Munich. The BMW Motorrad Motorsport family had a great start
to the international road racing season, with three wins and nine
podium finishes at the North West 200. The BMW S 1000 RR was also
the bike to beat at the season opener of the International German
Championship (IDM) at the Nürburgring (GER), where the BMW riders
secured both wins and five of six possible podium places. There have
also been strong performances of the BMW racers in the MOTUL FIM
Superbike Championship (WorldSBK) and the FIM Superstock 1000
European Championship (STK1000). Both series raced in Imola (ITA).
In addition, BMW racers have been in action in Japan and in the US
at the weekend. They also were supposed to take to the track in
South Africa, but the South African Motorcycle Road Racing
Championship (RSA SBK) races in Zwartkops (RSA) had to be cancelled
due to very bad weather conditions.
North West 200 in Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
The North West 200 on the Triangle course between Portstewart,
Portrush and Coleraine in Northern Ireland marked the first major
international road race event of the year. The season kicked off for
the BMW riders and BMW Motorrad Motorsport experts with fantastic
results in the 1000 cc categories races. Man of the meeting was
Alastair Seeley (GBR) who extended his NW200 wins record to 21. Seeley
won three of the four 1000 cc races on his Tyco BMW S 1000 RR.
Race action at the NW200 began on Thursday evening with the first
Superstock race. With an impressive performance and a new lap record,
Seeley secured his first win of the meeting. Lee Johnston (GBR / East
Coast Construction) joined him on the podium in second, while Ian
Hutchinson (GBR / Tyco BMW) and Martin Jessopp (GBR / Riders
Motorcycles) crossed the line in fourth and fifth.
Saturday was the main race day at the NW200 – and it brought rain and
difficult conditions but also more success for the BMW racers. The
first Superbike race saw another 1-2 result for the RR: Seeley took
the win, followed by Michael Rutter (GBR / Bathams SMT Racing) in
second. Peter Hickman (GBR / Smiths Racing) was fifth. The second
Superstock race turned out to be a real thriller, with five BMW racers
fighting closely at the front and securing a top-5 lock-out for the
RR. Seeley won again, while Hutchinson and Rutter were second and
third. Johnston and Hickman followed in fourth and fifth. The final
race, the second Superbike heat, was another exciting affair. This
time, Seeley and Hutchinson were second and third on the podium.
Rutter completed the top-5.
Alastair Seeley: “I can’t be disappointed with that
can I? To come to the North West 200 and take one win is a big
achievement, but to come away with four – three on Tyco BMW machinery
– is something you can only dream of. The conditions were far from
perfect today, but credit to the boys in the team, they gave me bikes
that worked for all conditions; I can’t thank them enough. It’s been
another memorable day and I feel proud to have given Tyco, BMW and all
the other team sponsors three wins and a few other podiums to
celebrate alongside Hutchy.”
Ian Hutchinson: “It was a tough day with difficult
conditions and although I didn’t manage to grab a win, it has been a
great day for the team. We spent a lot of time this week working on
set-up, having changed tyre manufacturer for the roads, but from the
opening practice session to the final race, we have made giant strides
– which leaves us in good shape now heading to the Isle of Man TT on
my Tyco BMWs.”
As the North West 200 is part of the BMW Combined Road Race Challenge
(BMW RRC), the results are counted towards the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy.
MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship in Imola, Italy.
Round five of the 2017 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship
(WorldSBK) was held at the iconic “Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari” in
Imola (ITA) at the weekend. It was the home round for the Althea BMW
Racing Team, but the squad had to cope with a setback on Saturday. Due
to gastroenteritis, Jordi Torres (ESP) was physically so weak that he
could not compete in the Superpole and the first race. On Sunday, the
Spaniard was back in business with a fantastic catch up on his BMW S
1000 RR. Starting from the back of the grid, Torres worked his way
forward through the field and crossed the line in eighth. His
team-mate Raffaele De Rosa (ITA) finished the races in 14th
and 16th respectively.
Jordi Torres: “We had a good race on Sunday.
Fortunately I’ve recovered after Saturday’s illness and that didn’t
affect me at all during the race. Starting last on the grid wasn’t
easy of course, but I was able to quickly get into a good rhythm. I
hoped to be able to do a little more actually but in these conditions
with the tyre that we use it was the best I could manage. I thank the
team – the result is good considering we lost the whole day Saturday
and then I want to thank the Clinica Mobile, because without their
help I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did.”
FIM Superstock 1000 European Championship in Imola, Italy.
As a part of the WorldSBK round, the FIM Superstock 1000 European
Championship (STK1000) held its third race of the season in Imola
(ITA). After an eventful race that had to be red flagged twice, five
BMW S 1000 RR riders crossed the line in the top 10. Former GP racer
Federico Sandi (ITA / Berclaz Racing Team) only narrowly missed out on
the podium in fourth. Directly behind him, Marco Faccani (ITA / Althea
BMW Racing Team), Matteo Ferrari (ITA / DMR Racing Team) and Sébastien
Suchet (SUI / Berclaz Racing Team) followed in fifth to seventh
places. Federico Sanchioni (ITA / Clasitaly) completed the top-10.
Federico Sandi: “I am happy because we had a good
weekend. On the other hand, I am also a little bit disappointed as the
podium would have easily been within reach. I was very fast, but with
two laps to go, I made a little mistake when we were fighting for
positions. Anyway – in general, I can be satisfied. We are the highest
placed BMW and the team did a great job. I had a good rhythm over the
entire weekend. We can build on this; the podium was possible and I
know the bike and the team better. Now I am looking forward to
Donington, a track I like, and of course to Misano, one of my
favourite circuits in the world.”
International German Championship at the Nürburgring, Germany.
Both wins and five of six possible podium positions: the BMW S 1000
RR riders had a fantastic 2017 season opener in the International
German Championship (IDM). The first two races of the year were held
at the Nürburgring (GER) at the weekend.
The first race on Sunday morning was affected by rain and the fans
witnessed an exciting battle between Van Zon-Remeha-BMW team-mates
Danny De Boer (NED) and Markus Reiterberger (GER) for the win in the
final stages. It was De Boer to cross the line in first place, 0.4
seconds in front of Reiterberger. Dominik Vincon (GER / BMW
Stilgenbauer) and Jan Bühn (GER / Van Zon-Remeha-BMW) were fourth and
fifth. In the dry second race, all podium places went to BMW riders.
Two-times IDM champion Reiterberger was unbeatable and took the win
with an impressive advantage of 25 seconds. His team-mate Bühn was
second, Vincon secured third on the rostrum.
Markus Reiterberger: “I was on my 2017 IDM race bike
for the first ever time on Friday but I improved from session to
session and it did not take long to get back my feeling for the bike –
and for the team which is exactly the same as in 2015. I had a great
start in race one and managed to pull away right from the start. But
then the rain set in, the race was red-flagged and re-started in the
wet. I tried to keep focused and to make the best of the situation
despite the fact that I am not really a ‘rain artist’. And I was able
to fight for the win even in those conditions. I was leading on the
final lap but then in the final chicane, I braked a bit too
optimistically and Danny took the opportunity to pass. For the second
race, we had dry conditions and I knew that this could be my race. I
tried to quickly pull away from the rest and managed to do so. It was
fantastic team-work and I want to thank everyone again who made it
possible for me to have a great bike and a great team.”
Danny De Boer: “It was great to win race one. It was
a really nice fight between me, Reiti and Florian Alt and it is always
fantastic to start the season with a win. The second race was harder.
My start was not so good. I tried to push and follow Reiti but the
tyre was not warm enough and I went a bit too fast into a corner and
crashed on the opening lap so no points in the second race, but I am
really happy with race one. Our performance was really good so big
thanks to the team.”
MFJ Superbike All Japan Road Race Championship in Sugo, Japan.
The BMW S 1000 RR racers in the MFJ Superbike All Japan Road Race
Championship (MFJ) were in action in Sugo (JPN) at the weekend for the
second round of the 2017 season. Daisaku Sakai (JPN) crossed the line
in 11th on his Team BMW Motorrad 39 RR. Yuta Kodama (JPN)
followed imeediately behind in 12th on the RR of team Tone
RT Syncedge 4113.
MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship at
the Virginia International Raceway, USA.
The MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship (AMA)
held its third round of the 2017 season at the Virginia International
Raceway (USA). Jason DiSalvo (USA) was on duty on the BMW S 1000 RR of
team Scheibe Racing/Hayes Brake. He finished the two races in
12th and 13th position.