The FIM EWC season was thrilling all the way through, from the Bol d’Or opening round last September all the way to the Suzuka 8 Hours grand finale in late July. A look back at the highlights of the 2018-2019 season.
A bit of history
The 2018-2019 FIM EWC marked the fifth season with Eurosport Events as promoter. It was also the 40th FIM Endurance World Championship season.
It will be remembered for Team SRC Kawasaki France’s first-ever world title win.
Continued global growth
The 2018-2019 FIM EWC saw 35 full-season teams from 12 countries on the track. Riders of 25 different nationalities were on the starting grids this past season.
Kudos to the 2018-2019 winners
The 5 races making up the 2018-2019 FIM EWC were won by 4 different teams: F.C.C. TSR Honda France, Team SRC Kawasaki France, YART Yamaha and Kawasaki Racing Team.
The winners raced a distance of 11,148 km and 2,279 laps in total during the season.
Manufacturers step up commitment
The past season saw 7 brands (Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, BMW, Aprilia and Ducati) competing in the races, with the first 5 entering factory-backed teams.
4 tyre manufacturers were represented (Dunlop, Pirelli, Bridgestone and Continental), with official teams for the first 3.
More support for privateer teams
Privateer teams received €125,000 worth of prize money in total. Eurosport Events thereby rewarded the top 15 full-season privateer teams this past season.
In addition, €110,000 in prize money was awarded as part of the EWC Dunlop Independent Trophy for privateer teams using Dunlop tyres.
Endurance gaining more and more fans
There were 281,000 spectators at the circuits during the season.
The number of views of Eurosport’s videos on social media soared, with a 145% increase over the previous season as well as increased fan engagement.
Audience size boosted by wider international coverage
Live TV coverage is now available on 5 continents thanks to 16 international broadcasters. The season’s new live TV partners notably included Nippon TV and their Hulu platform in Japan, Motortrend in the Americas and Africa and Sky in New Zealand.
New prospects
Three major announcements were made during the season: a 10-year renewal of the FIM Endurance World Championship promotion contract, the return of the 24H Spa Motos to the calendar in June 2022 and the introduction, from December 2019, of a major new race in Malaysia: the 8 Hours of Sepang.
FIM EWC