Long-distance motorcycle racing traces its roots to the earliest days of the internal combustion engine, with city-to-city events such as the 1894 Paris-Rouen race combining cars and motorcycles. As racing moved from open roads to closed circuits following a series of fatal tragedies — including the catastrophic 1903 Paris-Madrid race — endurance events for motorcycles developed their own distinct identity.
The Bol d'Or, the most celebrated endurance race in the series, was first held in 1922 on the beaten-earth circuit at Vaujours, near Paris. Other key events emerged after World War II: the 24-Hour Race in Warsage, Belgium (1951), the 500 Miles of Thruxton (1955), the 24 Hours of Montjuich in Barcelona (1957), and the 24 Hours of Monza (1959).
The governing body formally organised these events into the FIM Endurance Cup in 1960, initially comprising four races: the Thruxton 500, the 24 Hours of Montjuïc, the 24 Hours of Warsage, and the Bol d'Or. During the first decade, the calendar was concentrated in Great Britain, Italy, and Spain.
In 1976 the series became the FIM European Championship, and in 1980 it was elevated to World Championship status. Through the 1980s the calendar grew to as many as ten events, though popularity gradually declined and the field narrowed to four major "classics": the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 24 Hours of Liège at Spa-Francorchamps, the Suzuka 8 Hours, and the Bol d'Or. The championship briefly reverted to World Cup status in 1989 and 1990 when the minimum number of qualifying events required by the FIM Sporting Code was not met.
The championship settled into a stable four-round structure, though the specific supporting events around the core classics changed over the years. In 2015 FIM and Eurosport signed a broadcast and promotion agreement, leading to a reorganisation of the season calendar — the championship was re-sequenced to begin in September and conclude in July, with European rounds scheduled to avoid direct conflict with the MotoGP and World Superbike championships.
Since 2022 the championship has again run as a four-race series. The season opens with the 24 Heures Motos at the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit and closes at Circuit Paul Ricard for the Bol d'Or. The current calendar visits France twice, along with Belgium and Japan.
The FIM EWC operates multiple competing categories distinguished by colour-coded number plates and technical regulations.
Formula EWC is the top category, using black number plates with white headlamps and a minimum weight of 175 kg. Machines must be based on homologated road models but allow significant modification to forks, dampers, swingarms, brakes, radiators, and exhaust systems, as well as engine performance development. Quick wheel-change systems are mandatory.
Superstock, identified by red number plates and yellow headlamps, runs machines that are substantially production-standard, with engine modifications limited to injector jets, fuel mapping, clutch reinforcement, and an alternative exhaust silencer.
The Experimental class, with green number plates, accommodates machines whose engine, frame, or suspension deviates fundamentally from the original homologated design. Results appear in the general classification but not the world championship standings. Electric machines may compete in this category.
The Production World Trophy, identified by blue number plates, is the most affordable entry point. Motorcycles share the majority of their components with road-going production models, including the fuel tank and electronics. Dunlop supplies tyres exclusively for this class.
Displacement limits vary by class and cylinder configuration, with four-cylinder machines permitted up to 1000cc and twin-cylinder machines up to 1200cc in the principal categories.
The FIM EWC awards three annual world championships — riders, teams, and manufacturers — based on accumulated points across all rounds. For races of twelve hours or more, bonus points are awarded to the top ten teams after eight and sixteen hours of racing, adding tactical complexity to longer events. The top five qualifiers in each race also receive bonus points on the starting grid.
The championship's most prominent fixture, the Suzuka 8 Hours, holds particular status because of the extraordinary commercial and engineering commitment made by Japan's four major motorcycle manufacturers. The governing bodies coordinate its summer date to avoid conflict with other major international events, a scheduling concession granted to no other round on the calendar.