YART Yamaha will get the Endurance World Championship underway this weekend with the Le Mans 24 Heures.
The Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team of Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika, Jason O’Halloran, and reserve rider Robin Mulhauser are ready to kick off the 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship.
The YART team arrives in Le Mans aiming to win back their EWC crown after finishing the 2024 season as runners-up and just missing out on defending the title by 14 points in a dramatic showdown at the Bol d’Or.
Karel Hanika and Marvin Fritz will continue with the Austrian team for 2025, but after Nicolo Canepa announced his retirement, he has been replaced by the most successful Yamaha rider in terms of victories in the British Superbike Championship, Jason O’Halloran.
The Australian is no stranger to endurance racing, having competed in the championship numerous times before, as well as racing in WorldSBK, Moto2, and WorldSSP, although this will be his first 24-hour race.
"It has been great to join the YART team for the 2025 season," O'Halloran said.
"Pre-season has been really strong, and we have completed eight or nine days of testing before the private practice sessions, so we are ready for the season to begin.
"I am looking forward to my first 24-hour race, and I am sure we will be very competitive and able to challenge for the podium, so I cannot wait!"
"We have had a superb off-season, and the feeling with the Bridgestone tyres and the R1 has been excellent," Hanika commented.
"We got some track time during the private practice sessions in mixed conditions, which helped us prepare for the weekend, because the weather forecast is not great.
"The preparation for the race has been perfect; we ran back-to-back with two different bikes that had different setups during practice, and found something to help us make that extra step.
"Jason feels like he has been part of the team for a long time and has fit in so well. The team have worked hard, and we are as ready as possible."
"The private practice sessions, pre-test, and the off-season went well," Fritz added.
"The team have made another step and worked hard throughout the winter. We have improved our package, and the average over the stints has been faster during testing, so we are confident heading into the race.
"Jason fits perfectly with the team. After finishing in second four times and missing out on the win last year, we finally want to stand on the top step in Le Mans. We are ready, so bring it on!"
