With the 10th season of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports promoting the FIM Endurance World Championship successfully completed, FIMEWC’s series looking back on the last decade of the EWC continues with a reminder of who won what and who came out on top in the title chase as well as remembering some of the key moments and achievements from the 2019-20 campaign.
HIGHLIGHTS
The 2019-20 season is two events old when the global health pandemic forces a halt to proceedings and leads to a revamped schedule. Having begun with the Bol d’Or in September 2019 followed by the all-new 8 Hours of Sepang in Malaysia in the December of that year, the championship eventually resumes with the rescheduled 24 Heures Motos behind closed doors in August 2020 (below) and, one month later, the 12 Hours of Estoril. The planned races at Oschersleben and Suzuka are cancelled.
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team (below), a full factory-backed squad managed by ex-racer Werner Daemen, is a new entrant for the 2019-20 season. Kenny Foray, Ilya Mikhalchik and Julian Puffe are named in the outfit’s first rider line-up.
BMW is the motorcycle of choice for ERC Endurance, LRP Poland and Tecmas BMW GMC. HRT100-Hertrampf Racing, meanwhile, brings the new Ducati Panigale V4R to the EWC for the first time. British Endurance Racing Team is another newcomer.
Having run Team Bolliger Switzerland for 38 years, Hanspeter ‘Hämpu’ Bolliger hands over the reins to his son Kevin following the season-deciding 12 Hours of Estoril.
The end of an incredible era is marked when Suzuki Endurance Racing Team’s Vincent Philippe (below), the EWC’s most successful rider with 10 world titles, retires from racing following the Bol d’Or. Former Moto GP racer Xavier Siméon is named as his replacement ahead of the 8 Hours of Sepang.
Damien Saulnier replaces Dominique Meliand as chief of the SERT team, Meliand having retired after 39 years in charge during the 2018-19 campaign.
With Broc Parkes contesting a clashing FIM Asia Road Racing Championship round at Sepang, YART - Yamaha brings in Loris Baz as the Australian’s replacement for the Bol d’Or alongside Niccolò Canepa and Marvin Fritz.
However, it proves to be a shorter race than YART and its rivals had envisaged after the action is brought to a temporary halt at 18h00 due to worsening weather conditions at Circuit Paul Ricard. Racing eventually resumes under safety car conditions at 06h00 the following day (belowwith Suzuki Endurance Racing Team taking the victory in front of 62,000 fans ahead of Wójcik Racing Team a fine second after Gino Rea leads during the early stages thanks to some epic wet-weather riding. ERC Endurance beats BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team to the final podium spot by four seconds but is subsequently excluded due to a fuel tank capacity issue. Moto Ain wins the Superstock category.
The inaugural 8 Hours of Sepang is also a rain-hit shortened contest, albeit one with a 50-motorcycle entry. Following a delayed start, the racing is red-flagged before eventually resuming. Despite an electronics glitch causing a scare earlier in the race, YART - Yamaha takes the win as Niccolò Canepa rides solo, the Italian benefiting from his knowledge of the ever-changing track conditions to take the chequered flag after 80 laps. Moto Ain wins Superstock for the second race running in fourth overall. After dominating qualifying and the race’s early running, Yamaha Sepang Racing (below) drops out of contention when Michael van der Mark collides with Mike Di Meglio’s F.C.C. TSR Honda France entry. Having switched to Ducati power, ERC Endurance finishes the Malaysian event in the top 10.
Eight months after the 8 Hours of Sepang, the 24 Heures Motos takes place four months later than originally planned and with no spectators onsite due to COVID-19 restrictions. F.C.C. TSR Honda France wins with its all-new CBR1000RR-R, its second victory at Le Mans. Changeable weather conditions put the onus on tyre strategy and results in several falls. A flawless performance from Stefan Kerschbaumer, Lucy Glöckner and Toni Finsterbusch ensures victory in the Superstock category for GERT56 by GS Yuasa.
YART - Yamaha completes the 2019-20 EWC season by winning the 12 Hours of Estoril (below) as Suzuki Endurance Racing Team wins the FIM Endurance World Championship for Teams. Team Moto Ain completes its domination of the Superstock-based FIM Endurance World Cup with its third win of the year ensuring a second title.
CALENDAR
Bol d’Or, 18-21 September 2019
8 Hours of Sepang, 12-14 December 2019
24 Heures Motos, 27-30 August 2020
12 Hours of Estoril, 24-26 September 2020
RACE WINNERS
Bol d’Or
Formula EWC: Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Vincent Philippe, Étienne Masson, Gregg Black), Suzuki GSXR-1000, 313 laps
Superstock: Team Moto Ain (Roberto Rolfo, Robin Mulhauser, Hugo Clere), Yamaha YZF-R1, 310 laps (below)
8 Hours of Sepang
Formula EWC: YART - Yamaha (Broc Parkes, Karel Hanika, Niccolò Canepa), Yamaha YZF-R1, 80 laps
Superstock: Team Moto Ain (Roberto Rolfo, Robin Mulhauser, Hugo Clere), Yamaha, YZF-R1, 79 laps
24 Heures Motos
Formula EWC: F.C.C. TSR Honda France (Josh Hook, Freddy Foray, Mike Di Meglio), Honda CBR1000RR-R, 816 laps (below)
Superstock: GERT56 by GS YUASA (Stefan Kerschbaumer, Lucy Glöckner, Toni Finsterbusch), BMW S1000RR, 786 laps
12 Hours of Estoril
Formula EWC: YART - Yamaha (Karel Hanika, Marvin Fritz, Niccolò Canepa), Yamaha YZF-R1, 421 laps
Superstock: Team Moto Ain (Roberto Rolfo, Robin Mulhauser, Hugo Clere), Yamaha YZF-R1, 411 laps
CHAMPIONS
Formula EWC: Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, 167.5 points (+18 points)
Superstock: Team Moto Ain (below), 215.5 points (+81.5 points)
Original Source [ FIM EWC ]
