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FIM EWC: BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team makes it onto the podium after a fantastic fightback at Le Mans 24 Heures Motos.
Sun Jun 13 15:12:27 CEST 2021 Press Release
The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team kicked off the 2021 season in the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) with a podium finish. Markus Reiterberger (GER), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) and Xavi Forés (ESP) made a stunning fightback on the new #37 BMW M 1000 RR to finish third at the ‘24 Heures Motos’ at Le Mans (FRA).
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Le Mans. The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team kicked off the
2021 season in the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) with a
podium finish. Markus Reiterberger (GER), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) and
Xavi Forés (ESP) made a stunning fightback on the new #37 BMW M 1000
RR to finish third at the ‘24 Heures Motos’ at Le Mans (FRA).
Werner Daemen’s team had previously qualified third. When
the endurance classic got underway at 12:00 (CEST) on Saturday,
Reiterberger made a perfect start and immediately took the lead.
However, shortly after that the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team
suffered a major set-back. A problem with the fuel system led to
several unscheduled pit stops. The team fell back to a seemingly
forlorn 43rd place, many laps behind the leaders.
The team
showed fantastic fighting spirit and the three riders impressed with a
thrilling performance on the M RR. Fast lap times allowed them to
gradually work their way back towards the front of the field, one
position at a time. By the halfway point at midnight, the #37 was
already back in fifth place. Shortly after that, Mikhalchik climbed
into fourth place. On Sunday morning, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance
Team found itself third and on course for a podium finish. They
remained in that position until Forés brought the #37 BMW M 1000 RR
home in third place after 24 hours of racing.
The two
independent BMW Motorrad Motorsport teams, Team LRP Poland (#90 BMW S
1000 RR) and Team Univers Racing/AC Racing (#23 BMW S 1000 RR) failed
to finish.
Round two of the FIM Endurance World
Championship, the 12-hour race in Estoril (POR), will take place on
17th July.
Quotes after the 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans.
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport
Director: “Congratulations to the whole BMW Motorrad World
Endurance Team on this fantastic effort. I followed the race from
Misano, where we also line up in the FIM Superbike World Championship
this weekend. However, whenever possible we had the coverage from Le
Mans on the TV and I was in constant contact with the team. After the
strong start from Markus Reiterberger, we unfortunately had an issue
with the fuel system, which saw us drop well back down the field. At
that point, you could have been forgiven for thinking that the race
was over in the first hour. However, Werner Daemen’s team and our
riders Markus, Ilya and Xavi did not stick their heads in the sand and
accepted the challenge. It was fantastic to see how they reeled in the
field from the back and consistently worked their way to the front.
They more than deserved to be stood on the podium at the end of the 24
hours. It is evidence of the team’s ability and fighting spirit. After
the early set-back, that was a good start to the season.”
Werner Daemen, Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance
Team: “I’m very proud about the result. The race by itself
was not the best start because of Marcus’ small crash. We had some
technical problems, and we lost about eight to nine laps. Then the
riders, and the team made a good job because we were fighting back.
Fortunately we got the third place – much more than we expected after
the first laps. The team worked perfectly together for the whole week,
and we go further like this for Estoril.”
Markus Reiterberger: “I felt very honoured to ride at
the start. Even walking to the bike was good, and when I pulled away
it was really good. I really tried not to let the tyres cool and to
save fuel but the tyres were still not right up to temperature, which
really surprised me, as it was really hot. The front wheel ultimately
folded in on me in the penultimate corner and I skidded into the
gravel. I then did two more laps on the damaged bike, but then had to
come into the pits. I feel sorry for the whole team that I made this
mistake. In the end, the crash was not that bad. The main problem was
the technical issues. Once those had been resolved, we were basically
flawless for the rest of the 24 hours. I would like to thank the whole
team for their hard work, and my team-mates for persevering so valiantly.”
Ilya Mikhalchik: “I don’t need to say a lot of words.
The job is done, and our target has become real. Everyone is happy.
Hard work pays off for everyone from the team, especially for me
because I've been working really hard since last year. Obviously I’m
really happy to stand on the podium with my team and I hope we will
continue the same way in the next races.”
Xavi Forés: “It was a really tough race for us. After
the start, we had some issues and had to come to the garage a couple
of times to solve it so we were at the bottom of the timings and then
to make it to the podium felt like a victory for us. We knew that we
are fast with our BMW M 1000 RR but could not automatically expect to
be on the podium after the first hour. I am very grateful to be part
of the team. The entire crew did an amazing job, we continued pushing
and pushing until the end of the race. This third place was also very
important for the championship and now we will give our all at
Estoril. Thanks to all who made this possible.”