24H of Spa Francorchamps - Hopes of home EWC glory high as Simeon’s Yoshimura SERT Motul team leads at Spa

Hopes of a home win in the 24H SPA EWC Motos are high after eight hours of spectacular action with local hero Xavier Siméon’s Suzuki-powered Yoshimura SERT Motul team topping the current ranking. FIM Endurance World Championship racing is returning to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the first time since 2001 this weekend to revive the spirit of the famous 24 Heures de Liège.

Ad/> Following the spectacular Le Mans-style running start in front of the packed main grandstand and in blazing sunshine, the opening hour delivered stunning action and multiple lead changes. The entire the top five – Gregg Black, Marvin Fritz, Josh Hook, Florian Marino and Markus Reiterberger – took their turn in front as breath-taking multiple overtakes thrilled fans.

FIM EWCFull action as 24H SPA EWC Motos is go!8 HOURS AGO Canepa had to wait four agonising minutes before he could continue the stint he’d only just started having taken over from Fritz, with Karel Hanika, who had qualified the team’s Bridgestone-equipped Yamaha YZF-R1 on pole, reporting a handling imbalance during his running. After eight hours, YART is fourth in the provisional order.

Out front, the battle for first position soon developed into a fascinating strategical duel between Yoshimura SERT Motul and BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. The Belgium-based, Dunlop-equipped BMW squad was able to lap some six laps longer per stint, while its France-based rival, which uses Bridgestone tyres, was able to run faster between its more frequent stops with Sylvain Guntoli’s 2m21.056s the current fastest lap on the Suzuki GSX-R1000R.