Bol d’Or 24 Hours: BMW, sorry for the delay—the first Endurance World Championship title is now a reality

BMW did it, even if a year late: by dominating the 24 Hours of the Bol d’Or, the German giant clinched the Endurance World Championship, and in one fell swoop also secured the Manufacturers’ crown.

This time there was no final plot twist: a year ago, also at the Bol d’Or, the same M1000RR broke down with just 29 minutes to go, sending the result up in smoke. The rematch was tremendous: BMW thrashed its rivals—especially the title-holding Yamaha—by deploying technology, strategy, and precision, in short, the full arsenal needed to win in a fiendishly complex motorsport discipline like Endurance.

The signs of triumph were visible as early as qualifying, when the BMW trio of Michael van der Mark, Steven Odendaal, and Markus Reiterberger secured pole and, more importantly, the first five points up for grabs. On the eve of this fourth and final round they had 19 points to make up on Yamaha Yart, so even the appetizer served the cause. Then the French marathon turned into a crushing display of superiority. BMW took control right away and never let go, buoyed by undisputed supremacy in race pace but, above all, in fuel consumption.

Over the 24 hours of racing the BMW crew completed 742 laps—more than 4,300 kilometers—making one fewer pit stop than Suzuki Sert Yoshimura and even two fewer than Yamaha Yart. A pit stop lasts about a minute, plus the time for entering and exiting the pit lane: this is how the winners mapped out their winning strategy. In this triumphant season BMW ticked off a host of milestones all at once: this is the first Endurance World Championship won by a European brand, to be added to the historic podium (third place) sealed at the Suzuka 8 Hours, the flagship event of this discipline.

BMW defeated the four Japanese manufacturers that have historically competed at the highest level of the World Endurance Championship. The outcome at the Bol d'Or was partly decided by the second-place finish of Suzuki SERT Yoshimura, which denied Yamaha YART the runner-up spot they needed to fend off the German team's charge. Honda FCC TSR finished fourth, never seriously contending for the overall win. However, the world's largest manufacturer—having triumphed at the Suzuka 8 Hours with Jonathan Rea and Takumi Takahashi—found consolation in the Superstock title, which went surprisingly to the Polish squad Wójcik Racing, spearheaded by Spaniards Jordi Torres and Héctor Garzó. In the category for near-stock machines, BMW’s hopes were dashed at the crucial moment due to misfortunes befalling the Champion Hert MRP team. There was no luck for Aprilia Revo M2, which dropped out early in the marathon race. Things went perfectly, however, for No Limits; riding a Honda, they secured a fantastic third place in their class and ninth overall.

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