An interview with Uwe Geyer: “A strong and successful global racing family.”

Munich (DE), 3rd October 2016. Racing action with the BMW S 1000 RR in numerous championships on six continents, more than 200 customer teams around the globe and one big, closely related family: with its extensive customer sports programme, BMW Motorrad Motorsport has created a unique and huge world-spanning racing community. The number of riders who take to the track with the BMW S 1000 RR in international and national series has constantly increased over recent years, and the community continues to grow. There is a reason for this: The racing customers know that BMW Motorrad is not only a manufacturer, but also a strong partner at their side that co-operates with them and who they can count on.

A very special competition brings the global BMW Motorrad Motorsport community even closer together: the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy. BMW Motorrad introduced this innovative concept in 2014, and to date is the only manufacturer that unites its customers from all continents and many different championships in one competition. In the current season, 20 international and national race series with various championship classes are classified for the Race Trophy. Each BMW S 1000 RR rider who competes in one of these classes can enter the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy for free and, in direct competition, battle other BMW riders from other series, nations and continents for the crown of the best BMW rider in the world. The success of this concept mirrors the growth of the worldwide RR community: The number of participants has constantly increased and in 2016, the third season for the Race Trophy, more than 120 BMW racers from all over the world have registered.

In an interview, Uwe Geyer, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport Marketing, talks about the strategic approach of the customer sports programme and the Race Trophy, as well as about the philosophy of, as a manufacturer, providing intensive support for all customers, from the pro in international world championships to the amateur in national championships.

2016 is the third season for the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy. How would you take stock of the Race Trophy so far?

Uwe Geyer: “It is a huge success and proves that we achieved our goals - namely to create a unique, strong and successful global racing family, and to be a close partner with our riders and teams on all continents. We are extremely pleased with the development the Race Trophy has taken in its first three years. This season, 127 registered BMW riders are competing against each other in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy in 27 different racing classes around the world. In 2015 it was 104 riders, and in the debut year in 2014 it was 69 racers. The acceptance of the BMW Motorrad customer racing programme is rising annually, and it is increasingly establishing itself as a permanent feature of the Motorrad world of motorsport. This and the success of our competitors in their race series are the proof that our strategy is working.”

How well did the BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders receive this new competition?

Geyer: “The feedback we receive from our riders and participants from all over the world confirms how much they appreciate the concept of the Race Trophy. Many riders soon recognised the advantage and the opportunities provided by the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy. We have a large number of repeat entrants from previous years. Being part of a huge global family, we offer them a worldwide platform, increased awareness in international motorsport and many more benefits. Our unique concept of equal treatment is also mirrored by the idea of the Race Trophy – and is another reason why our riders like this competition. And last, but not least, they are competitive people – and, of course, everyone is keen to be crowned the best BMW racer in the world.”

What was your objective when you started the Race Trophy, and would you say now, three years on, that the project is a success?

Geyer: “Our objective was, and still is, to continuously grow our unique community and to bring more and more BMW S 1000 RRs to the racetracks worldwide. Being a strong and reliable partner for our customers, our strategy is to provide equal support to all our riders and teams, so that every BMW racer around the world benefits from being part of the BMW Motorrad Motorsport community and from the expertise of our engineers. As a manufacturer it is important to be approachable, so to be able to help riders and teams. The continuously rising number of entrants, and the sporting successes in particular, prove that our concept is a success.”

How important is it to you that you have managed to establish one of the largest global communities in the motorcycle world?

Geyer: “We are very proud to have created this big global family, which is unprecedented in international motorcycle racing. Our BMW S 1000 RR racers fly the flag for BMW Motorrad all around the world, in numerous racing series on all continents, from world championships to national series. Every race weekend, they prove with their successes in all the different series that the BMW S 1000 RR is one of the strongest bikes in production-based motorcycle racing. Therefore, they are the perfect ambassadors for our brand and our bike – and it is great that they are becoming more and more.”

How does the exchange with and among the members of this community, the racers across the globe, work?

Geyer: “Many riders know each other through the international racing stage and some of them ride in the same team in the World Endurance Championship, even though they battle for points in different international and national race series. Naturally, our aim through the community concept is to link all BMW racers around the world. Our means of communication, such as the BMW Motorrad Motorsport international Facebook page, provide riders with insights into the series of the other Race Trophy competitors. It goes without saying that BMW Motorrad Motorsport remains in constant contact with the riders and is on hand to address their concerns. Communication is always a BMW priority, and so is the image that the Race Trophy competitors present in public. We place a lot of value on the visibility and recognition factor of our riders being a given in all of the championships.”

What have you learned from this community?

Geyer: “We learned that the community promotes and strengthens team spirit among the BMW racers around the world. But we also need to take care of the community. This means being approachable and being on-site at the races. Our principle of treating the competitors equally is very popular, because it honours the performance of each rider no matter whether they win the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, for example, or are battling for points in the local Superbike championship in South Africa.”

What are the plans for the future?

Geyer: “We would like to further strengthen our close partnership with our customers. To extend the community of BMW racers around the world. To become even more attractive to riders who race. To include more race series in the Race Trophy, and to continuously develop the concept of this unique competition.”