Tag Archives: WorldSBK

BMW

WorldSBK Double-Header for BMW Motorrad Motorsport at MotorLand Aragón and Portimão.

In the final stages of the 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK), BMW Motorrad Motorsport is preparing for two consecutive race weekends in Spain and Portugal. The tenth season event will be held at MotorLand Aragón (ESP) from 22nd to 24th September, followed by round eleven at Portimão (POR) one week later.

After a strong showing by Garrett Gerloff (USA), who secured pole position and achieved two top-five results, as well as solid performances by Scott Redding (GBR) and Loris Baz (FRA) at Magny-Cours (FRA), BMW Motorrad Motorsport aims to showcase the potential of the BMW M 1000 RR in the upcoming races. Additionally, Michael van der Mark (NED) is looking to improve his performance following his return from injury.

BMW Motorrad Motorsport and its two teams, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, are well-prepared for the race weekend at MotorLand Aragón. They conducted a productive two-day test with all four BMW Motorrad factory riders at the venue at the end of August.

In between the WorldSBK events at Magny-Cours and MotorLand Aragón, Loris Baz participated in endurance racing as the fourth rider of the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team at the Bol d’Or in Le Castellet (FRA), the season finale of the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC).

Here are some quotes from key figures ahead of the Aragón and Portimão double-header:

 

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “The test with our BMW M 1000 RR at Aragón was quite positive. The competition is very strong, but we’ve already been able to showcase the bike’s potential in the recent races at Imola, Most, and Magny-Cours. That’s why I’m very confident that we can build on that and carry the positive momentum forward. Whether it’s enough for the podium, we’ll have to see. But our focus is on laying the base for the upcoming season now. I’m looking forward to the next races. It’s a busy part of the season, with four race weekends in a row, including the finale of the FIM EWC, but after the podium for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team in the endurance world championship, we’re excited to go into the WorldSBK double-header.”

Garrett Gerloff, BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “I’m happy that we were able to do the Aragón test a couple of weeks ago. I hope that will help us this race weekend. We have to wait and see. The test was okay, so hopefully from Magny-Cours we can make some improvements and bring those to Aragón. The team and I are working really well together. I know that we can have a solid weekend. It was also good to have tested on the BMW at Portimão even if it was long ago, at the beginning of the year when we didn’t know anything. So, it’s going to be different by the time we finally get there. But I’m looking forward to it. I like both tracks a lot. I know that as a team we’ll be ready for anything. I’m also super excited to have my friends coming for both rounds. That should be really cool to show my friends what World Superbike is like. It’s nice to have some home vibes there.”

Scott Redding, BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “We’re heading into the next round at Aragón after a difficult weekend at Magny-Cours. I’ve had a good feeling on the bike but we just did not have the luck behind us and a couple of crashes. We tested at Aragón a few weeks ago and I felt pretty good there with the bike compared to the past, so it’s another weekend I’m looking forward to. Hopefully, we can have a better weekend than the last time at Aragón, which I think is possible. We’ll see how we get on, and I’m looking forward to getting back on the bike again and moving forward and seeing if we can get some better results than at Magny-Cours.”

Michael van der Mark, BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “It’s nice to be back racing again. Obviously, Magny-Cours didn’t go as I had expected and also wanted, but I’m still working on my return. The only thing I can do right now is to do as many races as possible, so it’s nice to have two rounds back to back. We had a good test at Aragón, so it’s nice to go there with a good base, and the weather looks similar to the test, so that’s always good. Let’s see how it goes, and then I’m really looking forward to the Portimão round. It’s one of my favorite tracks on the calendar. I love being back there, and it’s nice to have back-to-back races. With the progression that BMW made over the last few rounds, I cannot wait to do the same.”

Loris Baz, BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “It’s a busy month, but that’s nice. I always enjoy when it’s busy like that with back-to-back racing with different bikes. After the endurance weekend at the Bol d’Or, I am now looking forward to being back on my Superbike. The feeling we had at Imola and Most was really good. We then had a tough weekend at Magny-Cours, but we were still able to go fast on one lap. I hope that the test at MotorLand Aragón will also help to have a stronger pace. I’m really looking forward to being back with my guys again and to enjoying the two rounds back to back with Portimão. That is always one of my favorite races to go to. Portimão is my favorite track in Europe, together with France. I love being there. It’s an amazing track, an amazing place, and there is always a lot of great racing there. That will be the penultimate round, so I will try to enjoy all the races before the season is over.”

Track Facts MotorLand Aragón.

Circuit length

5.077 km – anti-clockwise

Corners

17 – 7 right-handers, 10 left-handers

Pole position

Right

Longest straight

1,211 metres

Grip level

Medium

Track layout

Very long straight, flowing infield

Strain on brakes

Medium

Amount at full throttle

27 seconds or 24.5 %

Topspeed / lowest speed

322 km/h / 65 km/h

Best overtaking opportunity

T1, T16

Key factors

Engine performance, good chassis, feeling on the brakes

Track Facts Portimão.

Circuit length

4.592 km – clockwise

Corners

15 – 9 right-handers, 6 left-handers

Pole position

Left

Longest straight

770 metres

Grip level

Medium

Track layout

Significant changes in elevation, more slower sections but also fast corners with compression

Strain on brakes

Medium / low

Amount at full throttle

20 %

Top speed / lowest speed

308 km/h / 52 km/h

Best overtaking opportunity

T5

Key factors

Stability, confidence in the front, good turn-in
BMW

BMW Motorrad Motorsport in Most: Successful WorldSBK Weekend with Notable Moments

Most. The eighth round of the FIM Superbike World Championship 2023 (WorldSBK) in Most (CZE) delivered solid results and some highlights for BMW Motorrad Motorsport, both teams and the four BMW Motorrad factory riders. Scott Redding (GBR / ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished fourth in the first main race to match his best race result of the season. Loris Baz (FRA / Bonovo action BMW Racing Team) reached the top ten in both main races. His team-mate Garrett Gerloff (USA) recorded his best qualifying result of the season so far with sixth place in the Superpole, but endured some bad luck in both main races. Michael van der Mark (NED), returning to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team after missing an extended period due to injury, chalked up some points and got plenty of race kilometres under his belt.

The BMW Motorrad factory riders performed well in the free practice sessions. Redding set the fastest time in FP1 on Friday, while Gerloff was the quickest in FP3 on Saturday morning with Redding right behind him in second place. There was an air of optimism before the Superpole, but multiple falls and yellow flags in qualifying hindered their hunt for fast lap times. Gerloff was the highest-placed BMW rider in eighth. As other riders saw their fastest laps canceled, he moved up to sixth on the grid. Baz started race one from 13th, with Redding and van der Mark starting from 15th and 18th respectively.

Race one on Saturday afternoon turned into a tire gamble. Rain started at the beginning, but it was expected to ease off and the track was predicted to dry quickly. The question on the wet grid was which tires to start the race on. Redding chose wet-weather tires initially but headed for the pits after the warm-up lap to switch to intermediates. This meant he had to start from the pit lane, at the back of the field. However, Redding made an impressive comeback, overtaking many riders and spending time in second place before finishing fourth after 22 laps. Baz and his team opted for intermediates, and he finished in tenth place. Van der Mark started on wet-weather tires and pitted after a few laps to switch to slicks. He scored points in his first race after a long break due to injury, finishing 13th. Unfortunately, Gerloff had a stroke of bad luck. While running in seventh place, he slipped on a wet patch and crashed.

Rain returned on Saturday night and Sunday morning, but the track dried out just in time for the Superpole Race before noon. Gerloff finished the race in ninth, while Baz, Redding, and van der Mark finished 12th, 13th, and 14th respectively.

Rain clouds reappeared before the start of the second main race on Sunday afternoon, but the weather remained dry for the race. Redding started from 15th and once again showcased his impressive skills as he climbed up to eighth. Baz also made progress, reaching the top eight at one point and finishing in 10th place after 22 laps. Van der Mark secured another point by finishing 15th. Unfortunately, Gerloff experienced more misfortune. He had a great start from ninth on the grid but crashed on the first lap. He was able to rejoin the race after a brief stop in the pits for repairs and finished 20th.

The WorldSBK is now taking a summer break. The ninth round of the 2023 season will be held on September 8th to 10th in Magny-Cours, France.

Reactions to the Most round.

 

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “It was a very mixed weekend, both in terms of results and weather. And these were partly related. For Michael, his comeback weekend unfortunately started negatively. In FP2, there was a mechanical issue that caused a crash. Fortunately, he was okay and from Saturday onwards things went smoothly in technical terms, and it was good that he could do several laps to assess where he stands and what he needs to work on. He finished all the races and scored points. We are very satisfied with that. For Scott, we were very strong in the free practices, however qualifying was difficult. The session is short and tight, and with the rule that lap times get cancelled with yellow flags, even with a strong pace, it’s possible to come up short. And that was the case with Scott. However, he made a good decision in the first race and came in again before the start to switch to intermediates. He secured an extremely strong fourth place. In the second main race, he climbed from P15 to eighth. He had a solid pace again, but starting from the back is still challenging. Garrett showed strong lap times in the free practices and had a very good qualifying with P6. Unfortunately, he couldn’t capitalise on the Superpole position in the first race due to a crash in the wet conditions. In the Superpole race, he stayed within the crucial top nine. He also had a great start in race two, but unfortunately, he went into neutral and crashed. Although he continued with very strong lap times, he was outside the points. Loris had a consistently solid weekend, and we can be satisfied with his two top-10 results. Now we head into the summer break, and in early September, we hope for a strong start to the final stretch of the season in Magny-Cours.”

 

Scott Redding, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 15 / R01: 4 / SP Race: 13 / R02: 8): “Overall the weekend was pretty good. We were first on Friday in mixed conditions and second in FP3. We were a bit more up there, which was nice. Obviously, we had to take a gamble in different conditions, but it paid off. I was a bit upset with the result in this morning’s Superpole race. We had an issue, something was not quite right, and it made it difficult to stop the bike. It was hard because I wanted to try and finish in the top nine, to have a better start position for race two, and knew I had a better pace than that but I just couldn’t do it, so it was frustrating. In race two, I wanted to try and bounce back and show my potential again as a rider, so to come from 15th and have a good pace in the second half of the race was good. It took me a while to get through a few guys and to get a clear track, but I felt I was riding well and the pace was good. I think we were 13 seconds off the leader, of which I probably lost three, four, five in the beginning. It wasn’t ideal, but I felt strong, and the main thing is I enjoyed riding the bike today.”

 

Loris Baz, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team (SP: 13 / R01: 10 / SP Race: 12 / R02: 10): “It wasn’t a bad weekend. We have now had two good weekends in a row, and I don’t know when this was last the case. I am happy as I didn’t crash, and nobody took me out, so hopefully, we have left the bad luck behind us. I am even more proud and happy with the job we did here because in Imola, I felt really good from the beginning. Here, I didn’t feel comfortable on Friday or yesterday, and I was struggling a lot in some parts of the track. But we managed to improve the bike, and that on a track where we struggled last year. So yes, it was good. My Superpole race was okay. I was struggling a lot to overtake Dominique Aegerter, but we were not in the top nine, and that is what matters in the sprint race. Race two was good. I had a really strong start, and then I was trying to go at my pace, to not make any mistakes, and be there at the end. I struggled a bit with arm pump, and I was still in pain from my left shoulder since the crash in Imola. But I am happy. In the top ten again. I was just a bit disappointed to lose the top nine on the last lap.”

 

Michael van der Mark, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 18 / R01: 13 / SP Race: 14 / R02: 15): “This Sunday was OK for me. My priority was to do as many laps as possible. Of course, you also want to go as fast as possible too. In this morning’s Superpole race, I was happy. I had quite a good rhythm, but it was not more than ten laps. Then in race two, I had a good start but was a bit too cautious into turn one, and then I was behind a big group. I stayed with them for a while, but I was pushing too much to stay with them, so I backed off because I knew I had to do as many laps as possible. It was a lonely race, but we had to finish, we had to do the laps. So I am happy with the result. Overall, it’s nice to be back.”

 

Garrett Gerloff, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team (SP: 6 / R01: DNF / SP Race: 9 / R02: 20): “I was happy to stay in the top nine in the Superpole race. I had a really good start in race two, but unfortunately, the bike went into neutral going into turn one, and I ended up crashing. That was the end of the weekend, and I am just sad about it. I know our potential is really good, so it makes it even more frustrating, but after the summer break, we will come back stronger in France.”

BMW

WorldSBK at Most: Michael van der Mark back in the saddle of the BMW M 1000 RR.

Munich. The last race weekend of the 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) before the summer break is scheduled for the upcoming weekend for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. The eighth round of the season will take place from 28th to 30th July at Most, Czech Republic. Michael van der Mark (NED) will be back in the saddle of his BMW M 1000 RR after his injury hiatus.

BMW Motorrad Motorsport arrives with fond memories of the racetrack in the north of the Czech Republic. Last year, Scott Redding (GBR) secured the third-place podium finish in the first main race. The BMW M 1000 RR’s potential on the track was also evident in the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) as Most was the venue for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team’s first victory in 2021.

Therefore, the goal of the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, as well as the four BMW Motorrad factory riders Redding, van der Mark, Garrett Gerloff (USA), and Loris Baz (FRA), is to bid farewell to the summer break with strong results at Most.

Quotes ahead of the Most round.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “First of all, welcome back, Mickey! It’s great to have Mickey back on board after his long injury break. However, we don’t want to have too high expectations for him. The important thing is for him to get back into his racing rhythm on the BMW M 1000 RR before he launches a full attack after the summer break. Most is a track that has suited us well in the past. Combining this fact with the positive impressions we have gathered in the recent races, defines our goal for the weekend. Before the summer break, we aim to achieve strong results with our entire squad. The foundation for this needs to be laid in the qualifying, just like Scott and Loris did at Imola, and as Garrett would have done if he hadn’t had bad luck with yellow flags during Superpole. We approach the upcoming weekend with confidence!”

Michael van der Mark, BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “I am really happy to be back again. It has been a long time and I am looking forward to this race. It won’t be easy as I missed a lot of races so for sure the speed won’t be there from the start, but I’m looking forward to being back on the bike and to be back working with the boys, and to at least have a race under my belt before the summer break. Now, I am feeling 100 per cent fit again so I can’t wait to be back out and to enjoy this weekend before the break.”

Garrett Gerloff, BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “I’m really looking forward to go to Most again. It’s a track that I definitely enjoy and another circuit where BMW did well last year so I would love to go there and have a great weekend. It’s a fun layout. We’ll have different challenges this weekend though, with for example the tyre choices that we have. But I’m definitely looking forward to it. That should be fun!”

Scott Redding, BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “For me, Most is a good track. I like going there. Last year, we had a good result there with BMW. I look forward to going there. It’s a different kind of circuit to what we are used to. And hopefully we can try to get ourselves back inside the top five, top six. That would be the goal and keep working on the project and get as close as we can.”

Loris Baz, BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “I’m excited to go to Most. It is the first time this year that I am heading into a race weekend coming from a good race. I really hope that we left all the bad luck behind us now. Imola was great. The guys did a good job to find a better base set-up that suits me. It’s not easy to find that when you don’t ride a lot and don’t test, but with the injury it was tough. I’m really looking forward to Most. Last year the BMW was really fast there. I wasn’t, but Scott was, so I think we have potential there. I’m really looking forward to seeing if the base we found at Imola will be good here as well. The target is to work a lot from FP1 and we showed at Imola that this is what you need to do. I’m excited for the last WorldSBK round before the break, which we start with IDM at Spielberg. That will be cool, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Track Facts Most.

Circuit length

4.212 km – clockwise

Corners

21 – 14 right-handers, 7 left-handers

Pole position

Left

Longest straight

720 metres (start-finish straight)

Grip level

Comparatively high

Track layout

Very few straights, apart from start/finish; mainly slow corners, chicanes, zones with different types of tarmac

Strain on brakes

Medium

Amount at full throttle

19 % resp. 19 seconds

Top speed / lowest speed

295 km/h / 60 km/h

Best overtaking opportunity

T1

Key factors

Dynamic changes in direction, lots of confidence in the front wheel
BMW

BMW Motorrad Motorsport continues to progress in WorldSBK at Imola

The heat was on at Imola during round seven of the 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK). Despite the extremely challenging conditions, the BMW Motorrad Motorsport teams and riders built on their positive trend from Donington Park. Loris Baz from the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team achieved his best results of the season so far, while Scott Redding from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team secured fifth place in Superpole. Garrett Gerloff impressed in practice and warm-up sessions but encountered bad luck in the races. Meanwhile, Leon Haslam finished in the points in race one.

On Saturday morning’s Superpole qualifying, Redding and Baz secured fifth and ninth places respectively, setting up a promising weekend. Haslam placed 14th, while Gerloff, despite being among the fastest riders in practice, had to settle for 15th due to yellow flags. In race one on Saturday afternoon, Baz finished eighth, his best result of the season at that point. However, Redding faced handling issues in the extreme temperatures, dropping back to tenth place. Gerloff finished 13th, and Haslam battled for 11th but was ultimately forced off the track and finished 14th.

With even higher temperatures on Sunday, Redding finished ninth in the Superpole Race, closely followed by Baz in tenth place. Haslam placed 15th, while Gerloff retired due to a mechanical issue. In the second main race, which was shortened due to the scorching conditions, Redding gained three positions at the start and finished seventh, with Baz close behind in eighth. Gerloff finished 13th again, while Haslam retired.

Looking back at the Imola round, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Marc Bongers expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance. Despite the challenging conditions and the fact that two of the riders had never raced at Imola before, the team achieved two top-ten finishes in every race. Bongers praised Baz’s strong performance, especially his three top-ten results, making him the top BMW rider twice. He also acknowledged Gerloff’s strong performances in practice sessions, despite his misfortune in qualifying. Bongers concluded by looking ahead to the next race at Most, a track where the team was successful last year, and anticipating Michael van der Mark’s comeback.

Loris Baz from the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team expressed his happiness with the good weekend and the support from his team. He acknowledged the difficulties they faced earlier in the season but was delighted with his strong performance, including a seventh-place finish in race two. Scott Redding from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team noted that while the weekend had its challenges, the team managed to gather usable data and make progress despite the extreme heat. Garrett Gerloff, also from the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, described the weekend as difficult and expressed determination to do better in the next race. Leon Haslam from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team considered it a good but challenging weekend and expressed satisfaction with his progress and the battles he had with other riders.

The next round of the 2023 WorldSBK season will take place at Most, in the Czech Republic, from July 28th to 30th.

BMW

BMW Motorrad Motorsport ready for the WorldSBK weekend at Donington Park – Home round for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team.

The FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) returns to historic ground. The sixth round of the 2023 season will take place at Donington Park (GBR), where the first WorldSBK race was held in 1988, from June 30 to July 2. The circuit near Nottingham (GBR) is also a special place for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. Several significant successes have been celebrated there in the past. It is also the home race for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, as well as Scott Redding (GBR) and Tom Sykes (GBR), who will once again stand in for injured Michael van der Mark (NED) this weekend.

The Bonovo action BMW Racing Team aims to continue its momentum from Misano four weeks ago (ITA) at Donington Park. At Misano, Garrett Gerloff (USA) achieved his best result of the season so far in a main race, finishing eighth in race two. His teammate Loris Baz (FRA) has used the break since Misano to train intensively and is confident of being 100% fit again after the injury he suffered at Mandalika (IDN).

The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team has a special tradition for its home race at Donington Park. At the beginning of race week, the entire team gathers at their headquarters in Guisborough (GBR), about two and a half hours’ drive from the race circuit. “Our team is based in the north of England, and after we set off for the first European event, all the trucks, equipment, bikes, and so on return to the UK for the first time. We’re practically on the road all year round,” explained Team Principal Shaun Muir. “After the races at Misano and before the races at Imola, this is the only time we have all the equipment here. It’s a good time to pack the trucks with new equipment, and we have the opportunity to prepare the bikes here in our workshop instead of doing it at the track on a Wednesday and Thursday. Here, we have several days and a suitable environment to get everything ready for Donington Park.” The 17,000-inhabitant town of Guisborough is Shaun Muir’s hometown. The team’s headquarters was established in 2002 and has been developed there since.

In addition to the core team permanently based in Guisborough, the days leading up to the race weekend at Donington Park provide an opportunity for the international team to come together. “Our team members mainly have the chance to meet during race weekends. Our mechanics come from all over Europe, from the UK, Portugal, France, Poland, and so on and now they all gather here with us. It’s really like a big team get-together,” said Muir.

Now everything is prepared, the trucks have arrived at Donington from Guisborough, and the race weekend can begin. It’s a track that team manager Muir finds exciting not only because it’s the home track: “I think what’s really special about Donington is that it’s a motorcycle track through and through. It has always been on the WorldSBK calendar; that’s where it all started. Personally, I really like the circuit, and all the riders I speak to feel the same way. I believe that Donington Park is one of the top-three tracks for almost all riders, from the past and the present. It’s a real attraction. So, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Quotes ahead of the Donington Park round.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “After a four-week break, we are now continuing with three race weekends within five weeks. We want to start this series of events at Donington Park, Imola, and Most in the best possible way. We have very good memories associated with Donington Park. It’s where we celebrated our first WorldSBK victory in 2012, and also after our factory comeback in 2019, we had successful outings at this circuit. The goal, of course, is to continue this trend. The track has been resurfaced, and in the initial practice sessions, we will see how it affects the handling and setup work. In any case, we are looking forward to exciting races at the historic Donington Park circuit and working hard to close in on the front.”

Garrett Gerloff, #31 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “I’m really looking forward to Donington Park this weekend. It’s a track where I had success in the past and so did BMW, so hopefully we can have a good weekend and find a setup quickly. It’s going to be slightly different because there’s new asphalt, but I think that’s good for us. We’ll see how it goes. I’m definitively looking forward to it.”

Scott Redding, #45 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “I’m looking forward to my home round at Donington Park. Last year, it went well there for us and I would like to achieve similar results this time. That would be great in front of my home crowd. There is a new track surface so we need to see how that reacts with the tyres.”

Tom Sykes, #66 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “I am very much looking forward to Donington Park. It’s my home race and a circuit that I enjoy. It’s also the home race for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. Not only that, on the BMW in the past I’ve had some success there so we have that in mind and with what we learnt at Misano we can hopefully make the base setting of the BMW M 1000 RR a bit more suited to me. I’ve had a good chat with my crew-chief Marcus Eschenbacher in between with some ideas for Donington so I am really looking forward to the possibilities. We’ve also had some fantastic weather here in the UK and if that can continue into the weekend, I can imagine that it can provide excellent racing for the fans. Fingers crossed for a successful weekend.”

Loris Baz, #76 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “It’s been quite a long time since Misano, but Misano was the first race where I was feeling good on the bike and not riding in pain, so it’s definitely a big improvement for me to be able to ride like this. I had a good three, four weeks to train even more. I’m back at 100 % now, so I’m really looking forward to this round. I love the Donington track! I hope we have more luck than at Misano where we had some issues. I’m confident of finally ride pain-free and enjoying riding the bike. Let’s see if the new Donington surface brings us luck.”

Track Facts Donington Park

Track Facts Donington Park.

Circuit length

4.023 km – clockwise

Corners

12 – 7 right-handers, 5 left-handers

Pole position

Left

Longest straight

550 metres (start-finish straight)

Grip level

Medium

Track layout

Fluid, fast turns; hard braking zones; climbs and descents

Strain on brakes

Medium

Amount at full throttle

28 %

Top speed / lowest speed

277 km/h / 45 km/h

Best overtaking opportunity

T1, T9, T11

Key factors

High speeds through the turns, stability and feel on brakes when leaning, courage
BMW

BMW Motorrad Motorsport WorldSBK Riders Show Resilience in Challenging Misano Weekend

The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK riders showed their fighting spirit during a challenging weekend at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Despite facing adversity, the team managed to deliver impressive results during the fifth round of the FIM Superbike World Championship 2023.

Yellow and red flags interrupted the Superpole qualification on Saturday, but Scott Redding managed to secure 12th place, with Gerloff in 14th, Sykes in 18th, and Baz in 19th. Unfortunately, Baz was later demoted three places for race one due to a penalty incurred during the third practice session. The best result for BMW in the first race on Saturday was delivered by Redding, who finished in 11th place.

In the Superpole race on Sunday morning, Gerloff moved up to ninth place, while Redding was in 11th place and Baz in 13th. Unfortunately, Sykes took a tumble, but he managed to finish the race in 20th place.

During the second main race, Gerloff recorded his best result of the season by finishing in eighth place. Baz started from the back of the field, battled his way up to 12th place, and Sykes crossed the finish line in 13th position. Redding made a great start, moving up from 13th to ninth, but struggled during the race and finished in 14th position.

BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director, Marc Bongers, praised the team’s fighting spirit, but acknowledged that there’s still work to be done. The sixth round of the season in the WorldSBK 2023 will take place from 30th June to 2nd July at Donington Park (GBR).

The BMW riders shared their reactions to the race in Misano:

  • Garrett Gerloff, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, was reasonably happy with his eighth-place finish and is motivated for the next races at Donington.
  • Scott Redding, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, acknowledged that the weekend was quite difficult, and the team will keep working to find a solution.
  • Loris Baz, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, expressed his disappointment with the bike’s issues but praised the team’s mechanics for fixing it in time for the race. He hopes that their bad luck is finally over.
  • Tom Sykes, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, acknowledged the difficulty in finding a base setting during a race weekend but appreciated the team’s hard work in gathering information to move forward.