MRP Racing News
Spa 8h: Victory for #37 and team #38 still leads
#37 BMW Motorrad EWC
Spa-Francorchamps. At 9:00 p.m., celebrations erupted in the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team garage at Spa-Francorchamps (BEL): a triumphant home victory in the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC)! Starting from pole position, Markus Reiterberger (GER), Steven Odendaal (RSA) and Michael van der Mark (NED) dominated the eight-hour race on the legendary Ardennes rollercoaster aboard the #37 BMW M 1000 RR. In difficult and ever-changing conditions, the team, bike and riders combined all their strengths to secure a well-deserved and enthusiastically celebrated victory. Thanks to pole position and the race win, the team collected the maximum possible points and climbed to third place in the World Championship standings after the second of four rounds.
The factory trio had already delivered an impressive performance in Friday’s qualifying sessions. All three riders set the fastest time in their respective groups, earning a dominant pole position with a combined advantage of more than half a second over their closest rivals.
In the race itself, Reiterberger, Odendaal and van der Mark left no doubt that victory was a realistic objective. Although they briefly surrendered the lead in the opening stages, they soon re-established themselves at the top of the leaderboard. With rain showers repeatedly arriving and the track constantly drying and changing, the team consistently made the right strategic decisions. The reward for a flawless performance was a second home victory at Spa-Francorchamps.
Round three of the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship, the Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan, will take place in early July.
Reactions after the 8 Hours of Spa Motos:
Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “What a fantastic weekend for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team at its home race in Spa-Francorchamps! Congratulations to Werner Daemen, our riders Markus Reiterberger, Steven Odendaal and Michael van der Mark, the entire team, and all the colleagues involved at BMW Motorrad Motorsport. First came the dominant qualifying performance, followed by a flawless race in every respect under extremely challenging mixed conditions – it simply could not have been done any better. We have experienced setbacks, but on the Ardennes rollercoaster the momentum swung decisively in our favor. This victory is more than deserved, and with the maximum haul of points, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team has taken an important step forward in the World Championship battle. Now we are all looking forward to the challenge of Suzuka!”
Christian Gonschor, Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “It was a fantastic race week. Already on the test day on Thursday, we showed strong pace in mixed, dry and wet conditions. Then on Friday in qualifying, having all three riders on P1 was a strong indication that the pace and potential were there. And in the race, the riders and the entire team executed everything perfectly. A huge thank you goes to the mechanics: they prepared the bike flawlessly over three days in all challenging conditions. The riders made no mistakes at all. After the difficult start to the season in Le Mans, it was a well-deserved but hard-fought and intense victory that demonstrated the pure performance of the team and the bike. So we are all very proud – of everyone present, of our partners and sponsors – and thank you to everyone who contributed.”
Werner Daemen, Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “A victory – especially a home victory – is simply fantastic for me, for the team, and for BMW. After everything we went through last year in Le Castellet and now in Le Mans, you can imagine how great the sense of relief is for me and everyone involved. The mechanics and the riders did an incredible job. We are all absolutely delighted!”
Michael van der Mark, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “The team did a fantastic job all winter. At Le Mans we were so strong, but unfortunately we were unlucky. And also here at Spa, immediately from day one we were quick in all conditions. Today in the race, we knew we had the pace, but it’s typical Spa with the difficult weather. Still, the team made the right decisions. Steven and Markus were at the right speed at the right time and didn’t take any crazy risks. So I’m incredibly happy for the team after all the bad luck they’ve had in the past, and it’s special to win here – especially for their home race.”
Markus Reiterberger, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “Our second victory at Spa – first in the 24-hour race and now in the eight-hour race. After the less-than-ideal results in Le Castellet and Le Mans, we all continued to work hard. The team and BMW have put together a fantastic bike. We already saw in Le Mans that we had made a significant step forward compared to last year. Then we arrived here and were incredibly fast right from the start, in all conditions. But we were not only strong on the track; we were also excellent off the track. The team did a great job and kept a close eye on the weather radar as well. There was a lot of strategy involved, and that’s why I’m very grateful to the entire team, BMW, and everyone who contributed to this success. And we will keep pushing like this – I can hardly wait to get to Suzuka.”
Steven Odendaal, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “First of all, we won it together. I felt a big weight off our shoulders because it really was a difficult period for us at BMW, especially after the last two races. And now, to finally win, it’s something unique and incredible. I think we deserve this one because we all put the effort in, and finally to bring it home for the team on their home track is amazing.”
Photo gallery on team website:
#38 Champion HERT powered by MRP
Silver Linings at Spa 8h: Still leading the title race despite drama
Spa-Francorchamp. The second round of the FIM World Endurance Championship took place at the iconic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Spa was an 8-hour race, starting at 13:00 on Saturday and wrapping up at 21:00 that evening. As the team is based in Genk, this event served as a home round, bringing high expectations to the paddock.
Demonstrating a competitive pace already on Thursday, the team proved they were serious contenders for the top step of the podium during the qualifying sessions. Securing a 3rd place on the grid in the Superstock class, the primary objective was clear: to repeat the Spa 8h Superstock victory of 2025.
The race began promisingly, with Balint Kovacs, Loris Cresson and Jan Buehn, consistently moving up and by the half-way point (4h) they had a comfortable lead. However, the grueling nature of endurance racing took its toll unexpectedly. While leading the class, the team was forced to call it a day and retire from the race due to engine issues, bringing a premature and disappointing end to the race.
However, the team still leads the overall standings after two races, thanks to their strong performance and victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Overall standings after round 2:
Champion HERT Powered by MRP 65 pts
Revo-M2 59 pts
TRT27 AZ moto 57 pts
Dafy-Kaedear-RAC41-Honda 49 pts
Next stop: Japan! We’re far from home for the next round as we head to Suzuka. The iconic Suzuka 8 Hours kicks off on July 5th.
Photo gallery on team website:
Rider and team manager reactions:
Erico Casa (Champion HERT powered by MRP – team manager):
The team did an extraordinary job all week in these very changeable weather conditions and on a very tricky track. The riders didn’t make any mistakes and set very good lap times in each run, in every different track condition. We missed pole position on the last lap of the final qualifying session, starting from 3rd place in our category.
The start of the race was very cautious, taking no risks, and then the race unfolded as planned with good, consistent lap times from our three riders, excellent pit stops from our mechanics, and a very good strategy when the rain started.Halfway through the race, we were in first place with a one-lap lead, but then mechanical issues intervened. An engine overheating due to a technical problem forced us to retire. It’s really disappointing when you know victory is within our grasp.
The positive point is that we remain first in the championship. Now, focus on the next race, the Suzuka 8 Hours, where we need to score big points. Our home race left us with very mixed feelings: disappointed by the retirement of #38, but happy with the victory of #37.
I thank the entire team and our sponsors who make this adventure possible.
Werner Daemen (Champion HERT powered by MRP – team owner):
The team did an incredible job. Honestly, we absolutely could have won. We already had a one-lap lead, which makes it incredibly painful to lose the race to such a minor technical issue, especially for the riders and crew who worked so hard. The opportunity was right there to take a double win with #37 and #38, which would have been amazing.
I want to thank the mechanics, especially Erico Casa, and the riders for doing such a tremendous job. Now, our focus shifts entirely to Suzuka, where hopefully this will not happen. We are still leading the world championship, so nothing is lost, even if we did miss out on some valuable points.
Bálint Kovács (Champion HERT powered by MRP – rider):
The raceweek felt quite similar to Le Mans, but sadly, with a completely different outcome. The team and the riders did a flawless job, but it wasn’t enough this time. It was heartbreaking to retire from the race while holding the lead and a comfortable advantage over second place, but that is the bittersweet beauty of endurance racing.
We are still leading the world championship, and we will fight until the very end!
Loris Cresson (Champion HERT powered by MRP – rider):
The race didn’t go the way we expected. Over the weekend we did a lot with the team, everybody pushed really hard. In qualifying we were really fast. We didn’t push so much because of the conditions and nobody got much time to adapt, but we still got third place. For the race, Balint did a really good first stint, Jan and I also did really well. I think we can say without a big ego that we were dominating the race. But then it is what it is. We had a problem with the bike, the team tried their his best to make it work as fast as they could, but unfortunately there was nothing the mechanics could do. At least we are still leading the championship, but this was not the way we wanted to thank everybody involved, from the hospitality person to the pitboard guy to the mechanics, to Erico Casa to Werner Daemen. The home race was really important for us.
Now we will fully focus and be ready for Japan and be ready for the Bol d’Or.In Japan, we will try to do our best like we always do, and getting onto the podium in Suzuka would be amazing. I know we are ready. I know the whole team gives more than one hundred percent and I want to thank everybody. Also, congrats to Werner for winning Spa!Jan Bühn (Champion HERT powered by MRP – rider):
It was a race that had it all! From P3 on the grid to leading the race after three hours, everything was going according to the plan in Spa. Unfortunately, technical issues brought our race to an early end. No podium this time, but we leave Spa still leading the championship by six points.
A tough result, but a massive effort from the whole team all weekend. Time to focus on Japan.