For the 2018-2019 World Endurance Championship, BMW Motorrad is entering an official team with three French drivers. The German NRT48 team is evolving and making a strong comeback under a new name, ERC-BMW Motorrad Endurance. Proskaro, a German robotics company headed by Uwe Reinhardt, a former endurance driver, remains its main partner, hence the name ERC for “Equipe Reinhardt Competition”. Yvan Haberkorn, co-director of Proskaro, is the team manager of the new ERC-BMW Motorrad Endurance structure alongside Ingo Nowaczyk, technical manager.
As for the three drivers, Julien da Costa has two victories at the Bol d'Or and three at the 24 Heures Motos to his credit. He is also one of the architects of the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team's world titles in 2007, 2008 and 2013. His teammates for this new season are Kenny Foray and Mathieu Gines, who together won the 2014 World Endurance Champion title. with the GMT94 Yamaha.
Julien, what support from the BMW factory does your ERC-BMW Motorrad Endurance team have?
“For several years, BMW has been present with several teams, not one in particular. This was the case for example with Tecmas when I did the Bol d'Or with them and Kenny Foray in 2017, and also unofficially with Team NRT.
“This year BMW has decided to officially return through the ERC-BMW Motorrad Endurance team, which replaces Team NRT and is supported by Proskaro. »
What are the main differences compared to the Tecmas BMW team with whom you competed in the Bol in 2017?
“There are few differences visually, but on the material level we have the support of the factory. The latest engine and electronic developments are offered and supplied to us. What changes is that it is BMW which supplies the engines, and basically, what we ask for, we get.
“In comparison, Team Tecmas buys its engines, which has a higher cost. I don't know all the details because I'm not part of the steering committee (smile). We deal directly with Germany, and not with BMW France as is the case with Tecmas. »
With Randy de Puniet and Jérémy Guarnoni, you raced on the Kawasaki SRC at the 8H in Slovakia last May. What was the reason?
“It was just to replace Mathieu Ginès who had damaged a finger in a fall at the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He finished the race with courage even though he had a severed tendon. Finally he had surgery after the race, but it took a little longer than expected. So it was not 100% restored for Slovakia and that's why Gilles Stafler called me to replace it. »
Last year, at the finish of the Bol, there were three BMWs among the top five (2nd BMW Motorrad n°13 Reiterberger- Politta- Webb, 4th BMW Voelkper NRT n°48 Kerschbaumer-Buhn-Glockner, 5th BMW n°21 IV Racing EKO IV Racing BMW Hanika-Lai-Mayer). Is the Circuit Paul Ricard so suitable for the S 1000 RR?
“There are two factors to consider. On the one hand, the Pirellis have adapted very well to the circuit. I have already done two tests with these Pirellis and they correspond well to this circuit. The Dunlops too, that's for sure. We know that the Pirellis are sometimes in trouble on certain circuits, but Le Mans and Paul Ricard are some of the good tracks for these tires.
“On the other hand, the second very important factor is that the BMW has a very good engine. When we know that at Paul Ricard the addition of all the straight lines is around 3 km, that represents more than 30 seconds flat out. We are therefore good compared to other brands which do not have as much power as us. »
During the two recent days of testing to prepare for this 2018 edition of the Bol, your team achieved the 3rd fastest time*. How did these tests go for you?
“It started very well, with very favorable weather. These tests allowed us to target a lot of things in terms of tires, electronics and chassis. We worked really well.
“We only had one motorbike for three riders, so we didn't get spread out. In the end everyone was happy, we had very good times. We also did race relay simulations for tires and consumption, and we think we are almost ready. This is just another way to approach the race week with our new team in a good frame of mind. »
*The top 6 best times from the two days of testing:
YART Yamaha – 1'55.037
Team SRC Kawasaki France – 1'55.746
ERC-BMW Motorrad Endurance – 1'56.217
LCR Endurance – 1
Bolliger Team Switzerland – 1'56.828
Yamaha Viltaïs Pierret Experiences – 1'56.975
Who are the opponents you fear the most?
“The reigning World Champions FCC TSR Honda France with now number 1 with Freddy Foray, Joshua Hook and Mike Di Meglio. The GMT 94 is no longer there, but there is the Yamaha n°7 of YART (Broc Parkes, Niccolo Canepa and Marvin Fritz) which was very fast during the tests. The #11 Kawasaki (Randy de Puniet, David Checa and Mathieu Ginès) is one of the favorites for victory, and finally the #2 SERT Suzuki (Vincent Philippe, Etienne Masson and Gregg Black) which experienced some problems during of certain races. But we saw that in Germany it went rather well for them, they were not bad at the start of the race, and when it pays off, they will play up front. »
Can a BMW win the Bol d'Or this year?
“A BMW can win the Bol d’Or, we hope so with all our hearts, we always fight for that. We never start with the idea of simply finishing, we aim for victory every time.
“24 hours is a very long time. It's not always the fastest who win. We have a fast bike, high-performance tires and a solid crew. We have known each other for a long time and we are united. Without too much stress, we will rely on the power of the bike and the experience of the crew. We just have to cross our fingers for victory, which would be great for everyone on the team. »
Gold bowl : The entry list
EWC official website (including live timing)
On the television :
. Live broadcast on Eurosport 2: Saturday September 15 from 15 p.m. to 19 p.m. and from 21 p.m. to 24:40 p.m. Sunday September 16 from 7 a.m. to 15:30 p.m.
. The L'Equipe Channel will broadcast part of the Bol d'Or live: Saturday September 15 from 15 p.m. to 16:45 p.m., from 18:15 p.m. to 19:20 p.m. and from 21/21:30 p.m. to 23:00 p.m.
Sunday September 16 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., from 11:20 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and from 13:30 p.m. to 15:20 p.m.
Below, the final ranking of the 2017-2018 Championship:
Photos © ERC-BMW Motorrad Endurance and FIM EWC David Reygondeau
