Qualifying at the Bol d’Or: BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team starts the 24-hour marathon from third on the grid.

Le Castellet. The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team will start
the Bol d’Or in Le Castellet (FRA), which is the third round of the
2021 FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC), from third on the
grid with the #37 BMW M 1000 RR. Only the times of Markus
Reiterberger (GER) and Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) were classified for
qualifying, as the third regular rider, Xavi Forés (ESP), was unable
to participate after picking up an injury in Thursday’s practice
session in a crash that was not his fault. The team’s fourth rider,
Kenny Foray (FRA) will alternate with Reiterberger and Mikhalchik in
the race.

 

Forés was hit and knocked off his bike by another rider in practice
and injured his shoulder in the fall. As he was unable to start in the
two qualifying sessions on Thursday and Friday, the grid position for
the #37 M RR was calculated taking the average of the fastest times
set by Reiterberger and Mikhalchik in their sessions. Reiterberger’s
best time of 1:53.617 minutes came on Friday morning, as did
Mikhalchik’s fastest lap of 1:53.623 minutes. This produced an average
time of 1:53.620 minutes.

 

The 84th Bol d’Or gets underway at 15:00 CEST on Saturday 18th
September. The race finishes 24 hours later. The privateer BMW Team
LRP Poland (#90 BMW S 1000 RR) starts from ninth place, with Tecmas
BMW (#9 BMW S 1000 RR) 30th on the grid.

 

Quotes after the Bol d’Or qualifying.

 

Werner Daemen, Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team:
“It has been a little bit mixed feelings, because on one side
we have Xavi’s injury, but, in general, I am very happy with
qualifying. As a team we are very strong. We did not use any
qualifying engine, but the lap times from Markus, Ilya and especially
Kenny, who is going to be our third rider in the race, were very good.
I am very happy to see that Kenny has the same rhythm as the others
and that he is in top form. Everything is well prepared and we are
ready to fight for the top places.”

 

Markus Reiterberger: “Third place on the grid is
good, although I am not entirely satisfied with qualifying. I gave it
my all, but was a little unlucky with slipstreams. That is an
important factor here at this racetrack, especially when you are not
on a bike in special qualifying trim. We will now sit down together
and try to come up with the perfect package for the race. I think that
all three of us – Ilya, Kenny and myself – are superbly-set in terms
of our race pace. Unfortunately, Xavi cannot start. I wish him all the
best and a speedy recovery. It is going to be a long and hard race,
but we are ready.”

 

Ilya Mikhalchik: “I am pretty happy with how the week
has gone so far. I feel good on the bike, even if it it’s not 100 per
cent perfect yet like it was at the test. We did not manage to put
together the ideal lap as we did at the test with Markus. But it is
good to start from P3 and we can rely on our strong race pace. We just
need to have a trouble-free race. We hope for good weather so we can
enjoy the riding during the 24-hours. So let’s see how it will go and
let’s fight until the end.”

 

Xavi Forés: “Obviously, it was a bit unexpected for
me to finish the Bol d’Or weekend so early. It was a big shame to be
taken out on track due to another rider’s mistake and to not be able
to race this weekend. It also hurts especially as we are fighting for
the victory and for the title. So it’s not only painful for my
shoulder but also for my heart that I can’t help the team in that
task. My target is now to try to recover as fast as I can to be ready
and in a good shape for the season finale in Most. All the best to my
team-mates and to the team for the race – I cross my fingers for them
for another podium and more strong points for the championship.”

 

Kenny Foray: “First of all, I am really sorry for
Xavi. That was not the plan and I know that it is very difficult for
him. I wish him a speedy recovery. I am ready for the race. I feel
good on the bike, I love this race, I love this track and I love this
bike. I will give my all and am confident that we can have a strong race.”