2026 FIM EWC Round 4 — Bol d'Or 24 Hours | Qualifying Report (17–18 September)

"In Q1 I was able to hit the 1:52.9 lap time the team had set as its target. There was a red flag in Q1 and it was a really stressful session, but I kept my concentration, and thanks to the mechanics doing a solid job, I improved my personal best by 1.2 seconds compared with last year. I had barely ridden at all this week, so in Q2 I looked ahead to the race and rode with a full tank and used tyres, checking how the bike behaved. It was less of a time attack and more of a run focused on the race, which I think was good."

"Because of that we could give Motoharu fresh tyres, and he worked really hard to set a personal best. After that Kaito put in that super lap, which got us pole position, and Rei followed him with solid personal-best laps too — so overall it was a really good qualifying for the whole team. Even though we could hardly ride on the first day because of the machine problem, I think the team's strength and the riders' refusal to give up led to this pole position. In the race, I want us to make sure we finish, win the class and keep our championship hopes alive."

"We had trouble on the first day, but we managed to get through to qualifying, and I'm really happy that — although we can't let our guard down — all that remains is the morning warm-up and the race. As for my own riding, I beat the reference time the team had given me, but in Q1 I felt that if I could raise my one-lap pace a bit more, I'd be able to lap at a consistent average. I improved my time properly in Q2, so although there were some frustrating mistakes, overall I think it went well."

"We got pole thanks to Hikari and Kaito, and I think these points carry a lot of meaning. I want the whole team to push together all the way to the chequered flag, so that we can look back and say this qualifying made the difference."

"In Q2 my time attack came together well, and I was happy to put in a super lap. I couldn't put it together on my first attempt, but I pitted, went back out and managed it. It was really on the edge, though — I was riding right at the limit, somewhere between crashing and not crashing — so I'm glad I put it together."

"My goal this year was to break the [SST class] lap record at all four rounds. At Spa, the weather and the timing didn't work out and I couldn't put in a proper attack, but this time I was able to break the record by a big margin, which makes it three rounds out of four. I fell just one step short of the goal, but I'm glad I managed to break it properly at the final round."

"We had a big problem on the first day, and I was the only one who had never ridden the Bol d'Or, so my already limited time became even shorter. I went into qualifying after doing just a few laps in free practice. In Q1 the red flag dragged on, and from around 8 p.m. the sun went down quickly. I thought I could manage with a smoked visor, but the circuit lights weren't on yet and it was pitch dark, so I couldn't improve my time at all."

"Q2 was in the same situation as the race — a full tank and used tyres — and against a team target in the 1:56s, I did several laps in the 1:55s, and even my slower laps were in the 1:56s, which is a really positive place to be. Compared with the first day, we've ended up heading in an unbelievably good direction."

"This week, we were hit by a major problem from the very first session we ran, and we started by working out how to rebuild the rest of our schedule. With limited time, the engineers and mechanics reworked the plan and the riders executed it reliably, which let us turn things around for both the bike and the riders on the second day. In qualifying, Kaito delivered a super lap worthy of closing out the season, and Hikari kept his focus to put in a 1:52. Motoharu clearly improved his time in Q2, and Rei, at his first Bol d'Or, ran at a pace above the target in near-race conditions. We've also been lucky with the weather, with a week of dry, enjoyable riding. We want to carry this good momentum into the 24 hours and finish the final round together as a whole team."