Isle of Man. Peter Hickman (GBR) has already celebrated eleven victories with BMW Motorrad Motorsport at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. However, a serious injury temporarily halted his progress and forced him to miss the 2025 edition of the legendary road race. Now, “Hicky” has made an impressive comeback: in the two 1000cc races held at this year’s Isle of Man TT, he guided his #10 BMW M 1000 RR of 8TEN Racing to second place on both occasions.

Preparation for this year’s Isle of Man TT proved challenging for 8TEN Racing, BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s Official Team UK. For Hickman, the event was an important benchmark following his injury layoff. His teammate Davey Todd (GBR), who had claimed three Isle of Man victories aboard the BMW M 1000 RR over the previous two years, suffered an injury earlier this year and was not cleared to race. Instead, he took on the role of television commentator and analyst throughout the event.

Race week began with the Superbike TT, contested over six laps of the famous Mountain Course. Hickman quickly demonstrated that he was back to his best, while the team delivered excellent pit-stop performances. The reward was a hard-fought and well-deserved second-place finish on the podium.

After that, the previously favourable weather conditions deteriorated. Fog and rain repeatedly caused delays and cancellations. The two Superstock races, in which BMW road racers are traditionally among the leading favourites, could not be held this year. As a result, only the prestigious Senior TT remained on the schedule, taking place late on Saturday afternoon. The race was red-flagged during the second lap following a serious accident involving BMW road racer Erno Kostamo (FIN).

Later, due to the poor weather forecast, race officials decided not to restart the Senior TT. Consequently, the standings after the opening lap were declared the final result, with Hickman once again finishing second behind Dean Harrison (GBR / Honda), who had also won the Superbike TT.

In addition to Kostamo’s crash in the Senior TT, several other serious accidents in different classes cast a shadow over this year’s Isle of Man TT. The entire BMW Motorrad Motorsport family’s thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Daniel Ingham, who tragically lost his life, and we wish Erno and all others who were injured a speedy recovery.

Reactions after the 2026 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.

Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “What I take away from this year’s TT is that. Pete is back. After some very difficult times, he rediscovered his confidence over the course of these two weeks and did an incredibly good job. For him, it was crucial to complete the full six laps of the opening Superbike TT race to assess where his fitness level stood. He was not yet at 100 percent, but he improved with every lap and was then able to demonstrate in the Senior TT that he is well on his way to making a complete return. You could see it in his body language on the bike: the old Pete is back. For Davey, it was a very difficult fortnight. As he continues his recovery and was not cleared to compete at this year’s TT due to his injury not yet being fully healed, he did everything he could to support the commentary team on site. However, he and Pete are now fully focused on 2027. Both riders know one thing: TT 2027 starts today. Our full focus will be on preparing as thoroughly as possible for next year’s event with both riders and the team. Congratulations to Dean Harrison and Honda, who delivered an outstanding performance – we are looking forward to a great battle in 2027! At the same time, it was great for us to see so many private BMW riders on the starting grid once again. It underlines the importance and strength of our brand in road racing. It would have been interesting to see how the competition would have unfolded in the Superstock races, but as is so often the case on the Isle of Man, the weather proved to be a major challenge. Unfortunately, this year’s event was overshadowed by several serious accidents. We would like to express our condolences to the family of Daniel Ingham and hope for a speedy recovery for all those who were injured.”

Peter Hickman, 8TEN Racing: “It’s been a really unusual race week, but overall for me, including two podiums in two races with the BMW M 1000 RR, I couldn’t have asked for much more than that. It was more than I ever expected. Obviously I’m still not 100% yet, as we all know, but I’m really, really happy with how the two weeks have gone. 8TEN Racing and BMW have done a fantastic job. In fact, I didn’t touch one click on the Superbike for two weeks – the bike was just that good. I’m more than happy with that, coming back after missing all of last year so I look forward to the TT 2027.”

BMW Motorrad presents the BMW M 1000 RR Limited Edition Isle of Man TT.

It was the major highlight at the start of this year’s Isle of Man TT: With the BMW M 1000 RR Limited Edition Isle of Man TT, BMW Motorrad introduces a special model limited to 115 units to mark the 115th running of the legendary road race in 2026. The edition is based on the BMW M 1000 RR M Competition and combines exclusive TT design elements with carefully selected equipment features and collector attributes.

With this edition limited to 115 units, BMW Motorrad pays tribute to one of the most historic and demanding road races in the world. Key features include the British Racing Green Uni Matte paint finish, selected Mountain Course graphics, and sequential numbering with a certificate of authenticity.

Note to editors:

You can find all results of this year’s Isle of Man TT here on the official website.

Munich. The BMW Group and BMW M Motorsport mourn the passing of Alessandro Zanardi. The racing driver, long-standing works driver and corporate ambassador passed away unexpectedly in Italy on 1st May, as confirmed by his family. “Alex” Zanardi was 59 years old. In these difficult hours, the thoughts of the BMW Group are with his wife Daniela, his son Niccol , and all his relatives and friends. “Alex” was a wonderful human being, an unwavering optimist and an inspiration to many people around the world. The company has lost a compelling humanitarian and representative; BMW M Motorsport has lost an ambitious and successful athlete from the family of its works drivers. 

Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M GmbH, said: “Alex Zanardi was one of the most extraordinary people I have ever had the privilege of meeting. His courage, his zest for life, his positive energy and his passion for motorsport deeply impressed and touched all of us at BMW M. Alex was far more than an outstanding athlete and ambassador for our brand. He was a true member of our BMW M Motorsport family. Together with BMW M Motorsport, Alex wrote a very special story. He showed what is possible when talent, determination, trust and technical expertise come together. His achievements in the race car were impressive, but the impact he had as a person was even greater. With his unwavering attitude and optimism, he inspired people all over the world. We are losing a wonderful human being, a great fighter and a friend. Our thoughts are with his wife Daniela, his son Niccol  and his family. We will miss Alex very much, and at BMW M we will always keep a special place for him in our history and in our hearts.”

Zanardi was born in Bologna on 23rd October 1966. After competing in Formula 1, where he contested 41 Grands Prix, he moved to the American CART series and became Champ Car champion in 1997 and 1998. In a dramatic racing accident at the Lausitzring on 15th September 2001, he lost both legs and had to be resuscitated several times. But Zanardi never gave up and, in 2005, made his comeback as a BMW Motorsport works driver in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) as a double amputee –  a comeback he crowned with victory at Oschersleben on 29th August 2005. He also contested several 24-hour races for BMW Motorsport, competed in the Blancpain Sprint Series in 2014, and made guest appearances in the DTM.

Alongside his motor racing career, Zanardi also began a new sporting career and once again demonstrated what is possible in life with dedication, willpower and ambition. In handcycling, he won two gold medals at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. Four years later, at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, he again won two gold medals and one silver medal in handcycling. He also completed several long-distance triathlons, including the legendary Ironman in Hawaii. In 2007, he finished fourth in the New York Marathon. Through his “Bimbingamba” foundation, Zanardi supported children and young people who had suffered amputations and did not have access to adequate care. Through “Obiettivo 3”, he helped to involve athletes with disabilities being introduced to sport.

After another serious accident during a handcycling competition near Pienza on 19th June 2020, Alex Zanardi withdrew from the public eye. Lovingly cared for by his family, he moved between hospital, rehabilitation and his home in Padua. Alex Zanardi once said: “You want to climb the mountain because it’s there and you know you can do it.” Now, the ultimate survivor has embarked on his final journey. Ciao, Alex!

Munich. A large global racing family is ready for the 2026 season: BMW Motorrad Motorsport enters the new year with a comprehensive programme, strong teams, and top riders. The factory teams are the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team in the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) and the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team in the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC). In customer racing, numerous teams will again compete worldwide in various championships in 2026, including three BMW Motorrad Motorsport Official Teams: Orange Cat Racing from the USA, 8TEN Racing from the UK, and AutoRace Ube Racing from Japan.

Factory Racing: WorldSBK and FIM EWC.

After winning two world championship titles, BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, led by Team Principal Shaun Muir, are opening a new chapter in 2026. Two experienced and successful riders form the new lineup. Danilo Petrucci (ITA), 35, has proved in recent years that he is among the top competitors in the WorldSBK paddock. As a rider for a private team, he has secured victories and podiums, holding third in the standings before missing races due to injury in the final stages. Petrucci will race the #9 BMW M 1000 RR. Miguel Oliveira (POR), 31, competed in MotoGP from 2019, achieving multiple Grand Prix wins and podiums. Oliveira will make his WorldSBK debut on the BMW M 1000 RR with bike number 88. The WorldSBK season begins on 21st/22nd February at Phillip Island (AUS).

In the FIM EWC, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, led by Team Manager Werner Daemen, came very close to the world championship last season. Less than 30 minutes separated the team from the title at the season finale, the Bol d’Or in France. A technical failure ultimately pushed them back to third place in the championship, earning them the title of “World Champions of Hearts.” The lineup of the #37 BMW M 1000 RR changes only in one spot for 2026: Michael van der Mark (NED) joins the team. He was a BMW Motorrad factory rider in WorldSBK from 2021 and now moves to the FIM EWC. Van der Mark already raced with the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team at Suzuka (JPN) in 2025. Also continuing are BMW veteran Markus Reiterberger (GER), part of the project since its 2019/20 debut, Steven Odendaal (RSA), and Hannes Soomer (EST) as the fourth rider. The riders’ programmes also include additional activities: Van der Mark is a test rider for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team, Reiterberger and Soomer will compete in the new EuroMoto (formerly IDM Superbike), and Odendaal will defend his title in the Spanish Superbike Championship.

Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) will also continue to compete on a BMW M 1000 RR in the FIM EWC; together with Soomer and Naomichi Uramoto (JPN) he forms a strong trio for the AutoRace Ube Racing Team. The FIM EWC season begins with the 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA) on 18th/19th April.

Customer racing: Official Teams in focus markets.

BMW Motorrad Motorsport is also successful worldwide in customer racing. Numerous private teams have been winning races and championships around the globe for years. In focus markets, customer teams compete as BMW Motorrad Motorsport Official Teams, working closely with BMW Motorrad Motorsport in communication, marketing, and events.

Japan: AutoRace Ube Racing Team.
In Japan, this is the AutoRace Ube Racing Team, which has already made a mark in the Japanese Superbike Championship and FIM EWC. The team’s regular rider is Naomichi Uramoto (JPN). For FIM EWC events in 2026, AutoRace Ube Racing will receive prominent reinforcement. Guintoli, Superbike and Endurance World Champion as well as BMW Motorrad factory rider in FIM EWC and the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team, brings a wealth of skill and experience. Soomer also contributes his talent and experience on the #76 BMW M 1000 RR.

USA: Orange Cat Racing.
In North America’s MotoAmerica, Orange Cat Racing won the Superstock title last season. Now, the US team, as BMW Motorrad Motorsport Official Team in the focus market USA, moves up to the MotoAmerica Superbike class. The team’s two BMW M 1000 RRs will be ridden by Jayson Uribe and Sean Dylan Kelly (both USA).

UK: 8TEN Racing.
In international Road Racing, the 8TEN Racing Team from the UK focus market is the team to beat. The two riders are also the team owners and the top favorites at major events: Davey Todd and Peter Hickman (both GBR), both of whom have already achieved numerous victories, including at the Isle of Man TT and the Macau Grand Prix. As per last year, Todd and Hickman will compete not only in Road Racing but also in the British Superbike Championship (BSB).

Quotes.

Sven Blusch (Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport): “After the two world championship titles in 2024 and 2025, our full focus is now on continuing this momentum. On the WorldSBK side, we are perfectly positioned. With Danilo Petrucci and Miguel Oliveira, we have brought on board two experienced top riders, whom we’ve already had the chance to get to know a little over the winter. We head to Australia with a very good feeling. Although we had a lot of rain during testing and would have liked a few more laps, we are already looking forward to Phillip Island. In the FIM EWC, after last year’s dramatic season finale, we are even more determined to win the title. With the addition of Michael van der Mark to the team, alongside Steven Odendaal and Markus Reiterberger on bike #37, we are very well positioned for the mission of winning the championship. Over the winter, we prepared intensively, both operationally and technically. In customer racing, our goal for 2026 is to further internationalise. Among the further BMW supported teams in the FIM EWC is also the AutoRace Ube Racing Team, our Official Team from Japan, which has very strong riders in Sylvain Guintoli, Hannes Soomer, and Naomichi Uramoto. With the Orange Cat Racing Team, we have a new Official Team for the USA, which will field two bikes in the MotoAmerica Superbike class, featuring two young, talented riders: Sean Dylan Kelly and Jayson Uribe. Here, our goal as BMW is to defend the title. In the BSB and Road Racing, our Official Team from the UK, 8TEN Racing with Peter Hickman and Davey Todd, will compete. This is also an incredibly strong rider combination. We hope for good results in the BSB and keep our fingers crossed for the Isle of Man TT and other road races, where the two are among the absolute favorites. Overall, it is important for us to strengthen international motorsport in customer racing. With this lineup, we are heading into the 2026 season highly motivated – it embodies our ambition, our drive, and our determination to go full throttle from the very first race.”

Christian Gonschor (Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport): “2026 will be an exciting year of motorsport for BMW Motorrad Motorsport, with clear goals and focus. The mix of new riders and technicians, along with our already strong race teams, partners, and sponsors, makes us eager for more. Everyone is looking forward to the season opener in all relevant classes. The limited dry-weather testing opportunities for our Superbike World Championship team only fuel the ambition of the riders and the team even more. When time is limited, passion and self-confidence help. Danilo and Miguel feel the unwavering commitment of everyone in the team and inspire with their determination, great personalities, and incredible experience. Representing BMW Motorrad Motorsport on the podium regularly with both riders is the clear goal for 2026. Standing still is falling behind, so the wheel will keep turning in both the test team and our Munich headquarters. The riders can look forward to continuous development. In the Endurance World Championship, the benchmark is clear: to finally bring the 2025 world title, narrowly missed at the end, back to Munich. A bike further optimised for the championship and tyres, together with the strengthened rider lineup including Michael van der Mark, offers outstanding opportunities for successful 24-hour races and excellent results in the eight-hour races at Spa and Suzuka. The desire to make history as the first European manufacturer in the EWC 2026 is the ultimate motivation for everyone in the team. We’re ready to go.”

Uwe Geyer (Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport Customer Racing): “In customer racing, we are well-positioned this year, both for the Superbike class and for the Superstock programme worldwide. We have successfully adopted developments from WorldSBK, such as a new swingarm and improvements in electronics. Our Superstock package is up-to-date and competitive. The first teams are already receiving their new motorcycles. In addition, we have introduced Official Teams with whom we maintain closer collaboration in order to further drive internationalisation. These include, for example, the BSB, Japan, and MotoAmerica. The number of our top teams, for example in France, Spain, and Germany in the EuroMoto, has remained the same. Therefore, my personal goal is to further increase the number of overall wins through cooperation with our partner teams. That is the target for this year.”

Shaun Muir (Team Principal ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “We are really looking forward to the 2026 season. We have a new set of goals, a new set of targets with our two new riders Danilo and Miguel. It's really exciting to start the new chapter of the World Superbike programme with BMW Motorrad and our sponsors. I think the expectation is really high also, finishing as World Champions for the last two years, and we’re really determined to give the riders the best tools we possibly can to reach the podium as soon as possible. I think that when we get into Europe from round two, three onwards, we’ll really start to see the true potential of the rider/bike combinations so we’re looking forward to that. Most important is that we give Danilo and Miguel the full support and show how determined we are to continue the good work that we’ve done in the past. We believe that the BMW M 1000 RR is going to grow as a package in the coming months and the proof of that will be the performances that both the riders give us on track. So I’m looking forward to the season - we can take the fight to the competition.”

Werner Daemen (Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team): “We expect that we go in the same way that we ended 2025 – except of course the last 25 minutes, because the rest of 2025 was really good. I think we have a very good bike and very strong riders with Markus, Steven, now Michael van der Mark and Hannes as fourth rider. I think we have one goal which is for going for the championship. At the moment, all suits well. We are well prepared from the technical side and testing starts from February on. I expect that we’re running in front and, okay, you need some luck. I also think when we have the luck on our side, we can go again for the world title. This year, we also do the EuroMoto, the new IDM class, where Markus and Hannes can prepare themselves for the World Championship. Steven Odendaal will do the ESBK on the stock BMW – so I think we will be very well prepared for the season.”

Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I’m excited for sure. I don’t know really what to expect. I know it‘s going to be a difficult, competitive environment through the whole grid. So my goal is to be up to that challenge and be as ready as I can to fight for top positions and make my adaptation as fast as possible, especially to have fun and to make the team enjoy the races.”

Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I’m so happy and proud to join the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. It’s the team that has won the last championships and I’m so proud to be part of it. I can’t wait to race with this bike. We did a few tests, and in rainy conditions the situation is really good. We need to spend some time more in the dry because we didn’t have so much time in such conditions yet. For sure there is a lot of expectation but mainly I want to enjoy. I don’t have any particular result in mind. I just want to be as fast as I can and improve the results of my previous season.”

Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team): “I am honestly looking forward to it. I had a nice experience with them last year at Suzuka and I really enjoyed working with Steven and Markus and we’re a nice team. It’s great to know the team already and I think it’s pretty clear that we have one goal and that’s to win the Endurance World Championship. They were so close last year but unfortunately it’s part of endurance racing. I’m looking forward to trying and helping them to get a world title. I will also be in the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team. We’re doing a lot of testing work before getting the parts over to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and also to the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. It’s a different kind of job, but also really enjoyable. Sometimes it’s a lot of work, and I am really enjoying it as well. It’s great to stay with the BMW Motorsport family and I might be busy during the year.”

Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team): “I’m really looking forward to the season with BMW and the familiar, well-known environment from the past years. Our goal is clear: we want to win the world championship. Last year we were very, very close. We were missing 25 minutes to the title. Unfortunately, we didn’t quite make it in the end, but that automatically makes it our task to go and get it now and I believe the chances are good. We’ve improved a little more in many areas. I think it’s realistic that we can achieve it, but we all have to give our best, work well and stay focused, and of course also have the necessary luck – or simply avoid bad luck. Because endurance racing is always a combination of everything. So the goals are clearly defined. In EuroMoto, we also want to bring the championship title back to BMW. I’ve already managed that four times, and I’m happy that I can go after it once again. Here, I first have to readjust a bit, because in recent years I’ve been active as a test rider at BMW mainly on the Superbike. I was familiar with the Stock bike in the past, and now I need to dial myself back in a little. However, we still have several tests coming up in preparation. The competition in EuroMoto is very strong, which makes me happy, because that’s exactly what German motorsport needs: strong riders, teams, and motorcycles. We’re well set up, and I’m hoping for a great season.”

Steven Odendaal (BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team): “I’m really excited for this 2026 season. I think from last year we can extract a lot of information about how to improve, not just on the bike but also myself personally. And I think that this year we can really bring it together for a strong and consistent performance to bring us the title at the end of the year. That’s the main objective and obviously also I would like to defend my Spanish Superbike title this year. I am looking forward to keeping my eye in with that and enjoying racing again.”

Tsune Igami (Team Manager AutoRace Ube Racing Team): “We are very happy to be the BMW Motorrad Motorsport Official Team in Japan. It is great that we are part of the BMW family, and we can’t wait to start the season.”

Sylvain Guintoli (AutoRace Ube Racing Team): “This is another super motivating challenge for me. Last year the performance from the AutoRace Ube team straight away with the BMW was incredible, not only in the All Japan Championship, where Naomichi managed to win two races, but also to be ultra-competitive in the Suzuka 8 Hours as well as at the Bol d’Or for their first 24 -hour race at very short notice. They did an amazing job last year, so for me to step in now feels like it makes a lot of sense and like extra motivation to try and bring some experience into the team, to try to make it sort of successful straight away and help with the adaptation. I’m mega excited.”

Naomichi Uramoto (AutoRace Ube Racing Team): “I’m very excited to race the full season of FIM EWC with a great team and great teammates as a part of the big BMW family. I’m really motivated for the season.”

Hannes Soomer (AutoRace Ube Racing Team): “For me it’s the next step in my endurance career to be a full time rider. It’s the first time in my life on a superbike. Like the two guys next to me, I’m also really excited. I rode the bike and joined the team for one test last year before Suzuka. I felt good in the team and on the bike from the first day. I’m really excited to see what we can do. I think we have a really nice set of three riders, everybody is ready to work, everybody is fast and I’m looking forward to Le Mans.”

Jeff Connors (Team Principal Orange Cat Racing): “We’re expecting to, as long as we learn after every single event, get better after every single event, and by the end of the season, being able to compete for podiums. I think that’s possible with BMW’s support to accelerate our learning curve with the superbike. We’re new to this, we know that, and it’s going to take us some time to get up there and compete for wins, but really preparing ourselves for 2027.”

Sean Dylan Kelly (Orange Cat Racing): “First of all, I’m extremely excited to be back on the BMW. It’s a bike that I already won a race on, in the Moto America Superbike class, and that means it’s quite clear for me that the goal is to win. I’m a professional racer and I work very hard to achieve wins every weekend and I think the championship is the hunt for me. It’s also realistic that it’s a new team stepping up into Superbike, new people, new crew chief, a newer, more developed bike, so there’s a lot of things to learn but I think the package is there to be competitive and that’s all I’m focused on so I’m really excited to get started. I want to say thank you to the Orange Cat Racing team and also to BMW for making this happen.”

Jayson Uribe (Orange Cat Racing): “For me, this upcoming year on the BMW M 1000 RR is to win the championship. Whether that’s with myself or with Sean, our goal is to make sure that Orange Cat Racing and BMW come together with the win. I would like to continue to progress and learn as a rider. I think jumping on the superbike is a big step and I’m excited to continue to get better and better with every lap. I have big expectations. I want to win races, but I also want to make sure I provide the best results for the team. I understand that sometimes that means seeing the bigger picture, and that’s what we're here to do.”

Darren Jones (Team Manager 8TEN Racing): “With the winter behind us and more support from BMW Motorrad Motorsport themselves I’m looking forward to the season. Especially after last year with everything being put together so late. It was always going to be a struggle and we were always on the back foot, but now I think with the support we’ve got and the sponsors that are helping us out even more than before, I’m pretty confident we can put on a good show for everyone.”

Davey Todd (8TEN Racing): “I’m really looking forward to 2026. It’s going to be another fun year with our 8TEN Racing team. We’ve been working on everything and had a little bit more time this year to prepare, which is what we’re doing right now. Spending some time preparing is exactly what we didn’t have at the beginning of 2025 and we still finished with some very good results at the end of the year. So we know we can come into 2026 and improve in all areas, particularly on circuits, particularly at BSB. We think we can make some steps there and then go into the roads, the North West, the TT, the Southern 100 for myself and the Macau Grand Prix. I’m really looking forward to all the road races as always. I want to win more races like we did last year. Becoming king of the roads again for the third time for me in 2025: I want to keep that going. Most importantly, taking TT wins, which I know for sure my teammate’s going to be amongst the toughest competition there. We’re really looking forward to it. Like we did at Macau last year, we’re hoping for a lot of one-twos this season.”

Peter Hickman (8TEN Racing): “We’re actually really looking forward to the 2026 season. Obviously last year was almost a rushed year for us one way or another and of course I had a big injury as well. So for 2026 we are much, much more prepared as a team. Both me and Davey as well have got much more of a handle on what‘s actually going on and the team’s working really, really well. We’re happy with the bikes, we’re happy with everything for the season. We have a full British Superbike season to look forward to, as well as the North West 200, the Isle of Man TT, and maybe even one or two other races as well. Obviously we did Macau in the last year where we finished one and two. Overall, last year was more of a building year, as it ended up having to be, and then this year we can really kind of hit the ground running, much, much more prepared and really looking forward to it.”

Jerez de la Frontera. The new chapter of BMW Motorrad Motorsport in the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) is gaining momentum: this week, the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team completed its first laps of the year with its two new riders, Miguel Oliveira (POR) and Danilo Petrucci (ITA). Two test days were scheduled as part of the 2026 season preparations at the Andalusian circuit in Jerez de la Frontera (ESP). However, adverse weather conditions led to delays and reduced track time. The season preparations will continue next week in Portimão (POR).

Petrucci will compete in the 2026 WorldSBK season aboard the #9 BMW M 1000 RR, while Oliveira’s BMW Superbike will carry the number 88. Both riders had their first opportunity to get to know the team and the bikes in Jerez de la Frontera last November. Now, at the same venue, the intensive work began to prepare as thoroughly as possible for the season opener at Phillip Island in Australia (20th to 22nd February).

Reactions after the test in Jerez de la Frontera.

Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “2026 officially kicked off in Jerez under challenging weather conditions. After defending the title last year, the clock has now been reset to zero and the full focus is on the start of the season. The onboarding of Miguel and Danilo is in full swing, and we are doing our best to prepare optimally during the two pre-season tests. Phillip Island is already just one month away, and we will give everything to deliver a strong start to the season there.”

Christian Gonschor, Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “The test in Jerez de la Frontera was somewhat different from what we had planned due to the rainy conditions, but it was very productive as a result. Both Miguel and Danilo adapted to the bike very quickly and showed excellent performance on the BMW M 1000 RR in wet conditions. They felt comfortable – that was the most important thing. Both within the team and on the bike. They had confidence in the motorcycle, including the electronics. This allowed us to improve step by step over the course of the first day to move both riders up to the top positions in the timesheets. Due to the rapidly improving conditions, we were able to add three productive dry hours today after a successful wet session yesterday. This puts us in an optimal position for the upcoming Portimão test. Different tyres were used across the field, which somewhat distorted the results. Our riders are gradually building more confidence and understanding of their machinery on race tyres, the new components are working flawlessly, and the new team members have already become an integral part of our racing family. We are all eagerly looking forward to the start of the season together and thank the test team and Mickey for their great work.”

Danilo Petrucci, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “It was two long days even if we did not have the chance to ride a lot. I really enjoyed to be on the bike, especially in wet conditions. It’s really one of the best bikes I’ve ever ridden in the rain. For sure, it’s a long process because this bike is really different from what I was used. But the potential is really, really high. But you have to know the bike. On day one, I was really happy, on the second day the track was not in perfect conditions. We saw many crashes from the wet patches. But is was still useful because the conditions were very different compared to the November test so we understood that me and the bike need something different. Hopefully next week in Portimão we will have better conditions and we will gather some more experience.”

Miguel Oliveira, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “It has been the first test of the year after the winter break and there have been much expectations for these two days obviously, getting to know the bike and the team better. I think we achieved that, we ticked another box which was to solve some issues and as well to get to know each other better and that’s the way to go. We need more time, we know that, but at the same time, there is a lot of expectation. But right now we just need to be patient and achieve the best outcome possible for myself in that short period of time.”

Munich. BMW Motorrad Motorsport continued its success story in both factory and customer racing in 2025, collecting titles, wins and podium finishes around the globe. In the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK), factory rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) impressively defended his riders’ title and once again was crowned World Champion aboard the BMW M 1000 RR of the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. In addition, private teams and riders secured no fewer than 12 further titles in the most important international and national championships worldwide. The BMW M 1000 RR also proved to be a class of its own once again in international road racing this year.

A look at WorldSBK, the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) and numerous other championships across Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia shows that BMW racers were even more successful in 2025 than in the previous year. Overall, they stood on the podium 411 times, achieving 169 wins and 242 additional podium finishes. This means that the factory riders and BMW customer racers once again surpassed the already outstanding figures from the previous year (371 / 142 / 229).

“Behind us lies a season that surpassed our successes from 2024 once again – in factory racing as well as in customer racing,” says Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport. “Toprak’s successful title defense in WorldSBK will remain unforgettable, with no fewer than 21 wins in 36 races. In the FIM Endurance World Championship, we were also on course for the title in a dramatic finale until just minutes before the finish, before a technical issue prevented this potentially historic success for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. But next year we will have another chance to become world champions in endurance racing as well. In customer racing, private riders and teams in a wide range of series around the world consistently achieved top results and numerous titles. BMW riders also celebrated further sensational victories in road racing. All these successes fill us with great pride – they prove that the BMW M 1000 RR is a true winning motorcycle and that our global BMW Motorrad Motorsport family is stronger than ever.”

“The BMW M 1000 RR is one of the best bikes in international racing – and this season once again showed that our customers can rely on it in championships around the globe,” says Uwe Geyer, Head of BMW Motorrad Customer Racing. “We are proud to be able to provide private teams and riders with such a strong package. The race version of the BMW M 1000 RR forms an excellent foundation, and with our global support network we help our customers convert this potential into titles and victories in their championships. Our racing components originate from our factory racing efforts, and all our customers worldwide benefit from the close cooperation between our factory teams, the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team and our development department.”

The 2025 BMW Champions at a glance.

• FIM Superbike World Championship – Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR / ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
• MotoAmerica Superbike – Cameron Beaubier (USA/ Tytlers Cycle Racing)
• MotoAmerica Superstock – Andrew Lee (USA/ Orange Cat Racing)
• BSB National Superstock 1000 – Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR / ROKiT BMW Motorrad)
• French Superbike Championship – Kenny Foray (FRA / Tecmas Racing Team)
• Spanish Superbike Championship – Steven Odendaal (RSA / New2 Project)
• IDM Pro Superstock Cup – Ricardo Brink (NED / Masteroil-Alpha-Van-Zon-BMW)
• French European Bikes Championship – Julien Brun (FRA / La Roche Noir Moto)
• Italian National Trophy 1000 – Francesco Ciacci (ITA / Team Crazy Old Men)
• Alpe Adria Motorcycle Championship Superstock – Mate Szamado (HUN / HRE Team)
• SuperBike Brasil Master – Felipe Comerlatto (BRA / Mormaii Racing)
• SuperBike Brasil Rookie – Cleber Calopsita (BRA / APEX Racing)
• SuperBike Brasil Light – Edu Moura (BRA / JD 43 HPA Racing)

Isle of Man, Macau and more: BMW racers dominate the world’s most important road races.

Once again in the 2025 season, there was no way past the BMW riders in international road racing. The action began with the North West 200, where the BMW M 1000 RR claimed victories in all five races. Davey Todd (GBR) secured three wins, while Michael Dunlop (GBR) won the other two races. In addition, Todd, Peter Hickman and Ian Hutchinson (both GBR) collected further podium finishes. At the legendary Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, Todd and Dunlop achieved a one-two finish in the Superbike TT, and both riders also stepped onto the podium in the two Superstock races. The Senior TT, in which BMW racers were among the main favorites, was cancelled due to weather conditions. The motorsport world then turns its attention every November to the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix to close out the season. Here, the BMW road racers delivered an outstanding one-two-three result, with Todd taking victory ahead of Hickman and Erno Kostamo (FIN).

Jerez de la Frontera. Mission title defense accomplished: Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) is once again the World Champion in the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) for 2025! With third place in the second main race of the dramatic season finale in Jerez de la Frontera (ESP), ‘El Turco’ secured the crown. This marks his second consecutive World Championship title as a BMW Motorrad Motorsport factory rider with the BMW M 1000 RR of the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team – and the third WorldSBK title of his career (2021, 2024, 2025).

After his outstanding championship win in 2024, Razgatlioglu entered the 2025 season as the clear favourite. However, following a winter testing phase during which the BMW M 1000 RR had to be adapted at short notice due to regulation changes, the season started off more challenging than expected. Despite scoring a hat-trick at the second round in Portimão (POR), there were also setbacks, and Razgatlioglu found himself in the role of the chaser behind Ducati rider Nicolò Bulega (ITA).

But by mid-season in June, ‘El Turco’, BMW Motorrad Motorsport, and the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team turned the tide. In Misano (ITA), Donington Park (GBR), the new Balaton Park Circuit (HUN), and Magny-Cours (FRA), he won every race – achieving four consecutive hat-tricks and taking the championship lead. He then celebrated his first-ever victory at MotorLand Aragón (ESP), equaling his own record from 2024 of 13 consecutive wins. After further victories and podium finishes, he ultimately secured the 2025 title with 616 points – 13 points ahead of Bulega.

Teammate Michael van der Mark (NED) wrapped up his final weekend as a WorldSBK rider with more strong Top 10 finishes. After five years with the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (2021–2025), he will remain part of the BMW Motorrad Motorsport family. Already on Tuesday in Jerez de la Frontera, he will be back on the BMW M 1000 RR, working with the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team to prepare for the 2026 WorldSBK season.

Reactions after the season finale.

Markus Flasch, CEO of BMW Motorrad: “Congratulations to Toprak and the entire team! This season, everyone has shown what true champions are made of. The first races weren’t easy, but for everyone – especially for Toprak – the attitude was clear: stand up, straighten your crown, and keep going. And what a way they kept going! The winning streak that began in Misano was simply breathtaking. Even on the nerve-racking final Sunday here in Jerez, after the unfortunate retirement in the Superpole Race through no fault of his own, everyone stayed completely focused and prepared everything perfectly so that Toprak could seal the deal in race two. The reward is Toprak’s well-deserved second World Championship title on our BMW M 1000 RR. We are incredibly proud of him and of everyone in the team, in Munich and Berlin, whose hard work made this achievement possible.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “I am very happy and smiling. To get the title was very important for me. This was my last year with BMW and in the Superbike Paddock. It is a great gift to BMW before I leave for MotoGP. In the end we are World Champions. At the beginning of the season, we were not so strong but we improved with every race. Thanks to the entire team and BMW for all this hard work. It is not me being the World Champion, it is us. Looking back onto this final weekend: Everything went very well yesterday especially and today I came to the track more relaxed. I just needed to finish the Superpole Race within the top seven but we crashed in turn five. I know this is racing and everybody wants to pass. It is that he (Nicolò Bulega) just hit me and I crashed. After that I just stayed calm and focused on race two because I needed to do a good job there. I just focused on achieving the best possible position. I started the race not pushing too hard but I worked my way to the front step by step and in the end, we were on the podium. To be World Champion again is a great feeling and I want to thank everyone who was part of this journey.”

Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “I am very happy – and speechless. It is such a great day. I think that after the Superpole Race, we all aged by ten years. The job the team did was amazing. The bike was pretty damaged and to work under that pressure to get it ready for race two was incredible. Everybody stayed calm, and I think this was in the end the key for us to win the title. The second title in a row – we are happy for Toprak, for the team, for BMW Motorrad. Toprak wrote history for BMW. It was wild ride together and we are sad that it’s over but we will cheer for him next year. And we are also so thankful for everything that Mickey has done for us. We had difficult years, also with injuries but he was always loyal to us. And he has played an important part in winning these two title in both years. We are really looking forward to continue working with him. What we are going to do, we will announce soon. But for now – we are going to have a big party tonight, and from tomorrow on we fully focus on the 2026 WorldSBK season with Danilo Petrucci and Miguel Oliveira.”

Christian Gonschor, Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “I can‘t describe how I feel because it was an incredible day. A few hours with a lot of emotions, ups and downs, everything happened. But at the end for sure to see Toprak back on the podium, celebrating the second world championship for us, for BMW, makes me very proud and the whole project, the whole team, everybody involved. So it’s a fantastic day to complete a fantastic. At the end the key for any success in sport is always focus and teamwork. We listened to the riders, we looked into our package and tried to be focused to learn from the situation when we were not fast enough to beat our competitors. And with the focus of the riders, of the crew and all our technicians in Munich, we managed to turn the page. Thank you to Toprak, who is an incredible person on and off the track, thank you to Mickey, who did so much for us since he joined in 2021, and thank you to the entire team! A very personal thank-you also goes to my wife Katharina and my kids, who are always a source of support for me.”

Shaun Muir, Team Principal ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “My feelings are really tough to put into words. We woke up feeling super, super positive, but as we always know anything can happen in racing and it actually did in the sprint race. I’ve just got to put my hands together and praise the good work the guys did. The entire team stayed focused. In the end Toprak is a three-times World Champion, and two times with BMW. I am absolutely over the moon, proud as you can be, of everyone involved and the lot of hard work everybody did.

Michael van der Mark, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “It has been a nice weekend. I have for sure some mixed feelings about my races, especially race two I didn’t enjoy as much as I wish I did. But you know it’s racing and I think after today we have a lot of things to be happy about with the team. It has been a strange season. The start of the season was a bit weird with the last minute changes in regulations and stuff like that. Especially my side, I struggled quite a lot with the bike honestly. Also at one point, mentally it was difficult and I just could not find any progress. That has been tough. But we always kept working, the team always kept working and I think towards the end of the year I did the Suzuka 8 Hours, got my confidence back and then when I came back I had the speed again and I felt more confident with the bike. I think Toprak showed again how special he is and he so deserves the title. He and the entire team deserve the title. Time went fast, and I enjoyed my time in WorldSBK. I have six wins here and podiums. Now I have exactly one day off and on Tuesday I will start with the test team to improve the package for next year for Danilo and Miguel.”

Facts and figures.

Superpole.

Air temperature: 23°, track temperature: 21°, humidity: 59%, conditions: dry.

* New all-time lap record

Race 1.

Air temperature: 29°, track temperature: 30°, humidity: 41%, conditions: dry, laps: 20.

Fastest race lap: Nicolò Bulega, lap 2, 1:38.737

Superpole Race.

Air temperature: 23°, track temperature: 21°, humidity: 60%, conditions: dry, laps: 10.

Fastest race lap: Nicolò Bulega, lap 2, 1:37.659 (new record)

Race 2.

Air temperature: 27°, track temperature: 30°, humidity: 49%, conditions: dry, laps: 20.

Fastest race lap: Nicolò Bulega, lap 3, 1:38.693

Final riders’ classification (R12/12, after 36 of 36 races).

Final manufacturers’ classification (R12/12, after 36 of 36 races).

Estoril. Two more victories on the road to the riders’ world championship title and important points for the manufacturers’ battle – Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR), BMW Motorrad Motorsport, and the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team once again shone at Estoril. The penultimate round of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) took place at the Portuguese circuit near Lisbon. Riding his #1 BMW M 1000 RR, Razgatlioglu won both the first main race and the Superpole race, and added a second-place podium finish in race two. He also set new lap records over the weekend. As the leader of the riders’ standings, “El Turco” now heads to the season finale at Jerez de la Frontera (ESP) with a 39-point lead over his closest rival Nicolò Bulega (ITA / Ducati).

Teammate Michael van der Mark (NED) also showed strong form at Estoril. In Saturday’s first race, he was caught up in a multi-rider incident at the first corner through no fault of his own. He was able to take part in the restart but faced technical issues and finished 15th. In the Superpole race, he secured an important ninth place to improve his grid position for race two, where he finished tenth – once again inside the top ten.

In the manufacturers’ standings, BMW remains hot on the heels of leaders Ducati, trailing by just three points ahead of the final round. A total of 62 points will still be up for grabs in the last three races of the season at Jerez de la Frontera.

Reactions after the Estoril round.

Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “It was another important step towards the title and an almost perfect weekend for us. With two victories and a second place, we can now travel to Jerez with a very solid points advantage. Toprak’s performance was once again outstanding. At the same time, Nicolò Bulega’s performance also deserves recognition. What those two showed in the races, pulling away from the rest of the field, was on another level. We are also very happy with Mickey’s performance; he did a great job with his top-ten results. I think he too is ready for his, for now, last race weekend in WorldSBK. We will now do everything we can – in Berlin, Munich, England, and at the track – to be as well prepared as possible, and we’re looking forward to the season finale.”

Christian Gonschor, Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “It was another fantastic weekend with two wins, pole position, lap records, and a second place. With this tremendous weekend, Toprak extended his lead in the riders’ championship – a maximum success that the entire team can be proud of. Toprak showed his professionalism in every race, and in the second main race he knew that second place was also crucial for the championship, for the big goal. He didn’t take any unnecessary risks to go for the win. Looking ahead to Jerez, we are excited for an intense finale, and we want to express our gratitude to the organisers and the FIM, whose control and regulatory mechanisms ensure fair competition that thrills fans at the track and on TV with two magnificent riders at the front.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “I was really happy to win the first race. At the beginning, all was under control but then Nicolò had a bit more grip than me. At the end of the race I was spinning a lot but he was too. In the Superpole race, the start was a bit difficult, I was fighting with Nicolò on the first two laps. But then I just focused on my pace, pushing for a good lap time and trying to not make any mistake. So in the end I won again. Race two was more difficult for me. I was back in fifth, had to overtake but just focused on my job to catch Nicolò. When I was back in second place I was pushing so hard on every lap that the rear tyre dropped, so I was struggling a lot. I had to start to manage my race and I just thought: ‘Okay, this time it is impossible to win, P2 is enough because I need the good points for the championship.’ Now I am looking forward to Jerez. We have some margin in the championship, and everything else we will see there. Nicolò is very strong at Jerez but I will try to do my best again.”

Michael van der Mark, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “At the last couple of rounds we had a great feeling with the bike and then we came here and for some reason we struggled quite a lot with the bike in the beginning. We couldn’t get the right feeling and not the right speed on Friday. For Saturday morning, we improved our pace and our package a lot. I was confident for Superpole but unfortunately I lost a lot of time by missing a gear. Especially here you lose a lot of places on the grid and P12 was not fantastic. In race one, I had a good start, but unfortunately someone crashed in turn one and took me out. The guys in the pit box made sure that the spare bike was ready and I was able to do the re-start. After a few good laps I unfortunately had a technical issue. I managed to finish the race and score one point, but it was a very disappointing Saturday. In Sunday’s Superpole race we decided to go with the race tyre as we felt that the qualifying tyre was a big risk. I finished P9 which was not too bad. It was good to move up on the grid, especially for turn one. My start in race two was not great but I had a good pace. I was catching up with the guys in front of me, but I just seemed to struggle a bit with the bike when I got really close to them. I was fighting hard and finished tenth collecting more points. Now I’m looking forward to Jerez, especially in regards of the championship. It looks like Toprak will win it there, so that’s the thing everyone is looking out for.”

Facts and figures.

Superpole.

Air temperature: 24°, track temperature: 28°, humidity: 54%, conditions: dry.

* New all-time lap record

Race 1.

Air temperature: 24°, track temperature: 37°, humidity: 40%, conditions: dry, laps: 18.

Fastest race lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu, lap 4, 1:35.696 (new record)

Superpole Race.

Air temperature: 23°, track temperature: 29°, humidity: 57%, conditions: dry, laps: 10.

Fastest race lap: Nicolò Bulega, lap 5, 1:34.973 (new record)

Race 2.

Air temperature: 25°, track temperature: 38°, humidity: 51%, conditions: dry, laps: 21.

Fastest race lap: Nicolò Bulega, lap 8, 1:34.973

Current riders’ classification (R11/12, after 33 of 36 races).

Current manufacturers’ classification (R11/12, after 33 of 36 races).

Alcañiz. The tenth race weekend of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) at MotorLand Aragón (ESP) was all about thrilling battles between championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) and runner-up Nicolò Bulega (ITA / Ducati). Starting from first and second on the grid, the two riders delivered breathtaking duels in all three races, keeping the nearly 30,000 spectators on the edge of their seats. In the first main race on Saturday afternoon, Razgatlioglu on the BMW M 1000 RR of the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team came out on top and celebrated his 13th consecutive victory. With this, he tied his own record set during the 2024 season. It was also Razgatlioglu’s first-ever win at MotorLand Aragón.

In the Superpole Race and in the second main race on Sunday, Bulega narrowly came out ahead each time, with Razgatlioglu finishing second on the podium in both races. In the championship standings, Razgatlioglu leads with 36 points over Bulega with two events remaining in the season. In the manufacturers’ standings, BMW is in second place, just six points behind Ducati.

Teammate Michael van der Mark (NED) continued his strong form from France at MotorLand Aragón. He finished tenth in the first race and secured the important ninth place in the Superpole Race, starting from the third row for the final second main race on Sunday. There, he was in eighth place on the last lap but unfortunately crashed and retired. The WorldSBK season will conclude with a double-header in October: first at Estoril, Portugal (10th to 12th October) and then the finale at Jerez de la Frontera, Spain (17th to 19th October).

Reactions after the MotorLand Aragón round.

Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “We are very positive about this weekend. We collected many important points here wt Aragón. Our goal was to win at this Ducati track, and we achieved that on Saturday with Toprak. On Sunday, we couldn’t beat a flawless Nicolò Bulega, but with two second-place finishes we achieved more excellent results. Mickey also had a generally good weekend. He is back and capable of fighting for the top ten or even the top five. The crash at the end was unfortunate, but overall we can build on this performance. Now we move on to Estoril in the title fight, where we also want to continue competing in the manufacturers’ championship. We had already had a taste of that title fight here when we led after Saturday’s win. We are confident that as a team we will perform well with both riders at Estoril.”

Christian Gonschor, Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “It was a fantastic weekend. We knew that Ducati was the clear favourite here. The track suits their package particularly well but we put up an excellent fight. The races were thrilling, and it was clear: the decision comes down to the last corner. Here, Nicolò and his bike were in a class of their own. On Saturday, Toprak was able to make his way through with a strong manoeuvre and the victory was a wonderful gift for all of us. Sunday was incredibly close as well. Overall, however, we got the maximum out of this weekend. The entire team once again delivered outstanding work and set up the BMW M 1000 RR so that, on a track that doesn’t really favour us, we were absolutely on par. Now we move into the season finale full of motivation. We are more than ready!”

Toprak Razgatlioglu, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “Saturday’s victory was very important for me. I had never won here before and I am very happy that I now have my first victory at Aragón under my belt. The races here have been very hard, I was battling with Nicolò all the time but I also enjoyed that. In the second race, I then made a mistake in turn 7 and he could pull a bit of a gap. But even if I had continued to battle with him, my chance to take the win would have been very small because the Ducati had a big advantage in the last corner, it had better grip there, the bike was turning and accelerating well. They have a good package for Aragón. In the races, I tried everything, and I hope everyone enjoyed it! I did my best this weekend, I was very motivated, especially after I won the first race. That was very good for me. Overall, I am not so sad because I knew that Aragón is not a BMW but a Ducati track. We did a very good job, strong races, and it has been a very positive weekend for me. Not for 100 per cent, but I am happy. Now we are going to Estoril, we will see there. Nicolò is strong there, but I am, too.”

Michael van der Mark, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “Overall, the weekend was quite good. From the very first practice, I had a good feeling on the bike. In Superpole it wasn’t quite enough for the front rows, but in the first main race I made it into the top ten. The most important thing was that for Sunday I knew what I could still improve, and together with the team we had some ideas regarding the setup. Tyre wear is quite high here, but we managed that well. In the Superpole Race I really wanted to move up to the ninth position, and I succeeded. In race two I was also able to ride consistently and fight. My goal was to get back into the top five, but we were missing a bit of pace for that. At least I was back in the top eight, but then unfortunately I had a crash on the last lap. Sorry to the team for that. All in all though, I’m optimistic for Estoril and Jerez.”

Facts and figures.

Superpole.

Air temperature: 16°, track temperature: 24°, humidity: 54%, conditions: dry.

* New all-time lap record

Race 1.

Air temperature: 24°, track temperature: 37°, humidity: 40%, conditions: dry, laps: 18.

Fastest race lap: Nicolò Bulega, lap 18, 1:49.040

Superpole Race.

Air temperature: 22°, track temperature: 27°, humidity: 65%, conditions: dry, laps: 10.

Fastest race lap: Nicolò Bulega, lap 8, 1:48.165

Race 2.

Air temperature: 26°, track temperature: 31°, humidity: 57%, conditions: dry, laps: 18.

Fastest race lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu, lap 6, 1:48.427

Current riders’ classification (R10/12, after 30 of 36 races).

Current manufacturers’ classification (R10/12, after 30 of 36 races).

Balaton Park. Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) dominated the premiere of the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) at the brand-new Balaton Park Circuit in Hungary. Just like at Misano (ITA) and Donington Park (GBR), ‘El Turco’ was unstoppable on his BMW M 1000 RR from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team at Lake Balaton. He secured pole position and won all three races – often with a commanding lead and with the fastest lap each time. His victory in the Superpole Race on Sunday morning was historic as it marked the 1000th race in WorldSBK history. In the riders’ championship, Razgatlioglu extended his lead from four to 26 points. In the manufacturers’ standings, BMW, currently in second, reduced the gap to leader Ducati to just 16 points.

His teammate Michael van der Mark (NED) finished 12th in the first main race. In the Superpole Race under changing conditions, he was unlucky in the tyre lottery and ended up 15th. He was 16th in the second main race. Van der Mark is travelling directly from Hungary to Japan, where he will compete in next weekend’s Suzuka 8 Hours, the third round of the 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC), with the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. WorldSBK now heads into the summer break, with round nine of the season scheduled for the first weekend of September at Magny-Cours (FRA).

Reactions after the Balaton Park Circuit round.

Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “It was a truly historic weekend for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. Celebrating a win in the 1000th WorldSBK race with Toprak at the debut of the new Balaton Park Circuit, achieving another triple victory, and extending the championship lead – this is simply fantastic for us. Huge thanks to the entire team on site, the crews in Munich and Berlin, and all BMW employees and fans who supported us. We're on track and already looking forward to Magny-Cours. We’ll also use the summer break to intensively support Michael van der Mark and bring him back into the top ten. But first, our full focus together is now on the Suzuka 8 Hours, where we’re already heading. We are confident that Mickey, with his experience as a four-time winner of that race, will be a great asset to our FIM EWC team.”

Christian Gonschor, Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “It was a wonderful weekend – not only because of our success, but also because of the great atmosphere here. It was fantastic to race in Hungary again after such a long time. Great people, a great track, and excellent infrastructure: we really enjoyed it. The circuit suited Toprak well; there’s a lot of stop-and-go, which plays to his strengths and those of the bike. His skill, combined with the strengths of our BMW M 1000 RR in braking and acceleration, created a perfect combination. We celebrated another triple win, and the championship battle remains tight. It’s also important that we made significant progress in the manufacturers’ standings and are just 16 points behind now. We’re very happy and looking forward to a short but intense summer break, to come back all-in at Magny-Cours.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “For me, it has been an amazing weekend. That was a new track for everyone and we started the weekend strongly on Friday. I quickly adapted to the circuit and we did a very good job. I am very happy for that! The Superpole Race was a little bit difficult because there were many wet patches, we had just one dry line and some corners were also still wet. But we did a very good job, no mistake, I was just riding and focused on the pace. That race was very important for me because I had won the 800th and the 900th and now also the 1000th WorldSBK race so this was a very special race for me to win. I am not focused on the championship, I just focus in every race to win it. The next races will be at Magny-Cours. Last year I did not ride there, and I am looking forward to go there. I will try to get another hat-trick there. Like Portugal, this is one of my favourite tracks. We need to win there, in France, and at Estoril, as I think that Ducati will be very strong at Aragón and Jerez. Now we have a longer break and I will enjoy some holiday but I also need to work a lot. We have increased our lead in the championship but everything is possible in the races so we need to try to get as many wins as possible.”

Michael van der Mark, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “I was looking forward to racing here in Hungary as it is always exciting to enter uncharted territory and it’s fun to learn new circuits. Race one was pretty solid and that made me confident for Sunday. Unfortunately, the unpredictable weather in the Superpole Race made the tyre choice a real gamble. We opted for intermediates, but could see during the race that everyone who made the same choice seemed to struggle. In race two, I unfortunately had a small crash that dropped me to the back of the field but it’s time to put that Sunday behind me. I am on my way now to Suzuka, to a race that I really love. I will give my very best to help BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team to achieve their big goal: to win the Suzuka 8 Hours as the first European manufacturer.”

Facts and figures.

Superpole.

Air temperature: 27°, track temperature: 37°, humidity: 56%, conditions: dry.

* New all-time lap record

Race 1.

Air temperature: 32°, track temperature: 41°, humidity: 45%, conditions: dry, laps: 20 (after red flag).

Fastest race lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu, lap 7, 1:39.732 (new record)

Superpole Race.

Air temperature: 21°, track temperature: 27°, humidity: 83%, conditions: wet, laps: 10.

Fastest race lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu, lap 9, 1:40.649

Race 2.

Air temperature: 22°, track temperature: 30°, humidity: 79%, conditions: dry, laps: 21.

Fastest race lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu, lap 7, 1:39.384 (new record)

Current riders’ classification (R08/12, after 24 of 36 races).

Current manufacturers’ classification (R08/12, after 24 of 36 races).

Donington Park. “You are the king of Donington Park,” a fan shouted to Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) on Sunday afternoon – perfectly summing up the seventh round of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK). ‘El Turco’ secured pole position and another hat-trick aboard his BMW M 1000 RR for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team on the legendary British circuit. After winning race one on Saturday and the Superpole Race on Sunday morning – which also marked BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s 100th podium in WorldSBK – he went on to win the second main race as well, taking over the lead in the riders’ standings. After seven of twelve rounds, Razgatlioglu now holds a four-point lead over Nicolò Bulega (ITA / Ducati). His total of twelve wins at Donington Park also sets a new record. His teammate, Michael van der Mark (NED), suffered a series of setbacks in the UK through no fault of his own. He finished 13th on Saturday and retired from both races on Sunday. The season continues from 25th to 27th July at the brand-new Balaton Park Circuit in Hungary.

Reactions after the Donington Park round.

Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “It was an incredible weekend for us, putting us back in the lead of the world championship – right where we belong. I think a lot of people wrote us off after the season opener in Australia. I’m incredibly proud of the team, the engineers at home, the test team, all the mechanics, and everyone else who puts in tireless effort. No one gave up – everyone worked to bring us back to the front, to fight for victories again, and now to lead the championship. Toprak did an unbelievable job. He’s back in his flow, and you can feel his mental strength. Nothing can shake him. Everyone works with full focus from the first free practice to the final race. We are immensely proud of that. Unfortunately, Mickey had an extremely tough weekend here, and together we will do everything to bring him back to the front as well. Lastly, on behalf of all at BMW Motorrad, I’d like to thank the team: to take the triple win at the home round is just fantastic.”

Christian Gonschor, Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “This weekend at Donington brought unusually warm conditions, which presented a challenge for the entire paddock so Friday was initially a process of adaptation for us. We worked very intensively during the practice sessions to understand the bike under these conditions and grip levels. That worked out perfectly – the BMW M 1000 RR was spot on. From FP3 onward, the bike was in an ideal operating window, and for the rest of the weekend we only needed to fine-tune it. Toprak’s outstanding Superpole lap and race performances confirmed this. Unfortunately, Mickey’s weekend was severely impacted by his unavoidable crash in FP3 – he went down on oil left on the track following another rider’s engine failure. This triggered a chain of unfortunate events, requiring a lot of repair and analysis work. One thing led to another. We apologise to him and are confident he’ll bounce back in Hungary. It’s a new circuit for everyone, which makes it exciting. One of the strengths of both our riders is their ability to quickly adapt to new tracks, so we’re really looking forward to racing at Balaton Park Circuit.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “I'm very happy because before I came here, my biggest target was the hat-trick. I love this track and I really like riding here. I’m enjoying it and now I have 12 wins here, so I broke the record. It’s of course also good to now be in the championship lead, but I’m not focused on that, I just focus from race to race and on winning them. The next races are at Balaton which is new for everyone. We will see there. I hope we will win there, too. The circuit is a bit difficult but also suits my style a bit. But we will see. We will work hard and then we are ready to fight for the win again.”

Michael van der Mark, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “This has been a very tough one. It seemed that the odds were against us this weekend. There was this crash on oil I couldn’t avoid in FP3, then we were struggling with different technical issues. Everyone worked really hard but the only reward we got was the points from race one. Now we will regroup and then head to Hungary; a new track for everyone and I am sure we can turn our fortunes there again. Toprak has shown the potential of the bike and I am happy for him and the team for the hat-trick. We all will work very hard now and my aim is to be back in the mix before we go into the summer break.”

Facts and figures.

Superpole.

Air temperature: 21°, track temperature: 33°, humidity: 61%, conditions: dry.

Race 1.

Air temperature: 27°, track temperature: 41°, humidity: 44%, conditions: dry, laps: 23.

Fastest race lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu, lap 6, 1:26.441

Superpole Race.

Air temperature: 21°, track temperature: 30°, humidity: 67%, conditions: dry, laps: 10.

Fastest race lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu, lap 2, 1:25.666

Race 2.

Air temperature: 24°, track temperature: 38°, humidity: 54%, conditions: dry, laps: 23.

Fastest race lap: Nicolò Bulega, lap 4, 1:25.961

Current riders’ classification (R07/12, after 21 of 36 races).

Current manufacturers’ classification (R07/12, after 21 of 36 races).

Richmond Hill, ON. The PGA of Canada and BMW Canada are proud to announce that BMW has signed on as the presenting sponsor of the RBC PGA Scramble, Canada’s largest national amateur team golf tournament.

This partnership brings together two organizations dedicated to excellence and performance while elevating an unparalleled experience for participants across the country.

Entering its 10th year, the RBC PGA Scramble presented by BMW has grown into one of the most exciting grassroots golf events in Canada, welcoming a remarkable 12,000+ golfers across the country each year. Players compete through a multi-stage journey, battling to win the trip of a lifetime.

With BMW’s support as the presenting sponsor, the 2025 edition of the program is set to go up another notch offering elevated prizing, exclusive on-site activations at numerous events, premium event enhancements and the opportunity to engage with BMW’s world-class lineup of vehicles.

“BMW is a globally recognized brand synonymous with innovation and precision and a true friend and supporter of the game of golf across the globe,” said Kevin Thistle, CEO of the PGA of Canada. “Adding BMW Canada as a partner to an already fantastic program is a dream come true and we can’t wait to work with their team and their retailer network to build something memorable for participants.”

A key component of the partnership includes the creation of the BMW Wildcard where one lucky group of individuals will win a direct entry into the National Championship to compete as Team Wildcard at Cabot Cape Breton.  This team will also enjoy multiple enhancements provided by BMW to elevate their experience even further.

“At BMW, we are passionate about driving excellence in everything we do and that extends to our support of the game of golf,” said Jonathan Thomson, director of brand management at BMW Canada.  “We are excited to partner with the RBC PGA Scramble, become the Official Vehicle of the PGA of Canada and help deliver an unmatched tournament experience for golfers of all skill levels.”

The RBC PGA Scramble presented by BMW consists of 186 local qualifying events held at golf courses across Canada, leading up to the regional finals and the highly anticipated National Final at Cabot Cape Breton, the number-one ranked golf course in Canada. 

With positions available for both net and gross winners and strict team handicap policies, anybody can play and anybody can win.

For more information on the RBC PGA Scramble presented by BMW, visit www.RBCPGAScramble.com.

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BMW in Canada.

BMW Group Canada, based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, is a wholly owned subsidiary of BMW AG and is responsible for the distribution of BMW luxury performance automobiles, Sports Activity Vehicles, Motorcycles, and MINI.  BMW Group Financial Services Canada is a division of BMW Group Canada and offers retail financing and leasing programs and protection products on new and pre-owned BMW and MINI automobiles, as well as retail financing for new and pre-owned BMW Motorcycles. A total network of 51 BMW automobile retail centres, 26 BMW motorcycle retailers, and 31 MINI retailers represents the BMW Group across the country.

About PGA of Canada.

Established in 1911, the PGA of Canada is the second oldest and third largest professional golf association in the world. The PGA of Canada is a non-profit association comprised of over 4000 golf professionals across the country. The association’s mandate is to develop, promote and support its members in living a better life and earning a better living while growing participation, excellence and passion for the sport of golf. The association consists of the national office located in Acton, Ont., and nine Zone Offices across the country.

For more information, please contact:

Marc Belcourt, Director, Corporate Communications

BMW Group Canada

905-428-5078 / marc.belcourt@bmwgroup.ca                                        

Barb Pitblado, Manager, Corporate Communications

BMW Group Canada

905-428-5005 / barb.pitblado@bmwgroup.ca

Portimão. Standing ovations after a perfect weekend were given by over 53,000 celebrating fans at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão (POR), when reigning world champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) claimed the maximum points haul at the second round of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK). Starting from pole position, he rode the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team #1 BMW M 1000 RR to victory in all three thrilling races. Over the weekend, he secured P1 in Superpole, Race 1, the Superpole Race, and Race 2. Additionally, he set multiple new lap records. His teammate Michael van der Mark (NED) was also among the frontrunners in Portugal, finishing the races in fifth, sixth, and seventh places. From the first free practice session onwards, he impressed with an extremely consistent and strong performance.

Reactions after the Portimão round.

Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “This weekend in Portimão was a milestone for BMW Motorrad Motorsport – a triumph of team spirit, technology, and unwavering dedication. With his hat-trick and new lap records, Toprak impressively demonstrated the full potential of our M 1000 RR, and Michael rounded off the strong overall performance with his consistent and very strong riding. I am incredibly proud of our entire team – both on the track and in the garage. This was more than just a victory – it was a statement. Now we turn our focus forward: Assen is waiting, and we are coming with momentum!”

Christian Gonschor, Technical Director BMW Motorrrad Motorsport: “It was a very intense weekend. First of all, apologies to Toprak for having to miss the first free practice on Friday due to a technical issue, but as a team, we stayed focused, worked cleanly, and were ready with both riders from FP2 onwards. I think you could see in almost every session that both performed well. Lap records, pole position, three wins for Toprak, and Mickey consistently in the top positions – it has been a very strong weekend for BMW. It was great to be back in Europe and to see on this track layout that our 2025 bike package is working very well. That means what was discussed in the past is in the past, and we can now focus on the present. With many dry sessions both during testing and the race weekend, we had the opportunity to perfect and fine-tune the bike. The engineers, mechanics, and riders got the absolute maximum out of the bike, and the package is competitive. Now we’re looking forward to Assen.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “We have been pushing really hard this weekend, in every corner. A big thank you to the team, everyone is working really hard and we improved the bike in every session. Congrats also to Nicolò Bulega, he did a great job this weekend, he is really strong. I am really happy; we were fighting with Nicolò here and I think everybody enjoyed to watch the races. I am a fighter, I love to fight and I never give up. The bike is not 100 per cent yet, but I was only pushing for the win. Yesterday’s race was harder for me because I often lost the front. I just tried to follow Nicolò and to win the race. It has been a good battle. In today’s races, the pace was incredible and I was pushing really hard, but I felt a little bit better because we had improved the bike and I felt more grip. I came here with the target to get pole and three wins. We achieved all of that and for me, it has been an incredible weekend. After Phillip Island, we came back and have been really strong here. Now we will see how the next races will be.”

Michael van der Mark, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “We had a good weekend. We were pretty fast on Friday so we were really happy with how we started the weekend. In Superpole I was happy, I made some small mistakes and qualified seventh. I did not want to be there but it was not bad. In race one, I just had no feeling with the bike. I struggled a lot and it was just a long race but I finished sixth so that wasn’t too bad but I just did not enjoy it. For today, we made some changes and in the Superpole Race, I was a bit unlucky. I wasn’t precise on the first lap so I lost a couple of places. Then I fought my way back to P7 which was okay coming from where I was after lap one. In race two, I had a good start, a good rhythm. I was just not fast enough to fight for the podium but overall, it has been a good end of the weekend.”

Facts and figures.

Superpole.

Air temperature: 23°, track temperature: 26°, humidity: 37%, conditions: dry.

* new all-time lap record

Race 1.

Air temperature: 25°, track temperature: 37°, humidity: 35%, conditions: dry, laps: 20.

Fastest race lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu, lap 4, 1:40.351

Superpole Race.

Air temperature: 21°, track temperature: 25°, humidity: 39%, conditions: dry, laps: 10.

Fastest race lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu, lap 2, 1:39.441 (new record)

Race 2.

Air temperature: 23°, track temperature: 36°, humidity: 27%, conditions: dry, laps: 11 after red flag.

Fastest race lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu, lap 5, 1:39.614

Current riders’ classification (R02/12, after 6 of 36 races).

Current manufacturers’ classification (R02/12, after 6 of 36 races).

Caledon, ON.  BMW Canada and TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley announced a multi-year partnership today, enhancing the experience offered to guests at one of Canada’s top golf destinations.

Launched initially in 2024, the partnership provides golfers and course visitors the opportunity to engage with the BMW brand, with vehicle displays and onsite integrated activations bringing the premium brand to life for all visitors.  New electric vehicle charging stations and exclusive parking opportunities for BMW owners also benefit both guests and players.

Charging stations were installed at TPC Toronto’s all-new Main Clubhouse in 2024 and are coming to the soon-to-be-completed Heathlands Clubhouse in 2025.  The seamless integration of BMW onsite and in club activities further enhances the all-new amenities and world-class courses already delivering an exceptional golf experience at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley.  

“We’re thrilled and grateful to partner with such a visionary brand as BMW,” said TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley president Chris Humeniuk. “This partnership will elevate the experience for every visitor to our property.  We look forward to collaborating with this world-class brand to enhance our events and guest enjoyment in the bright future ahead.”

“This partnership underscores BMW’s commitment to crafting elevated experiences for our customers and enthusiasts,” stated Jonathan Thomson, director, BMW brand management.  “Aligning with TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley - a premier golf destination - allows us to collaborate with a team who shares our passion for the sport and our joint commitment to the pursuit of top performance. This partnership allows us to showcase our brand and products in a premier setting that lives up to our own elevated standards.”

Announced last year as the host of the 2025 RBC Canadian Open, TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley’s new amenities include a 65,000-square-foot Main Clubhouse, Event Space, Clubhouse Suites, the flagship restaurant Two Brothers, Canadian Golf Hall of Fame experiences and more. The property is set to open 15 multi-unit Villas for stay-and-play trips and an all-new Heathlands Clubhouse in early 2025.

Munich. The 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) kicks off next weekend (21st to 23rd February) at Phillip Island, Australia. With this, BMW Motorrad Motorsport embarks on another year of diverse racing activities around the globe. From factory commitments in WorldSBK and the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) to a comprehensive customer racing programme and highlights in road racing – the goal remains the same: securing more victories and titles.

This interactive Media Guide is designed to get you ready for the new season. The PDF includes information on teams, riders, the new BMW M 1000 RR, and the customer racing programme, along with statements from management representatives and our BMW Motorrad factory riders from WorldSBK and FIM EWC.

NEW : The PDF now features integrated links to extensive video interviews with our key figures. A simple click takes you from the respective pages directly to the interviews, which you can download for unrestricted use in your media. You will also find a direct link to an exclusive close-up clip of the new #1 BMW M 1000 RR for WorldSBK.

Note for editors.

The videos are accessible via links in the PDF and are available for download in the “Videos” section here in the BMW Group Press Club.

Studio photos of management, BMW Motorrad factory riders, and the race bikes for WorldSBK and FIM EWC can be found in the “Photos” section here in the BMW Group Press Club:

Richmond Hill, ON.  BMW Motorrad Canada is thrilled to announce its participation in the Pro Superbike Class of the 2025 Canadian Superbike Championship (CSBK), partnering with a famed team and rider alongside the return of fan-favorite Sam Guerin. This season promises to be an exciting chapter for BMW Motorrad as it continues to build on its legacy of excellence in Canadian two-wheeled motorsport.

Introducing Alex Dumas and Fast Company

Joining the ranks of BMW Motorrad Canada is the talented Alex Dumas, who will be riding the #23 M 1000 RR. Dumas is no stranger to success, having clinched the 2021 Canadian Superbike Championship. With his impressive track record and competitive spirit, Dumas is poised to make a significant impact this season.

Dumas will be racing under the banner of Economy Lube + Tire / Fast Company / BMW Motorrad, and will be expertly managed by Scott Miller. Himself a multi-time Canadian Superbike Championship winning Builder and Tuner of the Year, Miller’s expertise will be instrumental in guiding Dumas to success on the track.

Welcoming Back Sam Guerin

In addition to Dumas, BMW Motorrad Canada is excited to welcome back Sam Guerin, who will be riding the #2 M 1000 RR for the EFC Group BMW Motorrad team. In 2024, Guerin closed out the championship in a strong second place on his BMW M 1000 RR. Guerin’s return adds depth and familiarity to the BMW Motorrad lineup, and fans can expect to see him compete fiercely throughout the championship.

2025 Championship Schedule

The 2025 Canadian Superbike Championship will kick off with an action-packed schedule, featuring four rounds at some of the most prestigious tracks in Canada:

• Round 1: May 16-18 – Shannonville Motorsport Park, Shannonville, ON
• Round 2: June 6-8 – Atlantic Motorsport Park, Shubenacadie, NS
• Round 3: July 4-6 – RAD Torque Raceway, Edmonton, AB
• Round 4: August 7-10 – Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Bowmanville, ON

A Legacy of Excellence

BMW Motorrad Canada aims to continue building on its winning legacy, with the departure of Ben Young, Champion since 2022. BMW Motorrad also holds the title of reigning Canadian Superbike Constructors Champion since 2022, a testament to its commitment to performance and innovation in the world of motorsport.

“The M 1000 RR has proven to be an extremely competitive motorcycle with which we’ve seen a lot of success over the past few years,” said Alex Welsh, Marketing Manager with BMW Motorrad Canada. “Paired with Dumas and Guerin’s clear talents on track, we’re hoping to see continued success in 2025.”

As the 2025 season approaches, BMW Motorrad Canada is excited to support its teams and riders in their push for victory. Fans can follow the journey of Alex Dumas, Sam Guerin and other BMW riders as they compete for the championship and represent the BMW Motorrad brand with pride.

For more information, please visit www.csbk.ca.

-30-
 

BMW Group in Canada

BMW Group Canada, based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BMW AG and is responsible for the distribution of BMW luxury performance automobiles, Sports Activity Vehicles, Motorcycles, and MINI.  BMW Group Financial Services Canada is a division of BMW Group Canada and offers retail financing and leasing programs and protection products on new and pre-owned BMW and MINI automobiles, as well as retail financing for new and pre-owned BMW Motorcycles. A total network of 51 BMW automobile retail centres, 26 BMW motorcycle retailers, and 31 MINI retailers represents the BMW Group across the country.

For more information, please contact: 

Marc Belcourt

Director, Corporate Communications

BMW Group Canada

905-428-5078 / marc.belcourt@bmwgroup.ca                                

Jean-Francois Taylor

Product and Technology Manager, Corporate Communications

BMW Group Canada

905-428-5366 / jean-francois.taylor@bmwgroup.ca

Munich. In the countdown to the start of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship, BMW Motorrad Motorsport has completed an intensive double test session. Last week, the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team hit the track in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, with Michael van der Mark (NED). This week, at the two-day test in Portimão, Portugal, reigning World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) also joined the team after skipping Jerez due to a finger injury.

In addition to poor weather conditions, changed regulations complicated the development process. Due to the FIM rule change effective January 23, 2025, against BMW, the Super-Concession frame used last year may no longer be deployed. Furthermore, the fuel flow limit of 47 kg/h forces all teams to adopt more efficient strategies. However, it wasn't just the technology that was tested – World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu battled with a broken finger yet still managed impressive lap times, while Michael van der Mark had to regain his form after a crash at Jerez. Despite all these challenges, BMW has created a strong foundation with the new M 1000 RR – the season can begin!

The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team was also in action at both tests, with Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) and Markus Reiterberger (GER) riding the new BMW M 1000 RR. The test days were used for intensive set-up work on the new World Superbike, with close collaboration between the race and test teams in preparation for the title defense mission. The 2025 WorldSBK season kicks off from 21st to 23rd February in Phillip Island (AUS), with another two-day test scheduled there beforehand.

Reactions after the tests at Jerez de la Frontera and Portimão.

Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “To sum it up briefly, we are ready for Phillip Island. It was certainly not the easiest winter, especially with the rainy days and the limited dry track time. Nevertheless, on the first day at Portimão, we were able to show well where we stand. We are also very happy that Toprak’s injury is healing. He’s not at 100% yet, but he has already proved on track what potential he and the BMW will have this year again. On Mickey’s side, we were also very positive. His performance has remained strong over the winter, and we saw in Jerez that he will carry this momentum into Phillip Island. Now, we can hardly wait to head to Australia and start the first race.”

Christian Gonschor, Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “It is always a pleasure to see the factory team and the test team together at the track, experiencing how the respective technicians and riders synchronise, exchange information, and collaboratively develop the 2025 bike. The test team has tested in all weather conditions, laid solid foundations, and secured and confirmed the final parts for the 2025 race deployment. Markus and Sylvain have diligently completed laps and all test assignments, even though Sylvain was slightly unwell at Portimão. Wishing him a speedy recovery at this point. The race team also maximised a dry day at Jerez with Michael and a few dry but very windy hours at Portimão on Day 1 with both deployment riders. Toprak confirmed the competitiveness of the bike for 2025 on race tyres in dry conditions and admirably completed his test programme despite his hand injury, totalling 60 valuable laps. During the two test events in Jerez and Portimão, we were thus able to confirm the performance of the M1000RR in dry conditions, sort out components, and adapt the bike to the new regulations for 2025. The bike, riders and technical crew are ready and highly motivated to start their journey with the new M1000RR to Australia, where two valuable test days await before the first race of the season to incorporate the final insights from the pre-season tests and complete the fine-tuning.”

Shaun Muir, Team Principal ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “At Jerez we obviously only tested with Michael and we’ve been happy with the situation with him in terms of the work he’s done with the test items. We’re really happy with the package so far. At Portimão we were mostly struggling to work around the weather situation, so what turned out to be very valuable track time was on day one in the afternoon. We certainly ticked a lot of boxes in terms of understanding the package now. For sure not knowing that day two would be so bad weather wise, at least now we have some clear direction going to Phillip Island, where we have a more comfortable feeling now starting the season there.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “For me the test in Portimão, especially the first day, was really positive. We tried some new parts and set-ups and it worked really well. I’m happy and it looks like that we’re ready for the Phillip Island race. The test was also very important for me after my injury; my finger was broken and I couldn’t ride a bike for almost two months, so I’m glad that I could ride the Superbike again. I have still a little pain in my finger but on the bike I’m feeling very good. The hard braking especially is good and normal, it’s only while I’m leaning in the right corner, I’m not feeling a hundred percent comfortable and I’m not pushing as hard as before. I hope that it will be better by Phillip Island because generally everything is going really well. I’m looking forward to the Phillip Island test now, I hope we can find a good set-up and to start the season strong.”

Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “It was really nice to be back at the track after the winter break. We were just really unlucky with the weather during the two tests at Jerez and Portimão. Anyway, I think we started off on a very good level. For sure you always want to try new things on a bike, especially with a new bike as we have, but the level was already so good, so I’m feeling very confident and am looking forward to Phillip Island. We have another two days of testing there, so there will be still a lot of things that we want to try but we know that the basis is really good and we’re happy to race now. The new bike feels really similar to last years bike, but with certain improvements, which is really good, I like it a lot.”

Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team): “Unfortunately, we didn't have the best weather during the pre-season tests, but that was the case for all teams and riders. The weather was quite mixed at both tests, and also relatively cool. Nevertheless, we tried our best to complete our test programme and rode many laps. We tried out various things and the engineers were satisfied with that. As a test rider, it's also important for me to contribute insights that the engineers and the team can work with effectively and that actually benefit the project, so my goal isn't necessarily to ride a fast lap. All in all, the tests were cool, we spent a lot of time together and collected a lot of data. I think we've done a good job preparing, so that the factory team now has a good base for Phillip Island, and I am very happy and grateful to be a part of it.”

Sylvain Guintoli (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team): “I’m actually not feeling very well, so I only tested the first day at Portimão. I still managed to do more than 70 laps though but couldn’t test on day two. Anyways, in general the winter testing was good, we definitely had challenging weather conditions at Jerez and Portimão, but we did what we wanted to do. We were able to cover lots of mileage in both wet and dry conditions, which was really important so it was definitely also good practice for our Endurance season, especially for Le Mans. All in all we got everything done and I’m really happy with it. It feels good, that everything is now ready to go for the first round at Phillip Island. It was great work by the test team and also by the factory team. Working together was a pleasure.”

Munich. Titles, victories, and podium finishes around the globe as BMW Motorrad Motorsport looks back on an extraordinarily successful 2024 in both factory and customer racing. The highlight of the season was undoubtedly the riders’ title win by factory rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) in the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK). Private teams and riders also contributed significantly, securing twelve additional titles in the most prestigious international and national championships worldwide. In international road racing, the BMW M 1000 RR once again proved to be the bike to beat.

From Europe to North and South America, Asia, and Australia, BMW customer racing teams competed with the BMW M 1000 RR and BMW S 1000 RR in numerous championships, including WorldSBK and the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC). The overall results were remarkable with BMW racers climbing onto the podium 371 times last season, achieving 142 wins and 229 additional podium finishes.

“A truly exciting year comes to an end,” said Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport. “In factory racing, we celebrated the WorldSBK championship title with Toprak, and the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team secured third place overall in the FIM EWC. Additionally, our customer racing teams claimed titles in numerous other championships and consistently appeared on the podiums of their respective series week after week. In road racing, BMW racers left their mark on major international events. We are extremely proud of these achievements, as they demonstrate that the BMW M 1000 RR is a true winner’s motorcycle – and highlight the strength of the global BMW Motorrad Motorsport family.”

The 2024 BMW Champions at a glance.

• FIM Superbike World Championship – Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR / ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
• Canadian Superbike Championship – Ben Young (CAN / Van Dolder’s Home Team)
• Canadian Amateur Superbike Championship – Goran Radisic (CAN)
• International German Motorcycle Championship – Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR / Champion-alpha-Van-Zon-BMW)
• British National Superstock 1000 Championship – Davey Todd (GBR / Cheshire Mouldings BMW)
• French Superbike Championship – Kenny Foray (FRA / Tecmas Racing Team)
• French Superbike Championship Open Class – Loïc Arbel (FRA / Tecmas Racing Team)
• IDM Superstock 1000 Cup – Soma Görbe (HUN / H-Moto Uni Györ Team)
• International Road Racing Championship – David Datzer (GER / MTP Racing)
• SuperBike Brasil Superbike Light – Edson Bueno (BRA / BMW Motorrad SuperbikeBrasil Racing Team)
• SuperBike Brasil Evo – Felipe Comerlatto (BRA / Sport Plus Racing)
• SuperBike Brasil Master – Felipe Comerlatto (BRA / Sport Plus Racing)
• SuperBike Brasil Rookie – Alex Soares (BRA / XMOTOX Racing)

Isle of Man, Macau und Co: Success for BMW racers at major road races.

The 2024 international road racing season kicked off with the North West 200, where Davey Todd (GBR) secured two victories and three second-place finishes on the podium. Peter Hickman (GBR) also earned podium finishes. The season’s highlight was the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, where BMW celebrated 1-2 finishes in all three 1000cc races. Todd won the Superstock TT and Senior TT and finished second in the Superbike TT, which Hickman claimed. Hickman also placed second in the Superstock race, behind Todd. Josh Brookes (AUS) took second in the Senior TT. The season concluded with the Macau Grand Prix, which was cancelled due to heavy rain. Instead, the qualifying results were used to determine the standings, with four BMW racers occupying the top four positions: Todd, Erno Kostamo (FIN), Hickman, and Michael Rutter (GBR).

Jerez de la Frontera. A dream weekend with a fairytale ending – that is how BMW Motorrad Motorsport can describe the season finale of the 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) at Jerez de la Frontera (ESP). On Saturday, Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team was crowned World Champion early with his BMW M 1000 RR. In the second main race on Sunday, he celebrated his 18th win of the season, and teammate Michael van der Mark (NED) made the dream of a shared podium come true with a third-place finish.

Razgatlioglu arrived at Jerez de la Frontera with such a large points lead that second place in Saturday’s first race was enough to secure the World Championship title. But he wanted another win. In Sunday’s Superpole race, he finished second again, but in the second main race, he stood on the top step of the podium one more time. After two sixth-place finishes, van der Mark reached the podium in the final race, his second after his victory at Magny-Cours (FRA).

The Bonovo action BMW Racing Team had their final race weekend with the BMW M 1000 RR at Jerez de la Frontera, as the partnership came to an end after four years. Garrett Gerloff (USA) finished the season with two seventh-place finishes on Sunday, while Scott Redding (GBR) took twelfth place twice.

In the 2024 season, BMW M 1000 RR riders secured a total of 19 victories and 12 additional podium finishes. In the manufacturers’ championship, BMW finished second.

Comments after the season finale at Jerez de la Frontera.

Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “To be honest, I’m speechless. This is a moment where Toprak and all of us together have made history. He and the entire team have truly achieved something historic, not only for BMW Motorrad but also for BMW as a whole. The World Championship title means an incredible amount to everyone in the company. We are very grateful to Toprak and all those who contributed to this success. A big thank you goes out to all our people on site, to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, and to the staff in Munich, at the Berlin plant, and in Landshut. I think it will take us a few weeks to fully realise it. But as early as Tuesday, we will begin testing for the new season, with the clear goal of defending the title. This Sunday was another special day for the entire team. The joy of Mickey securing third place and both ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team riders standing together on the podium was immense. It was a fitting season finale for the team.

The Bonovo action BMW Racing Team also gave a very strong performance this weekend. We want to thank them for everything, it was a great partnership, and we wish them all the best for the future.

For us, it’s now time to take a short breather and then dive straight into preparations for the new season. But tonight, we will celebrate first!”

Toprak Razgatlioglu, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 2 / R01: 2 / SP Race: 2 / R02: 1): “I want to say thank you to the entire BMW family because we had an incredible year. The season finale was an amazing event. We are World Champions – this was the end to a very long season and a very successful year in which we also had 13 wins in a row. We never gave up, and also today after the sprint race, we were working hard with the team. We changed the set-up of the bike and we tried something to get the win. In the race, I had a very good package and we did it – we won again. And I wanted to win the last race of the season. Usually Ducati is very strong here but we beat them again so everybody understood that BMW is really strong at all race weekends. It was incredible to be on the podium together with Mickey. It was dream, together with the team, to share the podium and it finally came true. He is a very great guy and he is pushing so hard at every race weekend. After his big injury, he is trying to come back and he has shown everyone what a strong rider he is. We are working together very well and I hope that we can race for the podium together again next year.”

Michael van der Mark, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 8 / R01: 6 / SP Race: 6 / R02: 3): “This year has been a dream for BMW and the entire team to take the world title and it has also been fantastic for me. I’ve been putting a lot of work in developing the bike together with BMW. They were always pushing. Even if the last two years have been unlucky they still trusted in me. I was building my pace, it was getting better and better, working together with Toprak. At a certain point we knew that the podium was coming and our goal was to be on the podium together. Unfortunately he wasn’t there at Magny-Cours but to finish the season this way, with the world title, his victory in the last race and me on the podium, it was fantastic for everyone in BMW.”

Jerez de la Frontera. “It feels incredible”. Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) has done it! The 28-year-old BMW Motorrad factory rider is the 2024 Superbike World Champion. The decision came at Jerez de la Frontera (ESP) at the season finale of the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK). With a second-place finish in the first main race, Razgatlioglu secured the early title victory. For ‘El Turco,’ it is his second World Championship title after 2021, and for BMW Motorrad Motorsport, it's the first-ever title. This triumph crowns a season in which Razgatlioglu, riding his BMW M 1000 RR from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, set superlatives and records, becoming the first rider to claim 13 consecutive wins, but also enduring a major setback. Let’s look back on Razgatlioglu’s title-winning first season with the BMW Motorrad Motorsport family.
 
The road to the world title.
 
The first test. In early December 2023, the time has finally come. New addition Razgatlioglu has his first test days on the BMW M 1000 RR at Portimão. Shortly after, another two-day test follows at Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. Despite less than ideal weather conditions in December, Razgatlioglu uses the tests to get his first impressions of the bike, provide feedback for development, and familiarise himself with BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team.
 
Team presentation. On 17th January, BMW Motorrad Motorsport presents its 2024 WorldSBK line-up at BMW Motorrad Welt in Berlin. Razgatlioglu sets his sights on victories and an attempt to win the World Championship.
 
The first podium. The first celebration doesn’t take long. At the season opener in late February at Phillip Island, Australia, Razgatlioglu claims his first podium with the BMW M 1000 RR – finishing third in just his second race on the bike in Sunday’s Superpole Race.
 
The first win. At the second round of the season at Barcelona in March, Razgatlioglu climbs to the top of the podium for the first time on the BMW M 1000 RR. On Saturday, he claims pole position and wins the first main race. This victory is particularly special as he had never won at Barcelona before. He follows up with another victory in the Superpole Race on Sunday and a third-place finish afterwards. His tally after six races with BMW is two wins and two more podium finishes.
 
The start of the record streak. The WorldSBK Sunday at Assen 2024 enters the history books as the day a never seen before streak began. Starting from ninth place, Razgatlioglu wins the second main race, kicking off a record-breaking run.
 
Hat-trick and championship lead. In June, Razgatlioglu achieves his first perfect weekend at Misano. Starting from pole position, he wins all three races, taking the lead in the World Championship standings. He continues this dominance with hat-tricks at Most and Donington Park, winning all races there as well, and extends the streak further.
 
A new record. Since April, Razgatlioglu had been unbeaten, arriving at the seventh round at Portimão with 12 wins to his name, including ten consecutive victories. He equals the record of 11 consecutive wins in the first main race on Saturday. With his victory in Sunday’s Superpole Race, he becomes the sole record holder. But it doesn’t stop there. He wins the second main race, completing his fourth hat-trick. Razgatlioglu leaves Portugal with a new record of 13 consecutive wins and a 92-point lead in the championship standings.
 
The setback. Friday afternoon, during the second free practice at Magny-Cours, Razgatlioglu crashes and hits the track barrier. After initial examinations at the medical centre, he spents the night in hospital. The diagnosis is a mild pneumothorax. Razgatlioglu can’t compete for the rest of the race weekend at Magny-Cours, leaving his return date uncertain.
 
The comeback. After missing the races at Magny-Cours and Cremona, Razgatlioglu returns to action at Spain’s MotorLand Aragón. Despite his injury break, he remained the championship leader, although his advantage had dwindled to 13 points. With great mental strength, ‘El Turco’ makes an impressive comeback, finishing second in all three races and expanding his lead back to 39 points.
 
World Champion! After two wins and a second place at Estoril, Razgatlioglu heads to the Jerez de la Frontera season finale with an advantage of 46 points. He claims the crown in the first main race. Second place is sufficient – and a long world championship party follows!
 
Reactions to the World Championship title.
 
Markus Flasch, Head of BMW Motorrad: “Today is a milestone for our brand. We celebrate our first WorldSBK championship title with Toprak! Congratulations to Toprak and everyone who tirelessly contributed to this incredible achievement –the entire BMW Motorrad Motorsport team in Munich and Berlin, the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team led by Shaun Muir, and the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team. What Toprak showed this season was more than impressive and proves what an outstanding athlete and person he is. From the start, he and BMW Motorrad Motorsport proved to be a successful combination. We provided him with the perfect bike, the M 1000 RR, and with his unique riding skills, he left his mark on the season. Equally impressive is his mental strength, fighting his way back after a severe crash. At the same time, he’s simply a great guy and rightly a true fan favorite: humble, funny, and always hard-working. Together with the team and our engineers, after every success, he looked for ways to improve further. The reward is this well-deserved World Championship title.”
 
Toprak Razgatlioglu: “It feels incredible to be World Champion again. I’m very proud of the team, because everyone has worked very hard at every race weekend. Thank you very much for this amazing support. At the beginning of the season, nobody thought it was possible for me in my first year with BMW Motorrad Motorsport, but now we have won the World Championship. We really deserve it. We improved the bike each race weekend, and we can even improve it further. Now I can just enjoy the two races tomorrow. And then next season, let’s do it again!”

Munich. The BMW Group is expanding its revolutionary driving experience with BMW M Mixed Reality, which breaks down the boundaries between the physical and virtual worlds through state-of-the-art VR/MR technologies. The vehicle itself becomes the controller - a unique 3D interaction between driver, vehicle and environment.

"Mixed reality" refers to the fusion of of physical and digital worlds into a seamless experience. BMW M first presented mixed reality technology at the Web Summit in Lisbon in November 2022 and has been continuously developing it ever since.

With BMW M Mixed Reality, fans and first movers can immerse themselves in a digital world while physically sitting at the wheel of a BMW M vehicle and controlling it.

First-ever multisensory multiplayer

The possibilities of virtual reality are boundless: On a secret mission, you enter the BMW M Garage and from there, you ascend to the top of the BMW M Rooftop Circuit. Surrounded by skyscrapers, two BMW M Mixed Reality customers now race against each other virtually in a multiplayer mode A new feature is that spectators with personified avatars can virtually watch the race live from the BMW M Mixed Reality Bridge. They do not have to be physically present in the area where the multiplayers are driving. They can be virtually connected using devices like the Meta Quest or Apple Vision Pro.

BMW M Mixed Reality will be presented again in Lisbon this year. For BMW M fans, BMW M Mixed Reality has been available in the singleplayer mode since autumn 2023 as part of the BMW M Driving Experience in Maisach, the world's first driving experience for customers.  

For BMW M fans, BMW M Mixed Reality has been available in the singleplayer mode since fall 2023 as part of the BMW M Driving Experience in Maisach, the world's first driving experience for customers.  The pilot project began this year at the BMW M Performance Driving School in California, USA.

Merging reality and the virtual world

The new BMW M Mixed Reality Rooftop Circuit was also a highlight at the presentation of BMW M Mixed Reality. Drivers had to evade virtual obstacles and collect BMW M coins in a shimmering metropolis. The BMW M135 vehicles were used, which thanks to technical refinements can be used as M Mixed Reality vehicles.

This includes very precise GPS positioning on the road surface in order to transfer position and movement to the virtual world. Every acceleration, every turn and every braking manoeuvre is transmitted to the virtual world without latency thanks to precise sensor technology and signal processing. Not only the movements of the vehicle are transmitted, but also those of the driver.

The technology for this is already integrated into the standardised in-vehicle systems of all BMW and BMW M automobiles. These systems are so precise that no additional sensors are required.

Another key element is the VR headset that the driver wears to experience the digital world. This headset must be connected to the vehicle's internal systems in order to synchronise movements and data in real time. Thanks to this equipment, various BMW M models can be used for BMW M Mixed Reality, regardless of the drive system. This includes vehicles with a conventional combustion engine such as the BMW M2 or BMW M4 as well as models with a fully electric powertrain such as the BMW i5 M60. In the future, BMW M can also imagine offering the new BMW M5 with M Mixed Reality. The technology is flexible and can be adapted to different vehicle platforms to provide a consistent and immersive mixed reality experience.

Digital innovations for the driving experience

BMW Group Mixed Reality is an answer to what future virtual experiences in the automotive sector could look like. At the current stage of development, it enables perfect controllability in every driving situation. Drifting will also be possible in the future, although no date has yet been set for when customers will be able to have this experience.

MINI also benefits from the BMW Group Mixed Reality umbrella: There are also plans to offer customers a multi-sensory mixed reality driving experience.

In addition, further applications in the field of vehicle development and professional training are already being investigated. For example, there is potential as a valuable addition to existing simulator driving in the dynamic driving area, without compromising driving safety, or in the development of driver assistance systems. On existing racetracks, a Professional Track Trainer could in the future display content such as the ideal line and braking points to drivers in order to train them to drive even more precisely. Current AR headset technology is not yet accurate enough for this ambitious use case.

In the event of enquiries please contact:

Corporate Communications

Christophe König, Head of BMW M GmbH and BMW M Motorsport Communications

Telephone: +49-176-601-56097

E-mail: Christophe.Koenig@bmw.de

Alexandra Landers, Head of Product and Brand Communication BMW

Telephone: +49-89-382-30871

E-mail: Alexandra.Landers@bmw.de

Internet: https://newsroom.bmwgroup.com/global/en

E-mail: presse@bmw.de

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises over 30 production sites worldwide; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2023, the BMW Group sold over 2.55 million passenger vehicles and more than 209,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2023 was € 17.1 billion on revenues amounting to € 155.5 billion. As of 31 December 2023, the BMW Group had a workforce of 154,950 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company set the course for the future at an early stage and consistently makes sustainability and efficient resource management central to its strategic direction, from the supply chain through production to the end of the use phase of all products.

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Portimão. The record hunt was successful. Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) is the first rider in the history of the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) to achieve the incredible streak of 13 consecutive victories. The BMW Motorrad factory rider won all three races from pole position on his ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW M 1000 RR at Portimão (POR), securing his fourth consecutive hat-trick. Razgatlioglu extended his lead in the rider’s championship to 92 points. Out of the 21 races held so far this season, he has won 15 and stood on the podium three further times. BMW leads the manufacturer standings by 20 points. Razgatlioglu’s teammates Michael van der Mark (NED) and Garrett Gerloff (USA) from the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team also gave in strong performances at Portimão.

Razgatlioglu and BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s winning streak began on 21st April in the second main race at Assen (NED). That was followed by three hat-tricks at Misano (ITA), Donington (GBR), and Most (CZE). The goal for the seventh round at Portimão was clear: to equal or surpass the previous record of 11 consecutive wins, held by Álvaro Bautista (ESP) and Jonathan Rea (GBR).

Razgatlioglu laid the foundation for his successful record hunt with his fourth consecutive pole position, his fifth of the season. However, the first main race on Saturday evening turned into a real thriller. The lead was fiercely contested, with countless position changes, and it wasn’t until the 13th of 20 laps that Razgatlioglu finally took the lead. He held onto it until the finish – equalling the record. In the Superpole race on Sunday afternoon, ‘El Turco’ led from the second lap onwards. After ten laps, he had done it, setting a new record of 12 consecutive wins and etching his name into the WorldSBK history books. The second main race was even more intense. When Razgatlioglu closely passed Alex Lowes (GBR / Kawasaki) at the start of the sixth lap, he lost the left wing on the front of his BMW M 1000 RR. Nevertheless, he pushed on until the chequered flag after 20 laps, defending his lead against all attacks and finally winning by a margin of 0.035 seconds.

Teammate van der Mark was also among the Portimão front runners, starting from fifth on the grid. In the first main race, he was part of the battle for the lead but had to drop back slightly in the closing stages, finishing in sixth place. In the Superpole race on Sunday, van der Mark was again in contention for a podium spot but missed out by just two-hundredths of a second, finishing fourth. In the second main race, van der Mark had an excellent start and even led the field at times. However, he eventually lost ground and finished seventh.

Gerloff also performed strongly at Portimão on the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team BMW M 1000 RR. Already fast in free practice, the Texan fought his way from ninth on the grid to an impressive fourth place in the first main race, securing his best race result of the season so far for himself and his team. In the Superpole race, he dropped back slightly at the start and finished 11th. In the second main race, Gerloff initially fell back to 18th at the start but made a great comeback to finish eighth. Teammate Scott Redding (GBR) struggled at Portimão. Despite a strong lap time, he could only qualify 16th in the tightly contested session. He retired shortly before the end of the first main race. In the Superpole race, Redding finished 17th, and in the second main race, he briefly ran in the top ten before finishing 14th.

Now, WorldSBK faces a slightly longer break. The next round will be held from 6th to 8th September at Magny-Cours, France.

Reactions after the Portimão round.

Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “We are truly at a loss for words. What Toprak and the team have accomplished together is incredible. With 13 consecutive wins, he has made history for himself, the team, and BMW Motorrad Motorsport. His determination was evident in the last race when he fought for his next victory despite losing a wing and having reduced aerodynamics. He has shown that he can achieve greatness under any circumstances. Congratulations to Toprak, and a big thank you to everyone at the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and BMW Motorrad Motorsport who made this possible. It’s also very positive to see the development of our other riders, with Mickey and Garrett fighting at the front at Portimão. We want to carry this momentum into Magny-Cours. It was a fantastic team effort. Our goal now is to represent our brand strongly with all four riders in the upcoming races.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 1 / R01: 1 / SP Race: 1 / R02: 1): “Thirteen victories in a row and a new record – this is good, I am very happy with this. I now have also 54 victories in my WorldSBK career, that’s a nice number. For me, it has been an incredible weekend. Just the last race was a little bit difficult because the wind was very strong and it was not easy to ride the bike. When I saw the Ducatis coming, I said: ‘Okay, I am ready to fight’. In the first two, three sectors, I was not bad, I just lost a lot in the last sector. I thought: we are fighting, and we will see who will win. But I am really happy, we won again. It’s incredible for me. It looks like my dreams come true. Now we will see what we can achieve in Magny-Cours. I am not looking at the championship points, I just focus on the wins. If this winning streak stops, then I start thinking about the championship.”

Michael van der Mark, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 5 / R01: 6 / SP Race: 4 / R02: 7): “We had a really nice Superpole race with some nice battles and I was fighting for the podium. On the last corner, I tried to pass Alex Lowes from the outside and I was lining up perfectly but I just started to wheelie shortly before the finish line and I missed out on the podium. I should be happy but I was really disappointed about that. Anyway, it was a good race. In race two, I had a good start and a good strategy with Toprak. Unfortunately I did not feel as good with the bike as I did this morning and yesterday. I think the wind changed a lot, especially for me. It was a shame but it was a long race and I tried as hard as I could. Unfortunately I finished only in P7 but overall it has been a fantastic weekend for the whole team, so we can be happy.”

Garrett Gerloff, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team (SP: 9 / R01: 4 / SP Race: 11 / R02: 8): “Sunday here at Portimao wasn’t as fantastic as yesterday. Yesterday was a big high. The Superpole race here was just a struggle. I didn’t have the best start, had to close the gas on the start and then got swallowed up by a bunch of guys. Everybody is going fast, I couldn’t work my way back up to ninth so I started one row back for the main race. In race two, same thing. I struggled with the starts today. I went so far back and then had to work my way forward. I’m happy to finish with a top ten but I know we had more and it’s just very frustrating to know that. Anyway, I’m looking forward to the next round. Obviously, I like Magny-Cours, so it should be good.”

Scott Redding, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team (SP: 16 / R01: DNF / SP Race: 17 / R02: 14): “It was a difficult weekend in general. The Superpole race today was a little bit better than yesterday, but I was still a little bit struggling with the bike. Then later today for race two I felt a bit better, we made some changes on the bike, which we ran before, so I was quite happy that I went back in that direction that helped me. But most of the weekend we’ve been quite slow. It’s difficult in the race to run at that pace. I got a good start and I was able to run with that front group a bit, but riding that pace for me I was using a lot of that front tyre and when the front tyre started to drop, I had some issues. But then again at the end of the race, it started to come back a little bit stronger. I think I could have maybe managed it a bit better myself. In general, I wasn’t happy, but happy at least coming away with more of a solid race at the end of the weekend. I hope we can start from there at Magny-Cours.”

Portimão. With the seventh round of the 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship (9th to 11th August) taking place at Portimão, Portugal, BMW Motorrad Motorsport enters the second half of what has been a very successful season so far. BMW Motorrad factory rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) arrives at the Algarve circuit leading the riders’ championship by 64 points, with BMW also currently atop the manufacturers’ standings. Across the six race weekends and 18 races held so far this season, Razgatlioglu has claimed 12 victories on his BMW M 1000 RR, including the last ten in a row. He has also secured pole position four times. At Portimão, ‘El Turco’ has the chance to match or even surpass the existing record of eleven consecutive wins.

The Portimão ‘Autodromo Internacional do Algarve’ is well-known to all four BMW Motorrad factory riders, Razgatlioglu and Michael van der Mark (NED) from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, as well as Garrett Gerloff (USA) and Scott Redding (GBR) from the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team. The track, often referred to as the ‘Algarve rollercoaster’ due to its layout, is a favourite among WorldSBK riders. Additionally, it is one of the tracks where winter testing is conducted. In 2021, van der Mark achieved a milestone here, the first victory since BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s factory comeback in WorldSBK.

In Portimão, WorldSBK will deviate from its usual schedule. The Superpole qualifying on Saturday and the Superpole race on Sunday will both take place in the afternoon, while the two main races are scheduled for early evening (18:00 local time).

Quotes ahead of the Portimão round.

Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “When the season started in Australia in February, the goal was to win races. However, we did not expect the first half to be this successful. Now we have a new goal, to win the world championship. We will all continue to work hard to achieve this. Because every race weekend is a fresh start, our competitors are very strong, and nothing can be taken for granted. Additionally, we want to compete with the entire squad for the top positions, and the recent races have shown that our riders, teams, and bikes have the potential to do so. Now we’re heading to the Algarve rollercoaster in Portimão, and we’re very excited about the weekend ahead!”

Garrett Gerloff (#31 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team): “I’m really excited to come back to Portugal. It should be an exciting weekend with a different format, having the early evening races. Last year was really successful for myself and the team so I’m hoping to show up and repeat the same thing. So I’m looking forward to start the weekend.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (#54 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I am really happy to come back to Portimão because it is one of my absolute favourite tracks and I really enjoy to ride there. It is like a rollercoaster. Normally, I am really strong there but now with BMW, we are on another level. But we will see at the weekend. I always try more than 100 percent because we need three wins again there. I am happy and the team is very happy, everyone is working really hard and now we will see what we can do at Portimão.”

Scott Redding (#45 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team): “I’m looking forward to Portimão. It’s an iconic circuit with a lot of challenging corners, something that we like. It’s great for the fans as well and the races are in the evening, which is new to all of us so I’m definitely excited for this race weekend in Portimão.”

Michael van der Mark (#60 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I am obviously very much looking forward to Portimão. It is one of my favourite circuits and especially after such a good end of the weekend at Most I can’t wait to go out in Portugal. We know that the base of the bike is really good so we just need to get ready for the races. It will be a different weekend with a different time schedule, it is very interesting to race so late, so I am looking forward to it and my hope and dream is to be on the podium together with Toprak. To have two BMWs on the podium – that’s my dream and that’s my goal.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) remains unbeatable on the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team’s BMW M 1000 RR. At the sixth round of the 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) in Most (CZE), ‘El Turco’ claimed pole position, all three race victories, and set new lap records. Following Misano (ITA) and Donington Park (GBR), this was Razgatlioglu’s third consecutive hat-trick. With 12 wins this season, ten of them in a row, he has extended his lead in the riders’ standings to 64 points. Additionally, BMW took first place in the manufacturers’ world championship at the season’s midpoint, leading by seven points.

Razgatlioglu hinted at his dominance in Most with fastest times in the practice sessions. In the 15-minute Superpole qualification on Saturday, he set a new all-time lap record twice and secured his fourth pole position of the season. In the first main race on Saturday afternoon he pulled away from the competition from the start, winning with almost a six-second lead. In the Superpole race on Sunday morning Razgatlioglu made it more exciting, initially dropping to third place. However, by the fourth of ten laps, he was back in the lead and won by almost four seconds. In the second main race on Sunday afternoon he initially settled for second place, before taking the lead again and crossing the finish line over three seconds ahead of his closest pursuers after 22 laps.

Teammate, Michael van der Mark (NED), returned to the podium battle in the second main race. After an excellent start he held third place for a long time and set the fastest race lap. In the second half of the race he dropped back slightly and finished fifth. In the Superpole qualification the Dutchman had to settle for 16th place after a crash. From there he moved up to ninth in the first main race. In the Superpole Race he finished eighth, but was classified ninth due to a penalty.

In the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, Garrett Gerloff (USA) secured eighth position in Superpole. Due to a penalty for a competitor he started the first race from seventh place, finishing in eighth. In the Superpole race and the second main race he finished in 12th place. Teammate, Scott Redding (GBR), qualified in 11th place. However, he had problems in the first race and finished fifteenth. In the Superpole Race Redding went down while trying to avoid a crashing rider ahead of him and retired. In the second main race the Brit briefly held seventh place before dropping back, receiving a long-lap penalty, and finishing in 13th.

The WorldSBK now moves on to Portimão in Portugal. The second half of the season begins there with round seven from 9th to 11th August.

Reactions after the Most round.

Marc Bongers, Sporting Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “It was, of course, another highly gratifying weekend. Toprak‘s third consecutive triple, his tenth consecutive win... it's really starting to become unbelievable. We had already said after Donington that the gap here wouldn‘t be as large and that we couldn’t dominate as much here. Nevertheless, we set another new lap record, achieved pole position, and won the races, even if not by such a huge margin. Basically, we had the pace to go even faster, but a very important factor in Most is tyre-preserving riding. Toprak managed that extremely well. Leaving here with over a 60-point lead in the riders’ standings and leading the manufacturers’ championship is simply fantastic. Additionally, it was very pleasing to see Michael deliver excellent races. This also shows that the base of our bike is solid. It was unfortunate about the inconsistent results in the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team. Garrett was doing quite well on Saturday, and Scott had a lot of bad luck, including today with the unfortunate crash that gave us a scare. But, luckily, he came out of it unscathed. Overall, we’re taking a lot of trophies home again, and it was very nice to have many BMW employees visiting here. Along with the many fans, and you always get goosebumps when the Turkish fans sing the national anthem. It was a great weekend, and now we’re preparing for Portimão.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 1 / R01: 1 / SP Race: 1 / R02: 1): “First I did not believe it, but now we have ten wins in a row. I am very happy that we again achieved three wins here. Especially on this track where I am really strong. Thanks to my team, they did an incredibly good job this weekend. We improved the bike with every session. In the second main race, with the hot temperatures, I was not pushing because in this race the gap was not important, it was important to win and that was what I focused on. I just checked the pit board, the gap and that everything is under control. On lap 22 I did a 1:32.6, a very good time. I just tried on one lap if I can give more. Everything was fine and there was no problem with the tyre. I really enjoyed the race. Now I am really happy because we have a big margin in the championship. But I am not thinking about this, I just think from race to race because it is important for me to get many wins. I need just two more victories for the record, and this is my target. We will see in Portimão where I am also strong. But now I am just happy with this weekend, no mistakes, three wins, we are always getting better and stronger.”

Michael van der Mark, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 16 / R01: 9 / SP Race: 9 / R02: 5): “We had a really nice day. This morning in the Superpole race I had a good start and nice battles. I really enjoyed the bike and had a good pace. I finished in P8 but, unfortunately, I passed under yellow and that dropped me back to ninth on the grid for race two. But our goal was to get a better starting position, and we achieved that. In race two I had a fantastic start, I had a good position and such a good pace with the bike. I stayed long together with Toprak and Nicolo Bulega in third position. I was pushing as hard as I could to get away from the group behind me, but at a certain point Andrea Locatelli was catching me. I tried to stay as clean as possible, he was just a little bit faster and then Remy Gardner as well. But it was so nice to have such a good start and pace and to finish this race in P5 is incredible. After a bad qualifying we had three very good races. So I am really happy to be in the top five and it was amazing to see Toprak taking another hat-trick.”

Garrett Gerloff, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team (SP: 8 / R01: 8 / SP Race: 12 / R02: 12): “I don’t know what to say about today, honestly. I’m just disappointed with how it went. I felt like the morning started really well. We just weren’t able to take the pace we had in the morning into the races and we struggled today. It wasn’t easy, but we’ll try again in the next round, which is Portimão. I have been feeling good there last year, so let’s hope we can find this sensation again.”

Scott Redding, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team (SP: 11 / R01: 15 / SP Race: DNF / R02: 13): “The Superpole Race was kind of ok, then Sam Lowes had a crash and lost control of the bike. He just clipped my front tyre and I also crashed, but I got lucky to be honest. I didn’t feel that good with the tyre, I was spinning a lot. Then in the race this afternoon I got off a good start, I felt pretty good, but I just ran out of grip pretty fast. The front tyre was working too much and then I had a long lap penalty, which I didn’t really agree with. That kind of ruined my race. It was a tough weekend, but we keep working.”

Donington Park. Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team continued his impressive performance on the BMW M 1000 RR at the fifth round of the 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK). Following a perfect weekend at Misano (ITA), ‘El Turco’ was again the benchmark at Donington Park (GBR). Starting from pole position, he won all three races in Great Britain, each with a significant lead, and set several new lap records. With nine wins to his name this season now, including seven consecutive victories, Razgatlioglu extended his lead in the rider’s championship to 41 points. In the Manufacturer’s Championship, BMW reduced the gap to leader Ducati to just six points. Scott Redding (GBR) from the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team also had a strong weekend, starting from third place and finishing fourth in two races at his home round.

After setting the fastest times in Friday’s practice sessions, Razgatlioglu set a new all-time lap record in Saturday morning’s Superpole qualification. He was over half a second faster than the rest of the field, securing his third pole position of the season. The first race turned into a showcase performance. Razgatlioglu pulled away from the field right from the start, extending his lead with each lap, setting a new lap record, and finishing more than eleven seconds ahead after 23 laps. The next win followed in the Superpole race on Sunday morning. Although Razgatlioglu fell to second place at the start, he regained the lead by the third lap. He pulled away from the field again, beat his previous day’s lap record, and won with a near five-second lead after ten laps. The second main race on Sunday afternoon was the final challenge. Razgatlioglu again pulled away from the start, set another new lap record, and finished eight seconds ahead as the winner.

Local hero Redding also shone at his home race. Already strong in practice, he secured the third start position in Superpole. In the first race, he held second place for a long time and fought for the podium before a technical issue forced him to retire a few laps before the end. In the Superpole Race, Redding seized his next opportunity. After a hectic start, he was in sixth place, and with determined manoeuvres, he fought his way forward. With a fourth-place finish, he and his team had cause to celebrate. In the second main race, he confirmed his strong performance and again finished in an excellent fourth place.

Michael van der Mark (NED) from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team secured a place on the second row with sixth place in Superpole. In the first race, he lost positions at the start and finished ninth. In the Superpole race and the second main race, van der Mark finished twelfth. Garrett Gerloff (USA) from the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team started the weekend from 12th place. He finished the first race in 14th place, the same position he achieved in the Superpole race. In the second main race, he finished 13th.

Also present at Donington Park were other members of the BMW Motorrad Motorsport family, including BMW Motorrad factory rider Sylvain Guintoli (FRA), the 2014 Superbike World Champion, who presented Razgatlioglu with the winner’s trophy after the Superpole race, and Davey Todd (GBR), who won the Superstock race and the prestigious Senior TT on the Isle of Man with the BMW M 1000 RR in June.

The WorldSBK continues without a break. The sixth event of the season is scheduled for next weekend (19th to 21st July) at Most, Czech Republic.

Reactions after the Donington Park round.

Marc Bongers, Sporting Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “It was an amazing weekend. The second consecutive triple, with pole position and lap records, is just fantastic. I‘m still a bit lost for words. I think I need to sleep on it before I can truly grasp it. It was also great to see Scott up there, proving that not just one BMW M 1000 RR can compete at the front. This shows that the whole package is good. It was unfortunate for Mickey and Garrett. They didn’t get into the rhythm we had expected but we’ll keep working on it so that they can also fight for the top spots. Overall, it’s wonderful to be heading home with a case full of trophies. Before the weekend, I told the guys in the office to make some extra space in our cabinet just in case we brought back more trophies. That it turned out to be so many is a dream come true. At the start of the season, we couldn’t have imagined this. The goal back then was to win multiple times but now, leaving with over a 40-point lead in the championship changes the target of course. The new goal is clearly the world championship. We just need to stay focused, keep everything stable, and make sure we don’t make any mistakes but I’m optimistic, things can continue like this, and I’m already looking forward to Most. Our package now works on every track, so we don’t need to make many adjustments. I expect that we can be at the front at Most right away, especially since this is a special track for our package and our rider.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 1 / R01: 1 / SP Race: 1 / R02: 1): “I am feeling incredible now because before I came here, I had the target to get three wins, as this is my favourite track, and finally we did that here. This is team work and the team is working really hard. We improved the bike every session. I am strong but my BMW M 1000 RR was also working incredibly on this circuit. With my BMW I am really stronger here. The bike is working, easy stopping, easy turning. The grip is not 100 percent but the bike is helping me to show my potential. We are happy, because at Misano we had three wins and we repeated that here. Now I hope that we will also win at Most because I love the track there. Thanks to everyone, I am really happy today. Now we will see how the next round will go but we are coming closer to the world championship title step by step. Let’s wait, there are many more races to go.”

Scott Redding, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team (SP: 3 / R01: DNF / SP Race: 4 / R02: 4): “It has been good. I am a little bit upset with my start in the Superpole race because I cost myself a podium. I had the pace to be there but the Superpole race is quick and the start is important but it was like it was and I managed to come through which was good. Then in race two I knew it was going to be hard, I was also using the SC-0 tyre that didn’t feel so good yesterday. I felt better with the tyre so I was able to ride in a better way and this was good for me mentally to gain confidence with the package and to feel comfortable and relaxed on the bike more. This weekend has been good for me and for the team. Everyone has been working really hard, from the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, from BMW Motorrad Motorsport, and it’s nice when you can put something together and give back a little bit. I wanted it too hard to have the podium but a step at the time and I hope next time we can make two steps more. For Most, if I have the feeling like this weekend as a start, I would like to be fighting again in the top five there. It’s a track that I like and a track I go well so a podium, without being greedy, is something I want to achieve. We just need to perfect the bike a little bit and it will allow me to do that.”

Michael van der Mark, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 6 / R01: 9 / SP Race: 12 / R02: 12): “For today, we changed quite a lot on the bike compared to yesterday and this morning, I was feeling alright so we were ready for the race. In the Superpole race, I had an okay start but I just did not have the right pace to fight with the other guys. It was a shame to lose the sixth position on the grid for race two, but anyway, starting from 11th, I had a good start but on the first laps I was a bit in trouble with the other riders. Then I had an okay pace but I wasn’t fast enough. It was hard to fight with other riders, I could not really catch the group in front of me. In the end, I had a nice battle but fighting for P11 is not where we want to be. We need to find out why I don’t have the right speed at the moment. Let’s analyse and be ready for the next weekend at Most.”

Garrett Gerloff, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team (SP: 11 / R01: 14 / SP Race: 14 / R02: 13): “For sure, this weekend has been a tough one. I came here with high expectations and the results we have seen here have shown what the bike is capable of. Congrats to Toprak to his wins and to Scott on his strong results, but for whatever reason we could not bring it together for me. We worked hard and tried a lot but the field is so close that even with a really strong pace and good feeling in qualifying I had to settle with 12th on the grid. From there, it is not easy to get strong race results. I am disappointed because more would have been possible. But we keep our heads down, regroup and get ready for Most, where the goal is to turn the page.”

Donington Park. After a successful weekend at Misano (ITA) with a historic hat-trick by Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR), BMW Motorrad Motorsport now heads to Great Britain. The fifth round of the FIM Superbike World Championship 2024 (WorldSBK) will be held in Donington Park (GBR) this upcoming weekend (12th to 14th July). Razgatlioglu arrives at Donington Park as the World championship leader. In the four events so far this season, he has secured six victories and three additional podium finishes, leading the standings with a 21-point advantage.

Donington Park is a double home game for the BMW Motorrad Motorsport WorldSBK family. Firstly, for the British ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team with riders Razgatlioglu and Michael van der Mark (NED). Secondly, for Scott Redding (GBR), who, along with teammate Garrett Gerloff (USA), races for the German Bonovo action BMW Racing Team.

The race weekend in Great Britain marks the first half of a WorldSBK double-header for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. Just one week later, the sixth round of the season is scheduled to take place at Most, Czech Republic.

Quotes ahead of the Donington Park round.

Marc Bongers, Sporting Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “The Misano hat-trick will, of course, never be forgotten, and we want to carry this momentum to Donington Park and then a week later to Most. At Donington Park, we have already celebrated important successes in the history of BMW Motorrad Motorsport in the WorldSBK, and accordingly, we are confident that our strong package will perform well there also this year. Strong results in Donington Park will then give us further tailwind for the races in Most. The goal is clear: to defend the lead in the Riders’ World Championship and, with a strong team performance, to advance further in the Manufacturers’ World Championship. We are looking forward to the double-header with two weekends full of racing action.”

Garrett Gerloff (#31 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team): “I’m really looking forward to Donington. I remember having a strong race last year, I felt strong there and that the bike was working well. So this year, I’m really looking forward to getting back there and trying to do the best I can for myself and for my team.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (#54 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I’m really happy to return to Donington because this circuit is my favourite track. I am very positive. Last year, I was fighting a lot with the Ducatis but this year it is completely different because now I ride the BMW and the bike is stronger on the straight and in the corners. I am also getting adapted to it now; we still are not at 100 percent but we are getting better every race weekend. Especially the recent wins at Misano showed that I am getting stronger, but now we will see how it will be at Donington. I never say a lot before the race. I just say that it is my favourite circuit, I will just try to do my best again like I did at Misano, and I hope that we will win again. Usually, I’m very strong on this circuit but we will see how it will be with the BMW M 1000 RR as it will be the first time that I ride it there. In general, my feeling is positive, the team keeps working hard and doesn’t stop, I am working every day, I go to the gym and I go to the track, I’m riding the bicycle, I’m pushing in training every day. I am fully ready for the race weekend.”

Scott Redding (#45 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team): “Donington is obviously an amazing race weekend for me to go to. I have a lot of friends and family there, the circuit itself is amazing and there’s a lot of history. The circuit also has so much character, fast corners down Craner Curves, slow downhill braking into Melbourne Hairpin. I love the atmosphere of racing around Donington Park. Hopefully the weather is amazing because it makes such a brighter weekend for the people on the banks and the riders on the track. I am really looking forward to it. I feel that at Misano we made a good step with the bike. I couldn’t show with results but the feeling that we achieved was good so I’m hoping I can express that in results at Donington Park. I feel more confident now, more stable with the bike so I’m really looking forward to it. I can’t wait to get there, see everybody and have a great weekend all together.”

Michael van der Mark (#60 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “It’s always nice to go back to Donington. It’s a track where I have a lot of good memories and it’s a shame I haven’t been there the last couple of years so I’m looking forward to getting back there. I think, as we have shown in the previous round, that the bike is very good and that we are ready to fight for the top positions again. I hope that this weekend on my side everything falls into places because we have been showing the pace but have not been lucky in the last couple of rounds. I am very motivated and I have a lot of confidence to to very well at Donington Park during the home round of the team.”

Le Mans. Go time for the endurance heroes. BMW Motorrad Motorsport kicks off the 2024 season in the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) with the 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans (FRA) on 20th/21st April. In the top class, the Formula EWC, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team returns to hunt for overall victories and the world championship title with the #37 BMW M 1000 RR. This year, the core trio consists of Markus Reiterberger (GER), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR), and new addition Sylvain Guintoli (FRA). The fourth rider is Estonian Hannes Soomer. In the Superstock class, the Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team is the hot BMW contender. In its 2023 debut season, the French team proved that it is among the best in the field.

For comprehensive information about BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s involvement in the FIM EWC 2024, please visit online:

https://b.mw/BMW_FIM_EWC_EN

BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team.

The three regular BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team riders for the 2024 season comprise continuity and a strong addition. The two BMW Motorrad factory riders Reiterberger and Mikhalchik have been integral parts of the team led by Team Manager Werner Daemen (BEL) since the debut season 2019/20. Together, they immediately secured podium finishes with the #37 bike, followed by their first victory in 2021. In the 2022 season, they celebrated triumph at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) and finished as runner-ups in the world championship. Last season, the Reiterberger/ Mikhalchik team claimed podium finishes in all three 24-hour races, achieved sixth place as the best European team in Suzuka (JPN), and finished third in the world championship standings.

The prominent new addition to the trio is Guintoli, who has already clinched the world championship title in both the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) and the FIM EWC. The Frenchman is one of the most experienced and respected riders in international motorcycle racing. As a BMW Motorrad factory rider, he is also part of the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team and closely involved in the development of the BMW M 1000 RR.

Another new member of the BMW family is Soomer. The 26-year-old Estonian will support both the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team and the Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team as the fourth rider in the upcoming season.

Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team.

The Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team competed in its first full season in the Superstock class of the FIM EWC, the FIM Endurance World Cup, in 2023. The team, led by Team Principal Arnaud Sassone (FRA), is a collaboration between the French Tecmas Racing Team, Werner Daemen’s company Motorcycle Racing Parts, and BMW Motorrad Motorsport. The Tecmas Racing Team has long been successful in the French Superbike Championship (FBSK) and had previously competed in selected FIM EWC races in the EWC class.

Last year’s Superstock debut of the Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team could not have gone better. At the season opener, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the team celebrated its first victory in the Superstock class with riders Kenny Foray (FRA), Jan Bühn (GER), and Loïc Arbel (FRA). The team continued to show convincing performances with the #9 BMW M 1000 RR in the following races as well. However, technical induced DNFs prevented further top results.

Foray, Bühn, and Arbel will continue to compete for the Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team this season. The line-up will be supplemented by Soomer as the fourth rider.

24 Heures Motos.

Prior to the season opener, there will be an opportunity to participate in private test sessions on Tuesday, 16th April. The 24 Hours of Le Mans race weekend begins on Thursday, 18th April, with free practice, the first qualifying sessions, and night practice. The final decision on the starting positions will be made in the second qualifying session on Friday morning. The race itself, the 47th edition of the 24 Heures Motos, will start on Saturday at 15:00 CEST.

In addition to the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team and the Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team, two other BMW teams will participate in Le Mans: Japanese Team Étoile and Team T2C Racing from France. Both will compete in the Superstock class.

Quotes before the season opener at Le Mans.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “We are entering the FIM EWC 2024 well prepared and with great confidence. Over the winter, our engineers, together with our technical partners, have further optimised the #37 BMW M 1000 RR as a complete package in many areas, from the power unit to the chassis and electronics to the exhaust system, brakes, and tyres. On the rider side, we have one of the best trios in the field with Markus, Ilya, and Sylvain in the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. Together with the experienced team led by Werner Daemen, they form the perfect squad to achieve our goal, which is to fight for the world championship title. Everyone knows how strong the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team is, and now we want to take the next step forward. In the Superstock class, the Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team has already shown in the past season that it belongs at the absolute top. Over the winter, we have intensively worked on the technical side to address the deficits identified in 2023. Now we are looking forward to Le Mans – we are ready! Of course, endurance racing has its own laws, and a lot can happen in 24 race hours. But we are confident.”

Werner Daemen, Teammanager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “Our target for the season must be to fight for the world championship as we do every year. Of course, in endurance you also need some luck. Last year, we had a very good season, we were on the podium in all three 24-hour races and finished in a strong sixth place in Japan. I think, if we can do the same this year, and if we maybe can win one or two races and stand on the podium in the other ones, then we can fight for the title. That is the main goal. All looks good, we are well prepared and the feeling is very good.”

Sylvain Guintoli (#37 BMW M 1000 RR, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team): “We go into the 24 Heures Moto at Le Mans with a very positive mindset because we’ve done some testing and it went better and better. The most successful test was the Pre-Test at Le Mans where we all had a good feeling with the bike and also a good race rhythm. We worked for the race in all conditions, we are ready, and for sure, the objective is to win the race. We are going into this with confidence and the bike is behaving really well. For me, it's a new bike this year and I am very happy with it, everything is going well. So there are big hopes for this race in Le Mans and for the entire season, but we have to think from race by race and now focus 100 per cent on Le Mans. I can’t wait and am looking forward to it.”

Ilya Mikhalchik (#37 BMW M 1000 RR, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team):  “I’m looking forward to the race week at Le Mans and am pretty confident. It also looks that the weather stays dry and quite good. This also adds to my positive feelings. During free practice we need to focus on finding the final settings before we head into the qualifications and the race. But overall, we already have a very good base and I we will start from this and work on improving the small things we need to. I think that we will have good days at Le Mans. Let’s enjoy our progress and riding the bike and have great moments there. We can’t wait to start the season!”

Markus Reiterberger (#37 BMW M 1000 RR, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team): “After the positive Pre-Test at Le Mans, we have of course set high goals for ourselves. We aim to take the next step this year and get even closer to our ultimate goal, the world championship. After the previous years we are now aiming for the top position. We are well-prepared for Le Mans. There are a few minor things we still need to improve, but we have everything necessary on board and will give our best from both the team and rider side. During the free practice sessions we will try to fine-tune the bike a bit more to suit us as riders and continue to adapt to each other within the new line-up, so that we can attack properly in qualifying and have a good, stable, and fast bike for all three riders in the 24-hour race with the aim of hopefully standing at the top on Sunday. It will be a long and tough race, a long, tough season, but I believe we are all in good spirits and have realistic chances.”

Arnaud Sassone (Teamchef Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team): “We really are confident. We proved last season that we could go and obtain the title. The performance was there together with the strategy. We only missed the reliability in the races at Spa and at the Bol d’Or, after we had pole position and the fastest race lap on both occasions. BMW in Germany worked a lot on the reliability and this should pay off. On the riders’ side, we did changed nothing and that is an asset. We know that we have strong team, a strong bike and strong riders, and our goal is clearly to win the FIM Endurance World Cup.”

Technical data #37 BMW M 1000 RR.

Capacity / engine: 999 cc, four-cylinder four-stroke engine with four titanium valves per cylinder and variable intake camshaft control BMW ShiftCam, liquid-cooled, titanium rods, 2-ring pistons

Gearbox: Constant mesh 6-speed gearbox with straight cut gears

Output: > 215 hp at over 14,000 rpm

Bore x stroke: 80 x 49.7 mm

Fuel system: Electronic injection, variable intake manifold length

Tank capacity: 24 l

Lubrication: Wet sump

Dry weight: 168 kg without tank

Wheelbase: 1,450 mm (variable)

Length: 2,080 mm

Width: 538 mm

Front wheel control: ZF Upside-down telescopic CFK fork with pressurised damping system

Rear wheel control: Underslung BMW swing arm, full-floater central spring ZF twin tube monoshock

Front brake: Twin-disc Motomaster 320 mm, Nissin radial 6-piston callipers

Rear brake: Single-disc Motomaster 220 mm, Nissin 2-piston callipers

Wheels: PVM cast aluminium wheels, front 17’’ x 3.5’’, rear 17’’ x 6.0’’

Tyres: Dunlop

FIM EWC 2024 calendar.

20th/21st April – 24 Heures Motos Le Mans – France

8th June – 8 Hours of Spa Motos – Belgium

21st July – Suzuka 8 Hours – Japan

14th/15th September – Bol d’Or Le Castellet – France

Munich. Customer racing has always been an important pillar of BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s activities. Year after year, privateer BMW riders and teams celebrate successes in a variety of championships around the world, and the 2023 season was no exception. In the most important international and national championships in Europe, North America and South America, Asia, and Australia, the BMW racers amassed no fewer than 16 championship titles this year. Then there is the equally impressive haul of 153 wins and 382 additional podiums in the various Superbike and Superstock classes. The privateer BMW teams receive global support from the BMW Motorrad Race Support network of experts. They also benefit from the experiences and advancements of BMW Motorrad Motorsport through the works entries in the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) and the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC).

“Congratulations to the successful privateer BMW teams and riders,” said Uwe Geyer, Head of BMW Motorrad Customer Racing. “We are very proud of the successes that they have brought home around the world. These successes reiterate that our M RR is a winning package. They show yet again that with our package, comprising the BMW M 1000 RR race version and the technical support that we offer around the world, as well as with our partner alpha Racing, we provide our customers with a strong foundation that can help them enjoy success in a wide variety of championships. This also proves that the strong focus on the development of racing components with our motorsport development department and our test team for WorldSBK was the right step, which ultimately benefits all our customers worldwide.”

Overview of the BMW Champions of 2023.

The BMW Motorrad Motorsport customer racing programme is a global success story. This is also demonstrated by the 16 championship titles that BMW teams brought home with their privateer entries on various continents. The BMW Champions of the 2023 season are:

• Canadian Superbike Championship – Ben Young (CAN / Van Dolder’s Home Team)
• FIM Asia Road Racing Championship – Markus Reiterberger (GER / ONEXOX BMW TKKR Racing Team)
• French Superbike Championship – Kenny Foray (FRA / Tecmas Racing Team)
• Spanish Superbike Championship – Ivo Lopes (POR / easyRace BMW Team)
• MotoAmerica Superbike Cup – Nolan Lamkin (USA / Tom Wood Powersports BMW)
• IDM Pro Superstock Cup – Kevin Orgis (GER / ORM)
• Italian National Trophy 1000 – Gabriele Giannini (ITA / Pistard Racing)
• French European Bikes Championship – Nelson Major (FRA / Tecmas Racing Team)
• Portuguese Superbike Championship – Ivo Lopes (POR / easyRace BMW Team)
• Alpe Adria Road Racing Championship STK – Milan Pawelec (POL / BMW Sikora M Motorsport Team)
• Alpe Adria Road Racing Championship Cup 1000 – Luca Alessio (ITA)
• FIM European Superstock 1000 Cup – Martin Tritscher (AUT)
• SuperBike Brasil Pro Superbike – Maxi Gerardo (URU / Team BMW Rider Experience)
• SuperBike Brasil Evo & Evo Pro – Raphael Santos (BRA / TRC Performance)
• SuperBike Brasil Superbike Light – Peri Cunha (BRA / SE Racing Team)
• SuperBike Brasil Superbike Rookie Light – Danilo Anselmo (BRA / 3AB)

BMW racers’ successes in the most important road races.

In international road racing, BMW riders and teams have also been among the absolute top favourites for many years. They lived up to this role in the 2023 season, notably Peter Hickman (GBR). At the most important road races of the year, the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy and the Macau Grand Prix, on the BMW M 1000 RR of the FHO Racing BMW team, he was the man to beat. At the Isle of Man TT in June, Hickman celebrated his third overall victory in the prestigious Senior TT, as well as wins in both Superstock TT races. These were the first Isle of Man triumphs for the new BMW M 1000 RR, which made its debut at the iconic road race this year. “Hicky” also set a new overall lap record as well as new lap records in the Senior TT and the Superbike TT. 

At the North West 200 in Northern Ireland, Alastair Seeley (GBR) and the TAS Racing team were triumphant. Seeley was unbeatable on his SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad M 1000 RR in the two Superstock races – he finished first in both. On the Milwaukee BMW Motorrad M 1000 RR, Seeley also finished in second place in the second Superbike race of the event.

At the legendary Macau Grand Prix in mid-November, BMW racers pulled off a top-four lock-out for the BMW M 1000 RR. Hickman, who had set the pace with the FHO Racing BMW M 1000 RR in the practice sessions and in qualifying, claimed his fourth Macau victory in the race on the unique Guia Circuit. Davey Todd (GBR / Burrows Engineering / RK Racing) and David Datzer (GER / MTP Racing by ZERO UP Penz 13) secured second and third place on the podium. Hickman’s team-mate Josh Brookes (GBR) rounded off the success in fourth place.

Strong partner for customers: BMW Motorrad Race Support.

During their successful assignments at the racetrack, BMW racers have a strong partner at their side. With its race support, BMW Motorrad offers expert assistance to privateer racing customers around the world. The spectrum ranges from components developed in works racing, to on-site support during testing and racing action.

The race package that BMW Motorrad offers customers is developed in the Superbike World Championship and adapted to suit the needs of customers as well as the regulations of the respective championships. An important aspect is that the required racing components are made available to all customers without complications or waiting times.

“Customers can also benefit from the many years of experience in the field of motorcycle tuning,” said Uwe Geyer. “In terms of electronics, we make our own motorsport electronics available with the Race Calibration Kit. Here, we have experts in the markets who can help customers tune their electronics. And of course, we also have a wealth of experience when it comes to tuning, for example, in the areas of chassis, suspension or chassis settings, and that includes different tyre manufacturers. Customers can benefit from this because we share this data with them.”

Note to editors:

For more information about BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s involvement in customer racing, the global BMW Motorrad Motorsport family, and BMW Motorrad Race Support, as well as customer racing news and interviews with the BMW Champions of the 2023 season, see the website www.motorsport.bmw-motorrad.com.

Richmond Hill, ON. Motorcycle racer Ben Young has won his third Canadian Pro Superbike championship on a BMW M 1000 RR during the season’s final race weekend at Shannonville Motorsport Park in Shannonville, Ontario.

Young secured his repeat title with a race win on the second of a three-race weekend, placing him out of reach in the points race. This followed a staggering performance at the previous round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), where Young placed first in all three races.

Consistently strong performances by Young and other BMW riders later in the season, namely Young and Samuel Guerin’s triple podiums in round 4 at CTMP, netted BMW the Constructors Championship, 57 points ahead of Suzuki and 184 points ahead of Kawasaki.

“Going back-to-back is a great accomplishment for myself and the team,” said Young. “Working with BMW Motorrad since 2016 and having the same team by my side since then makes it even more special. We are looking forward to many more successful years aboard the M 1000 RR.”

Early races were accompanied by issues and accidents, with an entire race weekend in Shubenacadie being cancelled due to extreme weather, limiting the opportunity for points.

“Ben’s comeback in the second half of the season after a cancelled race weekend has been beyond impressive, and something that he and his team can be very proud of,” said Alex Welsh, Marketing Manager for BMW Motorrad Canada. “Our commitment to Motorsports is unwavering as our motorcycles continue to impress and riders on BMWs have won ten out of the last thirteen championships.”

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BMW Group Canada, based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BMW AG and is responsible for the distribution of BMW luxury performance automobiles, Sports Activity Vehicles, Motorcycles, and MINI.  BMW Group Financial Services Canada is a division of BMW Group Canada and offers retail financing and leasing programs and protection products on new and pre-owned BMW and MINI automobiles, as well as retail financing for new and pre-owned BMW Motorcycles. A total network of 50 BMW automobile retail centres, 23 BMW motorcycle retailers, and 31 MINI retailers represents the BMW Group across the country.

For more information, please contact:

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BMW Group Canada

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Le Castellet. BMW Motorrad Motorsport had the perfect start to the season finale of the 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) at Le Castellet (FRA). In the extremely exciting two-part qualifying for the 24-hour Bol d’Or race, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team secured pole position with the #37 BMW M 1000 RR, setting a new lap record. This marked an important first step for the team with riders Markus Reiterberger (GER), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR), and Jérémy Guarnoni (FRA) in their quest for the championship title. In the Superstock class, the Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team will start from pole position with the #9 BMW M 1000 RR. This team also has a chance at the title in its category.

The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team arrived at Le Castellet as third in the overall standings, 38 points behind the leaders. Accordingly, their first goal was to secure pole position, as it not only provides the best starting position for the race but also earns an additional five points. In the two-part qualification held on Thursday and Friday, they achieved this with the best average time from the individual sessions. The team’s fastest lap times were set by Reiterberger (1:51.596 minutes) and Mikhalchik (1:51.721 minutes) in the second part of qualifying on Friday morning.

In the Superstock class, the Tecmas-MRP-Racing Team entered the finale as fourth overall with a 16-point deficit. In the qualifying session, Kenny Foray (FRA) was the team’s fastest rider, ensuring that the #9 BMW M 1000 RR was unbeatable.

The 86th edition of the Bol d’Or will kick off on Saturday, September 16th, at 15:00. The number of points awarded in the race will by multiplied by a factor of 1.5. This means that the winning team will receive 60 points, and there will be 49.5 points for second place and 42 points for third place. In addition, further points will be awarded to the best teams in the interim standings after eight and 16 hours.

Quotes after qualifying.

Markus Reiterberger (#37 BMW M 1000 RR, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “Already yesterday, my lap time was very good. I did that alone and today I tried to find the slipstream and that helped me to get another few tenths. I want to say thank you to the team. Our bike is incredibly fast and I think we are ready for the race. Our plan for the 24-hour race is to go full attack. Our goal was to get pole position and to win the race. This is what we have to do to have a chance for the title.”

Werner Daemen, Teammanager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “It has been our plan to get pole position as we are pretty far behind the two teams in front of us in the standings, so the only chance to keep the championship open for us was to take pole position and to get as many points as possible after eight hours, 16 hours and 24 hours. In our position we must give everything and maybe also risk a little bit more than the other guys to try to win. The two teams in front of us can try to manage the points more. But as we know from last year, it is a long race here, not only for the riders but also for the bikes. A lot can happen. We will see on Sunday at 15:00 o’clock if we are all there and I hope that we will be on the highest step of the podium and then we will see what the others do.”

Kenny Foray (#9 BMW M 1000 RR, Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team): “I think that we have the same target as the #37 BMW M 1000 RR; we just need to win to take the title. It is a 24-hour race and it’s really long. But the only objective is to win the race.”

+++ US sports stars to open BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club (Chicago, USA) +++ Gardner Heidrick Pro-Am in support of the Evans Scholars Foundation +++ 50 world class golfers to tee off at the PGA TOUR playoff tournament +++ Hole-in-One Award: an all-electric BMW i5 for both the player and his caddie +++

Chicago. The BMW Championship is the penultimate playoff event in the FedExCup, only the top 50 pros of the PGA TOUR season are eligible to play. The field of players scheduled to play at Olympia Fields Country Club in Chicago (Illinois) this week is arguably of the highest quality that golf fans will ever see. Two-time defending champion Patrick Cantlay (USA) will compete to become the event’s first-ever three-time winner since BMW became the title partner in 2007.

With almost all the top 20 in the world rankings taking part, the task of defending the title once again could not be more difficult for Cantlay. Jon Rahm (ESP), the FedExCup leader, reigning Masters champion, and winner of the only BMW Championship held at Olympia Fields Country Club (2020) to date, world number one Scottie Scheffler (USA), world number three Rory McIlroy (NIR), and reigning major winners Wyndham Clark (USA, U.S. Open) and Brian Harman (USA, The Open) are just some of the world-class pros to watch out for.

The tournament week got underway on Wednesday with the traditional Gardner Heidrick Pro-Am. The amateurs reaching for their golf clubs in Chicago included US sporting greats such as CC Sabathia, former baseballer and World Series winner, former American footballer and Super Bowl champion Victor Cruz, as well as BMW Motorsport works driver Conner De Phillippi.

The Gardner Heidrick Pro-Am is the largest annual fundraiser for the Evans Scholars Foundation (ESF). All proceeds from the 2023 BMW Championship benefit the ESF, a charity which funds full college tuition and housing scholarships for deserving caddies across the country. Since 2007, the BMW Championshp has raised more than $45 million in support of the ESF, helping more than 3,300 students achieve their dreams of attending college.

Once again, BMW will contribute a four-year Evans Scholarship, covering full college tuition and housing, in the name of the first PGA TOUR player to record a hole-in-one on any hole during tournament play. BMW has awarded six such Hole-In-One Scholarships, with the most recent coming after Viktor Hovland’s (NOR) ace in the final round of the 2022 tournament.

If a pro succeeds in getting a hole-in-one on the 16th hole, both the player and his caddie will have plenty to celebrate. The reward for this feat is two all-new, fully electric BMW i5 Sedans. Since all proceeds from the BMW Championship benefit deserving young caddies through the Evans Scholars Foundation, it’s only fitting that when a player wins a new car, so does his caddie.

In addition to the sporting battle for one of the most prestigious titles on the PGA TOUR, a total prize fund of 20 million US dollars, and one of the 30 starting places at the season final TOUR championship, the Ryder Cup also plays a role at the BMW Championship. This week is the last opportunity for the Americans to pick up points to qualify for the team of captain Zach Johnson (USA). The six best players in the rankings have secured their place in the defending champions’ squad. Johnson will use Captain's Picks to complete the squad with six other pros; the team will face the European selection in Rome (ITA) from 25th September to 1st October 2023. BMW will be part of the legendary team competition as Worldwide Partner.

Munich. BMW Motorrad Motorsport is positioning itself more broadly with a new and expanded structure, as it sets course for the future. Under the overall direction of BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Marc Bongers, the roles of Technical Director and Head of Customer Racing have been created. The new Technical Director at BMW Motorrad Motorsport is Christian Gonschor. Uwe Geyer is taking on the role of Head of Customer Racing, alongside his position as Head of Marketing. Both report directly to Bongers. Additional specialised teams, including an independent test team, have also been formed within BMW Motorrad Motorsport. The Development and Test departments in Munich and Berlin are being expanded and synergies between BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the production development of the BMW M 1000 RR are to be taken full advantage of . Customer Racing will also be strengthened further.

“With this new structure, we are optimising the way we are set up for development and test work, for our works projects and customer racing,” says Dr. Markus Schramm, Head of BMW Motorrad. “This allows us to increase our capacities in Munich and our engine plant in Berlin, and thus to strengthen the development and test work for the FIM Superbike World Championship and the FIM Endurance World Championship, as well as for our Customer Racing programme. The connection to production development, under the leadership of Christoph Lischka, has been intensified. I am confident that we are well positioned for the future with these and other reforms.”

Several teams to drive motor racing development in Munich and Berlin.

As Technical Director of BMW Motorrad Motorsport, Christian Gonschor has been tasked with optimising the technical organisation of development and test work. Under his leadership, different specialised teams have been formed for the test team, chassis, engine, electronics and aerodynamics areas. These teams are primarily based in Munich, where specific workshops, test and development motorcycles, testbeds and wind tunnels ensure they have optimal conditions for developing and testing the BMW M 1000 RR and new racing components. On the engine side of things, this takes place in close cooperation with the BMW Motorrad plant in Berlin. Furthermore, corresponding capacities for internal development and test work will be increased in both Munich and Berlin.

In Munich, BMW Motorrad Motorsport is based on the same premises as the production development of the BMW M 1000 RR. The close proximity and direct communication allows the best possible use of the many synergies between the different departments.

The separate new test team is organised and run directly by BMW Motorrad Motorsport. “One of the benefits is that the test team can focus fully on test work at the racetrack, regardless of any race outings,” says Gonschor. “To achieve this, we are also putting together a separate pool of test riders. The focus here is on test work for our WorldSBK project. In the medium term, however, our entire motorsport department will also benefit in other areas from the creation of new motor racing components.”

Customer Racing to be strengthened as an integral pillar.

Alongside the works involvement in the FIM Superbike World Championship and the FIM Endurance World Championship, Customer Racing also forms a fundamental pillar of BMW Motorrad’s motorsport activities. All over the world, BMW riders from official and private teams claim titles, race wins and podiums in their championships. Uwe Geyer is now responsible for this area as the new Head of BMW Motorrad Customer Racing, in addition to his role as Marketing Director.

“Customer racing is fundamental to BMW Motorrad,” stresses Geyer. “We develop our projects for all our customers around the world. Not just those who ride on the streets, but also for those customers who want to compete with our products from the Supersport segment – whether professionally, semi-professionally, or as a hobby. The race package we offer is developed at the highest level of production-based motorsport, in the Superbike World Championship. We then use this race package in a version adapted to meet the customer’s requirements in local Superbike series. This way, every customer benefits from the experience that our development team gains at the highest level, adapted to the respective regulations of the local series.”

One important aspect is the availability of parts for all customers. Both the Superstock and Superbike versions of engines can be acquired directly through BMW Motorrad Motorsport. All other racing components are available via distribution partner alpha Racing. Parts planning, the production of parts and delivery times will be optimised in the future. When it comes to electronics, Customer Racing is supported by the global BMW Motorrad Race Support network. BMW Motorrad will also continue to invest in this support.

New contact partner for the media.

As of August 2023, Dominic Thönnes will replace Benedikt Torka in his role as Spokesperson for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. You can find his contact details in the signature.

Munich. The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK family has a new addition from Portugal for round four of the 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) at Barcelona (ESP) this weekend. Ivo Lopes (POR), who has enjoyed success for several years with the easyRace BMW Team in the Spanish Superbike Championship (ESBK), will stand in for injured BMW Motorrad WorldSBK works rider Michael van der Mark (NED) at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. He races alongside Scott Redding (GBR) for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team.

26-year-old Lopes was crowned Portuguese Superbike champion in 2019 and became the first Portuguese to win the Spanish Superbike Championship in 2021 – on a BMW M 1000 RR with the easyRace BMW Team. In the 2023 season, he has claimed one victory and two second places from the four ESBK races so far. That puts Lopes top of the table in Spain after the opening two events of the season. Lopes is now set to make his WorldSBK debut at Barcelona.

Van der Mark fractured his left thigh when he crashed out of the second main race at Assen (NED). He was operated on successfully in Groningen (NED) and is now committed to the recovery process at home. It is not yet clear when van der Mark will be able to race again. His replacement at any other events he may miss will be announced at a later date.

The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team attended the Barcelona WorldSBK tests in March. In action back then were Redding, van der Mark and Garrett Gerloff (USA). Loris Baz (FRA) was unable to take part in the test due to injury to his foot, which he sustained in Indonesia. The Frenchman returned to the grid in Assen.

Quotes ahead of the Barcelona round.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “First of all, we wish Michael a good recovery. It was good to hear that the operation in Groningen was a success. We are in constant contact and he has already made the first small improvements. However, he should take the time he needs to return to full fitness. At the same time, we welcome Ivo Lopes to WorldSBK. We have known Ivo for a long time in the Portuguese and Spanish championships, where he has repeatedly shown what he is capable of on the BMW M 1000 RR. We are pleased to be able to give him the opportunity to go racing in the World Championship. On the whole, we are excited about the Barcelona weekend. The test there at the end of March was very productive. We hope we can back up the progress we saw at Assen, particularly with Scott claiming his best result of the season so far at Barcelona.”

Garrett Gerloff, #31 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “I’m really excited for Barcelona. We tested there not long ago and I felt confident with the bike and with the setup so I’m looking forward to hopefully a good weekend. It’s kind of my home race since I live in Andorra. It’s not too far away. I also have my family and friends coming and I’m really excited as I have them coming to a race for the first time ever in WorldSBK, so I’m very excited and hope to have a good weekend.”

Scott Redding, #45 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “Barcelona is one of the more difficult tracks for us in the season. We’ve also been testing there this year which is good but so did many other people. We will be just be looking to again improve what is the weak point of our bike and see what we can do. I think that there will be hotter conditions at Barcelona, so obviously a lot comes in with tyres as well. I’m looking forward to getting to Barcelona and going again.”

Ivo Lopes, BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “I would like to thank BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team for the opportunity they are giving me at Barcelona. I have always dreamed of racing in WorldSBK, and that dream is now coming true. I know the Barcelona circuit very well, as I do the BMW M 1000 RR. However, the WorldSBK version of the bike is obviously different to the one I ride in the Spanish championship. I will work very hard at the weekend and give it my all to support the team and BMW Motorrad Motorsport as well as possible. I would like to thank them for the faith they have put in me, and also to wish Michael van der Mark a speedy recovery!”

Loris Baz, #76 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “It’s cool now to be able to have a race soon after Assen. I expect to feel much better on the bike than I was at Assen. Those two weeks were a big help for my foot. I feel better and better every day and also, I’m coming back into shape after so many weeks not being able to do anything. Of course, I missed the Barcelona test, which is not ideal, but I felt good on the bike when I jumped on it last time. We know we need to improve the full package, but I was able to go fast pretty soon after my injury. Now I hope missing the test is not making a big impact. I just hope we have more luck than the last couple of rounds, especially with the bike issue we had at Assen. It’s always nice to ride at Barcelona and I hope we can really start our season there after three difficult rounds. I’m looking forward to it.”

Le Mans. The stage is set for the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC): next weekend (13th to 16th April), the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team will be starting the 2023 season with the new #37 BMW M 1000 RR. The opening event will once again be the 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA). In terms of riders, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team around Team Manager Werner Daemen (BEL) is focusing on continuity. For the 2023 season, Markus Reiterberger (GER), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) and Jérémy Guarnoni (FRA) will again be the regular racers on the #37 BMW M 1000 RR. Patrick Hobelsberger (GER) will support the team as the fourth rider at Le Mans.

For the latest generation of the BMW M 1000 RR, the aerodynamics have been reworked extensively, which has significantly increased aerodynamic efficiency. BMW Motorrad Motorsport has also been working intensively on durability over the winter, particularly with regard to the challenges in endurance racing. There are also various other areas in which further optimisations have been made to the #37 BMW M 1000 RR. The team enjoyed successful winter testing. To conclude preparations, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team took part in the private test day at Le Mans on Tuesday.

The new Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team will be debuting at Le Mans. In this project, the French Tecmas Racing Team of team owner Arnaud Sassone (FRA) is joining forces with Werner Daemen’s company Motorcycle Racing Parts, supported by BMW Motorrad Motorsport. The team will contest the full season in the Superstock class of the FIM EWC with the #9 BMW M 1000 RR. The bike will be ridden by Kenny Foray (FRA), Jan Bühn (GER) and Loïc Arbel (FRA). Maxime Bonnot (FRA) is the fourth rider for Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team.

The Le Mans race weekend begins with the free practice session on Thursday morning. Grid positions will then be determined during the two-part qualifying session on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. The 46th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will start on Saturday at 15:00 (CEST). The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team and the Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team will be joined at Le Mans by the privateer BMW teams Team LRP Poland and Seigneur Motorsport Team Mont-Blanc.

The 2023 season in the FIM EWC consists of four events. The Le Mans season opener is followed on 17th/18th June by the 24 HEURES SPA Motos at Spa-Francorchamps (BEL), where BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team celebrated its first victory in a 24-hour race last year. The 8 Hours of Suzuka (JPN) will be held on 6th August, and the season ends in autumn, with the Bol d’Or at Le Castellet (FRA) on 16th/17th September.

Quotes ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “After the long winter break, we are now looking forward to the start of a new season in the FIM EWC. During the break, we have been intensively working on further optimising our endurance motorbike. The new BMW M 1000 RR boasts a completely reworked aerodynamics package. We have also been focusing on improving durability – this has proved to be a weak spot over recent years. We are sure that we have put together an overall package that will allow us to battle for the title, with the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, our three proven riders Markus, Ilya and Jérémy, the new M RR and our partners. We want to lay the foundations for this with a good result at Le Mans. We are also looking forward to working with the new Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team in the Superstock class. We have all the ingredients for a successful season here too. We are all looking forward to Saturday afternoon, when the starting flag will wave for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the new season.”

Werner Daemen, Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “The final test went well. The riders and the team worked a lot. We tested different things and tyres, in different conditions with cold and warm weather, with rain and wind – we had everything. We set very competitive lap times, in the morning and also in the afternoon’s rain. I think we all have a good feeling heading into the race weekend. The team and the riders made a really good job and we are well prepared.”

Markus Reiterberger: “The final test was very extensive. We were able to sort out many things, but we still have work to do before the race. We have clear hopes for the weekend: to finish on the podium or to get the win. It would be great to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We know we can do it in terms of the team, the package and the riders. The important thing is just to get through. There is still a question mark over the weather, but I think we will be prepared for all conditions. We will give our best and are confident.”

Ilya Mikhalchik: “For sure, I was really missing the feeling of jumping on the bike and racing. Now finally race week starts. In the final test, I was feeling really good in the wet and in the dry. The bike behaved really constant and pretty good. Of course we have some more work to do to further improve the bike in all conditions in preparation for the race. But so far all is looking good. All of us riders are fast and have a good feeling. Now let’s see how the weather will be during qualifying and then we hope to have a good start to the race and get a strong result.”

Jérémy Guarnoni: “I think our expectations for this weekend are the same as always when we arrive for a 24-hour race. We want to achieve the best possible result. And I think we have the potential, the speed and the overall package to be able to be fast and win the race. For us riders, is important to make no mistakes and then, if we have problem-free 24 hours, we can for sure be on the podium or win. I think that we also have a good chance to get extra championship points in qualifying but this might also depend on the weather. We don’t know yet how the conditions will be. So let’s see – we will as always give the maximum.”

Arnaud Sassone, Team Owner Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team: “The goal is to finish on the Superstock podium and, if possible, on the highest step. We do not want to put us under extra pressure but this is what we have been working for. We have the technical personnel, the riders, the bike and the will to win. We all are highly motivated. The fact that we now are a permanent team in FIM EWC also changes a lot in the heads. We do not just compete to finish a 24-hour race or a single event but to be competitive over an entire season, hoping to claim the Superstock title.”

Nürburgring. The BMW M4 GT3 was again the benchmark in the second race of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) season. After ROWE Racing won the opening event two weeks ago, first place this time around went to Walkenhorst Motorsport. BMW M works driver Jesse Krohn (FIN) and his team-mate Jakub Giermaziak (POL) in the #34 car overcame difficult conditions to claim victory as the track dried out. The BMW Junior Team gave a strong chase in the #44 BMW M4 GT3 from BMW M Team RMG to secure the third spot on the podium.

Having claimed pole position at the first race of the season in the #34 BMW M4 GT3, Giermaziak this time started from fourth place, working his way into the lead during an opening double stint on a damp surface. Krohn was able to defend that during the latter half of the race, crossing the line to secure victory with a lead of 22 seconds. Dan Harper (GBR), Max Hesse (GER) and Neil Verhagen (USA) lost a few positions during the opening stage before applying great speed and a smart strategy to battle back and put the #44 on the podium.

ROWE Racing endured an unfortunate race after their opening-day victory. Starting from second place, BMW M works driver Philipp Eng (AUT) quickly moved into the lead in the #99 car, only to spin on the damp surface and hit the crash barriers on the section of track known as Flugplatz. That put paid to the race for him and his team-mates Augusto Farfus (BRA) and Nick Yelloly (GBR). In the #98 BMW M4 GT3, Marco Wittmann (GER), Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) and Connor De Phillippi (USA) fell back just after the start after Wittmann was forced to avoid a spinning car. Just like BMW Junior Team, the #98 car also battled back to finish the race in sixth place. The #35 BMW M4 GT3 from Walkenhorst Motorsport with BMW M works driver Jens Klingmann (GER) and Thomas Neubauer (FRA) in the cockpit secured twelfth place. 

Reactions to the race:

Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “The BMW M4 GT3 once again made a very good impression at the second race of the season on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. I am particularly pleased that all our teams are clearly coming to terms really well with the car. Congratulations to Walkenhorst Motorsport on the win! With pole position at the season-opener and first place in this race, the team is illustrating that the BMW M4 GT3 is competitive under all circumstances – which was precisely our objective during development. We are very satisfied with the performance of our GT flagship thus far. Congrats to BMW Junior Team and BMW M Team RMG on the podium finish as well. It’s a shame that the #99 BMW M4 GT3 from ROWE Racing had an accident but things like that can happen. What’s important is that Philipp Eng is fine.”

Jesse Krohn (#34 BMW M4 GT3, Walkenhorst Motorsport): “I simply can’t remember when I last won here on the Nordschleife. It’s a brilliant feeling. A big thank you is due to the team, BMW M Motorsport and our tyre partner Yokohama, who have provided us with a fantastic package. We were competitive on our tyres in all conditions. I always had total confidence in the car and it was a pleasure to be out on the circuit. We couldn’t have wished for a better start to the preparations for the 24-hour race.”

Neil Verhagen (#44 BMW M4 GT3, BMW M Team RMG): “The conditions were tricky. We took a risk at the start and went with slicks. I overdid it a bit at the start and lost a few places after some wheelspin. However, our strategy did pay off in the end. We changed our pit stop rhythm to get out of the procession of GT3 cars, where it is very difficult to overtake. With a clear track, our speed was great and we caught up so much time that we reached the podium. We weren’t even thinking about that after the first lap.”

Philipp Eng (#99 BMW M4 GT3, ROWE Racing): “That was my mistake and I feel extremely sorry for the whole team and my driving team-mates. The conditions were difficult. There was a dry line through the Flugplatz section and unfortunately my left rear tyre went into the wet area. I spun halfway round and nearly caught it, but then I just wasn’t able to stop it from spinning completely into the crash barriers. Of course, it’s really annoying that we had to retire, but if there’s a team and a manufacturer that can come back from that, it’s ROWE Racing and BMW M Motorsport.“

Munich. International motorcycle racing is setting course for greater sustainability. In doing so, one area to address is that of fuel. With this in mind, the Superbike commission of the FIM World Superbike Championship (WorldSBK) has decided that, as in MotoGP, the fuels used must be made from at least 40 percent fossil-free components as of the 2024 season. BMW Motorrad Motorsport is preparing intensively for this and is heavily involved in the development of such alternative fuels, as a partner of the company NORDOEL within the government-supported joint project DeCarTrans.
 
DeCarTrans stands for ‘Demonstrating a Circular Carbon Economy in Transport Along the Value Chain’. Along with other companies and research centres, one of the associated partners is the Lother Group, to which NORDOEL belongs. The project partners want to demonstrate how renewable fuels can be produced on an industrial scale, with the goal being to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions in the existing fleet. The joint project DeCarTrans is being promoted by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport. Within the framework of DeCarTrans, NORDOEL decided to work with BMW Motorrad Motorsport on the research and development of alternative fuels.
 
“We are pleased to be technology partner for a climate-neutral future as part of DeCarTrans,” said Dirk Wullenweber, Area Manager for Marketing & Commercial Fuels at NORDOEL. “Previous studies have already shown that synthetically produced fuels can partially or completely replace conventional petrol in the existing fleet. This is a very good basis for the further development of our alternative fuels, in which we have consciously selected BMW Motorrad Motorsport as our partner. In motor racing, totally different demands are placed on a fuel compared to those faced in everyday use. BMW Motorrad Motorsport has the know-how, experts and measuring facilities to test and analyse all aspects of our fuels at the limit. This allows us to develop a top-quality, alternative high-performance fuel for motor racing and everyday use. We, and the entire DeCarTrans project, benefit from the insights gained in Munich in our efforts to minimise the emission of pollutants.”
 
The joint project DeCarTrans, which got underway in January 2023, was recently presented in greater detail in Hamburg, as part of the launch of the ‘Hamburg Blue Hub’ project – a trading point, open to all suppliers and customers, for eMethanol and other synthetic fuels from all over the world. Also on display at the launch were vehicles, in which the alternative fuels may be used in the future, including the BMW M 1000 RR from the FIM Superbike World Championship.
 
Test procedures at the limit.
Examples of partially alternative fuels that will be used in WorldSBK from 2024 include biologically based fuels like eFuels, which are produced from water and CO₂ extracted from the air in chemical processes with renewable electricity. BMW Motorrad Motorsport puts these fuels through intensive test procedures, in which they are pushed to their limit, for NORDOEL. In doing so, they are also preparing for the future of WorldSBK. The advantage of the alternative fuels is that they can be used in conventional combustion engines – including in high-performance racers like the BMW M 1000 RR.
 
“NORDOEL supplies us with alternative fuels, which we test under different conditions on our engine test bench,” said Thomas von Westberg, who is responsible for the project at BMW Motorrad Motorsport. “The focus is currently on our WorldSBK engine, in which we will be using these alternative fuels as soon as 2024. We perform analyses, fuel experts evaluate the fuel from a chemical perspective, and the focus is obviously on the work carried out on the test bench to see how it performs when the engine is fired up, with corresponding analyses of the combustion process, carburetion, performance and consumption. Then there are other issues that come with alternative fuels. We also perform basic tests with other engines, such as our EWC engine. We play the results back to NORDOEL, and colleagues there can then make appropriate adjustments. The result is transparent and close communication. The goal of the development is a fuel that meets FIA regulations and can, at the same time, achieve the best possible performance and consumption figures in combination with our WorldSBK engine.”
 
Special demands of motor racing.
The measuring technology of the motorsport test bench allows the BMW Motorrad Motorsport engineers to handle every detail. “We see what happens in the engine,” explained von Westberg. “Through corresponding applications, we can correct the parameters that are influenced by the fuel itself, such as the octane rating. This makes the engine more or less sensitive to knocking. We can then vary things like the ignition timing accordingly. The necessary automations and analysis systems are available to us for the many different topics that we analyse.”
 
The demands placed on an alternative fuel used in motor racing are even more specific than those placed on a fuel for production motorcycles. “One issue is combustion and sensitivity to knocking, as our engines are far more condensed than production motorcycles,” said von Westberg. “On the other hand, a fuel must obviously always provide a performance advantage. Then it is important to guarantee a consistent performance throughout the entire lifecycle of the engine.” The first tests with the alternative fuels from NORDOEL have already provided many positive findings.
 
From the racetrack to the streets.
As a research and development department, BMW Motorrad Motorsport is also working very closely with its production colleagues on the subject of alternative fuels. The departments share all the results of their respective analyses and are regularly in close communication. “Our technical objective is for the partially alternative racing fuel, which we use in WorldSBK, to also be usable in a production bike,” explained von Westberg. “That is also the thinking within the DeCarTrans project and the NORDOEL goal of developing a racing fuel that is also suitable for production vehicles.”
 
There was already a close relationship with production, as the basis engine for WorldSBK is the production engine for the BMW M 1000 RR. Von Westberg: “The WorldSBK racing engine has many production parts, such as the injection system and fuel pump among others. However, with our racing engine we are obviously always working to the very limit. That means that if something works for us on the racing scene, then it will most probably also work in a production bike in comparable load conditions.”
 
Initial tests with the new alternative fuels at the racetrack are planned for this year, in order to prepare as well as possible for the use of partially alternative fuels in the 2024 WorldSBK season.

Phillip Island. The 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship opens with two back-to-back overseas events for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. This weekend (24th to 26th February), Phillip Island in Australia hosts the opening round of the season. Just one week later (3rd to 5th March), the WorldSBK circus is at Mandalika, Indonesia, for round two. The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team and BMW Motorrad factory riders Loris Baz (FRA), Garrett Gerloff (USA), Scott Redding (GBR) and Michael van der Mark (NED) are set for their race debuts with the new BMW M 1000 RR.

The new generation of the BMW M 1000 RR was launched in October 2022 and serves as the basis for the World Superbike for the 2023 season. The new bike’s aerodynamics, in particular, have undergone comprehensive optimisation. At the same time, BMW Motorrad Motorsport has spent the winter developing specific racing components to be used in WorldSBK.

The two teams completed their pre-season preparations with the official tests at Phillip Island on Monday and Tuesday. The teams and the four riders used both days to fine-tune their bikes ahead of the opening races.

Quotes ahead of the Phillip Island and Mandalika rounds.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “After a short and busy winter break, we now get back down to the serious business with two back-to-back race weekends. We are very excited about the races at Phillip Island and Mandalika. It is always challenging when you compete with a new bike – particularly as the WorldSBK has an extremely strong field this year and will be very competitive. However, we are confident: we have optimised our bike, our teams are doing an outstanding job, and our four riders are among the best in the field. For us, the two teams and the four riders, it is now important to establish a good basis in Australia and Indonesia, on which we can then build over the course of the season.”

Garrett Gerloff, #31 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “It has been the final test before 2023 officially starts. It was a good three out of four sessions. I feel like we made a lot of progress and we have a lot of information from the last two days. Only in the final session, we had some issues. In general, I think we know what we need to do for the weekend coming up. The bike feels good and I know that we can make more progress. There were more positives than negatives and that’s all that matters. At the first two rounds, I just want to have everything working well and I think at this point being in the top ten would be a really good result. I either want to be close to the best BMW or the best BMW. I think that’s the main goal. Overall, I want to be in the top ten for sure, and hopefully we can prepare the bike for these first two rounds in a way that we can make it happen.”

Scott Redding, #45 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “At the test, we have worked on getting some more feeling with the bike and as the track started to have more grip I started to feel better. We tried a few things to help with the rear grip again and we worked on electronics to get me more feeling in that area of the bike. We still have some work to do. Now we start the season with a double-header. I am not feeling super confident yet but it is coming slowly the more I ride the bike. The field is super close at the moment. When you look at the lap times, it is super close with everybody. So it will be difficult to say what the targets for the first two rounds are and the race is obviously different to testing. I would be happy to get some top-six finishes in the first races. Overall, we just need to play it by ear and see where we are after the first race to improve on that.”

Michael van der Mark, #60 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “It was nice to have another two days of testing. We had a solid plan, tried a lot of things, mainly with the electronics but also with the suspension. We did not change the bike completely but it was just small things we wanted to try and re-confirm. It has been good days of testing but as always in testing you want more time, but I think we can be quite happy. We had no problems so I am starting the weekend quite confident. At the first two rounds, we for sure need to be in the top ten. It seems that the midfield in WorldSBK is really tight now and I think we can expect some really good battles but we improved the bike a lot over the winter, step by step. Maybe not in the single-lap pace but over race distance and feeling for us. So I am looking forward to start the season. To be racing at Phillip Island and in Indonesia is amazing, two really good but completely different tracks. For me, the winter has been long enough and I can’t wait to start racing.”

Loris Baz, #76 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “We were struggling a little bit throughout these two days, but had a good session on Monday morning, where I felt good straight away. After that we couldn’t really improve and had some problems with the bike. Luckily, it was a test. I would rather have these issues on Monday and Tuesday than Friday to Sunday. I want to say a huge thank you to all the guys, because it was two very long days for them now. They put in a lot of effort, we all did. We just have to continue like this. It is difficult to say what I expect from the first two rounds. If I manage to reach the team’s target, the top ten, in these two first rounds, I will be happy.”

Asian Le Mans Series: Two wins for Walkenhorst Motorsport.

Dubai Autodrome (UAE) remains a happy hunting ground for BMW M Motorsport teams in 2023. After BMW M Team WRT won the 24 Hours of Dubai with the BMW M4 GT3 in January, Walkenhorst Motorsport followed suit last weekend. On the first of two race weekends in the Asian Le Mans Series, the #34 BMW M4 GT3 triumphed in the GT class in both four-hour races. Alternating at the wheel were Nick Catsburg (NED), Chandler Hull and Thomas Merrill (both USA). The trio started from pole position on both occasions and went on to take two commanding victories. The second part of the season takes place this weekend, when Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi (UAE) hosts a further two four-hour races.

“Congratulations to Walkenhorst Motorsport on this perfect start to the season,” said Björn Lellmann, Head of Customer Racing at BMW M Motorsport. “They were the second and third wins of the year already for the BMW M4 GT3 – and all at the same circuit. Dubai has proved to be an excellent hunting ground for our GT flagship. I am now looking forward to seeing the car in action at many other racetracks around the world over the coming months, and hopefully to celebrating many more victories for our BMW M Motorsport teams and drivers. The same goes for our new BMW M4 GT4, which has already had a few tests in its first year and will start in the strongest GT4 racing series in the world in 2023.”

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British GT Championship: Dan Harper to drive for Century Motorsport.

BMW M works driver Dan Harper (GBR) will race on home soil in 2023. The 22-year-old will contest the full season in the British GT Championship in a BMW M4 GT3 run by Century Motorsport. “I am hugely looking forward to lining up with Century Motorsport in the British GT Championship,” said Harper. “In recent years, people have always asked me when I will be back racing at home. It is fantastic to line up again at all the fantastic British racetracks.” Harper’s team-mate will be Darren Leung (GBR). The same two drivers shared the cockpit of the BMW M4 GT3 at the Gulf 12 Hour in Abu Dhabi (UAE) in December 2022.

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Sim racing: Season-opener for BMW M Team BS+COMPETITION.

Sim racing once again forms a pillar of the BMW M Motorsport programme in the 2023 season. BMW M works driver Bruno Spengler (CAN) will be operating on two fronts. As BMW SIM Racing Ambassador, he is the face and voice of the whole project. At the same time, he is also the team captain of the official BMW M Motorsport works team BS+COMPETITION. They were in Katowice, Poland, last weekend for the opening two rounds of the season in the virtual racing series ESL R1, which formed part of the ‘Intel Extreme Masters’, a major Esports event. Four world-class sim racers – Ryan Barneveld (NED), Phil Denes (USA), Nils Naujoks (GER) and Rainer Talvar (EST) – took on the best teams in the world on the new motor racing platform with BMW M Team BS+COMPETITION. Also competing in the virtual BMW M4 GT3 were BMW SIM Team Redline, G2 Esports and FURIA. The two competitions on Saturday and Sunday were held in a tournament format at the virtual Spa-Francorchamps and Hockenheim circuits. A driver from BMW M Team BS+COMPETITION made it through to the semi-final on both tracks. The Spring Season features a further six ESL R1 races.

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Interview with Bruno Spengler.

Bruno, what was your impression of the Esports event in Katowice?

Bruno Spengler: “That is definitely the biggest Esports event I have ever attended. The organisation and number of spectators – it is awesome! I also really like the set-up for the live races in the simulator, and the ESL R1 race format. The races have plenty of action and overtakes to offer for the spectators. However, it is also a lot of pressure for the sim racers, who are not used to driving in front of a crowd. You could see that with some of them.”

Does your racing experience mean you are able to offer advice? How would you interpret your role as team captain?

Spengler: “When it comes to driving in a simulator, they don’t need any advice or coaching from me. They are among the best on the sim racing scene. Where I can help is in how to cope with pressure situations whilst competing. I am only too happy to share my experience of how to approach events like these. I now know my way around both worlds – real and virtual motor racing – and can call on my experience gained in all areas. That makes me a good person for the guys to speak to and get advice from.”

Generally speaking, how would you describe the role of BMW M Motorsport in the world of sim racing?

Spengler: “I am very proud to represent BMW M Motorsport as a sim racing ambassador. The brand has a long tradition in real motor racing. You can now see the same passion in their involvement in sim racing. BMW M Motorsport is working flat-out in both worlds and is heavily involved as a manufacturer. I think that is awesome.” 

2023 will also be a busy year for you on the track. What does the year have in store for you?

Spengler: “I drove my first race in the BMW M4 GT3 at Daytona in January. Next up, in March, is my first test with BMW M Team Studie in Japan. I am really looking forward to that! I will discover a lot of new circuits and work with a great team, about whom I have only heard good things. The same goes for Ceccato Racing in the Italian GT Championship. I know team principal Roberto Ravaglia very well and am sure we will have a fantastic time. As well as the races and tests, I will also have many outings in sim racing and as an ambassador for BMW Group Classic. So, I have plenty to do!”

Munich. The successful collaboration between BMW M Motorsport and the leading simulation platform iRacing enters the next round in 2023. BMW M Motorsport is set to become the first manufacturer in the world to make its new LMDh car, the BMW M Hybrid V8, available to the sim racing community. As with the BMW M4 GT3, real and virtual development of the car run synchronously. The collaboration was officially announced at the BMW SIM Live event on Saturday.

“When it comes to introducing real BMW M race cars to the virtual world, BMW M Motorsport and iRacing have been close and perfectly attuned partners for many years,” said Maurizio Leschiutta, LMDh project leader at BMW M Motorsport. “As the head of such an important project, confidentiality is my number one priority; it would be fatal if the competition discovered the technical details of our car that we want to keep secret. In that respect, I came away really impressed by iRacing’s professionalism. We are making CAD data and findings from our simulator and racetrack tests available to iRacing. They are used as the basis on which to create a realistic virtual version. This gives every sim racer the opportunity to experience the performance of a state-of-the-art prototype and the appeal of BMW M Motorsport.”

“We’re incredibly excited to confirm that the BMW M Hybrid V8 will be coming to iRacing in the coming months,” said iRacing executive vice president Steve Myers. “We’ve been eagerly anticipating the LMDh class for a few years now, and BMW M Motorsport’s support has been indispensable in helping us to bring both their entry and the new class to iRacing. Building this car in the sim has been a joy for our team, and we can’t wait to see the community’s response upon release."

BMW M Motorsport and iRacing have already worked hand in hand on multiple car projects. The BMW M8 GTE was also transferred from reality to the virtual world, as were the BMW M4 GT4 and the BMW M4 GT3 later. The LMDh project now offers the next opportunity to bring a car on the racetrack in two worlds.

The race premiere of the BMW M Hybrid V8 at the 24 Hours of Daytona (USA) in January 2023 moves closer. The car is currently undergoing intensive testing in the USA. While the car has a special camouflage livery for the tests, the BMW M Hybrid V8 will have a works design in the iconic BMW M Motorsport colours from the start of next year. It was revealed in Los Angeles (USA) in September 2022, and can now also be seen on the virtual version of the car.

Munich. For the BMW M Motorsport teams and drivers, the next big highlight of the endurance season is just around the corner: the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) on 30th/31st July. ROWE Racing Team fields two BMW M4 GT3 in the Pro class, and will hope to challenge for the overall victory. The BMW Junior Team is making its Spa debut in the number 50 car. Walkenhorst Motorsport and ST Racing also line up with a total of three cars in the Cup classes, as the BMW M4 GT3 makes its first appearance in the biggest GT3 race in the world. BMW is the record winner of the 24h Spa-Francorchamps, with 24 victories to its name.

At the wheel for ROWE Racing will be the regular drivers, who have already contested the first two races of this season’s Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup. Sharing the driving duties in the #50 BMW M4 GT3 will be Juniors Dan Harper (GBR), Max Hesse (GER) and Neil Verhagen (USA). This trio recently narrowly missed out on a podium, finishing fourth in Le Castellet (FRA). Nick Catsburg (NED), Augusto Farfus (BRA) and Nick Yelloly (GBR) start in the #98 car. Catsburg won the 24h Spa-Francorchamps in the BMW Z4 GT3 in 2015. ROWE Racing tasted success the following year with the BMW M6 GT3.

In 2018, Walkenhorst Motorsport took overall victory. This time, the team’s two BMW M4 GT3 start in the Gold and Bronze Cup classes. BMW M works driver Jens Klingmann (GER) is joined by Americans Michael Dinan, Robby Foley and Richard Heistand in the Gold Cup. In the Bronze Cup, which is exclusively for amateur drivers, team-principal Henry Walkenhorst will share the wheel with Jörg Breuer, Friedrich von Bohlen and Mario von Bohlen (all GER). In the Silver Cup, the ST Racing team is making its Spa debut. Sharing the #28 BMW M4 GT3 are Samantha Tan, Nick Wittmer (both CAN), Harry Gottsacker (USA) and Maxime Oosten (NED).

Throughout the whole weekend, BMW M Motorsport will display the new BMW M4 GT4, which will be in action around the world from the 2023 season. Fans can also check out the “M Town” paddock area, while regular talks are held on the stage. The 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps starts at 16:45 on Saturday, 30^th July.

Quotes ahead of the 24h Spa-Francorchamps:

Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “Spa-Francorchamps is the next debut at one of the really big 24-hour classics for the new BMW M4 GT3. With a field of more than 60 GT3 cars, this race is hugely challenging. BMW M Motorsport has an outstanding record at this classic and, in ROWE Racing and Walkenhorst Motorsport, the last two victorious BMW teams are both set to start. With the BMW M4 GT3, we are well positioned to back up the success of its predecessor. Since the Nürburgring 24 Hours, we have worked hard to make the car more stable and to keep improving it. We are confident that that work will pay dividends at Spa-Francorchamps.”

Hans-Peter Naundorf (Team Principal ROWE Racing): “We are very much looking forward to appearing in Spa again. This race is a major challenge for the teams and drivers, and a mega show for the fans. This year, the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps once again has a top-class field. Our goal for the race is actually very simple: ROWE Racing aspires to finish on the podium in every 24-hour race. And we obviously also want to add to our unique record at this circuit. To do this, however, the reliability of our new BMW M4 GT3 must play ball, which is always a challenge in the first year with a new car. BMW M Motorsport and we have worked hard on this in recent weeks. As a team, we have prepared as meticulously and intensively for this race than ever before.”

Nick Catsburg (#98 BMW M4 GT3, ROWE Racing): “Every year, this race is one of my absolute favourites – I am obviously delighted with my overall victory in 2015. Together with Augusto Farfus and Nick Yelloly, we have a very fast and experienced trio of drivers in our car. The team has an impressive record, with Spa victories in cars from various manufacturers. With this in mind, we should have a good chance of competing at the very front. There have been a few changes to the circuit, which could be an issue in the race. I’m thinking of gravel on the track, for example. It will therefore be all the more important to avoid any trouble and drive a clean race. I can hardly wait.”

Max Hesse (#50 BMW M4 GT3, ROWE Racing): “We are really looking forward to our first 24-hour race with ROWE Racing and the big challenge at Spa-Francorchamps. Our last race in Le Castellet went well, with fourth place. At the recent 24h Portimão, where we tested the new BMW M4 GT4, we learned a lot more about good practice during a 24-hour race. Based on the impressions gained during the Spa test, we seem to have good race pace. We can definitely still improve a little in qualifying. I will also have my first outing in the simulator, in the Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series. I will try to perform well and possibly score a few points for the team.”

Jens Klingmann (#34 BMW M4 GT3, Walkenhorst Motorsport): “We have a very strong package in the Gold Cup. Walkenhorst Motorsport has won the race in the past, and my US team-mates are all very fast. As such, our goal has to be to win our class. The BMW M4 GT3 has now completed many kilometres of racing, but the Spa-Francorchamps circuit will still be a real test over 24 hours. The pre-race test went very well for us, and we are confident heading into the weekend.”

Estoril. After the third race weekend of the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship in Estoril (POR), the results were mixed for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. Scott Redding (GBR) of the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team finished an impressive fourth in the Superpole, before ending the races in eighth, seventh and 11th places. His team-mate Michael van der Mark (NED) crashed on Friday and fractured his right femur neck. The Bonovo action BMW Racing Team took victory in the Independent classification with Loris Baz (FRA) on Saturday. However, Sunday did not go to plan for Baz and his team-mate Eugene Laverty (IRL). As well as the race action on the track, a central theme in Estoril was the 50th birthday of partner BMW M.

The weekend in Estoril began with a big setback for BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, when van der Mark crashed in the first free practice session. He was successfully operated on in Lisbon on Friday evening and is already able to take a few steps on crutches. Van der Mark will return to his home in the Netherlands on Monday. The whole BMW Motorrad Motorsport family wishes him a speedy recovery.

Redding impressed with a strong fourth place in Saturday morning’s Superpole. In race one – in which he lined up with a special “50 years of BMW M” livery – he was battling in the top five until the halfway point. However, his front tyre then started to wear and Redding eventually crossed the line eighth. Baz finished tenth in the opening race to ensure the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team once again won the Independent competition. Team-mate Laverty, who was ninth in the Superpole, fell back in the race and had to settle for 15th place.

Rain earlier in the day made for difficult, mixed conditions in the Superpole Race on Sunday morning. Redding finished seventh after 10 laps of racing. There was disappointment for the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team; like many other riders, Baz and Laverty both crashed out whilst running in the top eight. Redding came home eleventh in race two on Sunday afternoon, with Baz and Laverty 12th and 14th.

50 years of BMW M – Unveiling of the BMW M 1000 RR 50 Years Edition and anniversary livery.

To mark the 50th birthday of BMW M, BMW Motorrad presented the new BMW M 1000 RR 50 Years Edition. The anniversary model enjoyed a ceremonial unveiling on Friday evening – at an event in Villa d’Este on Lake Como (ITA), and at the same time in the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Hospitality in the paddock in Estoril. Here, Redding and BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Marc Bongers unveiled the production bike in vintage São Paulo yellow. The anniversary livery of the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team’s race bikes also caught the eye on Saturday: The BMW M 1000 RR Superbikes were sporting São Paulo yellow. In the race, Redding wore special leathers with a “50 years of BMW M” design – all black with the anniversary version of the BMW emblem.

Quotes after the Estoril races.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “Michael’s injury was an extremely difficult start to the weekend. We hope to have some news soon about how quickly he might recover. In the meantime, we will see who could step in as a replacement if needed. As far as Scott is concerned, there were a few bright spots and highlights. Fourth place gave him a very good starting position. He was eighth in race one and then seventh in difficult conditions in the Superpole Race. We wanted to take another step forward for the last race on Sunday afternoon, in order to improve in our weakest sector, the final sector. Unfortunately, this was the wrong move and had a negative effect in other sections of the track. We have learned from this situation. On the whole, I am satisfied with how the weekend played out for Scott, as we had a stable bike based on the tests beforehand in Portimão, and that is a good basis for future work. The Bonovo action BMW Racing Team was unlucky on Sunday morning, with Loris and Eugene both crashing out in quick succession. That was a great shame, as both could have improved their starting positions for the second race. As such, their grid positions were not the best for race two. We must now analyse the data and improve the basis for Misano step by step. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our partner BMW M on its 50th birthday. The anniversary celebration on Friday evening was great and the special livery on the M 1000 RR on Saturday was a real eye-catcher.”

Scott Redding, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 4 / R01: 8 / SP Race: 7 / R02: 11): “We had a bit of a better weekend here in Estoril. Qualifying was good after I had a better feeling with the bike in FP1. And this always helps for the rest of the weekend. In race one, we struggled with the front tyre a little bit which was difficult for us. Then in the Superpole race, we probably made the wrong tyre choice. In race two I just struggled to stop the bike so was unable to make good lap times. We had made some changes to the bike from race one to race two and it was not really the correct way to go. But in the end it was a better weekend for me so I hope to continue the form that we had in general over the weekend and seek to continue the momentum in Misano.”

Loris Baz, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team (SP: 12 / R01: 10 / SP Race: DNF / R02: 12): “I didn’t put myself in the easiest position by crashing in Superpole and finishing this qualifying in 12th place. But I had a strong pace in race one and brought the bike back into the top 10. This morning in warm-up I was third, it was a nice session, I really enjoyed riding the bike in the wet for the first time. The Superpole race was really tricky. I usually like those conditions but unfortunately I hit a wet patch and had a big highsider. The guys did a fantastic job not only fixing one but two bikes to bring them back on the grid for race two. So hats off to them and big thanks, we’ll buy the guys a couple of beers tonight. Then race two I still had some brake problems as on Saturday and was not feeling too comfortable at the corner entry. It was really humid, raining in some corners and we just lost too much rear grip and I had no feeling to go any faster. At the moment, we are not fighting for the win or the podium but we have to accept that and work as hard as we can. This is what all BMW riders and the entire team do and I hope we will have a good step forwards in Misano.”

Eugene Laverty, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team (SP: 9 / R01: 15 / SP Race: DNF / R02: 14): “My biggest disappointment was my crash in the Superpole race. I had eighth position secured and touched the wet part of the track, had a huge crash, destroyed the bike and gave the mechanics some extra work. In race two I struggled with the brakes. It was a weekend to forget, but let’s move on. In general, the bike feels like its working well on one lap here, that’s good. But we are having problems this year with the rear tyre after a few laps and this is what we need to work on. It’s clear that I need something different as I am a smaller rider compared to the other three BMW guys so I need to work on something to push better on the rear tyre for me.”

+++ Final opponent Botic van de Zandschulp (NED) forced to retire +++ Winner’s Car manufactured at 100-year-old BMW Group Plant Munich +++ Krawietz and Mies win the doubles +++

Munich. The winner of the 2022 BMW Open by American Express is Holger Rune. Having dispatched top seed Alexander Zverev (GER) in the second round, the Dane triumphed at MTTC Iphitos to claim his first ATP title and pick up a cheque for € 81,310. The 19-year-old was also received the champion’s Lederhose, traditionally presented at the ATP World Tour event in Munich, as well as the fully-electric Winner’s Car – the BMW i4 M50 in Frozen Portimao Blue metallic (combined power consumption: 22.5 – 18.0 kWh/100 km, acc. WLTP; combined CO₂ emissions: 0 g/km). The Gran Coupé is the first fully-electric BMW consistently aimed at providing great driving dynamics. The car was manufactured at BMW Group Plant Munich, which celebrates its 100^th anniversary this year. Like all the other plants in the global BMW Group production network, it is setting new benchmarks and defining the automobile production of the future.

“On behalf of the BMW Group, I would like to congratulate Holger Rune on his fantastic performance at the 2022 BMW Open by American Express and hope he enjoys a lot of driving pleasure with the BMW i4 M50. The BMW i4 proves emphatically how well fully-electric mobility and sporty, dynamic driving go together – and that makes it the perfect car for a champion,” said Pieter Nota, member of the Board of Management responsible for Customer, Brands and Sales, at the presentation ceremony. “A big thank you goes to the organisers MMP Event, MTTC Iphitos, all the partners and volunteers, and the more than 40,000 tennis fans, who all contributed to making this an extremely successful and atmospheric tournament week.”

In the final, Rune’s opponent Botic van de Zandschulp from the Netherlands was forced to retire due to acute illness with the score at 4:3.

“Even though I certainly didn’t want to win in this manner, I am absolutely delighted with my first ATP title. The week was superb, I really love Munich and the fans. The atmosphere was fantastic“, said Rune, after receiving the trophy from Minister President of Bavaria, Markus Söder. BMW Brand Ambassador Lena Gercke had driven the BMW i4 M50 onto centre court and then took the beaming winner for a lap of the red clay. The Dane does not yet have a driving license but now has a fine incentive to take his test. “I am going to get my driving license as soon as possible, so that I can drive this brilliant BMW i4“, said Rune, who has moved up to 44th in the world rankings and announced that he plans to return to Munich to defend his title next year.

The doubles at the 2022 BMW Open by American Express was won by Kevin Krawietz und Andreas Mies from Germany, who triumphed 4:6, 6:4, 10:7 against Brazilian Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez from Spain.

+++ Fully-electric BMW i4 M50 for the winner of the prestigious ATP tournament +++ BMW Group Plant Munich produces the Winner’s Car +++ 100 % electrified BMW shuttle fleet +++

Munich. With one day to go before the start of the BMW Open by American Express (23rd April to 1st May 2022, MTTC Iphitos, Munich), Bernhard Kuhnt, BMW Group Head of Region Europe, and Tournament Director Patrik Kühnen took to Center Court to unveil the Winner’s Car: the fully-electric BMW i4 M50 (combined power consumption: 22.5 – 18.0 kWh/100 km, acc. WLTP; combined CO₂ emissions: 0 g/km). BMW has been title partner of the iconic ATP Tour clay tournament in Munich since 1987. From Saturday, 28 top players will play for 250 valuable world ranking points, a total prize purse of € 534,555, and a very special Winner’s Car.

“This year – the 100^th anniversary of the home plant – the BMW Group is pleased to be able to present the winner of the BMW Open by American Express with a Munich original: the innovative BMW i4 M50, which is produced here in this city,” said Kuhnt. “The Gran Coupé proves emphatically how well fully-electric mobility and sporty, dynamic driving go together – and with it allow a completely new and zero-emission dimension of driving pleasure.”

The BMW i4 combines characteristic sportiness with elegant design and sees electromobility reach the traditional core of the BMW brand. The four-door Gran Coupé is the first fully-electric BMW that is consistently aimed at driving dynamics. Power from efficient drive technology and intelligent lightweight design make for a combination of thrilling, dynamic driving and high ranges.

Peter Weber, Head of BMW Group Plant Munich, added: “The BMW i4 shows what our production system is capable of, a plant with a strong history that is pioneering for the future. The production of this car plays an important role in paving the way for the ’Neue Klasse’, the fully-electric vehicle architecture of the future.”

The transformation to electromobility is making the BMW Group’s entire production network future-proof – from the hundred-year-old home plant in Munich to the new plant in Drebecen, Hungary, at which cars will be produced from 2025. BMW iFACTORY is setting new benchmarks and defining an extremely flexible, efficient, sustainable and digital automobile production of the future: LEAN. GREEN. DIGITAL.

Like the Winner’s Car, the BMW’s fleet of shuttles for this year’s tournament will also be completely free of CO₂ emissions. It consists entirely of fully-electric BMW iX and BMW iX3 cars.

Alexander Zverev, world number three and 2021 Olympic champion, will face a strong field at the BMW Open by American Express, including world number seven Caspar Ruud (NOR), defending champion Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO), last year’s finalist Jan-Lennard Struff, and three-time champion Philipp Kohlschreiber (both GER).

Tennis fans in Germany have many opportunities to watch the BMW Open on TV or via livestream. Bayerisches Fernshen (BR) will broadcast one quarter-final, a semi-final and the final live. All the matches on Center Court (Monday to Sunday) can be seen live on Sky (pay TV) and are also shown on ran.de. BR24.de is also streaming one match per day from Monday to Saturday, in addition to the offering on BR.

The figures for fuel consumption, CO2 emissions, power consumption and range are measured using the methods required according to Regulation (EC) 2007/715 as amended. These figures refer to vehicles on the automotive market in Germany. For span widths, the specifications take into account the effects of any optional equipment.

All values were calculated based on the new WLTP test cycle. WLTP values are taken as the basis for determining vehicle-related taxes or other duties based (at least inter alia) on CO2 emissions as well as eligibility for any applicable vehicle-specific subsidies. Further information on the WLTP and NEDC measurement procedures can also be found at www.bmw.de/wltp.

More information about the official fuel consumption figures and the official specific CO2 emissions of new passenger cars can be obtained from the "Guideline on fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and power consumption of new passenger cars", available free of charge from all outlets, from Deutschen Automobil Treuhand GmbH (DAT), Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760 Ostfildern-Scharnhausen, and at https://www.dat.de/co2/.

Assen. The next stop of the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) will lead BMW Motorrad Motorsport to the famous ‘Cathedral of Speed’. The TT Circuit at Assen (NED) will host round two of the season this coming weekend (22nd to 24th April). Michael van der Mark (NED) from the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, who had to sit out the season opener at MotorLand Aragón (ESP), plans his comeback at his home round. The final decision will be made at a medical test on Thursday.

Van der Mark suffered a fractured leg in a training accident with his mountain bike in early March. After surgery, he fully focused on his healing process that went very well. If he gets green light from the WorldSBK medical team, van der Mark will race at the weekend in the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team next to his new team-mate Scott Redding (GBR).

In the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, riders Loris Baz (FRA) and Eugene Laverty (FRA) head to Assen with great confidence. They want to build on the strong results the team achieved at the Aragón season opener.

Quotes ahead of the Assen round.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “Assen is always something special and I don’t say that just because I am Dutch. It is great that Michael recovered so well and we hope that he gets green light to ride his BMW M 1000 RR at the Assen races. Of course it won’t be an easy weekend for him as he has not been on the World Superbike for a long time but it would be a first step into the season for him. In addition, his feedback can be valuable for our work with all our M 1000 RRs, particularly with Scott’s bike. After the difficult season opener we have analysed the data and Scott and the entire team are working very hard to improve the situation for Assen. The Bonovo action BMW Racing Team demonstrated at the season opener that they have a very good base and I am confident that they can make the next step forward at Assen.”

Michael van der Mark, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “After the forced break of several weeks I feel ready to return at my home round in Assen. Of course it depends on the final medical check on Thursday but I am confident I can get back on my BMW M 1000 RR at the weekend. The healing process after the surgery went very well. I also had several treatments that additionally seem to have helped to speed up my recovery. I regularly trained in the gym, with an adjusted programme, and that enabled me to keep my fitness at a high level. Of course, I am not expecting to ride at the top at Assen. I know that it will be a challenge, as I haven’t ridden my WorldSBK BMW M 1000 RR since the end of last year and I missed all the pre-season tests in spring time so I also don’t know all the developments made over winter and I first need to understand them before I can benefit from them. In addition, I am feeling very well but am not back to 100 per cent fitness yet, so for me, the most important thing would be to be back in action without focusing on any results. Then we move forward step by step.”

Scott Redding, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “Assen is a good track for me, a track that I had a lot of good results on in the past. It’s a track I really enjoy to ride. I love going to Holland, the atmosphere is always amazing with the fans there. I also lived there for a while, so I have some friends there and it feels very good for me to go to Assen. I think it is maybe a circuit a little bit better for our bike, so I hope to work on better results than in Aragón and work from there. So I look forward to the weekend.”

Loris Baz, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “I’m looking forward to Assen. It’s one of my favourite tracks in the world and I love racing there! It’s a long time  since I have raced there, although I was there testing in 2019 and 2020. I’m looking forward to it! It’s always full of fans and definitely one of the best circuits in the calendar. I think also it suits the BMW M 1000 RR a little bit better than Aragón, so I will try to keep the same direction, making some improvements on the bike and continue the good job we are doing with the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team together with BMW. So, let’s go rock one of the most amazing tracks of the world!”

Eugene Laverty, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “We had a reasonable start to the season at Aragón. I’ve gelled fantastically well with the Bonovo action BMW Team and we will build from here on. Next up is the flowing circuit of Assen and while I’ve yet to ride the BMW M 1000 RR there I believe that the circuit is better suited to the strengths of our bike. Our aim will be to qualify better to give a better track position during the early laps of the race. The fight at the front is currently out of reach but I’m confident that we can fight to finish between 6th and 8th position. That is our target right now.”

Barcelona. BMW Motorrad Motorsport continued is preparations for the 2022 FIM Superbike World Championship with two days of testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (ESP). The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team again had a comprehensive test schedule and evaluated numerous new components and set-up solutions for the BMW M 1000 RR. The weather was mainly dry with some rain only on the afternoon of the second day.

At Scott Redding’s (GBR) side, BMW Motorrad factory rider Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) stood in for injured Michael van der Mark (NED) in the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. Together with the two Bonovo action BMW Racing Team riders, Eugene Laverty (IRL) and Loris Baz (FRA), they worked, among other things, on rims, wiring loom and electronics and tested several chassis components.

The next test is scheduled for 4th and 5th April at MotorLand Aragón (ESP). The same venue will host the 2022 WorldSBK season opener from 8th to 10th April.

Quotes after the Barcelona test.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “Ilya did a solid job. He worked through several test items for us and got used to the Superbike. He completed many kilometres and we made good progress with him. In the end, he was the second-fastest BMW rider in the dry. Michael’s surgery was successful but we don’t know yet when he can ride again. In case he can’t, Ilya would be a potential substitute for the season opener. On Scott’s side, the test went partly positively, partly we have still some work to do. We confirmed the engine with all riders as a positive step. We also were strong in regards to top speed but we clearly lose in sectors two and four, especially when accelerating out of the fast corners. Here we definitely still have to work on our package, in combination with set-up and traction control. We were able to go through a lot of test items also with the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team. Loris unfortunately had a crash that cost him a lot of time. In addition, we had some minor technical issues here and there, but that’s the purpose of the tests, to identify them at an early stage. Those were topics we can well react on. In general, we are happy but we still have to work on the pace to close up to the top.”

Scott Redding, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “It was good to have two days of testing here in Barcelona. We have made some improvements with the bike and the electronics which is important for me and the team. Then we had to try a few test items, tried the different tyres to get a feeling, tried again the electronics. We worked a lot and we did make some improvements which is good. But the goal post is always moving. You close the gap to the first one and then someone goes faster again. But we have to look at our situation, what we are doing and how we are improving. That’s where we need to focus. Then we had some rain in the afternoon of the second day which was interesting. It was good for me to get on the wet track and just get the feeling. It’s not too different to how it was in the past. I felt quite good. We need to do a bit more with the set-up and stuff but the temperature dropped quite a lot so we decided to test some other parts, practice starts a bit more because I haven’t done many starts on this bike and then we improved which was good. We also tried some other things for the conditions. In general, we did quite a lot but we still have more to do. We are moving on to Aragón, and I think we have some more things that we need to confirm there.”

Ilya Mikhalchik, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “First of all I want to say a big thank you to BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the team for giving me this opportunity, and secondly a speedy recovery and a get well soon to Michael. I hope he can back on his bike soon. I am happy to be here and for sure, the World Superbike is completely different. You need to know how to work on this bike to go fast. We got this feeling more with every lap we did. Lap by lap I felt where we should go and this brought me more speed and more fun on the bike. Hopefully we can continue in the same way and soon I will get more confidence and will be faster on the bike. Barcelona was a new track for me and it was a kind of a new bike, but I enjoyed it and really felt like home. At the next test at Aragón, we know each other already, I am acquainted to the bike so I think this will be a small advantage for me there and our work will be even better than here.”

Eugene Laverty, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “Especially the first day was really good. We continued our progress from Misano day two in the same direction. We improved the braking again and in the afternoon we worked a lot on electronic strategies to help because this asphalt is usually slippery so it was a big chance to work on power reduction and traction control to improve that for the 20-lap races. We made good lap times. Still it’s too far to the top, we need to reduce this, but I am happy with the way the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team is working and it was positive.”

Loris Baz, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “Yesterday morning, we did a quite a good job. At the beginning, I did not have the feeling I wanted with the bike. We improved this, I was pretty fast, but then I made a small mistake and crashed in an in-lap. That was basically the end of our test because we were not able to re-start after the crash yesterday. This morning we had some issues due to the crash I guess. We did in and out-laps trying to find the problem today. It is frustrating but for sure it is better to happen here than at Aragón. Before the crash we were pretty fast, not as fast as we want for sure, but on a track where the grip is so low, I think that’s our weakest point at the moment and we need to improve in these kinds of conditions. It has not been a productive test like Jerez or Misano but sometimes this happens. I am looking forward to Aragón now.”

Munich. 50 years of BMW M and the 50th staging of the Nürburgring 24 Hours - this year’s Eifel endurance classic is all about special anniversaries. It will also be the first outing for the new BMW M4 GT3 at the highlight of the Nordschleife season. A strong contingent of BMW M Motorsport works drivers will have their sights set on challenging for overall victory. In total, BMW M Motorsport teams will field no fewer than seven BMW M4 GT3s in the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

ROWE Racing competes with two BMW M4 GT3s in the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Alternating at the wheel of one of the two cars will be Augusto Farfus (BRA), Philipp Eng (AUT), Nick Yelloly (GBR) and Connor De Phillippi (USA). The team’s other BMW M4 GT3 will be driven by Nick Catsburg (NED), Marco Wittmann (GER), John Edwards (USA) and Sheldon van der Linde (RSA).

Driving the BMW M4 GT3 for Schubert Motorsport will be BMW M Motorsport works drivers Jesse Krohn (FIN), Jens Klingmann (GER) and Alexander Sims (GBR). The BMW Junior Team, consisting of Max Hesse (GER), Neil Verhagen (USA) and Dan Harper (GBR), will also start in a BMW M4 GT3. This will be run by BMW M Team RMG at the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

Walkenhorst Motorsport will field three BMW M4 GT3s in the PRO, Pro-Am and AM classes at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Preparations begin this Saturday (26th March) with race one of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS). The prologue, with the qualification race, will take place from 6th to 8th May, before the 24-hour race itself takes centre stage from 28th to 29th May.

Quotes.

Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport: “The Nürburgring 24 Hours is a race that sets the pulse of any motorsport enthusiast racing so we are all really looking forward to this classic. During the development of the BMW M4 GT3, we gained an awful lot of experience with the car on the Nordschleife. That will now be very valuable to us in the preparations and the race. Our BMW M Motorsport works drivers are real Nordschleife experts, as are the teams, therefore we have all the ingredients in place to go into this iconic race with a healthy portion of optimism.”

Nick Yelloly (ROWE Racing): “I am excited to get back to the Nordschleife with ROWE Racing. It’s my favourite circuit and the 24 Hours is without a doubt my favourite event. I love the atmosphere. We won it in 2020, I was on pole in 2021 but unfortunately had problems in the race, so we have to make sure we return to the front this year with our new BMW M4 GT3.”

Augusto Farfus (ROWE Racing): “I am very excited to participate with ROWE Racing in the Nürburgring 24 Hours. The team has been among the most successful GT3 teams in the sport. I never had the chance to drive for them, so I am very excited to do that now. Our line-up is extremely strong, so I think we have all the right cards to be very strong.”

Connor De Phillippi (ROWE Racing): “Returning to the Nürburgring in the new BMW M4 GT3 is going to be a major highlight in my 2022 season and I’m so excited to be a part of the programme! It is my favourite event of the year, with one of the most unforgettable racing atmospheres and I cannot wait to be back driving there with ROWE Racing.”

Nick Catsburg (ROWE Racing): “I am already really looking forward to the Nürburgring 24 Hours. This is my favourite event, and our overall victory in 2020 is obviously one that I will never forget. It is going to be fantastic to line up at the classic again with ROWE Racing and the new BMW M4 GT3.”

John Edwards (ROWE Racing): “The Nürburgring 24 Hours is the most intense race on earth. There’s nothing like a 24-hour race at the most challenging and rewarding track on the planet! Last year, we had a good car but some bad luck put us out. This year, we have a new car and I am very confident.”

Jens Klingmann (Schubert Motorsport): “The absolute highlight of the season marking the 50th anniversary of BMW M is the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, and the objective is clear: to return to Munich with the 21st overall victory. That would be the best possible birthday present for BMW M. Last year, I was able to compete on the Nordschleife with the BMW M4 GT3 which allowed me to gather some initial experience and I am looking forward all the more to the Nürburgring this year. I think that we have a pretty strong package overall with Schubert Motorsport and the BMW M4 GT3.”

Alexander Sims (Schubert Motorsport): “I am really looking forward to driving the BMW M4 GT3 on the Nordschleife. I’ve heard good things about the car in its development and so to drive it on one of the best tracks in the world will be another great experience with BMW. As always though, we compete to win so the focus will be on understanding and optimising the package as best as we can to be well prepared for the 24 hours.”

Max Hesse (BMW Junior Team): “We are really looking forward to going racing again on the Nordschleife. This is the first time we will have driven the BMW M4 GT3 there, but BMW M Team RMG already gained experience with the car on the Nordschleife last year. That will definitely be beneficial. We will use the first NLS races and the qualification race to prepare meticulously for the 24-hour race. It is about finding a good rhythm, practicing driver changeovers and pit stops, and fine-tuning the set-up. It would be nice to have every kind of weather during the preparations, as we all know that the weather can change very quickly on the Nordschleife. All three of us are very much looking forward to the coming weeks at the Nürburgring.”

Overview of BMW M Motorsport works drivers at the 24h Nürburgring.

ROWE Racing:

Philipp Eng (AUT)

Augusto Farfus (BRA)

Nick Yelloly (GBR)

Connor De Phillippi (USA)

Nick Catsburg (NED)

Marco Wittmann (GER)

John Edwards (USA)

Sheldon van der Linde (RSA)

Schubert Motorsport:

Jesse Krohn (FIN)

Jens Klingmann (GER)

Alexander Sims (GBR)

BMW Junior Team:

Max Hesse (GER)

Dan Harper (GBR)

Neil Verhagen (USA)

Jerez de la Frontera. In preparation for the 2022 season of the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK), BMW Motorrad Motorsport carried out its first winter test. The two BMW teams – BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and Bonovo action BMW Racing Team – took to the track in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, this week.

In the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, Michael van der Mark (NED) continued his work on the BMW M 1000 RR as he looks to take another step forward next season after one win and a further two podiums in 2021. Scott Redding (GBR) used the test days to familiarise himself with his future bike and team. The Brit had gained his first experience on his new bike during a private test in Estoril (POR) last week. The focus there was on getting to know the bike and recording the ergometry. The findings from the test were implemented quickly and the modified parts and new components were already available by the time he arrived at the Jerez de la Frontera test.

With the two riders, the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team tested engine specifications for 2022, as well as chassis modifications. The direct competitive comparison allows the team to determine the work direction in preparation for the next test in the new year.

The Bonovo action BMW Racing Team is also at Jerez de la Frontera with its two new riders. After Eugene Laverty (IRL) and Loris Baz (FRA) visited the team headquarters in Germany in November, they began the test work together at the racetrack. Laverty, who was heavily involved in the development of the BMW M 1000 RR, will be racing with the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team in his third season as a BMW works driver. Baz is already familiar with the BMW S 1000 RR, on which he rode in the WorldSBK in 2018, and uses the test to learn more about the M RR.

Quotes after the Jerez de la Frontera test.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “There have been a lot of new things at this test. In general, it has been important to test with all four riders, including the two new additions Baz and Redding, before Christmas. It was good to have all four riders on the same bike on the same race track. We brought a lot of new test items that we either confirmed or evaluated with all four of the in order to get the right direction. With two new riders you of course first to get used to the way they give their feedback and how to transfer their comments but we managed that very well. We then also compared this feedback with that given by van der Mark and Laverty who already knew the bike very well. We have ticked all boxes in our test programme but maybe might do some further laps tomorrow. We gathered a huge amount of information and this is now to be analysed. Overall, we found very good directions and in general, I am very satisfied. We take a lot of positives back home. Now we will have a well-deserved Christmas break but then we will continue to intensively prepare for the season. We are very optimistic looking forward.”

Shaun Muir, Team Principal BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “It has been a successful test for both sides of the pit box. We have a new rider with Scott. He had a lot of things to work through but most importantly for him was to find that comfortable setting feeling with the bike. I am really pleased about his work ethic in the pit box. He has put a lot of laps in and he acclimatised very well. On Michael’s side, we worked on similar development parts to what Scott has and he has been working through that very well as well. Comparing both riders’ feedback it is very similar and  I am very pleased about that. I think it is proving that the set-up direction we are going with the BMW M 1000 RR is aligned between both riders which is very important. Equally important is that we got new team-members within the group and I am really pleased to see how all these guys are working together. There has been a lot of overlapping, a lot of chassis changes, a lot of engine changes and everybody has been working as a group, so I applaud all the team and all the guys working very closely together. Overall I think we can leave the test here at Jerez with our heads held up high, we have done a good job and we can go into the Christmas break with a lot of confidence and get ready for our next test in the new year.”

Michael van der Mark, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “It was good to have a test even if it was so late in the year. We had a lot of new components and items to try on the bike. At this test we barely played around with the set-up of the bike, we mainly tried new parts to figure out what brings improvement and what does not. We need to get some ideas and start producing the new things. It has been a really good test and I am really happy with a lot of new things. It was great to gather good information and now I am looking forward to a short Christmas break.”

Michael Galinski, Team Manager Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “It has been the first test for the new season and the first time for us to be at the race track with the big team. I want to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to Jürgen Röder, who made it possible for us to now compete as a two-rider team. He will attend many races next year and we are looking forward to that. We have a lot of new people with us, also the riders are partly new for us. Of course we have known both for many years. Loris has already raced for our team and I have also known Eugene for quite some time. Both did a great job at the test. But not only that, it was also important for me to gel with the new members as a team and to get used to each other. That worked very well. With new people, for example from England and France, our team has become more international after being a more or less German squad in the past. Like at every other team, English is now our team language. The collaboration in the combination with SMR and Bonovo action also works very well. There are always a lot of things to try and when time allows we share this between us. The test has been very positive in all aspects, we are also happy with the lap times. But we still have some things to find and work to do.”

Eugene Laverty, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “I already met the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team in November when we went to Germany and spent a weekend together with the guys. They invited us all there and it was so nice to meet each other away from the track because sometimes you only meet the guys in a work environment. So to go there, have some beers and relax away from the track and made me feel at home straight away. The first test days with the team have been very positive. I felt comfortable on the bike immediately after the first couple of exits on day one. I feel good in braking which is an area I am always working on. I am happy with the progress we are making. There is still work to do to improve our turning in the long corners compared to the other BMW riders but I am happy that we are right there in the mix. There is a really good atmosphere in the box, I get on very well with Loris. He is a fast guy and that’s important, to have a fast team-mate to push you. We work together well and all the guys are experienced as well. It’s great crew and I think we have a good year ahead of us.”

Loris Baz, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “I am happy to be back with BMW and about the opportunity to be back in WorldSBK. I was really looking forward to that test to have a first impression. A December test is never the most crucial one of the season but it’s really important for getting to know the team, to meet the people and for the feeling you are going into the winter with. The test was a lot of work, we did a lot of laps. Also, I was back on the bike after nearly three months and it is never easy when you jump on a bike that is completely different. The test was about understanding how the bike works and also to try to give the best input based on the differences of all the bikes I know. I have riden a lot of bikes in WorldSBK so I was trying to adapt to the bike and at the same time give the right input on what we can improve on that bike. The M RR has a lot of strong points, we just need to put them together to get a bike that works well from a riding side. When you start working with a new bike, you have to switch from one riding style to another but we did a good job, completing over 150 laps. Yes, I am happy. We tried some new parts for next year and mainly a lot of things on the electronics, and with every run we went faster and I felt a bit more confident on the bike. I am satisfied with the job so far.”

Sebring. BMW M Motorsport and the BMW Junior Team ended two eventful weeks in North America with the 24 Hours of Sebring (USA). Dan Harper (GBR), Max Hesse (GER) and Neil Verhagen (USA) started with a visit to BMW Team RLL at Petit Le Mans, Road Atlanta (USA). This was followed by a tour of the BMW Group plant in Spartanburg (USA), a trip to see Verhagen’s family at their home, and then the test race with the new BMW M4 GT3 at Sebring International Raceway, where Hesse and Verhagen competed alongside US drivers Bill Auberlen, Robby Foley and James Clay. The race in the Creventic 24H Series served as the final test for the new car at one of the toughest circuits in the world. BMW M Motorsport also used the weekend to hand over the new BMW M4 GT3 from the test crew at BMW Team RMG to the North American teams.

BMW Junior Team on tour.

For Harper, Hesse and Verhagen, the USA trip began at the season finale of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, where they accompanied the BMW works drivers and BMW Team RLL all weekend, attended important meetings, and experienced the processes in a BMW M Motorsports works programme at first hand. “We learned an awful lot in the collaboration with BMW Team RLL and the BMW works drivers,” said Hesse. “Plus, it was nice to be involved in the farewell race for the BMW M8 GTE and sample the atmosphere at Road Atlanta.”

This was followed by a trip to the largest BMW Group plant in the world, in Spartanburg, where the BMW Junior Team gained first-hand insights into the production of BMW X models. “As we are representing BMW as drivers, it was cool for us to see how production works in the largest plant in the world in Spartanburg,” said Verhagen. “It is huge, and we only saw a small part of it. Hopefully, we will return sometime and check out some other areas. It was really fascinating.”

Harper, Hesse and Verhagen, together with their mentor Jochen Neerpasch, who accompanied the BMW Junior Team throughout the entire trip, then visited the BMW Car Club of America Foundation, which possesses a fascinating exhibition of vintage BMW vehicles and other BMW collectibles. A special wall drawing was dedicated to the motorsport history of Jochen Neerpasch. The group saw out the evening with a barbecue with Verhagen’s family, who live in Mooresville (USA) near Spartanburg.

For Neerpasch and the Juniors, the trip to the USA marked the end of two years together. “So far, the guys have exceeded the expectations we had of them at the start, which were pretty high anyway,” said Neerpasch. “All that they are missing is experience. They are already setting lap times like those of the top drivers. They need more race outings, and they are sure to get them next season.”

Harper was also positive in his appraisal of his time as a BMW Junior so far: “We have come a long way since the first NLS race almost two years ago. It is incredible how much we have learned in that time – both as racing drivers and as people. Our training is hard, but it is paying dividends. I think our results in the BMW M6 GT3 this season have proved that.”

BMW M4 GT3 test outing under race conditions at Sebring.

Last weekend was all about the BMW M4 GT3 – not only for the BMW Junior Team, but also for BMW M Motorsport. The 24 Hours of Sebring was the final endurance test for the car, before it goes in search of victories and titles from January 2022. When it does so, it will be in the hands of private BMW M Motorsport teams, some of which are based in North America.

For this reason, BMW M Motorsport took the opportunity at Sebring to hand over the BMW M4 GT3 from the test crew, BMW Team RMG, to the US teams, who will run the car in the coming season. Engineers and mechanics from BMW Teams RMG and RLL worked together for the outing at Sebring. The Turner Motorsport and BimmerWorld Racing teams were also involved with drivers Bill Auberlen, Robby Foley and James Clay and gained valuable experience with the new car.

The joint learning began with tests during the week and peaked with the 24-hour race at one of the toughest circuits in the world, with countless bumps that really put the car through its paces. After two repairs, following collisions, and some minor issues during the race, the BMW M4 GT3 crossed the finish line after 457 laps. Hesse and Verhagen were the two Juniors who took part in the race. Harper was only involved in the tests, as he is classed as a Gold driver, of which only one may be registered per team. The Gold driver for this race was Auberlen. “The circuit is different to the ones we are familiar with in Europe,” said Hesse, summing up the test under race conditions. “Unfortunately, there were two incidents in the race, which resulted in long repairs. Apart from that, the BMW M4 GT3 did very well. Racing here was a valuable experience.”

The American drivers drew a very positive conclusion. “The first impression of the BMW M4 GT3 is that it looks fantastic,” said Auberlen. “Then I drove it, and I can say that it is far better in every area than the BMW M6 GT3. With a 24-hour race in Sebring, we put the BMW M4 GT3 to the toughest test imaginable.”

Foley said: “A fantastic car. You can immediately feel the two years of development that have been invested in the BMW M4 GT3. The systems in the interior, with which the driver works, are a big step forward compared to the BMW M6 GT3. The car is very user-friendly.”

This was backed up by Clay, who was driving a GT3 race car for the first time in Sebring: “Given that the BMW M4 GT3 is far faster than the GT4 cars I have driven previously, I found it very easy to adapt to the car, as the car is very well thought out and easy to operate. I was able to focus fully on the driving.”

The BMW M4 GT3 will contest its first race in the hands of BMW M Motorsport teams in January 2022, at the 24 Hours of Dubai (UAE). This will be followed by the 24 Hours of Daytona (USA) at the end of the month. The detailed race programme for the BMW Junior Team will be announced at a later date.

Munich. From 4th November, BMW Esports is giving the global Rocket League community the unique opportunity to lift off virtually with the new BMW M240i (combined consumption 8.8 – 8.1 l/100 km according to WLTP, combined CO₂ emissions: 200 – 185 g/km according to WLTP) in the action-packed video game, before the car is launched. From Thursday, the car will be available to all gamers to purchase for a whole week. In the BMW Freestyle Tournament, 25,000 US dollars are up for grabs, while in the BMW Rocket League Open the top European Rocket League pros will do battle for the win and a total prize fund of 100,000 US dollars.

Rocket League, developed by US company Psyonix, offers a unique hybrid of arcade football and action-packed driving pleasure – making it the perfect fit for the dynamic, extroverted BMW M240i. Cars that can drive, jump and even fly, require a high level of gaming intelligence, strategic thinking and fast reactions.

“Flying, rocket-powered cars that you can play football with is something that I dreamed about when I was young,” said Stefan Ponikva, VP BMW Brand Communication and Experience. “Rocket League makes this dream come true for its huge community. The virtual Rocket League arenas are the perfect playground for a young target audience enthusiastic about the digital world – and therefore for BMW Esports as well. For the first time, we are bringing our own car to the pitch. The driving characteristics of the new BMW M240i make it a brilliant fit for Rocket League and Esports as a whole. We’re also supplying cool designs and additional in-game items in collaboration with Psyonix. I’m confident that Rocket League gamers – both amateurs and pros alike – will have a great deal of fun with the car.”

BMW Esports is Title Sponsor of the BMW Rocket League Open, one of the most important events in the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) on 6th and 7th November. The BMW Freestyle Tournament gets underway on 4th November, in which invited contestants go head to head in knock-out rounds, exclusively with the virtual BMW M240i. The winner of the tournament, who will be determined as part of the BMW Rocket League Open programme, will receive 10,000 US dollars out of the overall 25,000 US dollar total prize pool for the event. The community has a week (4th to 10th November) to purchase the virtual version of the new BMW M240i sporting the ‘United in Rivalry’ livery for thrilling Rocket League matches.

As the top model in the BMW 2 Series, the BMW M240i impresses with its vehicle concept that is consistently geared towards dynamism, its athletic, extroverted design, powerful engines and high-quality chassis technology. The compact, agile two-door car appeals to exactly the young target audience that has a strong representation in the Rocket League community. The BMW M240i has an in-line six-cylinder petrol engine with 275kW/374bhp. Rocket propulsion is only available as standard in the virtual version for the moment.

The BMW Freestyle Tournament will be shown live on the BMW Esports Twitch channel on 4th November from 18:00 CET: www.twitch.tv/bmwesports.

About BMW Esports.

BMW has been collaborating with five of the world’s best teams as a partner in the classic League of Legends game since 2020. Cloud 9, FNATIC, FunPlus Phoenix, G2 Esports and T1 fly the BMW colours in the biggest events in the industry. The highlight of the first collaborative season in 2020 was the Worlds, in which G2 esports and FNATIC made it to the knock-out stage of the finals in the battle of the world’s best teams. G2 Esports even made it to the semi-final. The Dota 2 specialists OG Esports are a new addition to the ‘United in Rivalry’ squad as of 2021. The involvement in Esports gives BMW completely new touch points with a dynamic, rapidly growing community; making Esports an important future field for BMW marketing activities. BMW has prominent representatives in sim racing as well, and has integrated BMW SIM Racing into its racing programme as a standalone pillar. The BMW SIM Cups attract the world’s best sim racers, who do battle for wins, titles and attractive cash prizes in virtual BMW racing cars. BMW SIM Racing teams are taking part for the first time in 2021. BS+COMPETITION, G2 Esports, Team GB and Team Redline represent BMW on various simulation platforms.

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production and assembly facilities in 15 countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries. In 2020, the BMW Group sold over 2.3 million passenger vehicles and more than 169,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2020 was € 5.222 billion on revenues amounting to € 98.990 billion. As of 31 December 2020, the BMW Group had a workforce of 120,726 employees. The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company set the course for the future at an early stage and consistently makes sustainability and efficient resource management central to its strategic direction, from the supply chain through production to the end of the use phase of all products.

About Rocket League

Winner or nominee of more than 150 “Game of the Year” awards, Rocket League is one of the most critically-acclaimed sports games of our generation. Rocket League is a high-powered hybrid of arcade-style soccer and vehicular mayhem with easy-to-understand controls and fluid, physics-driven competition. Available on Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation^®4, PlayStation^®5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on Epic Games Store, Rocket League includes nearly endless customization possibilities, a fully-featured offline season mode, multiple game types, casual and competitive online matches, and special “Mutators” that let you change the rules entirely.

To learn more about Rocket League, please visit www.RocketLeague.com.

About Psyonix™

Based in San Diego, CA, Psyonix is a critically-acclaimed video game developer and a leading expert in Unreal Engine technology. For more than 15 years, the studio has been a driving force behind some of the most successful games in the industry, including Gears of War, Mass Effect 3, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Bulletstorm, Unreal Tournament III, Unreal Tournament 2004, and the award-winning Sports-Action hit, Rocket League^®. Psyonix joined the Epic Games family in 2019.

Munich. At the start of October, BMW Junior Team completed its first season with a GT3 car on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife (GER) – and although a DNF in the final race prevented them from taking the title, it was still an extremely successful year for Dan Harper (GBR), Max Hesse (GER) and Neil Verhagen (USA). Two wins and four podiums in the BMW M6 GT3 earned them second place overall in the GT3 class and the NLS Speed Trophy. In November, BMW Junior Team heads to the USA, where they will attend both Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta and the 24 Hours of Sebring. Hesse and Verhagen will even have the opportunity to take part in the Creventic 24H Series race in a BMW M4 GT3.

The rapid development of BMW Junior Team, which started in 2020 in the BMW M240i Racing and BMW M4 GT4 in the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS), continued seamlessly in 2021 with the BMW M6 GT3, run by BMW Team RMG. Victories in races four and five of the season on the Nordschleife, backed up by one second place and a third place in the second half of the season, are definitive proof that Harper, Hesse and Verhagen have established themselves among the top GT drivers. Within a short time, they have gone from promising, talented youngsters to proven winners. The next step for the BMW Junior Team in 2022 is the BMW M4 GT3. They will set their sights on overall victory at the Nürburgring 24 Hours with BMW Motorsport’s new GT3 flagship.

The team was given its first taste of the BMW M4 GT3 during tests. Hesse and Verhagen will now have the opportunity to contest their first race in this car in November. The whole BMW Junior Team first travels to Petit Le Mans, the final round of this season’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Road Atlanta, from where they head straight to the Creventic 24 Hours of Sebring. Bill Auberlen, Robby Foley and James Clay (all USA) will be at the wheel of a BMW M4 GT3 there. Alongside this trio, there are still two places available for drivers with a Silver racing licence. Hesse and Verhagen fall into this category. As Harper already possesses a Gold licence, he must wait for his first race outing. However, he will be involved in all the workflows at the circuit and will also complete a number of test laps, in order to familiarise himself with both the car and the track.

The BMW M8 GTE and BMW M6 GT3 bid farewell at Road Atlanta.

BMW Junior Team will witness the farewell appearances of the BMW M8 GTE and BMW M6 GT3 at the IMSA season finale at Road Atlanta. At the wheel of BMW Team RLL’s two BMW M8 GTEs will be John Edwards (USA), Jesse Krohn (FIN) and Augusto Farfus (BRA), and Connor De Phillippi (USA), Bruno Spengler (CAN) and Philipp Eng (AUT). Turner Motorsport will also run a BMW M6 GT3 in the GTD class.

Quotes from the BMW Junior Team on the 2021 season:

Jochen Neerpasch, mentor to the BMW Junior Team:

“BMW Junior Team has developed rapidly. From the BMW M240i Racing and the BMW M4 GT4 to the BMW M6 GT3, they have only ever needed a few races to achieve success. In my opinion, that can be traced back to our team building. As a team, they learn a huge amount from each other and thus develop faster than other racing drivers who are on their own. I am sure that the three of them are now capable of winning the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.”

Stefan Reinhold, team principal BMW Team RMG:

“For us as a team from the Eifel region, it was obviously fantastic to finally go racing and taste success on the Nordschleife. In this regard, the season has been great. We saw at the 24-hour race that our young drivers can mix it with the best. After that, they have consistently been among the front-runners, and we have claimed our first victories. That makes us both happy and proud.”

Dan Harper on the NLS season:

“Fortunately, we have had more highs than lows this season. We could never have dreamed that we would still be in contention to win a title in the final race so we can take a lot of positives from the year. Our learning curve has been very steep and we have gained valuable experience, as drivers and a team. That will definitely make us stronger in the future.”

Max Hesse on the NLS season:

“We gained an awful lot of experience in the NLS season and have developed massively as racing drivers and a team. Second place in the Speed Trophy is a good result, even if it is obviously a shame that we lost the title due to a crash in the final race.”

Max Hesse on his start in Sebring:

“The start at Sebring is a superb opportunity for us. Personally, I have never raced in the USA, so to do that in the new BMW M4 GT3 and at such an iconic circuit is mega. Hopefully the weather will play ball and we will have our first full 24-hour race, after the race at the Nürburgring was cut short.”

Neil Verhagen on the NLS season:

“I think we can be very proud of what we achieved this season, despite the unfortunate way it ended. A huge thank you goes to BMW Team RMG for the fantastic work and support. We have all proved that we are not only young trainees driving anywhere, but that we belong among the best. It was not easy to learn everything in our first year in a GT3 race car, but Dan, Max and I helped each other a lot. We worked perfectly as the BMW Junior Team.”

Neil Verhagen on his start in Sebring:

“I cannot describe how excited I am about racing in my home country in the BMW M4 GT3. I have dreamed of racing in the USA again for years. My parents will be at Sebring to watch me drive the new BMW M4 GT3. That is going to be a very special experience for me.” 

Nürburg. In beautiful late summer weather, the BMW Junior Team finished round eight of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife (GER) on the podium. After four hours of racing, Neil Verhagen (USA), Dan Harper (GBR) and Max Hesse (GER) crossed the finish line in third place in the # 44 BMW M6 GT3. In the end, the trio was only 14 hundredths of a second short of second place. The new BMW M4 GT3 took the chequered flag in fifth place. The #55 car was driven by Philipp Eng (AUT) and Augusto Farfus (BRA).

In qualifying on Saturday morning, that had to be shortened to 45 minutes due to fog, the BMW Juniors secured third on the grid. The start of the race was postponed by half an hour to 12:30. In the turmoil of the first corners the #44 BMW M6 GT3 initially fell back to sixth place, but Verhagen, Harper and Hesse quickly worked their way back towards the front. In the exciting final stages, Hesse put the second placed Audi in front of him under massive pressure, but he couldn’t find the opportunity to overtake, and this was also due to Code 60 zones. After four hours, the #44 BMW M6 GT3 crossed the line in third. After the wins in races four and five and second place in round seven, this was the next podium success for the BMW Junior Team.

The #55 BMW M4 GT3 once again took part out of competition in the prototype class SP-X. Because of this, Eng and Farfus started the race behind the field of SP9 cars. In its second race the new car again ran without any problems and improved position by position. After four hours of racing, Farfus took the flag in fifth place. The gap to the front was only 86 seconds. 

Walkenhorst Motorsport finished third in the SP9 Am class with the #36 BMW. The car was driven by Henry Walkenhorst, Friedrich von Bohlen and Jörg Breuer (all GER). The team’s #34 BMW M6 GT3, with David Pittard (GBR), Ben Tuck (GBR) and Christian Krognes (NOR) at the wheel, was in second place after a fantastic start. Pittard also set a new NLS lap record in 7:53.202 minutes. But then, the #34 fell far back due to a damaged tyre.

In the different classes, the BMW M Motorsport teams claimed a total of four class wins. The season finale of the 2021 Nürburgring Endurance Series will be held in two weeks’ time, on 9th October.

Reactions after round eight of the 2021 NLS.

Mike Krack, Head of BMW M Motorsport: “It has been a great and for us an entirely positive day of racing in the Eifel mountains. It started with the fact that spectators were again allowed onto the starting grid. That made the atmosphere very special. The race itself once again went smoothly. Our BMW Juniors Neil, Dan and Max put in another great performance, and Max’s fight for second place in the final laps was really breathtaking. It didn’t quite work out, but third place is another great result. Also Philipp’s and Augusto’s race in the new BMW M4 GT3 was fantastic. Both once again confirmed that the handling and performance of the new car are excellent. The BMW M4 GT3 is fast and easy to drive. Overall, the race went trouble-free for us from A to Z. I would like to thank the entire development team, BMW Team RMG, the drivers and everyone involved in the project for their great work.”

Max Hesse, #44 BMW M6 GT3, BMW Junior Team: “We gave our everything and a couple of times it could have nearly worked out. But in the end, the Audi had a bit more top speed than us, and exiting the Code 60 zone at the Döttinger Höhe there was no chance. And we all know: to overtake on the Nordschleife is not the easiest task. But it is great to be on the podium again. We also collected good points for the championship – the fight is on!”

Neil Verhagen, #44 BMW M6 GT3, BMW Junior Team: “We are happy with another podium. We have now been on the podium regularly after the 24-hour race. This is good; it shows our consistency and how we have been improving since the beginning of the year. A big thank you to BMW M Motorsport, BMW Team RMG and Shell for continuing to improve. At the end of the race it was difficult to overtake the Audi. We were able to catch up quite quickly, but unfortunately it was very difficult to find a way around. Overall, again it has definitely been a very solid weekend. It will be an eventful last race. Looking at the championship, it is going to be quite close. I am looking forward to it!“

Dan Harper, #44 BMW M6 GT3, BMW Junior Team: “The final laps have been very intense to watch from the pit box. It was a really great fight, even if it did not quite work out for us. Unfortunately a small contact when I was in the car cost us some time today, but we learn from it and are still happy to be on the podium.”

Philipp Eng, #55 BMW M4 GT3: “Again, every single lap in the BMW M4 GT3 was just a dream. It is so much fun to drive this car. We have been very consistent, the car handles the tyres well and is very good to drive, especially in traffic. Once again, it was great team work and I think we have a very strong package in the BMW M4 GT3. I am already looking forward to the next tasks with the car, and especially to next year when it will start in its first real racing season. Everyone at BMW M Motorsport has done an outstanding job. The development work was intensive, the right decisions have been made, and now we have a product that just works superbly and which you climb in and feel comfortable straight away.”

Augusto Farfus, #55 BMW M4 GT3: “It was a great race. We managed to race the car close to the leaders. I think today we have seen that the car is very competitive and I think we can all be proud of what we have achieved. P5 today was a great achievement and somehow it feels like a little victory for us. It makes us confident that next year we can fight for proper victories. Now we focus on the next steps and thanks again to BMW M Motorsport for this opportunity to drive the car. It is real fun, and it is great to be behind the wheel.”