The F.C.C. TSR Honda France team has secured a solid provisional 4th place on the grid for the 2026 24 Heures Motos. The Franco-Japanese team has maximised its potential through extensive work on race pace and is now a contender for victory.

The 49th edition of the 24 Heures Motos, the opening round of the FIM EWC World Championship, takes place this weekend at the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans (France). A legendary venue for motorcycle Endurance racing, the 4.185 km circuit in the Sarthe region is hosting a record field of 60 teams this year.

Competing with its #5 Honda CBR 1000 RR-R, the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team, led by Masakazu Fujii, heads into this year’s race with high hopes following excellent pre-season testing two weeks ago. Two-time world champions and three-time winners at Le Mans, the Franco-Japanese team is aiming to return to the forefront after a difficult 2025 season.

Strengthened by the arrival of Scottish rider John McPhee (who has many years’ experience in Moto3, followed by WorldSSP and BSB), the team has renewed its faith in French riders Alan Techer and Corentin Perolari, whilst relying on Bridgestone tyres to maximise performance. Spanish rider Jordi Torres joins them as a reserve rider.

Right from the first qualifying session on Thursday afternoon, all three riders focused on working under race conditions. Alan Techer still managed to clock a time of 1:35.741 (7th), Corentin Perolari recorded 1:35.845 (5th) despite a red flag whilst he was improving his first sector, meanwhile John McPhee clocked 1:36.901 (9th). Jordi Torres rounded off the session with a time of 1:38.343 (11th).

On Friday morning, in cooler conditions, the team stepped up during the second qualifying session, with every rider improving on their previous best time. Corentin Polari stood out with an excellent 1:34.418 (2nd), set right at the start of his session on the race bike following Alan Techer’s minor crash at the end of the previous session. Techer nevertheless improved to 1:35.594 (7th), while John McPhee continued his progress with a 1:35.785 (9th) on his first run on the soft tyres. Jordi Torres finished the session in 1:37.747 (10th).

With a final time of 1:35.006 – calculated as the average of the two fastest riders’ times across both sessions – the F.C.C. TSR Honda France team has secured 4th place on the grid, with victory in their sights. This position also earns them 2 points in the championship.

The race will start on Saturday 18 April at 3pm, with actor Pio Marmaï as the official starter for the 2026 edition. With extensive coverage on La Chaîne L’Equipe and Eurosport, featuring over 14 hours of live broadcasting, and the full race available on the HBO Max platform, this 49th edition promises to be particularly wide open.

Alan Techer – rider

“It wasn’t the qualifying result we’d hoped for because we had a few minor issues, and I crashed at the end of the session. As a rider, you always want to push to be at the front. Tomorrow is race day. I think we’re really solid in race pace. Corentin set a very, very good lap time. John did too, so that will help him take a step forward. So we’re quite confident for tomorrow.”

Corentin Perolari – rider

“Yesterday we worked on race pace. So today was really all about qualifying. Alan had a minor crash at the end of the session, but it was nothing serious. So I had to take to the track on the race bike, but I felt good. I did three laps and managed to clock a lap time of 1:34, so that’s very good. I don’t know who’ll be starting the race, but John rode well too, I think we’re consistent, and that’s good for the race.”

John McPhee – rider

“It’s been a really productive practice and qualifying sessions. Lap by lap I’ve been understanding the bike more and the tires more and the way to work with the team. So I’m really happy with the progress we made. Yesterday in the evening I made the night practice, which for me was the first time in my life to ride a bike in the night with the headlights. So that was really cool. I actually enjoyed it. Todayit was the first time that I used the soft tire. Of course, the other two guys have more pace than me, but the tire was working well. I felt good. I managed to improve my lap time. But the most important is now to focus on the race. It’s gonna be a long 24 hours, a completely new experience for me, which is keeping me excited and motivated. So let’s see how we go.”