24 Hours of Le Mans Motorcycle Race – H+1: Honda shines, Yamaha falters

Pole position wasn't enough to protect Leandro Mercado. Riding the YART Yamaha #1, the Argentinian had a poor start, immediately being overtaken by a Honda #5 (FCC TSR Honda France). While Florian Marino briefly put the Yamaha #99 in the lead after the first chicane, Corentin Perolari quickly reclaimed it. In less than an hour, the rider of the #5 set a pace that his rivals couldn't match, relegating the #1, the weekend's pole sitter, to 15 seconds behind.

The first strategic moves were made as the first hour of the race approached. While Corentin Perolari and the #12 SERT car were heading into the pits for their first fuel stops and driver changes (Alan Techer taking over from Perolari), the #37 BMW chose to extend its stint and thus temporarily took the lead, benefiting from the open track before its own pit stop.

With 60 motorcycles on the track – a record since 2019 – traffic is a constant challenge for the riders. The tension at the start of the race has already claimed victims: four crashes have occurred in just 60 minutes. The hardest blow fell to the Tati Team AVA6 Racing (number 4). Hugo Clere, then in second place, lost the front end after half an hour of racing. Although he was able to rejoin the race, the French machine is now in ninth position and faces a long climb back up the field.

24 Hours of Le Mans Motorcycle Race 2026
The standings after one hour of racing: