24 Hours of Le Mans Motorcycle Race – FP1: BMW takes the lead at Le Mans

The BMW #37 set a time already close to the lap record on the Bugatti circuit at Le Mans, during the first Free Practice session of the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans motorcycle race, the first round of the World Championship.Endurance FIM. Author of a time of 1:34.664, Michael Van der Mark was only two tenths of a second off the record set by Marvin Fritz (Yamaha No. 1) last year. 

With 60 motorcycles on track divided into four categories, traffic management becomes one of the major challenges of the weekend. The differences in pace between the machines complicate the qualifying lap exercise and make each lap more treacherous, forcing riders to remain alert, even in sectors where they think they have done the hardest part.

Behind them, the Iwata factory reminded everyone that the defending champion was still a force to be reckoned with. Last year's winner, the YART machine, ridden by Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika and Leandro Mercado, took second place in the session with a time of 1:35.012.

FCC TSR Honda France, three-time winners at Le Mans, were also in contention. Despite a minor off-track excursion without consequence, the #5 car of Alan Techer, Corentin Perolari, and John McPhee finished third, with a best time of 1:35.117. McPhee's arrival seems to have already been well received by the Franco-Japanese team, with the British rider even leading the timesheets for a good part of the session.

The top five was completed by the #76 BMW of Ube Racing Team and the #12 Suzuki of Sert, Damien Saulnier's team looking to bounce back after a 2025 season hampered by a series of crashes. Gregg Black, Étienne Masson, and Dan Linfoot completed their first laps in 1:35.204, in a field where the gaps between the favorites remained very small. The Webike Trickstar team posted the eighth fastest time with the factory Kawasaki bearing the #11.

In Superstock, the second of the four classes entered in the 24 Hours of Le Mans motorcycle race, the BMW No. 25 of Team Étoile dominated 29 motorcycles in the category with a time of 1:36.391, which meant 9th place overall.

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24 Hours of Le Mans Motorcycle Race 2026 

The Formula EWC standings from FP1:

The Superstock standings for FP1: