In 2026, Bridgestone will once again equip top teams in the FIM[1] Endurance World Championship (EWC) with its premium BATTLAX motorcycle tyres – continuing a collaboration that began in 2017. This year, the company strengthens its presence in the world’s leading endurance racing series by serving as tyre supplier to seven teams, up from five in 2025.
This follows a landmark season in which the Bridgestone-supported Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team secured the EWC title after a dramatic finale at the Bol d’Or. Racing on Bridgestone BATTLAX tyres, Yamalube YART Yamaha’s victory marked the sixth time and the fifth consecutive year that a Bridgestone-equipped team has claimed the EWC crown. Last year, Bridgestone-supported teams dominated the championship standings, taking five of the top six positions overall.
“The FIM Endurance World Championship represents the ultimate proving ground for tyre performance, durability and innovation. The 2025 season once again demonstrated the consistency and capability of Bridgestone tyres under the toughest racing conditions,” said Nico Thuy, Director Motorcycle at Bridgestone EMEA. “Following this success, we are proud to offer our expertise and top-performing tyres to seven teams for 2026.”
Bridgestone BATTLAX racing tyres are engineered with advanced materials and construction technologies. This delivers maximum grip, consistent performance and exceptional durability throughout entire race distances – a must for endurance races lasting up to 24 hours. Designed to perform across varying weather and track conditions, they provide riders with the confidence to push to the limit in every stint.
Supporting seven of the leading EWC teams
The 2026 season will see Bridgestone act as tyre supplier to the following seven teams:
- AutoRace Ube Racing Team: Kicking off its collaboration with Bridgestone, the 2026 rider lineup includes Naomichi Uramoto, who finished third overall in the JSB1000 last season, alongside BMW Motorrad Motorsport factory riders Sylvain Guintoli and Hannes Soomer.
- BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team came very close to the World Championship last season. The lineup of the #37 BMW M 1000 RR changes only in one spot for 2026. Michael van der Mark joins BMW veteran Markus Reiterberger, Steven Odendaal, with Hannes Soomer as the fourth rider.
- F.C.C. TSR Honda France: This team became the first Japanese team to win the FIM EWC in 2017-2018. For 2026, Alan Techer, Corentin Perolari, and John McPhee will share the #5 Honda CBR 1000 RR-R. Scottish rider McPhee is the newest addition to the team.
- Kawasaki Webike Trickstar: For the Kawasaki Webike Trickstar 2026 team, Roman Ramos continues to provide consistency, Grégory Leblanc brings experience, Christian Gamarino remains the offensive rider, and Enzo De La Vega adds further valuable experience.
- KM99 Yamaha: Newly supported by Bridgestone, the KM99 Yamaha 2026 rider lineup includes Florian Marino, who brings experience from Superbike and Supersport championships, and Randy De Puniet, who is a veteran of 140 MotoGP and 250 cc class starts with more than 20 podiums. The duo adds experience alongside Italian Superbike Champion, Alessandro Delbianco and fourth rider Bo Bendsneyder.
- Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team: Yamalube YART has proved to be an incredibly strong team, taking last year’s FIM EWC crown. For the 2026 season, Leandro Mercado joins the team. He accompanies Karel Hanika and Marvin Fritz as they look to defend their title with the #1 plate on the bike.
- Yoshimura SERT Motul: Yoshimura SERT Motul will continue its journey in 2026 with an unchanged rider lineup. That includes Gregg Black, Étienne Masson, and Dan Linfoot, who contributed to recent successes, with Cocoro Atsumi as reserve rider.
‘From Circuit to Street’: Turning racing innovation into road performance
Bridgestone uses racing as a mobile laboratory to refine its tyre technology under extreme conditions. These innovations are then transferred to future tyres available to all riders under the “From Circuit to Street” concept. The FIM EWC includes races that last between eight and 24 hours. This places immense and sustained stress on tyres, creating ideal conditions to test and develop advanced compounds, construction technologies and durability solutions.
This racing expertise has directly influenced the development of Bridgestone’s latest and most advanced motorcycle tyres. This includes the brand-new RACING BATTLAX V03, which is Bridgestone’s track-only flagship slick tyre. Riders benefit from unrivalled grip and faster lap times, with a newly developed rear ‘SPRINT spec’ for maximum performance. Also new to this year is the BATTLAX RACING STREET RS12, a road-legal premium sports tyre that brings race-bred technology, offering the highest dry grip performance in Bridgestone’s road lineup.
The 2026 EWC season will run as follows:
- 18 April: 24 Heures Motos, Le Mans, France
- 6 June: 8 Hours of Spa Motos, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
- 5 July: Cuca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours, Suzuka race track, Japan
- 19 September: the Bol d’Or, Circuit Paul Ricard, France
