The FIM EWC Endurance World Championship shuffles the deck for the production-based classes: the manufacturers involved and the new investors

The “single-make” Ducati Superbike World Championship? Well, there’s another championship with production-derived bikes which, in the most recent race, saw the six manufacturers present take the top six positions in the final standings.

The FIM EWC Endurance World Championship is not a blissful island: issues exist, and the change of promoter (from Warner Bros Discovery Sports Events to EMP led by Claude Michy) has indeed brought more fans to the track (increased attendance between Le Mans and Spa), but distanced the media and “occasional” viewers. However, this doesn’t seem to weigh much at the moment. Manufacturers are increasingly interested in a compelling formula, even sponsors from “rival” championships, such as WorldSBK itself.

From its inception to today, motorcycle Endurance World Championship racing has one virtue: it hasn’t been distorted. Having reached the Third Millennium, passing through the hands of various organizers and enduring at least a couple of failures/splits, endurance motorcycle competitions remain what they are. Its essence, in short, is intact. The winner is the one who gets there first, but the important thing is, precisely, to get there! True: today the 8- and 24-hour races are sprints where the top teams push flat-out from the first to the last lap of every stint, but ultimately in some marquee events (the Suzuka 8 Hours first and foremost) it’s always been like that. A formula which, although not understood and appreciated by everyone, earns respectable traction and appeals to teams (46 teams entered as permanent for the 2026 season) and manufacturers alike.

Five manufacturers are represented with factory teams (Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and BMW), six are present at every round. In the recent Spa 8 Hours, BMW claimed victory ahead of Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Honda, and Aprilia, the latter sixth overall while winning the Superstock class with the RSV4 1100 fielded by the very Italian REVO-M2 team and an all-Italian lineup (Kevin Calia, Simone Saltarelli, and Flavio Ferroni). Yes indeed: 6 manufacturers present, 6 in the top spots when the checkered flag waved. Incredible to say in contemporary motorcycling.

The manufacturers are actively involved in the discipline; consider that at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, among others, Sven Blusch (head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport), Niccolò Canepa (Yamaha Racing Sporting Manager), and Shinichi Sahara (still leading Suzuki’s racing activities) were on site. They chose the 24-hour race over the concurrent World Superbike round at Assen held the same weekend.

There’s more. EMP (Endurance Moto Promoter), led by Claude Michy, has not only involved all organizers of the calendar’s events (including Honda itself) on the board, but among its shareholders with a 10% stake is Motul. Currently the title sponsor of World Superbike, Motul has also stepped into a leading role in the FIM EWC with a series of initiatives (the Motul Challenge supporting privateer teams) and broad proposals for the future. In short, things are moving, even in a production-based landscape that seems to be struggling.

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