“I was smiling in the crash helmet”, Canepa on his rapid EWC testing lap

YART Yamaha Official Team EWC has emerged as the outfit to beat during official testing for round one of the 2022 FIM Endurance World Championship, the 24 Heures Motos. Italian Niccolò Canepa, riding a Yamaha YZF-R1 set a table-topping 1m35.807s in Session 1 of the Pre-Test held on the 4.185-kilometre Bugatti Circuit this morning. F.C.C.

TSR Honda France was second quickest with BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team next followed by Yoshimura SERT Motul, Tati Team Beringer Racing, ERC Endurance-Ducati, Viltaïs Racing Igol, Moto Ain and No Limits Motor Team – the fastest of the Superstock category contenders – Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar, Team LH Racing, Team 33 Louit April Moto and Maco Racing Team. Afterwards, Canepa, the 2016/17 EWC champion, said: “I’m super-happy honestly because I was really surprised actually. We said the target this morning was just to get the feeling back with the tyres and the bike but the lap times were really good.

The track conditions were really good because of the French Superbike championship last weekend, we are really happy so far. It’s good [for the confidence], I was smiling in the crash helmet when I saw the lap time, especially because we have some new components to test in the afternoon.” Session 2 runs from 14h15-18h00 CET. Conditions are cool and cloudy and mainly dry apart from occasional spots of light drizzle.