Golden weekend for the BMW S 1000 RR: double victories for Reiterberger in the IDM and Tyco BMW in the BSB, Lussiana wins in Brazil

Success in the major national championships in Europe and South America: Markus Reiterberger dominates the first round of the IDM, Tommy Bridewell and Alastair Seeley are victorious in the BSB, and Matthieu Lussiana wins at the season opener of the Brazilian championship. 

The private BMW Motorrad riders made a great impression last weekend: four racing events were held, with victories for the BMW S 1000 RR on all four occasions. At the season opener of the International German Championship SUPERBIKE*IDM (IDM), Markus Reiterberger (DE) celebrated a dominant double on his Van- Zon Remeha BMW RR. In the British Superbike Championship (BSB), Tommy Bridewell (GB) secured the first victory for Tyco BMW, while team-mate Alastair Seeley (GB) won the Superstock race. Reigning champion Matthieu Lussiana (FR / BMW Motorrad Petronas Racing) triumphed in the GP 1000 category (MT1GP) at the curtain raiser of the Brazilian championship. In doing so, Lussiana took the lead in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy (see full ranking below). His team-mate Sebastian Porto (AR) also climbed onto the podium, finishing third. On top of that, road racer William Dunlop (GB) celebrated his first win on the Tyco BMW S 1000 RR at the Tandragee 100 (GB). 

International German Championship SUPERBIKE*IDM at the Lausitzring, Germany. 

Markus Reiterberger (DE) enjoyed the perfect weekend at the opening round of the International German Championship SUPERBIKE*IDM (IDM) at the Lausitzring (DE). The Van-Zon Remeha BMW rider celebrated a dominant double victory and set a new lap record on his 2015 BMW S 1000 RR. Overall, Reiterberger was six tenths of a second faster per lap on his new bike compared to last year. He reported that the reasons for this include the RR’s optimised braking stability and the HP Race Support electronics provided by the experts at BMW Motorrad Motorsport. Reiterberger was already by far the fastest man on track during the free practice sessions. Although he had to settle for second on the grid in Saturday’s Superpole qualifying, the 2013 IDM champion was unbeatable in the two races held on Sunday. 

The morning’s first race saw Reiterberger lead from the start, and the German wasted no time in pulling clear of the field. His time of 1:37.696 minutes on lap two was not only the fastest lap of the race, but also a new track record. By the time he crossed the finish line, he had opened an impressive lead of almost seven seconds over his closest rivals. He once again took an early lead in the afternoon race, but was initially unable to shake off rival Max Neukirchner (DE) this time. However, Reiterberger was able to pull clear again from midway through the race and clinched his second win of the day with a comfortable 2.8-second advantage. He also set the fastest lap again. 

The second-best BMW rider at the Lausitzring was Matej Smrz (CZ), who came home sixth in both races (fifth and sixth in the IDM SBK Superbike class) on the Wilbers BMW Racing team’s BMW S 1000 RR. In the Superstock class (IDM STK), four BMW Motorrad privateers finished in the top ten in both races: in race one, Dominik Vincon (DE / BMW Stilgenbauer) crossed the line in sixth place, ahead of Pepijn Bijsterbosch (NL / Van-Zon Remeha BMW) in seventh and Lucy Glöckner (DE / Wilbers BMW Racing Team) in eighth. Michal Filla (CZ) completed the top ten in tenth place. In race two, Filla finished fifth, Glöckner was sixth and Vincon seventh. Tenth place went to Mark Albrecht on the Comedy Central Racing team’s RR. 

British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park, Great Britain. 

The third race weekend in the British Superbike Championship (BSB) at Oulton Park (GB) saw Tyco BMW claim its first wins in the Superbike and Superstock categories. The races were held on Monday, a public holiday in Great Britain, and the fans were treated to real action-packed thrillers. In the Superbikes (BSB SBK), Tommy Bridewell (GB) won the first of the two races. Starting from second on the grid, Bridewell moved straight into the lead and, despite being constantly under attack from his pursuers, managed to hang on to the lead. He crossed the line on his BMW S 1000 RR with a 0.160-second lead to earn a maiden BSB victory for Tyco BMW. Ryuichi Kiyonari (JP / Buildbase BMW Motorrad) was fifth, while Bridewell’s team-mate Michael Laverty (GB) came home eighth. Billy McConnell (AU / Smiths Racing BMW) and Lee Jackson (GB / Buildbase BMW Motorrad) also finished in the points, in 14th and 15th. 

A dramatic second race initially looked like producing another BMW victory. A furious battle for the lead played out at the front of the field, with Bridewell and Kiyonari the main protagonists. The Japanese rider led at first, but Bridewell moved to the front on lap three. However, one lap later Bridewell crashed, dashing his hopes of a double. That put Kiyonari back in the lead. Despite coming under immense pressure, the Japanese held on to first place until lap 15 when he was eventually passed by Shane Byrne (GB). Kiyonari hit trouble whilst trying to find a way back into the lead. He hit Byrne’s rear wheel and sent both riders crashing out. The best-placed BMW rider was Laverty in fourth. McConnell was eighth, Jackson tenth, and Martin Jessopp (GB / Riders Motorcycles BMW) also picked up points in 14th place. 

Alastair Seeley (GB) won in the Superstock 1000 class to ensure Tyco BMW was able to celebrate a double at Oulton Park. This race also witnessed a thrilling three-way battle at the head of the field, and it was Seeley who eventually claimed his first win of the season, crossing the line with a 0.208-second lead. Hudson Kennaugh (ZA / TrikMoto BMW) joined him on the podium in third place. In total, four BMW riders finished in the top five: Luke Quigley (GB / Formwise Washrooms / Bathams) was fourth, followed closely by David Johnson (GB / Smiths Racing) in fifth. 

Moto 1000 GP in Curitiba, Brazil. 

Defending champion Matthieu Lussiana (FR) made a perfect start to the season in Curitiba (BR). Racing in the top GP 1000 class (MT1GP), the BMW Motorrad Petronas Racing rider scored maximum points on his BMW S 1000 RR: he first secured pole position before converting this into a win in a hard-fought race. Lussiana also set the fastest lap. This was enough to put Lussiana back to the top of the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy standings. His team-mate Sebastian Porto (AR) came home third, 0.459 seconds behind the Frenchman, to clinch the last spot on the podium. The remaining two BMW Motorrad privateers in the field also picked up their first points of the season: Victor Moura (BR / M2B Racing) was eleventh, while André Paiato (BR / Motonil Motors-PDV Brasil) came home 14th. In the race in the GP Light class, Mauricio Paludete (BR / Sport Plus Racing) was the best-placed BMW rider in ninth. 

Road Racing: Tandragee 100 in Northern Ireland. 

One week before the start of the first major international road-racing event of the season – the North West 200 – the Tyco BMW team contested its final warm-up races. The team, with rider William Dunlop (GB), travelled to the Tandragee 100 in Northern Ireland. Dunlop claimed his first victory on the BMW S 1000 RR. He won the main race in the Superbike class, having previously finished runner-up in the Open race. Dunlop also clocked the fastest lap time in both Superbike races. 

2015 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy – Current Standings. 

So far, 62 privateer BMW Motorrad riders from 42 different teams and 19 nations have registered their participation. In 2015, the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy comprises a total of 19 international and national championships. Registration is possible until 30th June 2015. Participants in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy can once again compete in multiple championships in 2015. However, the points scored in the different championships are not added together, but 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, including the regulations and registration form, online at the BMW Motorrad Motorsport website: 

www.bmw-motorrad-motorsport.com