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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.”

Motorsport

The New Audi S3 Has More Power And The RS3’s Torque Splitter

[UPDATE] In an e-mail to Motor1, Steven Marks, Senior Specialist, Product Communications at Audi USA, declared: “We have not yet released U.S. specifications and will do closer to the launch a little later this year.”

It’s been almost 4 years since Audi launched the current-generation S3, so the time has come for a facelift. Thinly coated in a typical Audi Sport livery, the compact efficiency mannequin is being previewed in each hatchback and sedan physique kinds. There are surprisingly a whole lot of mechanical adjustments for under a mid-cycle replace.

At the center of the brand new S3 is an uprated model of the acquainted turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline engine. The four-pot TFSI unit now belts out 329 horsepower and 420 Newton-meters (310 pound-feet) of torque. It has gained a considerable 23 hp and (20 Nm) 15 lb-ft over the pre-facelifted mannequin to completely match the mechanically associated Volkswagen Golf R 333 particular version.


Motorsport

BMW Gas Car Sales Have Peaked, But The Manual Is Staying For Now

BMW‘s Chief Financial Officer, Walter Mertl, lately declared a major shift within the firm’s gross sales dynamics. Mertl says the tipping level for combustion engine car gross sales has been surpassed and emphasised that electrical automobiles now drive the vast majority of the model’s gross sales development.

According to Mertl, the plateau in combustion automotive gross sales is anticipated to persist and progressively decline. He attributed this development to impending environmental laws set to limit the gross sales of conventional autos. With regulatory deadlines looming in areas from China and the European Union to sure US states, automotive producers are going through elevated strain to speed up the event and manufacturing of electrical autos.

BMW, responding to those challenges, achieved a 15 % all-electric gross sales share up to now yr. Even extra impressively, the i4 M50 was BMW M’s best-selling product for the second consecutive yr. The firm is ambitiously concentrating on a 33 % share by 2026, unveiling six new fashions beneath its Neue Klasse EV lineup. The first one to reach in 2025 is anticipated to be an X3-sized electric SUV.

However, Mertl acknowledged that BMW’s revenue margins for combustion engine and all-electric automobiles will not align till no less than 2026. He pointed to the upper prices related to incorporating new battery applied sciences in subsequent fashions. 

Despite the shift in direction of electrical mobility, BMW stays dedicated to promoting autos with guide transmissions. The firm has confirmed that the M2, M3, and M4 will proceed to supply guide gearboxes, no less than for the present technology of automobiles. When questioned concerning the share of guide gearbox gross sales, BMW informed TopGear that 15 to twenty % of M3 and M4 fashions have been offered with three-pedal gearboxes, and even more for the M2.

Motorsport

UAW Strike Disrupts Ford F-Series Super Duty Production at Company’s Largest Plant

The United Auto Workers (UAW) has initiated a strike at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant, which is responsible for manufacturing the Ford F-Series Super Duty, Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator. This facility is the largest factory owned by the Blue Oval and employs around 8,700 union workers.

The UAW expressed its dissatisfaction with Ford’s offer, stating that it was identical to the proposal presented two weeks ago. The union deemed this offer unacceptable and responded strongly and immediately.

The video provided above features UAW representative Shawn Fain, who offers further insights into the reasons behind the strike expansion. According to Fain, Ford’s decision to present the same offer again indicates a lack of seriousness on the part of the automaker.

Ford has also released a statement addressing the situation. The company criticized the UAW’s decision to call a strike at the Kentucky Truck Plant, describing it as grossly irresponsible. Ford stated that the union leadership’s strategy of inflicting “reputational damage” and “industrial chaos” on the Detroit 3 (including Ford) for an extended period was not surprising. Furthermore, the automaker emphasized that its offer to the UAW was outstanding.


Featured

Citroen C3 Receives 0 Stars in Latin NCAP Crash Tests


Stability of the Bodyshell and Resistance to Loadings Rated as Inadequate

Citroen C3 Latin NCAP

The Citroen C3, which is available in both India and Latin American markets including Brazil, has recently undergone crash tests conducted by the Latin NCAP. Unfortunately, the crossover-hatch failed to obtain a single-star rating in the assessments.

Safety Features on Board

The tested C3 model was equipped with standard dual front airbags, electronic stability control (ESC), seatbelt reminder, and ISOFIX child seat anchorages. While it lacked seatbelt pretensioners, it did feature seatbelt load limiters.

In India, the C3 comes with standard features such as dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, reverse parking sensors, and front seatbelt reminders. Additionally, the turbo-petrol variants are equipped with electronic stability program (ESP), hill-hold assist, and a tire pressure monitoring system.

Adult Occupant Protection

Citroen C3 Latin NCAP

The Citroen C3 scored 31 percent (12.21 points) in adult occupant protection, combining scores from frontal and side-impact crash tests.

Frontal Impact

The C3 provided ‘good’ protection for the driver and passenger’s head and neck, while showing ‘weak’ protection for the driver’s chest and ‘marginal’ protection for the passenger’s chest. The overall knee protection was ‘marginal’, except for the passenger’s left knee which showed ‘good’ protection. The tibias of both driver and passenger received ‘adequate’ protection. However, the C3’s footwell area and bodyshell were rated as ‘unstable’ and unable to withstand further loadings. The seat design also offered poor protection against whiplash.

Side Impact

Citroen C3 Latin NCAP

In the side-impact test, the C3 provided ‘adequate’ protection for the head and chest, and ‘good’ protection for the abdomen and pelvis.

However, the C3 did not undergo the side-pole impact test due to the absence of side head protection, even as an optional feature.

Also Read: Citroen eC3 vs Tata Tiago EV: Space & Practicality Comparison

Child Occupant Protection

The Citroen C3 received a 12 percent rating in child occupant protection. Here’s a breakdown of the results:

Frontal Impact

Both the 3-year-old and 1.5-year-old child seats were installed rearward-facing using ISOFIX anchorages. The C3 provided ‘good’ protection for the 3-year-old’s head, while preventing head contact with the interior for the younger child.

Side Impact

The child restraint systems (CRS) offered full protection during the side impact.

The Citroen C3 received deductions for poor markings of the ISOFIX anchorages, and the absence of an airbag warning when a child restraint system is installed in the front passenger seat. All seating positions are equipped with 3-point seatbelts.

Pedestrian Protection

Citroen C3 Latin NCAP

The C3 achieved a relatively higher score of 50 percent (23.88 points) in pedestrian protection. It offered ‘good’, ‘marginal’, and ‘adequate’ protection in most areas. However, it scored poorly in head protection around the windscreen and A-pillars. The upper leg protection was rated ‘adequate to good’, while the lower leg protection was rated ‘marginal to good’.

Safety Assist

The C3 received 35 percent (15 points) for safety assist. It was penalized for lacking important safety features according to the Latin NCAP. While the Brazil-spec C3 had a seatbelt reminder for the driver, it did not meet the Latin NCAP requirements. Additionally, the C3 lacked advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and speed limitation devices.

Also Read: Citroen Is Bringing A Crossover Sedan To India

Citroen C3 in India

India-spec Citroen C3

The Citroen C3 was launched in India in mid-2022 as the second model from Citroen. It has not yet been tested by any NCAP agency, but it may receive a rating once the Bharat NCAP is implemented by the end of 2023. The C3 is available in three variants – Live, Feel, and Shine – with prices ranging from Rs 6.16 lakh to Rs 8.92 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Read More on: Citroen C3 on road price