Next stop Imola: BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team ready for the fifth round of the WorldSBK 2019.

Munich. The next round of the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) is approaching after a four-week break. The fifth event of the season is taking place this coming weekend (10^th to 12^th May) at Imola, Italy. The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team has made more updates to the BMW S 1000 RR superbikes for Tom Sykes (GBR) and Markus Reiterberger (GER) ahead of the first of two visits to Italy.

At Imola, the team is aiming to build on the good results from the last two events. Sykes started from the front row at MotorLand Aragón (ESP) and recorded the first top-five results for this new campaign. Reiterberger was on the front row at Assen (NED) and finished both races in sixth place.

Quotes ahead of the races at Imola.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “At Imola, we aim to continue the positive trend from the last two race weekends. We have had a break since the races at Assen and have used this to continue optimising the new RR for the WorldSBK, and to drive development under racing conditions. After the cool races in Aragon and Assen, we are looking forward to some more pleasant temperatures. Imola is a circuit with a great history. We are expecting plenty of spectators and fans, and are looking forward to the weekend.”

Shaun Muir, Team Principal BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “The team has had a few weeks break since Assen. The time has been spent fine tuning the overall package of the BMW S 1000 RR. BMW Motorrad Motorsport has some finer aero upgrades to implement. Additionally we will continue to focus on the chassis balance to complement the undulating and demanding Imola circuit. We are confident that both Markus and Tom can pick up from where they left off at Assen and chase down the top eight final race positions.”

Tom Sykes: “I am really looking forward to the Imola round of the Superbike World Championship. It’s always a great atmosphere there; the Italian fans are really spectacular, so going there, I am very motivated with a clear target of what I would like to achieve with the BMW S 1000 RR. Unfortunately, during the races, we have some limitations when with some other riders but I think with some adaptions to the chassis set-up we can try to compensate for that. I am sure the potential of the package is very high and I think everybody has seen that when we’re on clear track and able to do what’s necessary, but obviously in the race that’s not the case, so we’re step by step working in that direction. The effort from all of the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team is absolutely fantastic and I really hope the track layout at Imola will help us to achieve the results we deserve.”

Markus Reiterberger: “I am looking forward to getting going again. We have had quite a long break, and we have used it sensibly. After the positive weekend at Assen, I can hardly wait to finally get back on the RR. The potential is there, I am feeling more at home on the bike and we are continually making progress. I hope that we can continue this at Imola and get closer to the front. Imola is a great track that is a lot of fun. The circuit is extremely challenging for the riders and it is a very demanding place to race but I think we have a good overall package and we can record some good results. We just have to wait and see if the weather is on our side. I hope it will be a bit warmer, as it was very cold at Assen.”