Barry Baltus part of the line-up, AutoRace Ube Racing Team had been tipped as a contender for a top-five finish in round three of the 2024 FIM Endurance World Championship, only for West’s fall to leave the Suzuki-powered squad out of contention. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

WHEN KAWASAKI WEBIKE TRICKSTAR’S EWC HEROES WERE OUT IN FORCE
Christian Gamarino, Grégory Leblanc and Róman Ramos were the heroes for Kawasaki Webike Trickstar when Japan hosted round three of the 2024 FIM Endurance World Championship. Leblanc’s bravery was apparent when he suffered a broken leg during Warm-up for the 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race, which left Gamarino and Ramos to race as a pair. Gamarino rose from the team’s 18th-place starting position to the extent he was in 14th place when he handed over the #11 Kawasaki ZXR-RR to Ramos, who fell nearing the completion of his stint and then fell ill, leaving Italian Gamarino to double stint in the hope that Ramos would be well enough to continue. CLICK FOR FULL STORY.

LEBLANC EXPLAINS SUZUKA EWC CRASH AND RECOVERY EFFORTS
Grégory Leblanc has explained the crash that forced him to miss the 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race and ultimately put him out of the Bol d’Or FIM Endurance World Championship decider. .

HOW THEY STAND IN EWC
The provisional standings following round three of the FIM Endurance World Championship season, the 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race, are available by clicking HERE.

WHAT’S NEXT? EWC TITLE-DECIDING BOL D’OR 24-HOUR RACE
After celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2022, the 87th edition of the Bol d’Or marks the second 24-hour race of the 2024 EWC season. Taking place at Circuit Paul Ricard in southern France for the 31st time, the legendary event runs from 12-15 September. Of the venue’s 5.673-kilometre layout, 1.8 kilometres are taken up by the imposing Mistral Straight. A place to pass and be passed, the Mistral requires bikes to run for 20 seconds at more than 300kph. Changeable weather and windy conditions can also be a factor during the traditional season decider. Click HERE for ticket information.

Original Source [ FIM EWC ]