Munich. One victory and no fewer than a further five podium
finishes were claimed by BMW S 1000 RR racers last weekend when they
kicked off their 2017 racing seasons in France and South Africa. In
Le Mans (FRA), the French Superbike Championship (FSBK) and the
French European Bikes Championship (FR EU) held their first races of
the year, while in Killarney (RSA), the 2017 South African
Motorcycle Road Racing Championship (RSA SBK) began. In all three
racing series, the BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders were successful.
With their results, they also had a good points haul for the 2017
BMW Motorrad Race Trophy.
French Superbike Championship in Le Mans, France.
Le Mans (FRA) marked the first stop of the 2017 French Superbike
Championship (FSBK) this weekend. The season began with a podium
finish for the BMW S 1000 RR. Kenny Foray (FRA), who aims to fight for
the title with the Tecmas Racing Team, finished the first race of the
year with a strong second place. Two more BMW Motorrad Motorsport
racers crossed the line in the top 10. Matthieu Lussiana (FRA /
Geomoto by ASPI) was fifth, while Maxime Bonnot (FRA / Tecmas Racing
Team) brought his RR home in tenth place.
The race weekend in Le Mans was overshadowed by a tragic accident in
the second race of the Supersport class on Sunday afternoon. During a
crash, Adrien Protat (FRA) suffered fatal injuries. After the tragic
accident, the organisers cancelled the remaining race programme of the
day, including the second FSBK race and the French European Bikes
Championship (FR EU). Our thoughts are with Adrien’s family, friends
and team.
Kenny Foray: “Qualifying went well, I finished second
both times, very close to pole position. Unfortunately my race start
was not the best and it was difficult to get back to the very front as
the leader was already too far away. I pushed hard and eventually
crossed the line in second. It was a result I was happy with but has
no importance at the moment as we lost a friend in the Supersport race
so it is not easy for us at the moment.”
French European Bikes Championship in Le Mans, France.
Also in 2017, the French European Bikes Championship (FR EU), a
championship exclusively for bikes of European manufacturers, holds
its races alongside the FSBK. The season opener in Le Mans (FRA) saw a
fantastic 1-2 result for the French brothers Florian and Cyril
Brunet-Lugardon. They both compete on BMW S 1000 RRs with team Gers
Moto Vitesse Ordannaise.
During race one on Saturday, they were involved in a thrilling
three-way-battle at the front. After 16 laps, Florian Brunet-Lugardon
crossed the line as the winner, just 0.7 seconds ahead of his brother
Cyril, who had secured second place in the last corner.
Florian Brunet-Lugardon: “Cyril did a good start and
was battling for the lead, while I was following directly behind in
third. The race was then interrupted by a safety car period, and after
the re-start, I immediately took first position. It was a tight battle
against second placed Nelson Major to the end of the race, but I
managed to stay in front and to secure my first win of the season. In
the last corner, Cyril took second place with an incredible overtaking
manoeuvre so it was a 1-2 for the BMW brothers. However, it also was a
sad weekend for us with that tragic accident that happened in the
Supersport race.”
In total, six BMW S 1000 RR riders crossed the line in the top 10.
Behind the Brunet-Lugardon brothers and just outside the podium
positions, Julien Brun (FRA) came home in fourth position. Hernani
Teixiera (FRA) was sixth, and Michel Amalric (FRA) and Fréderic
Pecoraro (FRA) finished eighth and ninth respectively. Sunday’s second
race was cancelled after the tragic accident in the Supersport class.
South African Motorcycle Road Racing Championship in
Killarney, South Africa.
The South African Motorcycle Road Racing Championship (RSA SBK) held
its first two races of the season at Killarney near Cape Town (RSA)
last weekend. The season opener saw no fewer than three podium
finishes for the BMW S 1000 RR racers. David McFadden (RSA / RPM
Center Sandton Auto BMW) began the season with two second places on
the rostrum. Lance Isaacs (RSA / Supabets/Sandton BMW Motorrad) joined
him on the podium after race one, crossing the line in third. In race
two, Isaacs finished fourth.
David McFadden: “With P2 in both races we gained a
lot of data and figured out what we need to do to win. Huge thanks to
my team for never giving up and working to win. We will come back
stronger, harder and faster. I am loving my life on the BMW S 1000 RR.”
Lance Isaacs: “I have to say a massive thank you to
my team, my sponsors and partners and everyone involved for all their
hard work. This weekend was probably one of the most amazing weekends
of my career, not only as a rider but also as the team owner of Lance
Isaacs Racing. I think there are big things to come, and in the first
race, we fired a massive warning shot. We had our struggles and it has
not been easy because we only had one weekend of testing while the
other teams had weeks and weeks of preparation, so to finish on the
podium in race one was great and I am very happy with the results we
achieved this weekend. I am looking forward to an exciting season and
100 per cent sure that we will climb our way to the top step of the podium.”
Heinrich Rheeder (RSA) was 15th in the first heat but
failed to finish in race two. Isaacs’ team-mate Justin Gillesen (RSA)
finished in 22nd place on both occasions after missing most
of last season due to injury.