Munich. BMW Motorrad Motorsport is making a comeback at the historic Imola circuit in Italy with the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK). The seventh round of the 2023 WorldSBK season will be held at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari from 14th to 16th July. Imola has been a regular stop for the WorldSBK in the past, with the most recent visit in 2019. Leon Haslam from the UK will join Scott Redding in the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, riding the second BMW M 1000 RR.

Haslam is no stranger to BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the WorldSBK. Between 2003 and 2022, the 40-year-old British rider has competed in a total of 316 WorldSBK races and finished as the championship runner-up in 2010. Haslam raced as a BMW Motorrad Motorsport factory rider with the BMW S 1000 RR in 2011 and 2012, achieving eight podium finishes. Currently, Haslam is competing in the British Superbike Championship (BSB) with the ROKiT BMW Motorrad British Superbike Team aboard the BMW M 1000 RR, where he has already secured six podium finishes in the 2023 season, including two at the recent round at Snetterton.

Imola is a track with a rich tradition, but it hasn’t been on the WorldSBK calendar in recent years, making it unfamiliar to some teams and riders. The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, Haslam, and Loris Baz (FRA) have experience at the circuit. However, Redding and Garrett Gerloff (USA), as well as the Bonovo Action BMW Racing Team, will be making their debut at Imola.

Quotes ahead of the Imola round.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “First of all, many thanks to Leon for being available at short notice to be with us at Imola. We know each other well from the past, where we celebrated success together, and this season he has returned to the BMW Motorrad family in BSB and is familiar with the new BMW M 1000 RR. He also has a lot of WorldSBK experience, and we are confident that he will quickly get back up to speed at Imola. After his crash at Donington, Tom Sykes is on the road to recovery and was discharged from the hospital on Sunday after a week, and we all send him our best wishes. Michael participated in a track day last week, however a return for Imola would still be too early, and we have jointly decided that he will sit out this weekend, and then we will reassess the situation. Now we are excited about Imola. Scott showed a clear upward trend in Donington, which was confirmed by his fourth-place finish in the second race. Garrett was also fast and consistently strong there, and we want to continue that at Imola. However, a major topic will be the high heat expected over the weekend which can be challenging for humans, machines, and tires.”

Garrett Gerloff, #31 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo Action BMW Racing Team: “It’s going to be an interesting weekend, I think. It’s a track that I’ve never been to, and it looks like it could be technical. But I feel good learning new layouts, and this circuit, being mainly left-hand corner dominant with some elevation changes and tighter corners, reminds me of the tracks I raced in America. I’m hoping this connection helps me learn it faster, but I think there will be a few people who haven’t been there or haven’t been there in a while. I just hope it will be a good weekend, and we can keep improving like we did at Donington.”

Scott Redding, #45 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “Imola is a new track for me, so it’s another element to the weekend. I always like new tracks! I hope for a good weekend and to maintain the momentum from Donington.”

Loris Baz, #76 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo Action BMW Racing Team: “It has been a tough season and tough couple of weekends with no luck unfortunately at the last two rounds, which is a shame because I feel strong again on the bike. I just need to have a calm weekend, so I hope Imola will be that one. I’m sending my best wishes again to Tom Sykes and Michael Ruben Rinaldi, who were involved in the crash at Donington, and I hope they can come back soon. For me, I’m really happy to come back to Imola. It’s a track that I always loved and have good memories of. It’s an old school circuit with a different atmosphere compared to other venues. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m sure we can be fast there. I know the layout and everything. I just hope we can put all our bad luck behind us and have a nice and calm weekend on the BMW M 1000 RR. I know the guys on this team never stop working incredibly hard, and I feel it’s definitely time to get our normal mojo back and rediscover the pace we had at the beginning of this season.”

Leon Haslam, #91 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “It’s a fantastic opportunity. Obviously, I have a lot of history with Imola. We took the championship down to the last round here in 2010. I have a lot of history from this circuit, and it’s fantastic to ride again for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. We are riding the BMW M 1000 RR in the UK, so I’m looking forward to working with Shaun Muir and all the guys from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. I have no real big expectations; I just want to try to enjoy it and hopefully get some good information and results.”

Track Facts Imola.
Circuit length	4.936 km – anti-clockwise
Corners	22 – 9 right-handers, 13 left-handers
Pole position	Left
Longest straight	358 meters (start-finish straight)
Track layout	Stop&Go track with slow and fast chicanes, many changes in elevation, challenging changes of direction.