17 April 2023
First podium of the season for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team
The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team has started the 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) with a podium finish. At the season opener, the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA), Markus Reiterberger (GER), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) and Jérémy Guarnoni (FRA) finished third. In the Superstock class, the newly formed Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team celebrated a perfect debut with victory.
The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team has started the 2023 FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) with a podium finish.
At the season opener, the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA), Markus Reiterberger (GER), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) and Jérémy Guarnoni (FRA) finished third. It was also the first podium finish for the new #37 BMW M 1000 RR in its first race. In addition, Mikhalchik set the fastest race lap with a time of 1:35.751 minutes. In the Superstock class, the newly formed Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team celebrated the perfect debut with victory.
After difficult, changeable conditions prevailed in qualifying, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team started the 24-hour race from eighth place on the grid. After just 90 minutes, the #37 BMW M 1000 RR was in second place, and in the following hours Reiterberger, Mikhalchik and Guarnoni battled for the lead at the front.
In the eighth hour of racing, however, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team initially suffered a setback. While overtaking a slower rider, Mikhalchik slid and had to head for the pits with a damaged bike. With a fantastic team effort, the squad repaired the bike and sent Mikhalchik back on track after just seven and a half minutes. Starting from seventh place, the trio on the #37 then launched a strong recovery.
As the race progressed, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team defied the difficult conditions with very cold temperatures and fog in the morning and made up position after position. By early Sunday morning, in the 19th hour of racing, the #37 BMW M 1000 RR was back in third place and on course for the podium. Mikhalchik, Reiterberger and Guarnoni did not relinquish this position until the finish.
In the newly formed Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team, Kenny Foray (FRA), Jan Bühn (GER) and Loïc Arbel (FRA) piloted the #9 BMW M 1000 RR. The French team, supported by BMW Motorrad Motorsport, started its first race in the Superstock class from second on the grid. It took the lead in its class early on and only rarely had to relinquish it briefly as the race progressed. So the Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team rejoiced at its debut over the class victory. In the overall classification the team finished in an excellent eighth place.
The private team LRP Poland (#90 BMW S 1000 RR) had a crash on an oil track on Sunday morning through no fault of their own, but resumed the race after a repair break. Dominik Vincon (GER), Pepijn Bijsterbosch (NED) and Julian Puffe (GER) finished 15th overall and eleventh in the Formula EWC class. Seigneur Motorsport Team Mont-Blanc finished 29th overall and 17th in the Superstock class with the #74 BMW S 1000 RR piloted by William Wallart, Christophe Seigneur and Joachim Delaforce (all FRA).
The second race event of the 2023 FIM EWC is scheduled for June 17/18: the 24 HEURES SPA Motos at Spa-Francorchamps (BEL), where the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team celebrated its first victory in a 24-hour race last year.
Related products
