After the season opener in Australia, the FIM World Championship Superbike is back in Europe. Next weekend (March 22-24), BMW Motorrad Motorsport is preparing for the second race of the year at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (ESP). The four factory riders and the two teams, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, aim to continue the momentum from Phillip Island (AUS).
In February, Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) scored his first podium finish as an official BMW Motorrad WorldSBK rider by finishing third in the Superpole race. The BMW M 1000 RR was in the lead group in every session, and Michael van der Mark (NED), Garrett gerloff (USA) and Scott Redding (GBR) ensured that all factory drivers were represented in the top ten at the races.
To prepare for the Barcelona weekend, both teams, as well as the four drivers completed two days of testing at the same location last week. The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Test Team was also on hand to support both teams in their preparations.
Quotes before the Barcelona round.
Marc Bongers, director of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “The results from the season opener in Australia give us a lot of momentum ahead of the second race weekend in Barcelona. Of course, Phillip Island is a very special circuit, and the cards are now being redistributed. However, lessons learned from last week's Barcelona tests make us optimistic. We were able to see the pace of our BMW M 1000 RR there. Now the challenge is to convert this into corresponding results during the race weekend. Qualifying is the crucial basis for racing, and our goal is to get good starting positions with all four drivers. If the pace of the race is also good, this is the basis for successful races in this extremely competitive field. In the past, Barcelona hasn't necessarily been one of the circuits that suited us best, but we have worked hard and are heading into the weekend with confidence."
Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW M 1000 RR n°54, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): « I think it won't be an easy race weekend for me because we still need to improve the tire life, but the test was also very positive, we also worked on race pace and it was very good. We're not 100% yet, but I'm learning the bike every day and we're getting better. My general feeling is not bad. This race weekend will be very important for me. I'm trying to get on the podium and my big goal is to win the race, because I've never won in Catalunya. I hope we win this weekend, I will try to do my best. »
Garrett Gerloff (BMW M 1000 RR n°31, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team): “I’m really looking forward to being in Barcelona this weekend. It's a track that I really like and have had success at in the past, so I'm looking forward to going there and seeing if we can have a really good weekend. The BMW M 1000 RR performed well in testing and there are still a few things I want to improve on, but overall I think we have a good package and I can't wait to start the weekend . »
Scott Redding (BMW M 1000 RR n°45, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team): “The Barcelona weekend will be interesting. We know it's not one of our best circuits on the calendar. Last week's testing allowed us to work on the settings of the bike, trying to improve our weak points, which is always a good thing. Everyone is working hard to do their best. The race weekend is always different, so we have to see the track conditions and the weather. Hopefully we'll have better results than we did at Phillip Island, trying to get back on track and continue to improve. »
Michael van der Mark (BMW M 1000 RR n°60, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “It’s good to go to the track and have another weekend of racing. It's a good thing we did some testing last week and I think we're ready for the race weekend. We have a good base, we just need to work on the details. The Barcelona circuit is fantastic. I think that'one of the key things we need to work on is getting full race distance out of the tires, mainly the front one. It will be interesting, but I'm looking forward to it. I had a good feeling during testing and in Australia we saw how strong we could be. I can't wait to race again and fight for the best positions. »
