It is the Belgian Werner Daemen who is the team manager in charge of this new team officially hired by the BMW factory to race the new S 1000 RR in the World Endurance Championship. The composition of the crew includes the experienced Kenny Foray, associated with the young German Julian Puffe and the also young Ukrainian Ilya Mikhalchik who defend the colors of the Bavarian manufacturer in the IDM (German Championship).
We were considering the arrival of Markus Reiterberger, but he prefers to stay, if he can, in the Superbike World Championship, even if it means changing brands.
Foray, 35, has been part of the BMW Motorrad Motorsport family for many years. He has competed in endurance races since 2008 and won the World Endurance Champion title in 2014 (with Davic Checa, Mathieu Gines and GMT94). Since 2016, Foray has been racing E.W.C. with BMW teams and he also enjoyed success with the BMW S1000RR in the French Superbike Championship where he was crowned champion in 2017. Foray finished in second place in the championship standings FSBK in 2016 and 2018.
To Kenny Foray, who are " I am delighted with this new challenge in this new team. I have been part of the BMW family for several years now. My goal has always been to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. And I would love to go home with the title too. It goes without saying that we have to get used to the new bike first and continue to develop it, but it's a great bike. Endurance is not easy, but I think we can be competitive from the start. I have high expectations for this new season.”
Julian Puffe, 23, has been racing speed and EWC with the BMW S 1000 RR since 2017. After a season in the European Superstock 1000 Championship, he moved to IDM in 2018, where he finished in third place of the general classification. In EWC, he has enjoyed success with BMW teams, such as Superstock victories at the 8 Hours of Slovakiaring in 2017 and the Bol d'Or in 2018.
To Julian Puffe, who are " I am very honored to have the opportunity to compete in the EWC. I think every driver dreams of being part of a factory team at some point. Particularly in a series as prestigious as the World Endurance Championship. I'm really excited about this new challenge. I have been competing in endurance races since 2017. We won my first race in 2017, which was at the Slovakiaring. And we also won the Superstock class at the Bol d'Or at Le Castellet last year. We followed with third place at the Slovakiaring. So my endurance races have always gone very well so far. Of course it will be a new challenge, but my goal will always be to be as close to the front as possible. We have a very good team that we can count on. I also modified my daily training according to the preparations, in order to be as fit as possible. I can’t wait for the season to start.”
Ilya Mikhalchik is also 23 years old and won the IDM championship title in his first season with BMW in 2018. Currently, he is leading the IDM standings with two races remaining ahead of his teammate Puffe. Mikhalchik made his endurance debut in April this year, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
According to Ilya Mikhalchik, “First of all, I would like to thank BMW Motorrad Motorsport for this opportunity to race in a World Championship as an official driver. It means a lot to me. I am the first Ukrainian to take his first steps on this huge world stage. I'm going to give it my all from my first race. The calendar includes three tracks which are new for me and I am also very excited for the races outside Europe. I can’t wait to be able to show my potential at such a high level. I’m confident we’ll do good things with the new RR and I’m looking forward to the first race.”
To Werner Daemen, Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, “This is a completely new challenge for me. I took part in my first 24 hour race as a driver in 1997 and competed in endurance races until 2011, so I was actively involved in the championship as a racer for 14 years and I also finished on the podium. I'm delighted to be able to take advantage of this opportunity with the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, even though it requires a lot of work and is nothing like IDM. The first year we have to start by gaining experience, although our goal is always to finish the races as high as possible. I'm excited to bring a strong trio of riders with Kenny Foray, Julian Puffe and Ilya Mikhalchik, and to give them the deserved opportunity to develop with this project. I am very optimistic for the season ».
And we will let it conclude Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director, “I am convinced that with drivers Kenny Foray, Julian Puffe and Ilya Mikhalchik, we are very well placed for the first season of our new project in EWC. This trio offers the perfect combination of a wealth of experience and speed. All three are very familiar with the new BMW S 1000 RR and are familiar with the specific challenges that endurance presents for riders, teams and motorcycles. Which means they can make a valuable contribution to the development of the endurance version of the new RR. We want to become more competitive, step by step, in our first year in this high-level world championship. After this first year of learning, our long-term goal is to get closer to the top and fight for the title ».
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Title photo: Kenny Foray. Above: Werner Daemen and Julian Puffe. Below: Ilya Mikhalchik
Photos © BMW Motorrad Motorsport
