The Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) is the premier worldwide endurance championship in motorcycle road racing. The championship season consists of a series of endurance races (with a duration of six, eight, twelve or twenty-four hours) held on permanent racing facilities. The results of each race are combined to determine three World Championships – riders, teams and manufacturers.

Since 2022, the championship has consisted of four races, with the season beginning with the 24 Heures Motos at the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit and finishing at Circuit Paul Ricard for the Bol d’Or. The championship currently visits France twice, as well as Belgium and Japan.

History The long-distance races appeared almost at the same time of the invention of the internal combustion engine at the end of the 19th century, with races being held between major cities such as Paris-Rouen in 1894, Paris-Bordeaux, Paris-Madrid and others. In those years cars and motos raced together, competing for speed (fastest time) or regularity (achieving a certain objective time). These races on open roads were very dangerous, and the successive fatal tragedies (such as 1903 Paris-Madrid) move the race to roads closed to normal traffic (before the creation of real racing circuits) led to the separation of cars and motos, and the long-distance races turning into rallies.

The Bol d'Or (most famous and prestigious Endurance race) was held for the first time in 1922 on the circuit of Vaujours, near Paris (a beaten-earth road circuit used since 1888 for 24-hour competitions for bicycles). Other endurance races were created after World War II, such as 24 Hour Race in Warsage (Belgium) in 1951, the 500 Miles of Thruxton in 1955, the 24 Hours of Montjuich in Barcelona in 1957, and the 24 hours of Monza (Italy) in 1959.. At the beginning, most races were held over 24 Hours, but soon shorter races were introduced, defined in terms either of distance (500 Miles, 1000 Miles, and much later even 200 Miles) or of time (12 Hours, 8 Hours or 6 Hours).

The series was founded in 1960 as the FIM Endurance Cup. Initially it was made up of four races: Thruxton 500, 24 hours of Montjuïc, 24 hours of Warsage and the Bol d'Or.

The Bol d'Or was not held between 1961 and 1968, while the 1000 km of Paris was held twice on the circuit of Montlhéry. In the first decade, the FIM EC races were held essentially in Great Britain, Italy and Spain – the three countries with more riders

In 1976 the FIM Endurance Cup became the European Championship and in 1980 a World Championship. During the 1980s the Endurance World Championship calendar numbered up to ten events. The championship's popularity gradually declined and the calendar was gradually reduced to just the four so-called "classics": 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Liège (held in Spa-Francorchamps), 8 Hours Of Suzuka, and the Bol d'Or (held mostly on Paul Ricard or Magny-Cours).

In 1989 and 1990 the Championship went back to a World Cup status, as the number of events required by the FIM Sporting Code was not reached.

The 4 events championship (with 24 Hours of Liège being replaced by other races) in the same year was maintained until 2016. In 2015 FIM and the pan-European television sports network, Eurosport signed a deal for the promotion and coverage of the competition. With this, the organization re-ordered the events, in order to the new championship starting in September and finishing in July, with the European races being held during the winter avoiding the MotoGP and Superbikes schedules.

Circuits Current circuits Circuit Current race title Years held Bugatti Circuit 24 Heures du Mans Moto 1971–1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1988–2001, 2006–present Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps 8 Hours of Spa EWC Motos 1973–1989, 1991–1998, 2000–2001, 2022–present Suzuka Circuit Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Suzuka 8 Hours 1980–2019, 2022–present Circuit Paul Ricard Bol d'Or 1976, 1978, 1982, 1984–1985, 1989–1993, 1995–1999, 2015–2019, 2022–presentSource:

Former circuits CircuitYears held A1-Ring1980–1987, 1999, 2003 Algarve International Circuit2016 Anderstorp Raceway1993 Autodrom Most2021 Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry1960, 1970 Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello1975–1976, 1981, 1983–1984 Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari1966, 1982, 2002–2003 Autodromo Nazionale Monza1964–1965, 1985, 1987 Autodromo Santa Monica1977–1978, 1980 AVUS1963 Brands Hatch1966–1968, 1979, 2001 Brno Circuit2001–2003 Castle Combe Circuit1965 Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours1987, 1994, 2000–2001, 2006–2014 Circuit Zolder1972, 2006 Circuito de Albacete2003–2011 Circuito de Jerez1986–87 Circuito del Jarama1969, 1983 Circuito do Estoril1987, 2000, 2020–2021 Donington Park1981–1982, 1987 Hockenheimring1986 Johor Circuit1991–1992 Lusail International Circuit2007–2012 Montjuïc Circuit1960–1982 Motorsport Arena Oschersleben1999–2009, 2012–2019 Nürburgring1977–1985, 2001 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit1991–1992 Sepang International Circuit2019 Silverstone Circuit1983, 2002 Slovakia Ring2017–2019 Thruxton Circuit1960–1964, 1969–1975, 1977 TT Circuit Assen1979–1980, 1995–1996, 2003–2006 Vallelunga Circuit2002–2005 Warsage Circuit (Circuit de Winnerotte)1960–1961 Zhuhai International Circuit2004

World champions

1980–1988, 1991–present World Championship 1989–1990 World Cup

Year Winning riders Winning bike 2nd place riders 2nd place bike 3rd place riders 3rd place bike 1980 Marc Fontan Hervé Moineau Honda Christian Huguet Kawasaki Helmut Dähne Honda 1981 Jean Lafond Raymond Roche Kawasaki Christian Huguet Kawasaki Jean-Claude Chemarin Kawasaki 1982 Jean-Claude Chemarin Jacques Cornu Kawasaki Hervé Guilleux Jean Lafond Kawasaki Johan van der Wal Honda 1983 Richard Hubin Hervé Moineau Suzuki GS series Patrick Igoa Jean Lafond Kawasaki Jacques Cornu Kawasaki 1984 Gerard Coudray Patrick Igoa Honda RVF750 Guy Bertin Dominique Sarron Honda Patrick de Radigues Jean-Pierre Oudin Suzuki 1985 Gerard Coudray Patrick Igoa Honda RVF750 Jean-Pierre Oudin Suzuki Patrick de Radigues Suzuki 1986 Patrick Igoa Honda RVF750 Alex Vieira Honda Gérard Coudray Honda 1987 Hervé Moineau Bruno Le Bihan Suzuki Johan van Vaerenbergh Kawasaki Eric de Donker Kawasaki 1988 Hervé Moineau Thierry Crine Suzuki Alex Vieira Christophe Bouheben Honda Bruno le Bihan Suzuki 1989 Alex Vieira Honda RVF750 Roger Burnett Honda Jean-Michel Mattioli Honda 1990 Alex Vieira Honda Jean-Michel Mattioli Stéphane Mertens Honda Miguel Duhamel Suzuki 1991 Alex Vieira Kawasaki ZXR-7 Jean-Louis Battistini Kawasaki Rachel Nicotte Philippe Monneret Yamaha 1992 Terry Rymer Carl Fogarty Kawasaki ZXR-7 Michel Graziano Suzuki Jéhan d'Orgeix Kawasaki 1993 Doug Toland Kawasaki ZXR-7 & Honda RC30 Brian Morrison Wilfried Veille Kawasaki Simon Buckmaster Steve Manley Kawasaki 1994 Adrien Morillas Kawasaki ZXR-7 Bruno Bonhuil Philippe Monneret Juan-Éric Gomez Suzuki Jean-Louis Battistini Kawasaki 1995 Stéphane Mertens Jean-Michel Mattioli Honda RC45 Terry Rymer Kawasaki Bruno Bonhuil Kawasaki 1996 Brian Morrison Kawasaki ZX-7RR Alex Vieira William Costes Christian Lavieille Honda Piergiorgio Bontempi Kawasaki 1997 Peter Goddard Doug Polen Suzuki Juan-Éric Gomez Suzuki Christian Lavieille William Costes Honda 1998 Doug Polen Christian Lavieille Honda RC45 Bertrand Sebileau Kawasaki William Costes Honda 1999 Terry Rymer Jéhan d'Orgeix Suzuki Christian Lavieille Suzuki Bruno Bonhuil Suzuki 2000 Peter Lindén Warwick Nowland Suzuki Stéphane Mertens Suzuki Nicolas Dussauge Christophe Guyot Sébastien Scamato Kawasaki