Lap record and podium for the BMW S 1000 RR at the Bol d’Or

BSB podium in Assen and a Superstock win in Jerez

The privateer BMW riders have continued their streak of successes in several important championships. Last weekend showed impressive performances in series like the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC), the British Superbike Championship (BSB) and the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup (STK1000). In total, they claimed a stunning lap record, a win and two more podium finishes for the BMW S 1000 RR.

FIM Superbike World Championship in Jerez, Spain

After the long summer break, the final spurt of the 2015 FIM Superbike World Championship (WSBK) began at Spain’s Jerez. The Andalusian track hosted the 11th of 13 rounds of the season. Having recovered from his severe fall in early August in Malaysia, BMW rider Ayrton Badovini (IT) had arrived in Jerez with high hopes.

But he and his BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team struggled to find the perfect settings for the characteristics of the Spanish circuit. Badovini finished the two races in 15th and 14th respectively. He is, however, confident to fight back at the next round in Magny-Cours (FR).

Gábor Rizmayer (HU) of BMW Team Tóth reached the finish line in 18th and 16th respectively, while his team-mate Imre Tóth (HU) was 20th on both occasions.

FIM Endurance World Championship in Le Castellet, France

The 2015 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) drew to a close with the legendary 24-hour race Bol d’Or last weekend. For its 79th running, the prestigious event returned to Le Castellet in southern France, where the Bol d’Or was already held from 1978 to 1999.

In front of packed grandstands, the team of BMW MOTORRAD France Penz13.com proved to be on equal footing with the established EWC teams. The squad around team principal Rico Penzkofer (DE), who competes its debut season in the Superbike class (EWC SBK), was fighting at the very top.

In qualifying, Markus Reiterberger (DE) was the fastest man on track, setting a stunning new lap record of 1:57.253 minutes on the #13 BMW S 1000 RR. In the race, Reiterberger and his team-mates Bastien Mackels (BE) and Lukáš Pešek (CZ) were heading for a podium, occasionally riding in second position.

However, a technical issue caused an unplanned pit stop in the final phase of the race. They dropped back to ninth, but made up several positions in the final spurt to finish sixth overall and fourth in the Superbike class. In the championship rankings, BMW MOTORRAD France Penz13.com finished its debut season in a strong fourth position.

In the Superstock class (EWC STK), the Völpker NRT48 & Penz 13 by Schubert team celebrated its biggest success so far in endurance racing. Marco Nekvasil (AT), Dominik Vincon (DE) and Stefan Kerschbaumer (AT) finished the 24-hour race third in their class.

It was the first ever EWC podium for the German squad. In the overall result, the trio claimed a strong seventh place. The Tecmas Racing Team also took the chequered flag in this tough race, which saw 20 of 55 teams failing to finish. Dominique Platet (FR), Clive Rambure (FR) and Camille Hedelin (FR) were eighth in the Superbike class and 15th overall on their #88 BMW S 1000 RR.

The squad of Prime Factors Racing, however, experienced some bad luck, with Gary Mason (GB), Barry Burrell (GB) and Lee Johnston (GB) retiring.

British Superbike Championship in Assen, the Netherlands

The “Title Showdown” in the 2015 British Superbike Championship (BSB) started with a trip to Assen in the Netherlands – and a podium finish for the BMW S 1000 RR. Tyco BMW rider Michael Laverty (GB) finished the first of the two fiercely contested races on the legendary “TT Circuit” in third. In doing so, he celebrated his first podium of the season. In total, four BMW riders crossed the finish line in the top ten in this race.

The second best-placed RR rider behind Laverty was Richard Cooper (GB / Buildbase BMW Motorrad), who finished sixth. Tommy Bridewell (GB) was eighth on the second Tyco BMW S 1000 RR, followed by Peter Hickman (GB / RAF Reserves BMW) in ninth. Billy McConnell (AU / Smiths Racing BMW) and Lee Jackson (GB / Buildbase BMW Motorrad) also finished in the points, in 11th and 12th respectively.

The second race started with a delay of over an hour due to a rain shower and unpredictable weather conditions. When the action finally was able to begin, the track was still wet in places, but dry in other sections. This meant the conditions for the riders were more than tricky, with most of them having opted for slick tyres.

Bridewell led the BMW contingent in the early stages and was fighting in the leading group, but suffered a big highsider on lap five. After 15 difficult laps, Cooper crossed the finish line in fourth, being the best placed BMW rider. Laverty was ninth.

Hickman and Martin Jessopp (GB / Riders Motorcycles BMW) also picked up points, finishing in 13th and 15th respectively. In the “Title Showdown”, Laverty is currently fourth with 532 points, 80 points behind the leader. Bridewell is fifth with 515 points. Two rounds with a total of five races are still to be contested.

FIM Superstock 1000 Cup in Jerez, Spain

After a break of three months, the 2015 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup (STK1000) resumed in Jerez (ES) with the seventh and penultimate race of the season. On this occasion, BMW racer Roberto Tamburini (IT) was the man to beat on his BMW S 1000 RR.

The Motoxracing rider claimed pole position and took a dominant win in the race, crossing the line nearly 4.7 seconds in front of his closest rival. It was Tamburini’s third victory of the season. In the overall rankings, the Italian is second with a gap of 25 points to the leader. This gives him the theoretical chance to win the title at the season finale in October. In the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy, Tamburini improved from tenth to seventh position.

Federico D’Annunzio (IT / FDA Racing Team) finished the race in Jerez in tenth. Matthieu Lussiana (FR) was 16th on the RR of Team ASPI and Eric Vionnet (CH / Motos Vionnet) took the chequered flag in 20th.

South African SuperGP Champions Trophy in Port Shepstone, South Africa

The seventh and final round of the South African SuperGP Champions Trophy (RSA SBK) took place at Dezzi Raceway near Port Shepstone (ZA) last weekend. Lance Isaacs (ZA) was the only BMW representative in the field this time. He finished sixth in both races on his Black Swan Energy BMW S 1000 RR.

2015 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy – Current Standings

In 2015 the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy comprises a total of 19 international and national championships. Participants in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy can compete in multiple championships. The points scored in the different championships are calculated separately for each individual race series.

The current standings only include points from the race series in which the participant has scored the most Race Trophy points. You can find all the information on the 2015 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy online at the BMW Motorrad Motorsport website:

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