Bridgestone-backed BMW Motorrad team wins 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship title
The BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM has won the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship on Bridgestone's BATTLAX tires, the first time a European manufacturer has taken the title.
- 16
- 7 of 17
- 7 overall, 6 consecutive
- Every round
What Happened
The BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM has won the 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship, the world's premier series of endurance motorcycle races, riding on Bridgestone's BATTLAX premium motorcycle tires. It is the first time in history that a European manufacturer has secured the championship title. A team on Bridgestone tires has now won the EWC title seven times in total, and six years in a row. Bridgestone-supported teams also dominated the top five positions and, for the first time in company history, swept the podium at every round of the series. In the 2026 season Bridgestone supplied tires to seven of the 17 full-season entrants in the EWC class.
16races
A run across four seasons, dating back to the opening round in 2023.
- Round 1 — 24 Hours Motos (Le Mans): low temperatures.
- Round 2 — 8 Hours of Spa Motos: variable weather.
- Round 3 — Suzuka 8 Hours: rain and unseasonably cool temperatures.
- Final round — Bol d'Or 24 Hours: high track temperature and high-speed conditions.
“We are extremely proud to have achieved the world championship! Two years ago, we had the opportunity to work with Bridgestone, and to be honest, this was one of the keys to our victory. We are truly proud to work with such a professional company, and together with BMW, our team, and Bridgestone, we achieved this championship. We will definitely be back, and next year in Japan at Suzuka, we hope not to go for third place, but for first, and to compete again for the world championship. I want to thank everyone at Bridgestone — engineers, marketing, operations, and all the people we have worked with. I hope to see you again next year. Thank you!”
“First of all, I would like to send my congratulations to everyone at the BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM on winning the series championship! Also, I extend my sincere gratitude to all the fans who supported the races, every team that competed throughout the EWC season, event staff, and everyone involved in organizing the series, including FIM and the promoter EMP. With dramatically different conditions at each race, the BMW MOTORRAD WORLD ENDURANCE TEAM demonstrated outstanding adaptability and unity, delivering truly champion-worthy performances and inspiring fans around the world. We are also proud that, in the extreme challenge of EWC, we were able to work as one Bridgestone team to support these teams by providing BATTLAX tires to maximize rider and machine performance.”
Bridgestone has supported teams competing in the full EWC series with BATTLAX tires since 2017; the brand is positioned around high grip, durability and confident handling. Guided by its fundamental principle "tires carry life", the company treats its motorsport activities as a "mobile laboratory", channelling the diverse insights gained in racing into the advancement of consumer tires. Bridgestone says it will keep refining its technologies at the racetrack and aims to develop and supply even higher-quality, higher-performance tires. It places these efforts under the "Emotion: Committed to inspiring excitement and spreading joy to the world of mobility" commitment described in the Bridgestone E8 Commitment.
Previously from Bridgestone Corporation
Bridgestone has also been placing its BATTLAX premium motorcycle tires on road-going machines over recent months. In September 2026, the company said Kawasaki's new flagship Ninja ZX-10R would come from the factory on the BATTLAX RACING STREET RS12, which Bridgestone describes as giving the Supersport bike top road-legal dry grip. Earlier, in late June 2026, Bridgestone announced it would supply the BATTLAX HYPERSPORT S23 as original equipment for Yamaha's new YZF-R7 Supersport motorcycle, citing enhanced performance and wet handling.
- Bridgestone's BATTLAX RACING STREET RS12 Selected as Original Equipment for Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R
- Bridgestone to Supply BATTLAX HYPERSPORT S23 Tires as Original Equipment for Yamaha YZF-R7
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Bridgestone Corporation's official releases.
Why this matters
Beyond the trophy, Bridgestone frames motorsport as a "mobile laboratory", channelling insights gained in racing into its consumer tires, so the grip and durability proven over endurance races is meant to reach ordinary riders. The result also extends a run in which a team on Bridgestone tires has now won the EWC title six years in a row.
Terms in This Story
- EWC
- Endurance World Championship, the world's premier series of endurance motorcycle races.
- FIM
- Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, the international governing body for motorcycle sport.
- BATTLAX
- Bridgestone's premium motorcycle tire brand.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.