A team sponsors a championship: Marc VDS becomes title sponsor of the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC)

A team that sponsors a motorcycle world championship. This is the anomaly of the 2026 FIM EWC Endurance World Championship, which will see Marc VDS, the generous Belgian outfit active since 2010 in Grand Prix racing (in Moto2 with a brief stint in MotoGP) and, more recently, also in Superbike and in the EWC itself together with KM99, title-sponsor the championship. Marc VDS Swiss Racing SA, the company of Count Marc van der Straten, will be the series’ main sponsor, with the famous lion appearing alongside the official championship logo.

The 2026 Endurance World Championship marks a new era with the transition from Warner Bros Discovery Sports Events to EMP (acronym for Endurance Moto Promoter) as the series organizer, still under the aegis of the FIM. Claude Michy and his PHA, architects of the French MotoGP Grand Prix’s public success at Le Mans, will essentially be the primary promoter of the series, although the board also involves the ACO (organizers of the Le Mans 24 Hours for motorcycles), Honda Mobilityland (of the Suzuka 8 Hours), plus Editions Larivière (of the Bol d’Or) as well as Motul. Since 2022, Michy has also organized the Belgian round at Spa-Francorchamps of the two-wheeled Endurance World Championship, effectively the “home” of Marc van der Straten.

Before investing significant resources in Grand Prix racing, the Count was actively involved precisely in endurance motorcycle competitions. Back in the days of the 24 Hours of Liège, his Stella Artois sponsored the event, and the appeal of the discipline led to the partnership with the KM99 team which, since last year, has sported Marc VDS colors, including in its official name (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99). Now the Belgian outfit will be the title sponsor of the FIM EWC, leaving various scenarios open for the future.

If it seems odd for a team to sponsor a championship, it’s not exactly unprecedented in Endurance. In the early 2010s, Qatar appeared with its own Q.E.R.T. (Qatar Endurance Racing Team) and, at the same time, as a championship sponsor. In short: history repeats itself.