Munich. Three race series, three times big success for the BMW
Motorrad Motorsport family: in the six races held at the weekend in
the individual championships, the BMW S 1000 RR racers celebrated no
fewer than five wins and a total of 12 podium finishes. Sébastien Le
Grelle (BEL) led the strong BMW array at the season opener of the
2017 International Road Racing Championship (IRRC) at Hengelo (NED).
He won both races, while Didier Grams (GER) and Marek Červený (CZE)
joined him on the podium. In the French Superbike Championship
(FSBK), Kenny Foray (FRA) was victorious in Nogaro (FRA) and took
the overall championship lead. At the same venue, Michel Amalric
(FRA) and Cyril Brunet-Lugardon (FRA) took the wins in the French
European Bikes Championship (FR EU). With their results, the riders
took a good points haul for the 2017 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy.
International Road Racing Championship in Hengelo, the Netherlands.
The Varsselring in Hengelo (NED) hosted the International Road Racing
Championship (IRRC) 2017 season opener. The BMW S 1000 RR road racers
continued what they did last year – they dominated the series. The
strong array of BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders was led by Sébastien Le
Grelle (BEL) of team Herpigny Motors – BMW Motorrad Belux. The Belgian
won both races and set the fastest race lap on both occasions. German
road racing ace Didier Grams (GG Motorsport by Todoracing)
finished both heats in second. Marek Červený (CZE / Wepol Safemetal
Racing) was fourth in race one and also stepped onto the podium after
the second race, when he claimed third position. This second race saw
a 1-2-3-4 result for the BMW riders, as Martin Pärtelpoig (EST / MBH
Superbike Team) completed the top-4 in fourth place.
Didier Grams: “It was a great weekend and it went
very well for us. I was second in both timed practices and then to
finish second on the podium in both races was fantastic. I am really
very pleased with the season opener. We had no incidents, we collected
a good amount of points, the BMW S 1000 RR was great and the team did
a superb job. I just have to work on my own performance a little bit
in order to try to beat Sébastien Le Grelle. But overall it is looking
really good.”
French Superbike Championship in Nogaro, France.
Kenny Foray (FRA) of the Tecmas Racing Team enjoyed a successful
weekend in the French Superbike Championship (FSBK). The series held
its second round of the 2017 season at Nogaro in the South of France.
In race one, Foray secured third on the podium, while in race two, he
was unbeatable on his BMW S 1000 RR. The Frenchman celebrated his
first win of the season and also set the fastest race lap. The results
give Foray the overall lead in the FSBK championship standings.
Kenny Foray: “It was a good weekend for us. In the
first race, I found a really good rhythm but it would have been very
difficult to take the win because Jeremy Guarnoni was very fast at the
front. In race two, I took the lead on the opening lap and I kept it
until the finish line to take the win. I am really happy and I hope
that this was just the first of many victories.”
French European Bikes Championship in Nogaro, France.
The French European Bikes Championship (FR EU) also held its second
round of the 2017 season at Nogaro (FRA) at the weekend. In the first
of the two races, the BMW riders were the dominant force. They secured
a top-5 lockout for the BMW S 1000 RR. Michel Amalric (FRA) of the
Tecmas Racing Team took the win after a fantastic battle at the front.
Cyril Brunet-Lugardon (FRA / Gers Moto Vitesse Ordannaise) set the
fastest lap and finished second on his home track – just 0.044 seconds
behind Amalric. Julien Brun (FRA / JB Racing Team) joined them on the
podium in third. Fabien Gabrielian (FRA / FG Racing) and Hernani
Teixeira (FRA / Team ERT Motorshow) completed the success in fourth
and fifth position.
In race two, it was Brunet-Lugardon’s turn to take to the top step of
the podium. With an impressive 16 second advantage, he celebrated his
first victory of the season. He also set the fastest lap again.
Amalric was third, while Brun and Gabrielian followed in fourth and
fifth. After the second round of the season, Brunet-Lugardon is the
overall leader. His younger brother Florian Brunet-Lugardon (FRA) did
not compete in the races.