EWC: BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport is heading to Suzuka.

The specialists from Munich back the BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent at this weekend’s “8 Hours of Suzuka”.

Munich, 23rd July 2013. BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport will be in action in the Far East this weekend. The specialists from Munich are on site at the “8 Hours of Suzuka” (JPN) to back its partner BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent. This prestigious race marks the second round of the 2013 FIM Endurance World Championship. The “8 Hours of Suzuka” will be held for the 36th time this Sunday (28th July) and is the most important motorcycle race on the Japanese sporting calendar. Victory at Suzuka is a priority for all four Japanese manufacturers, who will once again field full factory machines and a very strong international rider line-up. This year, a total of 63 teams will contest the race.

The BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent is determined to get their 2013 campaign back on track with a strong result in Suzuka. Damian Cudlin (AUS) and Erwan Nigon (FRA) will be reunited aboard the #99 BMW S 1000 RR, with American Jason Pridmore joining them as a late replacement for the injured Sylvain Barrier (FRA).

The 2013 season has been a difficult one so far for the squad. A big crash six hours into the “Bol d’Or” season opener at Magny-Cours (FRA) saw the team depart France with no points, after significant damage to the #99 RR forced their retirement from the race. The run up to the “Suzuka 8 Hours” race hasn’t been without incident for the team either. Sylvain Barrier was forced to withdraw from the race just days before travelling to Japan, as a result of injuries sustained during a two-day test at Suzuka earlier this month.

Confidence, however, remains high, as both Cudlin and Nigon were consistently fast during the Suzuka test, which saw the team running in wet, dry and mixed conditions over the course of the two days. Both riders are confident that a top five finish is a realistic goal this weekend. For Pridmore, Suzuka will be something of a baptism of fire. The American has previous experience on the bike, having won the FIM World Endurance Superstock Cup aboard a BMW S 1000 RR in 2012, but he will need time to adapt to the Michelin tyres, one of the team’s biggest advantages for the race, having never raced on them before.

“The team heads to this year’s ‘Suzuka 8 Hours’ determined to claim a podium finish and I’m confident that this is a realistic goal,” said Team Principal Michael Bartholemy. “The Japanese teams, with their full-factory bikes and World Championship rider line-ups, will be as fast as ever, but anything can happen in an eight-hour race, where our experience counts for a lot. Both Damian and Erwan were quick in all conditions during the recent test at Suzuka, so we know we have the pace to run at the front. It is unfortunate that Sylvain is unable to race due to injuries, especially as we only discovered this a few days before the team was due to fly to Japan. At such short notice, and with no time to test the BMW S 1000 RR or the Michelin tyres, we knew that taking an experienced rider was the only option open to us. This is why I’m glad to welcome Jason to the team. He’s one of the most experienced riders in the EWC paddock and I know he’ll do a good job for us this weekend.”

“Suzuka is one of my favourite events of the year and I’m really looking forward to racing there with BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent for a third successive year,” commented Damian Cudlin. “We’ve been very competitive over the past two years, and considering how our testing went at Suzuka just two weeks ago, I’m sure we can achieve a good result this year. The podium is definitely my target, and I know the rest of the team is behind me on that one. Hopefully this year is our year.”

“After spending all weekend at the Laguna Seca Grand Prix, I woke up on Monday morning to discover I was off to race for BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent in the ‘Suzuka 8 Hours’ this weekend, which was a bit of a welcome surprise,” reported Jason Pridmore. “I love the Suzuka circuit and I can’t wait to ride the RR there. I am under no illusions as to how tough it’s going to be for me, but I will do the best I can for the team and I know Damian and Erwan will be on hand to help me get up to speed as quickly as possible. I’d like to say thank you to BMW Motorrad France for this opportunity and I wish Sylvain Barrier a speedy recovery from his injuries.”

“The ‘8 Hours of Suzuka’ is a very special challenge for us, but we head to Japan with a lot of confidence,” explained Berthold Hauser, General Manager BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport. “Traditionally, competition is very high there, as the Japanese manufacturers field real strong teams and rider line-ups with the aim to win this most important race of the country. But together with BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent we prepared well for this challenge. We have proved to be fast and competitive in the past, and it was only bad luck which prevented us from starting the season in style at Magny-Cours. This just motivates us even more to return to success at Suzuka. We can count on a strong team, fast and experienced riders, our RR, which has proved to be a winning bike in the EWC before, and on the excellence performance of the Michelin tyres. Overall, we have lots of reasons to look forward to the weekend.”