Munich. It was an action-packed and successful weekend for
members of the worldwide BMW Motorrad Motorsport family. In Japan,
they tackled the famous “Suzuka 8 Hours”, the final round of the FIM
Endurance World Championship (EWC). The International German
Championship (IDM) met at Schleiz (GER), where Markus Reiterberger
(GER) continued to dominate. He took another double win, while
podium finishes also went to Dominik Vincon (GER), Jan Bühn (GER)
and Danny De Boer (NED). There were more double wins and podiums in
Hungary and Malaysia. Michal Prášek (CZE) was unbeatable in the Alpe
Adria Road Racing Championship (AARR) Superstock class. Michal Filla
(CZE) and Michal Šembera (CZE) also stepped onto the AARR podium.
Muhammad Farid Badrul Hisam (MAS) continued his winning streak
in the Superbike class of the Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSC).
In the Italian Superbike Championship (CIV), Matteo Ferrari (ITA)
claimed a third place on the podium.
FIM Endurance World Championship in Suzuka, Japan.
The renowned “Suzuka 8 Hours” (JPN) marked the final round of the
season in the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC). The endurance
classic, that saw its 40th edition at the weekend, is the
most important race of the year for the Japanese manufacturers.
Accordingly, they enter full works teams, supported by well-known
riders from international championships. Seven private BMW teams also
tackled the challenge at the “Suzuka Circuit”, assisted on site by the
experts from BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
The highest placed BMW S 1000 RR was the number 135 of Team Tras135
HP, ridden by Hijiri Yamamoto, Jun Tadokoro and Tomoya Hoshino (all
JPN), in 21st position overall (20th in the SBK
class). The Team BMCJ Motorrad Rennsport number 9 RR with Koji
Teramoto (JPN) and Pedro Vallcaneras (ESP) was 32nd overall
and 28th in the Superbike class. There was also one
European BMW team taking part in Suzuka, the EKO IVRacing BMW CSEU
squad with riders Martin Choy (BUL), Ladislav Chmelik (CZE) and Karel
Hanika (CZE). They finished the race in 47th overall and
42nd in the SBK class. Two well-known riders from Europe
supported Team BMW Motorrad39; regular rider Daisaku Sakai (JPN)
shared duties with Raffaele De Rosa (ITA) from the MOTUL FIM Superbike
World Championship (WorldSBK) and Christian Iddon (GBR) from the
British Superbike Championship (BSB). However, the squad suffered bad
luck and lost a lot of time due to two crashes at the beginning of the
race. Despite that, they raced to the end of the eight hours, but as
they had not completed enough laps, they were not classified.
Martin Choy: “In the end I think it was good, because
we finished the race and during it we improved a lot in our basics.
The lap times were good, very, very good. but it is racing and you can
never expect what happens. We had a little problem with the fuel tank
after a crash in free practice. Without that I believe we could have
made it into the top-15. But anyway, we’ve been here for the
first time and it is a very, very hard race, so for us it is very good
to finish the race. Great job by the team!”
Ladislav Chmelik: “I was allowed to ride the last
stint and finish the race and that is really an honour, because this
race is so famous. I don’t have words for this race. It is a pity that
we had a little problem with the fuel tank, but in the end the most
important thing is that we finished the race. This was the
best feeling I had in my life.”
Christian Iddon: “It has been an awesome experience.
The result doesn’t show how great it was, as we had some bad luck but
I just enjoyed it. It was not easy, as we had one experienced Japanese
guy in the team and us two rookies. The team has come together from
all different places. We had the Japanese team, then guys from Tyco
BMW had come over to give a hand and of course the specialists from
BMW Motorrad Motorsport but in the end it all came together and I
loved every minute of it.”
International German Championship at Schleiz, Germany.
The third round of the 2017 season of the International German
Championship (IDM) – and Markus Reiterberger (GER) continues to be the
man to beat. At the famous “Schleizer Dreieck” (GER), the Van
Zon-Remeha-BMW team rider claimed another commanding double win,
crossing the line with advantages of 24 and 14 seconds respectively.
This saw him extend his overall championship lead.
Together with “Reiti”, three other BMW S 1000 RR riders stepped onto
the podium. In race one, his team-mate Jan Bühn (GER) crossed the line
in third. In race two, the BMW racers secured a top-three lockout:
Dominik Vincon (GER / BMW Stilgenbauer) was second behind winner
Reiterberger, while Danny De Boer (NED / Van Zon-Remeha-BMW) was third
on the rostrum.
Markus Reiterberger: “The entire weekend was great,
even if Friday was a bit eventful. The first practice was held in wet
conditions and then we had a defect in the second session. But in the
third practice we started with our work and were 1.2 seconds faster
than all the others from the word go. This was a good base on the
Schleiz circuit which is my favourite track and which suits me very
well. Race one was great, and I did consistent lap times from start to
finish. The second race was similar, however the temperatures had
risen and we had to opt for a different tyre compound but Pirelli gave
us very good advice. It was a perfect weekend in front of a massive
enthusiastic crowd.”
Alpe Adria Road Racing Championship at the Pannoniaring, Hungary.
The penultimate round of the 2017 Alpe Adria Road Racing Championship
(AARR) was held at Hungarian Pannoniaring at the weekend – with more
success for the BMW Motorrad Motorsport racers. In the Superbike class
(AARR SBK), Michal Filla (CZE / BMW Sikora Motorsport) claimed a
double podium, finishing the two races in second and third
respectively. Christopher Kemmer (AUT / Bertl K. Racing Team) and Mike
Wohner (AUT / Dunlop Racing) crossed the line in fifth and sixth
positions on both occasions.
In the Superstock class (AARR STK) reigning champion Michal Prášek
(CZE / Rohac and Fejty Motoracing Team) celebrated a double win.
Michal Šembera (CZE / Team LRP Poland) joined him on the podium in
race two, finishing third.
Italian Superbike Championship in Misano, Italy.
There has also been a podium finish for the BMW Motorrad Motorsport
family in the Italian Superbike Championship (CIV) at the weekend. The
fourth round of the season was held at Misano on the Adriatic coast.
Matteo Ferrari (ITA) claimed third place in race two on his DMR Racing
BMW S 1000 RR. In race one, Ferrari crossed the line in sixth. Top-ten
finishes also went to Ivan Goi (ITA / DMR Racing), who was seventh and
tenth respectively, and to Lorenzo Lanzi (ITA / Tutapista Corse), who
finished sixth in race two.
Malaysia Superbike Championship in Sepang, Malaysia.
After a long three month break, the 2017 Malaysia Superbike
Championship (MSC) resumed at the weekend with the third round held at
Sepang International Circuit (MAS). In the Superbike class (MSC SBK),
Muhammad Farid Badrul Hisam (MAS / HKM Times Bike Racing Team)
continued his winning streak. He was victorious in both races,
extending his championship lead. In the Superstock class (MSC STK),
two BMW riders claimed top-ten finishes; Nasarudin Mat Yusop (MAS /
BMW Motorrad Malaysia Team) was fifth in race two, while Linggam Ramoo
(MAS / HKM TimesBike Racing Team) finished in tenth and ninth respectively.