Ian Hutchinson rides his BMW S 1000 RR to victory and a new lap record at Brands Hatch.

Munich. It was an Easter weekend full of action for the BMW S
1000 RR racers in the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) and the
British Superbike Championship (BSB). The endurance specialists
within the BMW Motorrad Motorsport family competed in one of the
most famous races at all – the 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA). The BMW
racers in the BSB had plenty of reason to celebrate at Brands Hatch
(GBR). Ian Hutchinson (GBR), Christian Iddon (GBR) and Adam
Jenkinson (GBR) were successful in the Superbike and Superstock
classes, claiming one victory and a total of five podium finishes.
All riders registered for the 2017 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy
collected more points for the standings in this worldwide competition.

 

 

FIM Endurance World Championship in Le Mans, France.

 

For the BMW teams in the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) and
the BMW Motorrad Motorsport engineers, a real classic was on the
schedule this weekend: the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA). The
iconic motorcycle race was held for the 40th time this year.

 

Five BMW teams tackled the endurance test with their BMW S 1000 RRs.
The 40th edition of the race lived up to its reputation to
be a tough challenge. The highest placed BMW team was GERT56 by rs
speedbikes with riders Rico Löwe (GER), Didier Grams (GER) and Pedro
Vallcaneras (ESP). The team overcame two crashes and achieved its goal
to take the chequered flag in Le Mans: after 24 hours and 793 laps,
the #56 RR crossed the line in 24th overall and
11th of the Superstock class (EWC STK). The French Tecmas
Racing Team, that qualified a strong fourth on the grid, also
experienced some setbacks over the course of the long race but reached
the finish after 24 hours. Riders Kenny Foray, Matthieu Lussiana and
Camille Hedelin (all FRA) were classified 28th overall and
14th of the Superbike class (EWC SBK).

 

Didier Grams: “It is always a goal to take the
chequered flag and in a 24-hour race, it feels like a small victory.
To keep the motivation so high after the two crashes and to keep going
was a great achievement for the entire team. Our BMW S 1000 RR
withstood the stresses of the 24 hours perfectly – such a race always
means huge exertions for a bike. The team was fantastic and did an
unbelievable job in repairing the bike after the crashes in such a
short time. Every single team member gave it their all, there were no
bitter words but everybody was just happy that we riders were unhurt
and that we did not have to withdraw. When I crossed the finish line,
I just thought: ‘Finally, finally!’ And then I really enjoyed the
inlap back to the pits.”

 

Karsten Wolf (Team Principal GERT56 by rs
speedbikes):
“It is our second season as a permanent starter
in the EWC, and over winter we had worked on improving the bike, our
team and our structure. It all worked out pretty well at Le Mans. We
had a good qualifying and in the race, we improved place by place,
setting our sights on the points positions. Unfortunately, Didier had
a crash on Saturday evening, we assume that he was hit from behind.
The bike was seriously damaged, but the team only needed 18 minutes to
repair the fuel tank, the airbox, the exhaust system, the fairing and
so on. We then started a catch up until Rico slid into the gravel. We
again were able to repair the bike, the mechanics did a fantastic job.
It was not an option to give up – the team spirit and the passion for
what we do kept us going. With strong performances from the riders and
a perfectly working bike we made our way up again position by position
and when we saw the chequered flag, there was a big relief. P24 is not
the best result but given how the race went for us, there was a lot of
pride and satisfaction. This is really highly emotional. We are proud
to be a part of the BMW family, the relation and the co-operation
between the BMW teams within the EWC is awesome and the support of the
BMW Motorrad Motorsport engineers is a big help.”

 

 

 

British Superbike Championship in Brands Hatch, Great Britain.

 

The second round of the 2017 British Superbike Championship (BSB) was
held on the short Indy Circuit at Brands Hatch (GBR) at the weekend.
The two Superbike class (BSB SBK) races took place on Easter Monday –
and they saw two more podium finishes for Tyco BMW rider Christian
Iddon (GBR).

 

Iddon, who had enjoyed podium honours already at the season opener at
Donington (GBR), was third in race one with his BMW S 1000 RR. In race
two, he climbed one step higher on the rostrum – he came home in
second, only 0.758 seconds behind the winner. Peter Hickman (GBR /
Smiths Racing) was back on form in the races after a difficult
qualifying and crossed the line in ninth and seventh respectively.
Jakub Smrz (CZE / Lloyd Jones PR Racing) also collected points
in both heats by finishing in 14th and 15th.
Iddon’s Tyco BMW team-mate Davide Giugliano (ITA) did not compete in
the races after a big crash during qualifying.

 

Christian Iddon: “Really happy with the weekend. We
had good pace even better than from the official test and really
didn’t have to change anything too radical for the race weekend. We
just refined the package as we went along. I was a little worried in
qualifying as I wasn’t sure if we had one lap outright pace but I felt
pretty confident all weekend – if we could get away with the leaders
we could be on the podium. The first race was good and for the second
race we made a slight change and it did improve things for me on the
Tyco BMW S 1000 RR. We were even stronger and it has made me very
happy. I know we got a podium at Donington, but we’ve made a big step
forward at round two and the bike is so much easier to race. I’m
really grateful for all the hard work from the team, so I’m excited
about the upcoming rounds, especially Oulton next, which is my home round.”

 

Peter Hickman: “I was nowhere all weekend but on race
day things started to come together and full credit to the team, they
worked so hard and the changes we made helped to move me forward.
During qualifying, it was really tough and I had to go well out of my
comfort zone to do the lap times whereas on race day I was a lot
happier. It still wasn’t easy but it was a lot better than before and
to say I’m pleased with the outcome would be an understatement. I’ve
done my best ever lap of the Indy circuit and have more points than I
had after two rounds in 2016 so we can go away happy.”

 

In the Superstock class (BSB STK) two races were held, one on Sunday
and one on Monday. In race one, Ian Hutchinson (GBR) was third with
his Tyco BMW S 1000 RR. The second heat on Monday saw a fantastic
battle with BMW riders at the very front. Hutchinson secured his first
victory of the season and also set a new lap record with his RR. Just
0.076 seconds behind him, Adam Jenkinson (GBR / Northern Escalator
Installations) crossed the line in second.

 

Ian Hutchinson: “I was struggling with my starts all
weekend, which is something you can’t do on the Brands Indy circuit,
so after race one when I let the leaders get away, I was determined to
stay with them. Two former champions have come back into the class
this year making it even stronger, so I was determined to prove I
could mix it with them and win races, which we did on the Tyco BMW.
This now sets us up well for Oulton Park and the upcoming
international road races in May and June at the NW200 and TT.”