SERT Wins the 2016 FIM Endurance World Championship

Any in racing series, defending the #1 plate is no easy feat, and when it comes to motorcycle racing, this statement is the most true in the FIM Endurance World Championship.

Composed of only four races for the 2016 season, the endurance championship still requires 52 hours of racing, and many more hours of practice and qualifying leading up to that figure.

To put that in perspective, it is roughly three-times more racing that MotoGP does in a season, and twice as much racing than what occurs in the World Superbike Championship.

All that extra racing time means there are more opportunity for where things can go wrong, and with only four opportunities to score points, it makes reliability, teamwork, and racecraft all the more important.

It is also worth mentioning the FIM Endurance World Championship is the only racing series where a tire war still exists, and it is also a battlefield where four factory-backed manufacturers can win at any particular event.

With all that considered then, we must give a well-earned congratulations to the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT), along with its riders Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle, and Etienne Masson, for winning the 2016 FIM Endurance World Championship.

This season was especially difficult, as going into the final round on the FIM EWC calendar, nine teams mathematically had a shot at the Championship title.

Finishing second at the 8 Hours of Oschersleben, SERT secured yet another victory in endurance racing, solidifying its position as an EWC powerhouse.

You could call the result a fluke, especially since SERT finished the championship only one point ahead of rivals GMT94 Yamaha (who scratched at the season-opener at Le Mans), but there is a reason that Suzuki riders have been on the top step at the end of the FIM EWC season, for the 15th time.

With the 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000 set to be unleashed later this year, we can only expect more dominance from the Japanese manufacturer. Once again, they will be the benchmark of endurance racing that the other teams will prepare for in the off-season.

2016 FIM Endurance World Championship Results:

Pos.	Team	Bike	Country	FRA	POR	JPN	GER	Total
1	Suzuki Endurance Racing Team	Suzuki	FRA	21	38	0	29	88
2	GMT94 YAMAHA	Yamaha	FRA	–	45	7	35	87
3	Team April Moto Motors Events	Suzuki	FRA	45	21	2	10	78
4	Honda Endurance Racing	Honda	GBR	11	32	8	21	72
5	SRC Kawasaki	Kawasaki	FRA	60	–	–	–	60
6	YART Yamaha Official EWC Team	Yamaha	AUT	10	29	21	–	60
7	F.C.C. TSR Honda	Honda	JPN	44	9	3	–	56
8	TEAM 3ART YAM’AVENUE	Yamaha	FRA	22	12	–	16	50
9	Team R2CL	Suzuki	FRA	36	–	9	–	45
10	AM Moto Racing Competition	Kawasaki	FRA	18	8	–	12	38
11	YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM	Yamaha	JPN	–	–	35	–	35
12	MACO RACING Team	Yamaha	SVK	11	6	–	18	35
13	Voelpker NRT48 by Schubert-Motors	BMW	GER	20	15	–	–	35
14	Junior Team LMS Suzuki	Suzuki	FRA	8	17	–	9	34
15	Team Bolliger Switzerland	Kawasaki	SUI	16	7	6	5	34
16	Tati Team Beaujolais Racing	Kawasaki	FRA	0	21	–	11	32
17	Team GREEN	Kawasaki	JPN	–	–	29	–	29
18	Penz13.com – BMW Motorrad Team	BMW	GER	–	–	–	25	25
19	YOSHIMURA SUZUKI Shell ADVANCE	Suzuki	JPN	–	–	25	–	25
20	Lukoil BMW Motorrad CSEU	BMW	CZE	–	11	–	14	25
21	Starteam PAM-Racing	Suzuki	FRA	9	–	–	13	22
22	Moto Map SUPPLY	Suzuki	JPN	–	–	18	–	18
23	Team KAGAYAMA	Suzuki	JPN	–	–	16	–	16
24	TRICK STAR Racing	Kawasaki	JPN	–	–	14	–	14
25	Honda Team Asia	Honda	JPN	–	–	13	–	13
26	Racing Team Sarazin	Kawasaki	FRA	13	–	–	–	13
27	TEAM LOUIT MOTO 33 TRAQUEUR	Kawasaki	FRA	3	10	–	–	13
28	Yamaha Viltaïs Experience	Yamaha	FRA	5	–	–	8	13
29	AUTO TECHNIC SPORTS	Honda	JPN	–	–	12	–	12
30	au&Teluru . Kohara RT	Honda	JPN	–	–	11	–	11
31	TOHO Racing	Honda	JPN	–	–	10	–	10
32	TECMAS RACING TEAM – BMW	BMW	FRA	3	6	–	–	9
33	Cottard Motosport	Suzuki	FRA	8	–	–	–	8
34	Team Rabid Transit	Yamaha	USA	–	–	–	7	7
35	Space Moto 37	Suzuki	FRA	7	–	–	–	7
36	Ecurie Chrono Sport	Kawasaki	FRA	0	–	–	6	6
37	TRT 27 / Bazar 2 La Becane	Suzuki	FRA	6	–	–	–	6
38	Team Tras 135HP	BMW	JPN	–	–	5	–	5
39	GERT 56 HMT by rs speedbikes	BMW	GER	0	5	–	0	5
40	Flembbo Leader Team	Kawasaki	FRA	5	–	–	0	5
41	Aprilia Grebenstein	Aprilia	GER	–	–	–	4	4
42	Motorrad Rennsport	BMW	JPN	–	–	4	–	4
43	Slider Endurance	Yamaha	FRA	0	4	–	0	4
44	Team 18 Sapeurs-Pompiers	Kawasaki	FRA	4	–	–	–	4
45	msd-steeldesign powered by Motorex	BMW	GER	–	–	–	3	3
46	Zuff Racing Team	Honda	SUI	–	3	–	–	3
47	Motobox Kremer Racing	Yamaha	GER	0	–	0	2	2
48	MOTOS ACTIVES SPORT 14	Kawasaki	FRA	0	2	–	–	2
49	Parkalgar Racing Team	Yamaha	POR	–	2	–	–	2
50	WSB-Endurance	Kawasaki	GER	–	–	–	1	1
51	TEAM FRONTIER	Honda	JPN	–	–	1	–	1
52	Team LRP Poland	BMW	POL	0	1	–	0	1
53	MB MOTORS TEAM	Yamaha	FRA	1	–	–	–	1