Silver Linings at Spa 8h: Still leading the title race despite drama

June 9, 2026

Spa-Francorchamp. The second round of the FIM World Endurance Championship took place at the iconic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Spa was an 8-hour race, starting at 13:00 on Saturday and wrapping up at 21:00 that evening. As the team is based in Genk, this event served as a home round, bringing high expectations to the paddock.

Demonstrating a competitive pace already on Thursday, the team proved they were serious contenders for the top step of the podium during the qualifying sessions. Securing a 3rd place on the grid in the Superstock class, the primary objective was clear: to repeat the Spa 8h Superstock victory of 2025.

The race began promisingly, with Balint Kovacs, Loris Cresson and Jan Buehn, consistently moving up and by the half-way point (4h) they had a comfortable lead. However, the grueling nature of endurance racing took its toll unexpectedly. While leading the class, the team was forced to call it a day and retire from the race due to engine issues, bringing a premature and disappointing end to the race.

However, the team still leads the overall standings after two races, thanks to their strong performance and victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Overall standings after round 2:

Champion HERT Powered by MRP 65 pts
Revo-M2 59 pts
TRT27 AZ moto 57 pts
Dafy-Kaedear-RAC41-Honda 49 pts

Next stop: Japan! We’re far from home for the next round as we head to Suzuka. The iconic Suzuka 8 Hours kicks off on July 5th.

Rider and team manager reactions:

Erico Casa (Champion HERT powered by MRP – team manager):

The team did an extraordinary job all week in these very changeable weather conditions and on a very tricky track. The riders didn’t make any mistakes and set very good lap times in each run, in every different track condition. We missed pole position on the last lap of the final qualifying session, starting from 3rd place in our category.
The start of the race was very cautious, taking no risks, and then the race unfolded as planned with good, consistent lap times from our three riders, excellent pit stops from our mechanics, and a very good strategy when the rain started.

Halfway through the race, we were in first place with a one-lap lead, but then mechanical issues intervened. An engine overheating due to a technical problem forced us to retire. It’s really disappointing when you know victory is within our grasp.

The positive point is that we remain first in the championship. Now, focus on the next race, the Suzuka 8 Hours, where we need to score big points. Our home race left us with very mixed feelings: disappointed by the retirement of #38, but happy with the victory of #37.

I thank the entire team and our sponsors who make this adventure possible.

Werner Daemen (Champion HERT powered by MRP – team owner):

The team did an incredible job. Honestly, we absolutely could have won. We already had a one-lap lead, which makes it incredibly painful to lose the race to such a minor technical issue, especially for the riders and crew who worked so hard. The opportunity was right there to take a double win with #37 and #38, which would have been amazing.

I want to thank the mechanics, especially Erico Casa, and the riders for doing such a tremendous job. Now, our focus shifts entirely to Suzuka, where hopefully this will not happen. We are still leading the world championship, so nothing is lost, even if we did miss out on some valuable points.

Bálint Kovács (Champion HERT powered by MRP – rider):

The raceweek felt quite similar to Le Mans, but sadly, with a completely different outcome. The team and the riders did a flawless job, but it wasn’t enough this time. It was heartbreaking to retire from the race while holding the lead and a comfortable advantage over second place, but that is the bittersweet beauty of endurance racing.

We are still leading the world championship, and we will fight until the very end!

Loris Cresson (Champion HERT powered by MRP – rider):
The race didn’t go the way we expected. Over the weekend we did a lot with the team, everybody pushed really hard. In qualifying we were really fast. We didn’t push so much because of the conditions and nobody got much time to adapt, but we still got third place. For the race, Balint did a really good first stint, Jan and I also did really well. I think we can say without a big ego that we were dominating the race. But then it is what it is. We had a problem with the bike, the team tried their his best to make it work as fast as they could, but unfortunately there was nothing the mechanics could do. At least we are still leading the championship, but this was not the way we wanted to thank everybody involved, from the hospitality person to the pitboard guy to the mechanics, to Erico Casa to Werner Daemen. The home race was really important for us.
Now we will fully focus and be ready for Japan and be ready for the Bol d’Or.In Japan, we will try to do our best like we always do, and getting onto the podium in Suzuka would be amazing. I know we are ready. I know the whole team gives more than one hundred percent and I want to thank everybody. Also, congrats to Werner for winning Spa!

Jan Bühn (Champion HERT powered by MRP – rider):

It was a race that had it all! From P3 on the grid to leading the race after three hours, everything was going according to the plan in Spa. Unfortunately, technical issues brought our race to an early end. No podium this time, but we leave Spa still leading the championship by six points.
A tough result, but a massive effort from the whole team all weekend. Time to focus on Japan.

Máté Számádó (Champion HERT powered by MRP – rider):
This weekend I was just the reserve rider, but I got to ride in the Benelux Trophy. My weekend was pretty chaotic, and the weather didn’t make things any easier, but overall I was able to spend some valuable time on the track. As for the 8-hour race, our team was doing fantastically for four hours. When we ran into technical problems the mechanics did an excellent job, but unfortunately we couldn’t continue. But that’s racing, sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down. We’ll try again next time. Thanks Team!