Superb one-two class win for Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport in Oschersleben

Munich. Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport took a superb 1-2 in their class at
the fourth round of this year's Qtel Endurance FIM Championship at
Oschersleben today. Twenty-two teams contested the Open Class in the 8
hour race, but BMW Motorrad Motorsport defeated them all, with Richard
Cooper and Thomas Hinterreiter taking first place and Stéphane
Mertens, Rico Penzkofer and Gregory Fastré taking runner-up
spot. In the overall results, Cooper and Hinterreiter were heading for
a tremendous ninth place until just forty-five minutes from the end.
But Hinterreiter highsided when he went wide exiting an unlit turn and
although he remounted, he lost three places and ended 12th overall,
just ahead of Mertens, Penzkofer and Fastré. Team Kawasaki
France (Ivan Silva, Julian Mazuecos, Erwan Nigon) won the race, with
Yamaha Austria (Steve Plater, Steve Martin, Igor Jerman) second and
Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Vincent Philippe, Matthieu Lagrive,
Julien da Costa) third. Bike no 17 Richard Cooper: "I am a little
disappointed because it would've been tremendous to have finished ninth
in the race, but accidents happen and it was nobody's fault - just one
of those things. My goal today was to be the first BMW across the line
and Thomas and I did that. Apart from the crash, we had no problems at
all and the bike and the whole team worked very well. This was a much
harder race than last year's race. Firstly there were many more strong
competitors in our class and secondly because this year the race was
eight hours long instead of twenty-four. Eight hours is a sprint and
that doesn't really suit our bike, so, all things considered, I think
we did pretty well." Thomas Hinterreiter: "The crash happened
so fast, I couldn't do anything about it. I think I ran a bit wide
exiting the turn and went onto the white line and the dirt. The rear
end just snapped round and I was highsided. Luckily I was able to get
back on the bike and carry on, but the fall cost us three places and I
am sorry for that. But apart from that, the bike worked better then last
year and the tyres felt better as well. The team once again worked
superbly and the pit-stops all went smoothly. I would've preferred a
twenty-four race, as I think we would have had a much better chance of
a higher finish, but eight hours was what we had to race and at least
we were 1-2 in our class - despite there being many more strong teams
then last year." Bike no 71 Stéphane Mertens:
"Generally I am happy that we got 1-2 in our class, but I guess I
was hoping that we'd also finish in the top ten. In an eight hour race
that was always going to be a tough task - especially considering the
strength of the opposition. I was happy with my first stint, but not so
happy with my second because I had to use much more pressure on the
brakes, so maybe I need more power in my hand. Because Gregory is good
in the dark, we decided to let him finish the race and that worked out
very well. I think that Richard did a great job and showed that this
bike is a great bike and one that can cause a few surprises. Our
pit-stops were very impressive and the whole team worked superbly all
weekend." Rico Penzkofer: "That was a tough race today,
because it was an eight hour sprint, not a twenty-four marathon. With
all the extra competitors in our class, it was never going to be easy
winning it, but we came home 1-2 and that's all you can really ask for.
We had no problems at all during the eight hours and although we didn't
get the top ten finish we would've liked, we showed that a twin can
still compete with the big boys and give them a run for their
money." Gregory Fastré: "I really enjoyed that, but I
wish it could've gone on for twenty-four hours! I love riding in the
dark and enjoyed myself a lot out there. The whole team were wonderful
and it is thanks to all the great teamwork that we finished 1-2 in our
class and that is no mean achievement when you consider how many strong
competitors were in the race. The result is good for BMW and I hope
that they think of me again when the next race comes up." Berti
Hauser (Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport): "First of all, I'm happy
about the results. We could not do any better in our class then to get
a 1-2 and that's what we did. A eight hour sprint does not suit our
bike, but everybody worked hard and the teamwork helped us get this
good result. After our bad luck in Le Mans, it was great to finish on
the podium. The crash by Thomas was unlucky, but at least he was
uninjured and able to carry on and that was the only problem either of
our two bikes had in the race. I am happy that we finished the first
non-Japanese bike and the first twin. There were twenty-two competitors
in our class today and many of them were strong teams from the German
Championship, so to beat all of them is a great achievement and shows
that the HP2 Sport is such a good bike."