An emotional rollercoaster at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

• Markus Reiterberger and the BMW factory team are denied victory

At the season opener of the FIM Endurance World Championship, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team led the race until the early hours of the morning, but fell back due to technical problems.

Le Mans. The season opener of the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) proved to be an emotional rollercoaster for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. At the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA), the team was comfortably in the lead with the #37 BMW M 1000 RR until the morning. However, technical problems in the final third of the race set the BMW factory team back. Nevertheless, with the lead at the crucial 8- and 16-hour marks and twelfth place in the EWC class at the finish, they secured important points.

The factory trio on the #37 BMW M 1000 RR – Markus Reiterberger (GER), Michael van der Mark (NED) and Steven Odendaal (RSA) – were in promising form, having already impressed in the two-part qualifying session by securing second place, just 0.032 seconds behind pole position. They started the 24-hour marathon from second on the grid, and hour by hour everything went according to plan. After eight and 16 hours, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team collected the bonus points for the lead, and headed into the new day comfortably at the front of the field. Following various technical issues, a lasting repair stop ensued in the closing stages of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, the team managed to get back on track and finish the race. Although things did not go to plan, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team got off lightly once again and leaves Le Mans in sixth place in the World Championship standings.

The second round of the 2026 FIM EWC, the eight-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, will take place on 6 June.

Markus Reiterberger, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team:“The race actually went well. We had a great rhythm. All three riders were fast, and the fuel strategy was spot on. We managed to complete many, many more laps than our competitors, which enabled us to secure points in both the 8-hour and 16-hour races. All the riders were in good spirits and the team worked together perfectly. Unfortunately, that’s when things started to go wrong: a minor issue with the bike, which was quickly resolved. Then Michael’s crash, which caused some minor damage, and in the end we had another problem. But we managed to make it to the finish line and at least take the points. We’re obviously very disappointed because we finally wanted to win Le Mans, and I think we had what it took this year. But we’re not burying our heads in the sand; we’re still in the running. A big thank you to the whole team: they gave it their all and did a really good job, and I hope and believe that they’ll be rewarded for it one day.”