24 Hours of Le Mans Motorcycle Race – H+9: Suzuki joins the fight for victory at Le Mans

The 49th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans motorcycle race, which started at 3 p.m. under perfect sunshine, saw a fierce battle at the front after nine hours between the YART Yamaha #1, the BMW #37, and the Yoshimura Sert Motul Suzuki #12. Before midnight, and after losing the lead to BMW in the darkness, the Yamaha #1 regained its dominance of the Sarthe circuit, setting the pace.

Unexpectedly in the duel between the top two during the first part of the race, the Suzuki made a strong comeback after resolving its electronic issues. Having briefly held second place, thanks to Étienne Masson overtaking Michael Van Der Mark, it has now dropped back to third place provisionally at this stage of the race.

The top 10 after eight hours was as follows: The BMW #37 was in the lead, followed by the Yamaha #1, the Suzuki #12, the BMW #76, the Kawasaki #11, the BMW #6, the BMW #38 (first Superstock), the BMW #8 (second Superstock), the Honda #41 (third Superstock) and the BMW #90. These positions awarded the first championship points: 10 for the leader, 9 for 2nd down to 1 for 10th.

Night has now fallen on the Bugatti circuit, with stints becoming increasingly complicated by fatigue, visibility conditions, and traffic. The difference in braking speed between categories can reach up to 100 km/h, and the taillights of some motorcycles tend to blind the leaders. The slightest mistake could prove costly before daybreak.

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24 Hours of Le Mans Motorcycle Race 2026
The standings after nine hours of racing: