The 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship is heading to the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for one of international motorcycle racing’s ultimate high-speed rides next month.

As part of the build-up to the event in Belgium, this is what some of the category’s top talents have had to say on the demanding 6.985-kilometre layout ahead of the 24H SPA EWC Motos taking place from 16-18 June.

Niccolò Canepa, YART Yamaha: “It’s such an amazing track. For sure [last year’s] race was really, really tough but I still have good memories from Spa, being so competitive, so fast to recover so many positions since the beginning of the race when we had a problem. We had a hard day at Spa, a hard night, we were pushing like animals all the time, this was really impressive and this was the race where we showed everybody what we could do.”

Chaz Davies, ERC Endurance Ducati: “It’s cool, it’s one of those boxes you’ve got to tick. Racing at Spa, it’s up there with all the legendary tracks in the world. It’s a hell of a layout, just incredible, it’s fun to ride and it definitely lives up to the hype.”

Geoffroy Dehaye, Motobox Kremer Racing: “It’s very, very exciting. Last year was the first time for me but all the riders like this track. It’s famous, it’s like a mountain course, very fast and long, the Raidillon is so famous, my favourite corner in the world. Spa is a little bit hard at night because it’s so dark but it’s the same for all riders and we have to deal with this. But I love this track, I enjoy a lot to ride there, especially when you are at fifth gear in full throttle.”

Randy de Puniet, Team Kawasaki Webike Trickstar: “The track is quite incredible, honestly it’s the best circuit in the world. It’s the perfect track for the EWC. I enjoy every part of this circuit, even the chicane and the hairpin.”

Mike Di Meglio, F.C.C. TSR Honda France: “It’s a special track but the conditions can be quite tough because it can rain in some parts of the track and in one part it can be dry. You need to respect this track and you need to go there before to understand well because there are many fast corners.”

Kevin Manfredi, Wójcik Racing Team: “It’s incredible, it’s another track, it’s not similar to the others. It’s similar to the rollercoaster and it’s very fast.”

Philipp Steinmayr, Team 18 Sapeurs Pompiers CMS Motostore: “The track is awesome and I simply love it. There are so many special corners here and when I rode Eau Rouge for the first time it was amazing, a really special corner.” 

Markus Reiterberger, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “Coming to Spa is always special. The Tarmac is so nice, I really love it. It’s just amazing with so much grip, so stable.”

KEY TIMINGS RECAP:
Thursday 15 June:
16h00-18h30, Malmedy parade and autograph signing session
Friday 16 June:
10h00-11h00, Free Practice
12h00-14h00, First Qualifying
15h15-17h15, Second Qualifying
21h00-23h00, Night Practice
Saturday 17 June:
14h00, Start of 24H SPA EWC Motos

Chaz Davies finished a 24-hour motorcycle race for the first time after he and his ERC Endurance Ducati team-mates placed fifth in the 24 Heures Motos, round one of the FIM Endurance World Championship, on Sunday.

Davies was a non-finisher on his twice-around-the-clock debut in the 24H SPA EWC Motos last June before injury put him out of the Bol d’Or in September.

With team-mates David Checa and Philipp Öttl, Davies made it through all 24 hours on the Circuit Bugatti in Le Mans following a strong performance from the German squad.

“What a whirlwind experience it was to get through,” Davies wrote on Facebook. “Loved and hated it in equal measure but already looking forward to the next one. Officially hooked on endurance racing.”

The multiple Superbike World Championship race winner added: “It was great to see the chequered flag. It was a really good experience to get through that race and the night, to get up in the morning and ride through that fog – which was really extreme – and face all those challenges you have to face through a 24 hours. Everybody in the team can be really proud what they did – from my team-mates to the mechanics to the hospitality staff. 

“We did a perfect race. Unfortunately, we didn’t finish on the podium [but] we definitely had the pace to do so. We held the podium position quite long in the race and opted to go for a maintenance interval, which we saw afterwards would not really have been necessary. I guess we played it a bit too safe there and maybe it would have been better to just go for the podium. This is a learning process for everybody.” 

The 36-year-old from Wales continued: “We gained a lot of information from this race, both personally but also from the mechanical side about the bike and what points we have to work on – and which we don’t have to work on – for the next race. I feel I had really exciting times this weekend. Again, thank you to all involved in the ERC Endurance Ducati team. I am ready to go for the next one.”