FSBK rider Brunet-Lugardon back on top in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy – Kiyonari claims first victory for BMW in the BSB.

Munich, 2nd July 2014. The interest in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy remains unbowed, and the field is ever increasing: 52 BMW Motorrad privateers from all over the world have now signed up to this innovative racing project. The battle at the top remains exciting. So far, five different riders from four different championships had been leaders of the ranking. This week, Cyril Brunet-Lugardon (FR) has regained the overall lead – although only just. BMW Motorrad riders were also in top form in their respective championships, claiming victories and podiums in a diverse range of classes.

BMW Motorrad Race Trophy: Two FSBK riders level on points at the top, while the chasing pack lies in wait.

There was an exciting battle at the top of the overall standings in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy last weekend, particularly between the BMW Motorrad privateers in the French Superbike Championship (FSBK) and the International German Motorcycle Championship (SUPERBIKE*IDM). They all claimed wins and podiums in their respective racing series, adding a good haul of Race Trophy points to their accounts. The riders from France currently have their noses ahead in the Race Trophy standings, in which they occupy the top three positions. However, their closest rivals are lurking within striking distance, as the FSBK is far further into its season than the other championships. The French series has already completed four of its six rounds, while many other championships have not yet reached the halfway point in their seasons. As such, the BMW Motorrad privateers from other racing series will have plenty opportunity to catch up over the coming weeks and months.

At the very top, Cyril Brunet-Lugardon (FR) has regained a very narrow lead. He currently has 143.00 points to his name in the Race Trophy, putting him level on points with the new man in second place, Emilien Jaillet (FR). When level on points, the number of race wins determines the overall leader, and Brunet-Lugardon currently has one win more to his name than Jaillet. The new third-placed rider is Laurent Aymonin (FR) with 127.00 points. All three BMW Motorrad privateers line up in the European Bikes class in the French Superbike Championship, in which the fourth round of the season was held in Magny-Cours (FR) last weekend. The BMW S 1000 RR was the dominant machine. In race one, BMW Motorrad riders occupied the top five places: Jaillet won ahead of Brunet-Lugardon, with Andy Rey (FR) completing the podium in third place. In the second race, victory went to Aymonin. Brunet-Lugardon was once again runner-up, with Jaillet third.

The best-placed riders in the SUPERBIKE*IDM are currently fourth to sixth in the Race Trophy standings. They, with the support of the BMW Motorrad Motorsport experts, were in action at the Nürburgring (DE) last weekend, where the fourth of this season’s nine rounds took place. Marco Nekvasil (AT/Interwetten Racing by Fritze Tuning) claimed another victory in the Superstock class, winning the first of two races. However, he failed to finish race two. Last week’s leader in the Race Trophy now finds himself down in fourth place. Lucy Glöckner (DE/Wilbers BMW Racing) won the second race, having previously finished runner-up in race one. These results propelled her from eighth to fifth in the Race Trophy. Marc Neumann (DE) and Dominik Vincon (DE) also finished on the podium at the Nürburgring: Neumann was third in race one, Vincon was third in race two. The man currently sixth overall in the Race Trophy standings is Markus Reiterberger (DE/Van Zon Remeha BMW), who lines up in the fiercely-competitive Superbike class in the SUPERBIKE*IDM. He was fourth in the first race at the Nürburgring, before coming home second to claim another podium in race two.

This weekend sees the BMW Motorrad privateers in the Spanish Superbike Championship (CEV) and the Canadian Superbike Championship (CSBK) launch their next attack on the top of the Race Trophy standings.

British Superbike Championship in Knockhill.

Ryuichi Kiyonari (JP) proved emphatically that he has lost none of his talent in the British Superbike Championship (BSB) in Knockhill (GB). He first claimed pole position on the BMW S 1000 RR, fielded by Buildbase BMW Motorrad with the support of BMW Motorrad Motorsport. The Japanese then secured the historic first victory of BMW in the BSB in race one. In the second race he was once again in contention right up to the finish line, but was narrowly beaten by Shane Byrne (GB): Kiyonari was runner-up, just 0.176 seconds back. Buildbase BMW Motorrad also claimed another podium in the Superstock race: Lee Jackson (GB) came home second.

FIM Sidecar World Championship in Assen.

Assen (NL) hosted the latest round of the Sidecar World Championship (SWC). One of the highlights of the race was an all-BMW duel. Uwe Gürck/Manfred Wechselberger (both DE) and Petri Makkula/Harri Asumaniemi (both FI) were embroiled in a thrilling duel on their BMW machines throughout almost the entire distance. They made contact on the final lap, causing both to spin. Gürck/Wechselberger were able to continue the race and crossed the finish line in fourth place. In doing so, Gürck picked up more important points for the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy. “Team Makkula” were less fortunate and had to retire.

Japanese Road Race Championship in Sugo.

The Japanese Road Race Championship (MFJ) held its fourth round of the season in Sugo (JP). This time it featured a BMW Motorrad privateer: Kohji Teramoto (JP) ended the race in tenth place on his RR.

2014 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy – Current Standings.

Status: 2nd July 2014

16. Jordan Szoke (CA/CSBK/64,50), 17. Dominik Vincon (DE/IDM/60,75), 18. Federico D‘Annunzio (IT/WSTK/60,00), 19. Marc Neumann (DE/IDM/58,50), 20. Janine Davies (ZA/SAM/58,05), 21. Stefan Nebel (DE/IDM/54,75), 22. Daniel Rivas Fernandez (ES/CEV/54,40), 23. Uwe Gürck (DE/SWC/51,12), 24. Denni Schiavoni (IT/CIV/50,00), 25. Florian Drouin (FR/FSBK/48,00), 26. Jean Foray (FR/FSBK/45,00), 27. Björn Stuppi (DE/EWC/42,35), 27. Hayato Takada (JP/MFJ/42,35), 29. Florian Brunet-Lugardon (FR/FSBK/41,00), 30. Jörg Steinhausen (DE/SWC/40,80), 31. Thomas Hainthaler (DE/IDM/40,50), 32. Mark Albrecht (DE/IDM/36,75), 33. Daisaku Sakai (JP/MFJ/30,00), 34. Kohji Teramoto (JP/MFJ/26,60). 35. Sergiy Grygorovych (UA/IDM/25,50), 36. Robert Muresan (RO/WSTK/22,00), 37. Lucas Barros (BR/BRSBK/21,00), 38. Camille Hedelin (FR/FSBK/18,00), 39. Tim Robinson (CA/CSBK/17,50), 40. Luciano Ribodino (AR/BRSBK/16,50), 41. Alessio Velini (IT/CIV/15,00), 42. Lucas Teodoro (BR/BRSBK/9,00), 43. Imre Toth (HU/WSBK/6,50), 44. David Datzer (DE/IDM/6,00), 45. Rémi Boitel (FR/FSBK/6,00), 46. Shinya Takeishi (JP/MFJ/6,00), 47. Martjin Polinder (DK/IDM/3,00), 48. Peter Sebestyen (HU/WSBK/3,00), 49. Filip Altendorfer (DE/EWC/0,00), 49. Florian Bauer (DE/EWC/0,00), 49. Rico Löwe (DE/EWC/0,00), 49. Didier Grams (DE/Macau Grand Prix/0,00)

It is still possible to register for the 2014 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy on the website www.bmw-motorrad.de/motorsport. The deadline for registrations for the current season is not until 2nd November 2014, entry is free. Regardless of when the registrations are received, each participant will receive points for all the race events he/she has competed in since the start of the scoring period on 15th February 2014. So the ranking can also continuously change as new participants are added.

BMW Motorrad Motorsport website:

www.bmw-motorrad.com/motorsport