Tag Archives: Barcelona

BMW

Conclusion of an unbelievable weekend: Another victory and podium for Toprak Razgatlioglu and the BMW M 1000 RR on WorldSBK Sunday at Barcelona.

Barcelona. The second race weekend of the 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) at Barcelona (ESP) became a hit story for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. Following the pole place and the celebrated first joint victory on Saturday, Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) and the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK had loads to cheer about on Sunday as effectively. Razgatlioglu claimed his subsequent victory within the extraordinarily thrilling Superpole Race within the morning and adopted it up with a third-place end on the rostrum within the second essential race. Teammate Michael van der Mark (NED) returned to the entrance group with a fourth-place end. The Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team secured one other prime ten end with Garrett Gerloff (USA).

The Superpole Race on Sunday morning stored everybody on the sting of their seats. Starting from pole place, Razgatlioglu initially dropped to fifth place. In the fourth of ten laps, he moved as much as fourth place, and within the following lap, he made a sensational manoeuvre to regain the lead. He then battled with Andrea Iannone (ITA / Ducati) and Alvaro Bautista (ESP / Ducati) with a number of lead modifications for the victory. In the final nook, Razgatlioglu as soon as once more executed a powerful manoeuvre and clinched his second victory of the weekend.

Razgatlioglu additionally began the second essential race on Sunday afternoon from pole place. After the beginning, he was briefly in fourth place, however it didn’t take lengthy for him to work his method into the rostrum positions. He stayed shut behind the main Ducati riders Bautista and Nicolò Bulega (ITA) for a very long time, however this time it wasn’t sufficient for a remaining dash again to the very prime. Thus, Razgatlioglu concluded his extraordinarily profitable Barcelona weekend with a third-place end on the rostrum. After the end, he embraced teammate van der Mark, who accomplished the robust crew end in fourth place. In the Superpole Race, van der Mark completed sixth.

The Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team returned to the highest ten on Sunday. Both riders, Gerloff and Scott Redding (GBR), engaged in an extended duel with a number of place modifications. In the top, Gerloff prevailed in tenth place, with Redding following simply 0.4 seconds behind in eleventh place.

The third spherical of the 2024 WorldSBK season can be held from nineteenth to twenty first April at Assen (NED).

Reactions after race two at Barcelona.

 

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “Before we came here, we hoped to claim another podium. That was the target after a good test last week but we also saw that the Ducatis were extremely strong. To come away four trophies, pole position, two wins and one podium, is absolutely magnificent. I am speechless, honestly. It is extremely good for the project and I am even looking further forward to the rest of the season which gives me more confidence. Not just Toprak, also Mickey did a fantastic job, with fourth in qualifying yesterday, sixth in this morning’s Superpole Race and a very strong fourth position in main race two. It’s well deserved. I just enjoy the moment right now. It is highly emotional, this weekend had only ups. We’ve had enough downs in the past years so it’s good to get through the valley of tears. On the Bonovo side, the weekend was more difficult but in the final race, Garrett and Scott were in the ball park so we can build from there and like I said, there are better races to come. Overall, this weekend leaves me overwhelmed and very pleased.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP Race: 1 / R02: 3): “I am really happy for this moment because this is a dream. Not only for me, for BMW and the team. We claimed two victories at Barcelona, and for me it has been an amazing weekend. Especially today’s last race was a very hard, the pace was really strong. Alvaro started normal and then pushed very hard. I just tried to follow him but I felt a lot of spinning and closed the gas because in a 20-lap race you need a good tyre with good grid for the last five laps. But in general, I am very happy because we were on the podium in all three races, including two wins. Especially the Superpole Race was incredible, when I passed Alvaro in the last corner. I think this is in my top three overtakes of my career. I am also very happy for BMW. We are coming step by step and I think we will be stronger on the other race tracks. Everyone is very happy and will now work even harder. We have a very good package. We are coming, we are not so far and this year I think we can get many wins and I hope that we will be World Champions. I hope!”

Michael van der Mark, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP Race: 6 / R02: 4): “Honestly I think for the whole team it has been a fantastic weekend. This was one of our worst tracks and to see Toprak getting two wins, another podium and the pole position, was great, and I had some really strong results this weekend, too. So I am really happy, really satisfied with the improvement on the bikes. Honestly, to finish P6 this morning was quite good, but to finish fourth in race two was a big relief for me. It’s nice to see that I get back on a really good level and I’m just really happy with the whole weekend. I think it gives the whole team a big boost, and also for me, for the next race at Assen which I am really looking forward to. At least now we arrive there knowing how good the package can be.”

Garrett Gerloff, Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team (SP Race: 17 / R02: 10): “So we are at the end of the weekend. I am not going to lie, I was hoping and expecting a better weekend than it was. We just struggled a bit with some things. I feel like I struggle with some riding stuff on my side and also I had some issues with some setting stuff on the bike side. It wasn’t easy, there weren’t clear answers and I am kind of leaving the weekend thinking that we don’t have a clear answer of what we were missing. We were just missing something that’s not small. We just try to regroup over the next weeks and come back to Assen and have a strong race there.”

Scott Redding, Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team (SP Race: 12 / R02: 11): “The weather today was unexpected. We had some rain this morning so we did not ride in the warm up. The Superpole Race was quite good for me. I felt pretty good so I managed to gain some confidence for race two. There, I was really motivated to finish in the top ten. That was my goal. I came off the start, I came together with Dominique Aegerter so I lost some positions. Then in turn three, Iker Lecouna just ran me off the track, so I lost again some positions and then we kind of settled; the group was trying to save the tyres. Then there was a big crash in turn one. I am happy that they both walked away okay from it. There was a gap I had to try to close and I used my tyre more. I felt good on the bike, that was the main thing. I felt that I could actually push the bike and start to race and have confidence. On the last few laps, the tyre dropped more. I finished 11th in the end; the top ten was there. So I was happy, because Barcelona is one of the worst tracks in the calendar for me and I came away with confidence which is the first time in three years that this has happened, so I look forward to the next round.”

BMW

Perfect Saturday at Barcelona: Pole place and first win for Toprak Razgatlioglu and the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team.

Barcelona. Winning at Barcelona (ESP) was Toprak Razgatlioglu’s (TUR) declared purpose for this second race weekend of the 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK). He achieved it within the first important race. With his first pole place and his first win aboard the BMW M 1000 RR, Razgatlioglu secured an ideal Saturday for himself, BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. On solely his second race weekend as a BMW Motorrad manufacturing facility rider, he stood on the highest step of the rostrum for the primary time. It was additionally the primary win in a important race for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. Previously, Michael van der Mark (NED) secured a win in a Superpole Race.

In the Superpole qualifying on Saturday morning, Razgatlioglu had already made the crew jubilant. Setting a brand new all-time observe file, he positioned his BMW M 1000 RR on pole place. In the race, he initially held onto the lead, however then slipped again to 3rd place briefly within the tight battle for the entrance positions. However, the Turkish rider saved his cool. First, he reclaimed second place after which got down to catch as much as Nicolò Bulega (ITA / Ducati), who led with a several-second hole. In a particularly thrilling end, Razgatlioglu ultimately took the lead once more on the ultimate lap and defended the win to the end line. Among the primary to congratulate him was Markus Flasch, Head of BMW Motorrad, who witnessed this profitable race Saturday at Barcelona on-site.

Team-mate Michael van der Mark (NED) additionally secured an excellent beginning place with fourth place within the Superpole. He was additionally within the combine for podium finishes for a very long time however then misplaced positions and completed ninth.

It was a difficult Saturday for the Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team. Garrett Gerloff (USA) completed the primary race in twelfth place. Team-mate Scott Redding (GBR) crossed the end line in seventeenth place.

Reactions after race one at Barcelona.

Markus Flasch, Head of BMW Motorrad: “Congratulations to everybody on this implausible win! It was nice to cheer with the crew within the pit field. Toprak has proven that he’s a really particular rider and individual. We knew he had a motorbike able to successful with the BMW M 1000 RR, and it’s implausible that we may show it already on the second race weekend. Thanks to everybody for the onerous work, to Toprak, to our BMW Motorrad Motorsport crew, and to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. Let‘s stick with it!”

 

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “An unbelievable day! We knew we were strong but we also knew that it would be extremely difficult against the Ducatis. I said this morning that we are going to have two people on the first two rows of the starting grid. That came true. Then I was confident that we could fight for the podium. I also would have been very pleased with second position, but the way Toprak pushed on the last laps was just unbelievable. Thanks to this guy, thanks to the team for a magnificent package. We deserved it but I did not think that it would come so early. So I am extremely pleased. Now we focus on tomorrow, there are two more races to go – and then we party!”

Toprak Razgatlioglu, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 1 / R01: 1 ): “I am really happy. Thanks to my team, they did an unbelievable job with really hard work and finally we are winning. This victory has special importance for me as I never won here on this circuit before. It has been my dream and finally I have a victory in Catalunya. This is an unbelievable moment because this race was really hard. If we win here, I think fighting will be easier on other race tracks. After Bulega passed me, I just followed him but after two laps I said, okay, I am pushing a little bit too hard for the rear tyre. The podium is enough for me because I know that on this track, the rear tyres have a big drop on the last five laps. Then on the last five, six laps I saw that Bulega started to drop and I pushed hard, especially on the brakes. At the first round of the season I felt a lot of pressure as I was my first weekend with BMW but here that was not the case anymore but as Markus Flasch is here, we wanted to achieve something for him. To get pole position and win the race made it an unbelievable day. We have two more races tomorrow and now we will focus on those.”

Michael van der Mark, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 4 / R01: 9): “My day was honestly not too bad. I had a really good feeling this morning in Superpole and I worked really well together with Toprak. So we had P1 and P4 on the grid which was really good. I also felt really strong with the bike. In the race, I had an okay start. On the first few laps, I did not get the right feeling but then I found a good rhythm and a good pace. I was in P4 for a long time but unfortunately at the end I struggled too much with the tyre wear. I might have pushed a bit too hard in the beginning. We have to analyse it. But I think that the results shows that we are coming and Toprak winning on the BMW M 1000 RR is just amazing so I am really happy with the overall day for the whole team.”

Garrett Gerloff, Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team (SP: 14 / R01: 12): “It has not been my most memorable day here in Catalunya. Qualifying could have been better and the race could have been better. I don’t feel too bad but everybody is going really fast and it is just hard to stand out and move forward for me at the moment, I guess. But congratulations to Toprak on the win. It’s crazy impressive and we will try some stuff for tomorrow and see if we can improve.”

Scott Redding, Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team (SP: 12 / R01: 17): “Qualifying was not too bad. We managed to salvage some of the struggles of this weekend to qualify 12th and moved up to 11th due to someone having a penalty. That was okay but I knew that in the race I would still struggle a little bit because the pace for the weekend has not been where we want. Then in the race we made a change on the bike which didn’t work in a positive way, making the braking area more difficult for me to brake late so it was hard to overtake. Then with about seven laps to go, my rear tyre dropped massively. That was basically the race for me. I was trying to manage it as best as I could. We hope that we can find something for tomorrow because we had the pace to be in the small group in front of me. We just need to find a little bit for tomorrow.”

BMW

2024 WorldSBK: BMW Motorrad Motorsport goals to construct on the promising begin at Barcelona.

Barcelona. Following the season opener in Australia, the FIM Superbike World Championship has returned to Europe. Next weekend (twenty second to twenty fourth March), BMW Motorrad Motorsport is gearing up for the second racing occasion of the 12 months on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (ESP). There, the 4 manufacturing facility riders and the 2 groups, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team, purpose to proceed the constructive momentum from Phillip Island (AUS).

In February, Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) clinched his first podium as a BMW Motorrad WorldSBK manufacturing facility rider by ending third within the Superpole Race there. The BMW M 1000 RR was within the main group in each session, and Michael van der Mark (NED), Garrett Gerloff (USA) and Scott Redding (GBR) ensured that every one manufacturing facility riders had been represented within the prime ten within the races.

To put together for the Barcelona racing weekend, each groups, together with the 4 riders, performed a two-day check on the similar venue final week. The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team was additionally current to help the 2 groups of their preparations.

 

Quotes forward of the Barcelona spherical.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “The results from the season opener in Australia give us a lot of momentum heading into the second race weekend in Barcelona. Of course, Phillip Island is a very unique track, and now the deck is being reshuffled. However, also the insights from the Barcelona test last week have left us feeling optimistic. There we were able to see the pace of our BMW M 1000 RR again. Now, the challenge is to convert this into corresponding results during the race weekend. Qualifying forms the crucial foundation for the races, and our goal is to secure strong starting positions with all four riders. If the race pace also is strong, this is the base for successful races in this extremely competitive field. In the past, Barcelona hasn’t necessarily been one of the tracks that suit us best, but we have worked hard and approach the weekend with confidence.”

Garrett Gerloff (#31 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team): “I’m really looking forward to this weekend in Barcelona. It’s a track that I really enjoy and where I’ve had success in the past so I can’t wait to get there and seeing if we can have a really good weekend. The BMW M 1000 RR felt good at the test and there are still a couple of things that I want to improve but all in all I think we have a strong package and I’m looking forward to starting the weekend.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (#54 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I think it will not be an easy race weekend for me because we need further improve tyre life but the test was also very positive, we also worked on race pace and that was very good. We are still not at really 100 per cent but I am learning the bike every day and we are improving. My general feeling is not bad. This race weekend will be very important for me. I try to make it to the podium and my big target is to win the race because I never won at Catalunya before. I hope we will win this weekend, I will try to do my best.”

Scott Redding (#45 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team): “The Barcelona weekend will be an interesting one. We know that it’s not one of our stronger circuits on the calendar. Obviously having a test last week we were able to work on the bike set-up, trying to improve our weak points which is always good. Everyone is working super hard to do the best that we can. The race weekend is always different so we need to see with track conditions and weather. Hopefully we can have some better results than at Phillip Island, trying to get back on track and keep improving.”

Michael van der Mark (#60 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “It’s nice to go out on track and have another race weekend. It’s good that we had a test there last week and I think we are quite ready for the race weekend. We have a good base, we just have to work on details. Barcelona circuit is a fantastic race track. I think one of the key things to work on is to get a full race distance out of the tyres, mainly the front. It will be interesting but I’m looking forward to it. I had a good feeling at the test and also in Australia, we have seen how strong we can be. I can’t wait to race again and to fight for the best positions.”

BMW

ROW Racing Concludes Impressive Endurance Cup Season in GT World Challenge Europe

The Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Endurance Cup season came to an end with the 3-hour race in Barcelona. ROWE Racing had a standout season, despite the BMW M Motorsport teams not achieving strong results in the season finale. Philipp Eng, Marco Wittmann, and Nick Yelloly celebrated victories at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and the Monza season opener. They finished the season second in both the overall standings of the Endurance Cup for drivers and teams.

Although there was a mathematical chance of winning the title before the race, the pace of the #98 BMW M4 GT3 was not enough to challenge for the top spot. Eng, Wittmann, and Yelloly finished in tenth place in the season finale. The BMW Junior Team secured twelfth place. Overall, ROWE Racing achieved two victories, one second place, and one third place in the Endurance Cup in 2023.

The BMW M Team WRT did not replicate their strong results from the Sprint Cup in the endurance races during their first year with the BMW M4 GT3. Despite a damaged rear, Dries Vanthoor, Charles Weerts, and Sheldon van der Linde managed to secure eleventh place. Valentino Rossi, Maxime Martin, and Augusto Farfus retired early. The #30 BMW M4 GT3 from the WRT team finished fourth in the Gold Cup, while the #31 BMW M4 GT3 and the #35 BMW M4 GT3 from Walkenhorst Motorsport finished seventh and eighth in the Bronze Cup, respectively.

The Sprint Cup season of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS with the BMW M Team WRT will conclude on October 14th/15th at Zandvoort.

Reactions after the Endurance Cup season finale:

Hans-Peter Naundorf (Team Principal ROWE Racing): ROWE Racing had a fantastic season, starting with podium finishes and a 1-2 finish at the opening race at Monza. The highlight was their third overall victory at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Naundorf thanked the entire team, BMW M Motorsport, and all the drivers for their efforts.

Philipp Eng (#98 BMW M4 GT3, ROWE Racing, 10th place): Eng expressed his overall satisfaction with the season, acknowledging the disappointment in the finale but highlighting the team’s reliability and the great teammates he had.

Max Hesse (#998 BMW M4 GT3, ROWE Racing, 12th place): Hesse reflected on the progress the team made compared to the previous year and the highlight of their podium finish at Monza.

Sheldon van der Linde (#32 BMW M4 GT3, BMW M Team WRT, 11th place): Van der Linde described the Endurance Cup season as challenging, mentioning the team’s struggles in qualifying.

Valentino Rossi (#46 BMW M4 GT3, BMW M Team WRT, DNF): Rossi admitted to making a small mistake that caused him to lose control of the car. Despite the disappointment, he believed they could have achieved a good result.