Tag Archives: Phillip

BMW

P3 for Toprak Razgatlioglu: BMW Motorrad Motorsport kicks off the 2024 WorldSBK season with a podium.

Phillip Island. Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR), the brand new addition to the BMW Motorrad Motorsport WorldSBK manufacturing facility rider lineup, achieved his first podium end with the BMW M 1000 RR throughout his debut weekend on the bike. The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team rider secured third place within the Superpole Race on the Phillip Island (AUS) season opener. However, a technical difficulty within the second predominant race prevented one other success. His teammate Michael van der Mark (NED) and Garrett Gerloff (USA) from the Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team each secured high ten leads to each predominant races.

 

In the primary predominant race on Saturday afternoon, carried out as a flag-to-flag race with a compulsory pit cease, the BMW riders gave a robust efficiency. All 4 BMW M 1000 RRs completed throughout the high ten. Razgatlioglu began from fifth place and crossed the end line in fourth. Van der Mark superior from sixteenth on the grid to seventh, Gerloff climbed from 14th to ninth, and Scott Redding (GBR / Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team), beginning nineteenth, completed in tenth. However, each Razgatlioglu and Redding obtained time penalties for leaving the pit lane a fraction of a second too early after their pit stops, leading to every being demoted by one place.

The Superpole Race on Sunday morning introduced the primary podium of the season for the BMW M 1000 RR. Starting from fifth, Razgatlioglu instantly joined the battle for the lead. After ten laps, he completed the dash race within the celebrated third place. Gerloff completed thirteenth, van der Mark sixteenth, and Redding seventeenth.

The second predominant race late on Sunday afternoon needed to be postponed by over an hour as a consequence of a grimy monitor. Starting from third, Razgatlioglu as soon as once more fought within the main group, however an engine difficulty ended his race after a number of laps. Shortly after, the race was pink–flagged as a consequence of an accident in one other flip. After the re-start, eleven laps had been accomplished with out necessary pit stops. Gerloff secured one other strong outcome, ending eighth, van der Mark was ninth, and Redding crossed the road in seventeenth.

The second spherical of the 2024 WorldSBK season will happen from twenty second to twenty fourth March at Barcelona (ESP).

 

Reactions to the season opener at Phillip Island.

 

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “It has been a very eventful week. It started with non-existent tyres, then the tyres didn’t last, and on top of that, we had changing weather conditions with rain on Friday. But the fact is, we were always competitive, in every session, especially with Toprak. In the first race, a small mistake occurred that dropped us from fourth to fifth. Mickey gave a strong performance, moving up from 16th to seventh, and he lost only a little to Toprak. Garrett and Scott also made it into the top ten. In the Superpole Race, Toprak rode an excellent race and finished in third place. For the other three, it was unfortunately challenging when starting from so far back in such a competitive field. Toprak’s engine failure in the second main race was very, very frustrating. We now need to analyse what the cause was. Mickey and Garrett were able to secure good results once again with eighth and ninth places, just a few seconds behind the winner. Overall, we were clearly performing better than in past years. Now, we need to wait for the first European races to truly assess where we stand but we haven’t been this strong on Phillip Island in a long time. Therefore, the conclusion is: satisfied.”

 

Toprak Razgatlioglu, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 5 / R01: 5 / SP Race: 3 / R02: DNF): “In general, I would say that I am 50 percent happy and 50 percent not. The goal was to make it to the podium which we did in the Superpole Race, but in the second main race, I was really ready to fight for the win because we also had improved the bike and I felt really good but then we had the engine problem. This is racing and it has been the first race weekend of the season. At Barcelona, we need to come back very strong. We have learned a lot in the races, we gathered a lot of data and this is important for our work. Next up is Barcelona, a hard circuit like here. We will see how it goes there and then we go to Assen and more circuits where we normally should be stronger then here. Overall, the start was not bad, especially the Superpole Race. I think that we will get there step by step. We will be testing at Barcelona before the race weekend and I think that we will focus on race pace because that is very important there. We need to find a good setup for the main races.”

Michael van der Mark, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 16 / R01: 7 / SP Race: 16 / R02: 9): “I think overall the weekend wasn’t too bad. I just messed it up in Superpole. Yesterday I had a good race with some good passes and a good result in the end. In this morning’s sprint race we tried something different with the bike which felt good in warm up but when the temperature went up in the Superpole Race I just did not have the same feeling. It was tough, I could not recover any places so I had to start race two from 16th again. In that race, I had a good start, strong first couple of laps, I stayed out of trouble and was riding in eighth when the red flag came out. I re-started from P8 but we had seen that I had some issue with the tyre after five laps before the red flag came. Then we had an 11-lap sprint and I just did not know how to manage the tyre. If I had pushed like in the first part of the race I was not sure if I would be going to make it. So mixed feelings but got some good points at the end. And I think the best thing for us is to see how big the improvement is BMW has made. It’s fantastic to see Toprak on the podium this morning. I think that the start of the season gave the whole team a big confidence boost.”

 

Garrett Gerloff, Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team (SP: 14 / R01: 9 / SP Race: 13 / R02: 8): “It was a sinking ship on Tuesday and Friday, but luckily we didn’t completely drown. It wasn’t the best weekend, but it could have been a lot worse for sure. Overall, to have two top-ten in the main races is quite a decent way to start the season. It’s definitely a better way than we started last year where we were barely inside the top 15. I feel good on the bike. The competition is so strong, I can’t believe how fast everybody’s going. That’s definitely not making it easy. But we are figuring ourselves out, making progress. I’m looking forward to my home race coming up in a couple of weeks; testing first and then Barcelona, let’s go.”

 

Scott Redding, Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team (SP: 19 / R01: 11 / SP Race: 17 / R02: P17): “It was a difficult weekend. I think we went the wrong way setting up the bike, I couldn’t improve the lap time like the other guys and go fast. It was a strange week throughout the test here as well with the weather changing a lot, track grip changing a lot and I think we just got caught in the wrong way to go with the bike. We go to Barcelona. Hopefully we can improve, because the bike is showing potential. We’ll restart at Barcelona.”

BMW

2024 BMW Motorrad Motorsport WorldSBK Media Guide.

Phillip Island. The 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) kicks off this weekend (twenty third to twenty fifth February) in Phillip Island, Australia. The interactive 2024 BMW Motorrad Motorsport WorldSBK Media Guide gives complete data to set the stage for the season.

 

In this Media Guide, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Marc Bongers, Shaun Muir, Team Principal of the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, and Michael Galinski, Team Manager of the Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team, share their insights on the upcoming season. Additionally, we introduce our 4 BMW WorldSBK manufacturing unit riders: Garrett Gerloff (USA), new addition Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR), Scott Redding (GBR), and Michael van der Mark (NED), together with our new BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team.

The technical part gives complete data and technical knowledge on the newly revised BMW M 1000 RR for the 2024 WorldSBK. Furthermore, you possibly can discover particulars about BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s different international actions.

 

Extensive photograph materials to obtain at no cost.
Profile and studio photographs of Bongers, Muir, Galinski, Gerloff, Razgatlioglu, Redding and van der Mark, in addition to the BMW M 1000 RR and racetrack photographs might be downloaded freed from cost right here within the BMW Group PressClub.
 
 
For the media: Latest data on X .
In the brand new season, we’ll as soon as once more not solely be offering media representatives with common data by basic press releases, however may also be utilizing our social media channels to maintain you on top of things.
 
On race weekends, we’ll assist you in your work on occasion days by offering up-to-date statements and different essential data through our X channel, amongst different strategies. There may also be previews forward of the occasions and a abstract on the Sunday night, within the type of basic press releases.
 
BMW Motorrad Motorsport on Twitter: twitter.com/BMWMotorradMoSp 

BMW

Curtains up in Phillip Island: BMW Motorrad Motorsport kicks off the 2024 WorldSBK in Australia.

Phillip Island. The ready time is over. BMW Motorrad Motorsport and its two WorldSBK groups are set to start the 2024 season of the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) this coming weekend (twenty third to twenty fifth February). The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team options new addition Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) as the brand new teammate of Michael van der Mark (NED). Scott Redding (GBR) has switched throughout the BMW household to the Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team because the teammate of Garrett Gerloff (USA). Once once more, the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit southeast of Melbourne (AUS) hosts the season opener.

 

To conclude the season preparation, each groups and the 4 manufacturing unit riders had a take a look at day on Tuesday. This was utilised for fine-tuning the BMW M 1000 RR Superbikes for the primary race weekend of the yr. Additionally, evaluation was performed on how the brand new asphalt of the Phillip Island monitor impacts the setup.

The first free practices will happen on Friday. Superpole and race one will observe on Saturday, with the Superpole Race and race two scheduled for Sunday.

 

Quotes forward of the Phillip Island spherical.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “The final results of the test day are a bit difficult to assess. The last minutes of the test felt like a qualifying session, but we were consistently up front throughout. That was very encouraging. I believe that in race trim, Michael, Scott, and Garrett will be further up the grid than they are now in the test rankings. Additionally, Garrett faced setbacks due to a few technical issues. Making a prediction for the race is extremely difficult because we definitely have issues with the tyres. We simply can’t sustain them over the race distance. This is not unique to us; it’s a challenge for our competitors as well. There will be discussions with Pirelli in the next couple of days. I don’t anticipate completing the full race distance; there might even be a flag-to-flag race. Since the decision is pending, no predictions can be made. It could either be a highly strategic, tyre-preserving race, or there might be two consecutive sprint races. Overall, it’s gratifying that this is the third consecutive test where we are at the forefront. Our package is working, and I expect strong results without providing a precise prediction.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (#54 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I have to admit that I was really scared before I came here because this is not a track that suits my style. In addition, it was the first time for me to ride here with the BMW M 1000 RR. But I tried to do my best in every session. On this track, you need more grip to ride the bike. The old surface did not offer so much grip but on the new one, I was feeling too much grip and the bike was feeling really good. It was working really well and we made a very good lap time with the SC0 tyre. In general, the bike is working really well with the SC1 tyre and we found a very good set-up. I am happy, but that was just testing and in the last ten minutes, everyone pushed for good lap times, including me. We did a very good one, we finished in P1. This is good but I am focused on the race because I am working for the race and we will see. It looks like it could be a flag-to-flag race because the tyre is destroyed after ten laps, but we will see – in general, I am happy!”

Scott Redding (#45 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team): “I am happy that obviously we were able to get the tyres here and actually do some testing because the track surface is quite a lot different so it was good for us to see what is the limit of the tyres, which is quite complicated for everybody at the moment. I’m sure Pirelli and WorldSBK will do the best job they can to make it good for the race weekend. From my side, I enjoy the circuit now with this surface. I really love this track but last year with the track surface and the tyres it was not enjoyable, it was quite scary, but now you can relax and really enjoy the track, which is nice. We did not try too many things, we just worked on bike set-up for me to get confidence and feeling. That was the main goal, just to try and enjoy the bike which I am doing much more now. I am happy. I feel that we’ve got a good enough base that we can fine tune in the race weekend. Now we will go into the first round and see how it goes.”

Michael van der Mark (#60 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “It was nice to finally get out on track here. It is always great to ride this track. I am really enjoying it. The new surface gives a lot of grip and we feel also that the bike has improved a lot over the year. Our main focus was to work on the basis of the bike which is very good. Now Phillip Island is all about tyre life so we tried to find some solution to make the tyre last. It’s not’s easy but we are working on it. At the end of the day I tried to push for a time attack but I had a red flag on my lap. The final position in the standings is not where we want to be but we were on a good lap. I am looking forward to the race weekend, I think that we are quite strong and as I said, it is all about managing the tyres and that what is we have to do.”

Garrett Gerloff (#31 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team): “I was really looking forward to ride here around Phillip Island but it has been a tough final test day for us. We had some technical issues that cost us a lot of time and we could not use the test as we had planned. It’s frustrating when you have to sit in the garage while the others are doing their laps, but better we have these issues now and can solve them than if they come at the race weekend. Now we have a couple more days to work and prepare and then we are ready to kick off the season. We have seen that the BMW M 1000 RR can be fast here at Phillip Island, and that makes me confident that we can be back stronger on Friday when we open the weekend with FP1.”

BMW

BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team Presentation: The 2024 WorldSBK kickoff takes place within the BMW Motorrad Welt in Berlin.

Berlin. About 5 weeks earlier than the season opener at Australian Phillip Island, BMW Motorrad Motorsport offered the 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) line-up to the general public in Berlin (GER) on Wednesday. The two groups, the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and the Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team, in addition to the 4 BMW Motorrad WorldSBK manufacturing unit riders Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR), Michael van der Mark (NED), Scott Redding (GBR), and Garrett Gerloff (USA), unveiled their BMW M 1000 RR superbikes for the WorldSBK 2024 for the primary time. The occasion befell at a particular location, within the new BMW Motorrad Welt on the BMW Motorrad Plant Berlin. This plant is the guts of the BMW Motorrad manufacturing and the birthplace of the BMW M 1000 RR.

On Tuesday, Razgatlioglu, van der Mark, Redding, and Gerloff have been visitors on the BMW Motorrad Plant, and through an unique autograph session, the staff had the chance to personally meet their racing colleagues from the BMW Motorrad household. On Wednesday, the 4 BMW Motorrad WorldSBK manufacturing unit riders gained nearer insights into the manufacturing of the bikes, together with their racing machines, throughout a tour of the plant.

The precise group presentation befell afterwards in BMW Motorrad World, the brand new “Home of the Brand” in Berlin, opened in autumn 2023. The official begin of the 2024 WorldSBK occurred with the disclosing of the BMW M 1000 RR superbikes, which Razgatlioglu, van der Mark, Redding, and Gerloff will journey within the upcoming season with the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and the Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team.

A particular function of the group presentation in Berlin was that along with invited visitors, followers additionally had the chance to witness the occasion dwell on-site. Many of them seized the chance, secured the coveted free tickets for the occasion, and will personally work together with the 4 BMW Motorrad WorldSBK manufacturing unit riders in the course of the subsequent autograph session.

In preparation for the 2024 season, BMW Motorrad Motorsport, the 2 groups, and the riders can be again on the monitor quickly. The subsequent check periods will happen at Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, on January twenty fourth and twenty fifth. The first race weekend of the season is scheduled from February twenty third to twenty fifth at Phillip Island (AUS).

Quotes after the Team Presentation in Berlin.

 

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “First of all, I would like to thank everyone involved in the organisation. It was an absolutely cool event here at BMW Motorrad Welt. It was very nice to show the team managers and riders what we do here in Berlin. We haven’t done this in this form before. The atmosphere among all involved was fantastic, and that is also extremely important for performance because we have this one team mentality. The presentation itself in BMW Motorrad Welt was also very successful. I am confident for the new season. We still need a few tests; last year, we didn’t necessarily have the best conditions but we have prepared a lot of things. Now there is not much time left until Phillip Island. Although the first two events take place on tracks that haven’t necessarily been our strong suit in the past, I am still optimistic that we will have a good start, carry this positive energy into the first races and through the entire season.”

Shaun Muir (Team Principal ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “First of all it is an outstanding venue for such a presentation. It think it really captures the spirit of what BMW Motorrad are trying to achieve here so I am super proud to be part of that. The tour around the plant was sensational. A big round of applause to all the guys, everyone in the factory; they really welcomed us. Moving on to the championship as such, I think it is absolutely clear that the combination of Michael and Toprak brings some special qualities. I think that is something we are really looking forward to working with. Already we can see what Toprak requires in terms of a package and a bike. It is a little bit different, not an awful lot, we just need to steer in a slightly different direction to give Toprak what he needs. And I say that in terms of letting him amplify his strengths which is hard on the brakes, corner entry, balance on the bike, something we know the BMW M 1000 RR can work well with. We want to put ourselves in a strong position, we want to compete for the podium in Australia. Can we get a podium? It’s a tough question, but Toprak’s personal aims are that he thinks he can and we give him all the support to do that. Michael has missed large parts of the past two seasons, and he does not underestimate what he is up against but he is definitely up for that challenge. I feel that Toprak can bring a lot of strengths out of Michael. I am looking forward to seeing that because we saw how good Michael can be when things go well. The bike is getting better, there is a development team behind us. From where the project started in 2019 to where we are now is night and day. I hope we can take advantage of that and get our rewards.”

Michael Galinski (Team Manager Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team): “The team presentation was truly impressive. Many people attended, and it was very interesting at the BMW Motorrad plant and in the BMW Motorrad Welt. It was my first time at the plant itself, and it was fascinating to see the engine department and how all the motorcycles are assembled. It was great to take a behind-the-scenes look and also to present ourselves here as a team. We are very happy with our rider duo. They are two real top riders. Scott is the Vice World Champion, Garrett had a very strong second half of the season last year. Our goal is to move further forward, and with the BMW Motorrad family, this is certainly possible this season. So much manpower has been added that we are really happy now. Of course, we still need a bit of time, but we are confident that we will move forward this year.”

Garrett Gerloff (#31 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team): “It has been exciting. There has been a really cool energy here at Berlin. It’s great to be in Berlin, it’s really nice to see all the amazing people that work here in the plant, that develop and produce the BMW M 1000 RR that we race. So it’s really cool to have the team presentation here. It has been really nice to see Scott, Toprak and Michael and to get together after a couple of months of holidays and seeing family and friends. I can tell that we are all excited to get back on the track and to start testing again. In just over a month we are going to be racing in Australia. Everything is going to happen really fast from here on but I’ve been doing my part to make sure that I am ready for the season and I am excited to get started. I think we have a really good base now. I have one year behind me with BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, so a lot of information and I think we can come up with solutions faster than last year if we do have a problem. It is going to be good to go the every track with a higher potential, and I think it can be a really good season. My goal is to work on qualifying and to be a bit better there and that can help me in the beginning of the races and then at the end of the races, when I am strong, I think we can make some real progress and be up front.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (#54 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I am very happy to join the BMW Motorrad family. When I arrived at Berlin on Monday and left the airport I was really surprised because everyone spoke Turkish. Also at the plant, there a so many Turkish employees. I am very happy for this. In general, I am very positive. Especially today, there were a lot of people and I understand that a lot of people like me. A lot of people came here to see me, also many Turkish guys, and a lot of them came from very far away. Everyone can’t wait for the season, and that also goes for me. My focus is now on the season. I realized that the people believe in me, but it is important that you believe in your bike. Many people say that the BMW is not ready to fight for the championship but I believe that my bike is ready to fight for wins and the championship. We just need my setup, because my riding style is complete different. When we have this, we can easily fight for the win. Now I am just focusing on the test next week. It is really important for me. I need to adapt to the bike and I believe that we can fight for the podium and the wins this season. I am excited. I signed with BMW but I am also a part of the family. This is something I saw today again and it is great. I will give more than 100 percent, I will try to win with BMW. Everyone is working hard and this is a great extra motivation also for me. If we keep doing this, we will win the World Championship.”

Scott Redding (#45 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo motion BMW Racing Team): “It’s good to come here to Berlin. To come into the plant and to see how everything is made is always interesting, seeing the people in action at their work is always good. It’s also very interesting to see where the engines are built and how they do it, so it’s really nice to be here and to witness how everything is made. A launch is also always great, to unveil the colours of the bikes and the suites, together with the team-mates and the teams. Speaking about the coming season, for me it would be nice to have our bike to be more consistently competitive which I think we can do. We’ve had some good changes made and obviously Toprak is coming over. We also have a test team which makes a big difference. I think we are going in the right direction, which is important. It would be nice to stand on the podium again this year and more frequently, and to try to make our bad weekends not so bad and have a good, consistent year.”

Michael van der Mark (#60 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “It’s nice to start the season, it’s great to be here in Berlin. We all know that BMW is a big company but we got a nice tour through the plant and I must say that it is really impressive. It was also great to see where they prepare the race engines and I am really ready to start the season. I can’t wait to go testing again, I feel one hundred percent fit, I got a new teammate that seems to be really fast – so I am looking forward to it. Like I said, I am fit again, the bike is getting better and better, Toprak is pushing the project even more and I think we want to win races and be on the podium as soon as possible.”