Gregg Black’s sensational sub-lap record run helped Yoshimura SERT Motul secure pole position for tomorrow’s 8 Hours of Spa Motos and halt Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team’s FIM Endurance World Championship qualifying dominance at the legendary Belgian venue.
The Suzuki-powered star’s 2m17.896s effort on the 6.985-kilometre Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps eclipsed Marvin Fritz’s 2m18.273s from First Qualifying as Yoshimura SERT Motul topped a thrilling Friday afternoon by 0.011s, the first non-YART pole since the EWC returned to the Ardennes in 2022 and the squad’s first in the EWC since Le Mans in 2023.
UK-born Frenchman Black’s performance earned him the Nathalie Maillet Challenge Trophy, awarded annually in memory of the late former Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps CEO.
Belgium-based BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team had claimed the provisional pole after First Qualifying but ended up in third. However, a BMW motorcycle did top the Dunlop-equipped Superstock order after Champion-MRP-Tecmas went quickest ahead of Honda No Limits and Team Étoile, despite a crash for Leandro Mercado in First Qualifying.
In the new-for-2025 FIM Endurance World Trophy, which is supplied exclusively by tyre partner Dunlop, Green Team 42 Lycée Sainte Claire was fastest for the second event running. Team Moto Ain was second on its first appearance in the category followed by Team Super Moto Racing.
“It’s always nice to come here to Spa and to be able to ride in dry conditions, it wasn’t the case yesterday so I’m happy we were able to show our potential in dry conditions and the work we’ve done this winter,” said Black, who partnered Dan Linfoot and Étienne Masson to the 2024 FIM Endurance World Championship title and second place in last year’s 8 Hours of Spa Motos. “It’s great to get pole position in front of some very good teams, the level is really high and the lap times get so fast every year. Tomorrow will be completely different conditions and we know the weather will be quite complicated with some wet and dry. But we’re all strong in the rain, we’ve got no worries but we’ve basically got to not do any mistakes as we did at Le Mans. We know we can battle for the win.”
While Austria-based YART missed on pole position by the narrowest of margins, the four points it scored in qualifying means it extends its championship lead to 14 points ahead of Kawasaki Webike Trickstar, which was ninth fastest behind local entrant ELF Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99.
“It was a good qualifying, we were a bit unlucky with a red flag and I lost two or three tenths with a slow exit,” said Fritz. “My team-mates improved a lot and overall we are super-happy because we’re fast in all conditions, especially in the rain, and even if it’s raining tomorrow we’re very confident that we can be super-strong. We’re going for the win.”
F.C.C. TSR Honda France is set to line up for the 8 Hours of Spa Motos in fourth position followed by Tati Team AVA6 Racing and MAXXESS by BMRT 3D Pirelli Motul. ERC Endurance took seventh with ELF Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99 ninth for its home round of the EWC.
How Second Qualifying unfolded
Karel Hanika’s 2m18.631s was the fastest Blue Rider until Gregg Black clocked a new lap record in the closing moments of the 20-minute session, the Yoshimura SERT Motul ace registering a 2m17.896s to eclipse Marvin Fritz’s 2m18.273s effort from First Qualifying. Sylvain Guintoli was second fastest for BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team’s Sylvain Guintoli, 0.555s behind Black with Hanika ending up third for Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team. EWC rookie John McPhee was fourth quickest for Tati Team AVA6 Racing followed by Illya Mykhalchyk (ERC Endurance) and ELF Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99’s Florian Marino. Alan Techer (F.C.C. TSR Honda France) was seventh fastest with Kevin Calia posting the Dunlop-equipped Superstock time to beat in eighth overall for Aprilia-powered Revo-M2. Bálint Kovács was next up in Superstock and overall riding a Hungarian Endurance Racing Team by Moto-Jungle-entered BMW followed by TRT27 AZ Moto’s Tom Ward, despite a late fall from the Honda-powered Briton. Julien Bonnet (Green Team 42 Lycée Sainte Claire) was the quickest Production-category contender followed by PRD Team CL Racing’s Christopher Lequeux and Jordy Manneveau (Team Moto Ain). Firmin Prodhomme was a faller early on for Team Super Motor Racing.
Corentin Perolari came out on top of the Yellow Rider group as the F.C.C. TSR Honda France racer edged out BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team’s Markus Reiterberger by 0.588s. Marvin Frtiz, who started Second Qualifying having lowered his Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps lap record in First Qualifying, was third quickest for Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team followed by Yoshimura SERT Motul’s Étienne Masson and ERC Endurance’s Kenny Foray. Hannes Soomer was the quickest of the Dunlop-shod Superstock riders for Champion-MRP-Tecmas followed by Team Étoile’s Hikari Okubo and 18-year-old EWC newcomer Milan Pawelec. Hugo Clère (Tati Team AVA6 Racing) and Team LRP Poland’s Danny Webb were next up following by Roberto Tamburini (Honda No Limits), Simone Saltarelli (Revo-M2) and David Sanchís (Team 33 Louit April Moto). JMA Racing Action Bike’s Charles Cortot fell in the first five minutes on the run out of La Source hairpin, while Dorian Da Re crashed at the Pouhon Double Gauche entry. With a section of the safety barrier damaged by the #72 Junior Team Le Mans Sud Suzuki entry, the session was red flagged while repairs were made.
Dan Linfoot continued his First Qualifying form with the fastest time in the Red Rider group, a 2m19.132s. He outpaced BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team’s Steven Odendaal with Jason O’Halloran (Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team) fourth on his Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps debut. Superstock pacesetter Leandro Mercado hit back from crashing in First Qualifying to go fifth overall ahead of fellow FIM Endurance Word Cup contender Kaito Toba (Honda No Limits) and ELF Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99’s Randy de Puniet. Former MotoE champion Jordi Torres (Wójcik Racing Team) was next on his EWC debut with home hero Loris Cresson ninth for MAXXESS by BMRT 3D Pirelli Motul. Team Étoile’s Kazuki Watanabe completed the top 10 as Charlie Nesbitt, a late replacement for the injured Randy Krummenacher, went 11th quickest for Tati Team AVA6 Racing. Gabriel Sanchez was fastest in the FIM Endurance World Trophy for Green Team 42 Lycée Sainte Claire.
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