Le Mans: Defending champion YART Yamaha handicap / World Endurance Championship

“Never change a winning team”! Under this slogan, YART Yamaha enters the new season for the fourth time with the same line-up of riders. However, at Le Mans you are competing with a handicap.

They have proven in the past that German Marvin Fritz, Czech Karel Hanika and Italian Niccolò Canepa are among the fastest pilots in the World Endurance Championship. Only material defects prevented their amazing success for a long time, but last year they got lucky and won the World Cup title.

For the team led by the Styrian team boss, Mandy Kainz, this year is about successfully defending their championship. After testing at the old Grand Prix track in Grobnik/Rijeka, where Hanika set a new track record, and at Le Mans, the team feels well prepared against the onslaught of teams from Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, BMW and Ducati.

However, second place in the preliminary test at Le Mans should not hide the fact that we enter the start of the four-race World Championship season with a handicap. During practice for the 200-mile race at Daytona, Canepa crashed and dislocated his right shoulder. “My arm feels weak, but I will still try to do my best.”

Although there were no changes to the driver line-up – Swiss Robin Mulhauser remains as reserve driver – keen spectators will miss the mandatory starting number 7 in the machine. As world champions, we chose “1”. “It’s the only number you can’t choose,” explains Canepa.

Time schedule
Thursday, April 18, 2024
10:00 am to 12:00 pm Free training
4:00 am to 5:50 pm first qualifying session
8:30 pm to 10 pm
Friday, 19.04.2024
10:20 am to 12:10 pm 2nd qualifying session
Saturday, April 20, 2024
10:30 am to 11:15 am warm up
3:00 am to 3:00 pm

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