Alcañiz. The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team has claimed the first
top five placing for the brand-new BMW S 1000 RR in the FIM
Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK). Tom Sykes (GBR) finished
Saturday’s race at MotorLand Aragón, near Alcañiz (ESP), in fifth
position. Unfortunately, his team-mate Markus Reiterberger (GER) was
forced to retire after an accident at the start. MotorLand Aragón
hosts the third event of the WorldSBK 2019 season this weekend.
The two BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team riders already gave an impressive
performance in Superpole qualifying on Saturday morning. Sykes claimed
third position on his RR to secure a front-row start, while
Reiterberger’s seventh place also was his best Superpole result yet
this season.
Sykes moved up into second place right after the start of the race.
He then fell back to eighth as the race continued, but improved by two
places during a strong ride in the closing stage and started the final
lap in sixth position. One of his competitors fell on that final lap,
meaning that Sykes crossed the line in fifth place. Reiterberger,
however, endured some bad luck as he collided with another rider
immediately after the start. He was unable to continue the race after
the incident.
Quotes after race one at MotorLand Aragón.
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “Of
course, we were really pleased with Superpole in the morning. We had
given an indication of our strength in the free practice sessions
which was confirmed when we claimed third and seventh places in
qualifying. It was great to be on the front row for the first time
this season and Tom made a very good start to the race. He struggled
somewhat for a few laps during the early phase but he battled back
really well at the end. He enjoyed a bit of luck to finish fifth, but
he would have secured sixth place on his own merits. We are very
pleased. It is clear for all to see that everything we do represents a
step forward, even it if is just a small one. Unfortunately, Markus
did not have a good start and being hit by another rider caused him to
fall. He’s a bit battered and bruised but we are hopeful that he will
recover overnight. He had already shown good race pace and I hope he
can demonstrate that tomorrow.”
Shaun Muir, Team Principal BMW Motorrad WorldSBK
Team: “Today has been a great step forward for the whole BMW
Motorrad WorldSBK Team and I think for sure Tom has shown now that we
have made a significant step forward. Superpole was really exciting.
To be on the front row despite going wide in the final corner was
fantastic for Tom and the team. In the race, Markus unfortunately had
a racing incident, a 50/50 incident, and he was very lucky to escape
unharmed. Tom had taken the decision to go with the SC1 rear compound
tyre, which is a bit harder. We knew it would be difficult to manage
at the beginning of the race but would come stronger at the end of the
race. For that reason I think he fully deserves the fifth position. It
was a good step forward for him and hopefully we can do the same tomorrow.”
Tom Sykes: “I think for how early we are in the
project, the programme only started a few months ago, it is really
impressive what the whole BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team has achieved so
far. We’ve made small changes to the bike, of course now we are
playing a bit with the electronics, but I think the biggest difference
to the previous rounds is that we have a lot more corners here, and I
think it’s clear to see that we are consistent in the first sectors
and we are only losing out in the last sector. In Superpole, I was a
bit angry with myself going wide on the last corner as it could have
been pole position but the target was front row and then top five for
the race and we have achieved that. On the grid, as the temperatures
were quite cool, I opted for the harder rear tyre. It wasn’t too bad
but after a few laps I could see that the sun would come out and
temperatures rose but I enjoyed the race. I was battling with some
guys who were on the softer tyre but the RR chassis is certainly
working really well. I am enjoying riding the BMW S 1000 RR and I’m
quite satisfied. It was my decision on the tyre and I just got caught
out a bit with the rising temperature, but we definitely got some good
information for tomorrow. I’m really excited about what’s to come
during the season and for now I still think we can make a better race tomorrow.”
Markus Reiterberger: “Superpole went well. We were
improving all the time in practice and had developed a good feel for
the bike. We took another step in the right direction in Superpole. I
didn’t do quite so well on race tyres but in qualifying I did improve
by a second. We were happy enough with seventh place, especially when
you consider that I was just two tenths of a second away from third.
We showed that we can compete on a fast lap. Unfortunately, I had a
bad start, I stood a bit in a wrong position and then things happened
very fast. Jonathan Rea hit me from the side, which meant that I lost
control of the handlebar and took a tumble. It’s a shame about the
race, as it would have been interesting to see where we could have finished.”