Melandri achieves BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s best ever WSBK result

It was a fantastic start to the 2012 Superbike World Championship for the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team, as new recruit Marco Melandri posted the best result to date for the factory Superbike squad, with a second place finish in race one.

Having qualified only 13th on the grid, due to the cancelled superpole and the missed chance to challenge for a higher grid position, Melandri rode a near perfect race, moving his way confidently through the pack and passing rivals such as Jonathan Rea and Jakub Smrz in the early stages of the race. In front of him the circuit lap record was being smashed by Max Biaggi in pursuit of current champion Carlos Checa, who then crashed out of contention while leading the race.

By half race distance, the impressive Italian was up to fourth place and chasing down Sylvain Guintoli and Tom Sykes. An epic battle followed, with Marco passing Sykes and moving into a podium position with eight laps remaining. He then set off after Guintoli, who he passed on the brakes at the end of the Gardner Straight with just five laps still to run. Despite late challenges from the Frenchman, he held out to take second place, much to the delight of the Australian race fans and the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team.

There was also good news for the BMW Motorrad Italia Goldbet SBK team, as new signing Michel Fabrizio came out on top after a lengthy battle with factory Honda rider Jonathan Rea, eventually beating him by just 23 hundredths of a second to finish in sixth place. Leon Haslam took a pain-killing injection just before the race and was able to secure four championship points by finishing in 12th place, while Ayrton Badovini was forced to retire with just eight laps remaining, after struggling with rear grip issues.


Race two was just as entertaining. This time it was the injured Leon Haslam who made a lightning start from the third row of the grid all the way up to fourth place. With his RR superbike visibly sliding around Haslam was clearly pushing hard but ran wide on lap 3 and found himself down in sixth spot behind Sylvain Guintoli. However, he moved back past his French rival on lap 7, then managed to squeeze past Eugene Laverty on lap 10, and was then promoted back up to fourth place after Joan Lascorz crashed on lap 11.

With his own team-mate Melandri right behind him, Leon continued to push hard but ran wide on the Southern Loop on lap 12, letting Max Biaggi past. The remainder of the race saw the two RR riders successfully fighting off challenges from Frenchman Michel Berger to finish in fifth and sixth respectively.

Unfortunately, BMW Motorrad Italia’s Michel Fabrizio and Ayrton Badovini both failed to finish race two. Fabrizio crashed on turn four on the fourth lap, while Badovini was forced to retire with a similar problem to race one.

Today’s results mean that Marco Melandri is second in the championship standings on 30 points, while Leon Haslam is in eighth – a great result considering he underwent surgery just three days ago.

Marco Melandri: “I am really happy! Giving BMW their best ever result in only my first race on the RR is awesome. I still cannot believe that. The guys at the circuit and in the factory are working really hard and they have done a great job. We did not quite know how we would perform in the race as we had not done any long runs in pre-season testing. During the race I just tried to keep my rhythm and tried not to overpace as I knew I would have to look after the tyre. I had to wait for the right moment to pass Tom Sykes and Sylvain Guintoli. In the final two laps Sylvain was pushing a lot again, but I kept focused on myself and defended my position.

Race two was very difficult. It was warmer and I had to push harder to catch the guys in front of me, so it was not easy. But we finished the first weekend second in the championship, and that is better than expected. Now we have one month to analyse the data and to try to make even more improvements. We will go testing in Spain and all the guys are working hard. We all have the same goal and I very happy to see that motivation is high. Last, I want to send my sympathy to the family of Oscar McIntyre whom we lost yesterday.”

Leon Haslam: “I’m really happy overall. We had a problem in race one which I couldn’t ride around. Even though just scoring points was the objective, I knew I could have done better. The boys worked really hard between races: they changed engines, electronics and the balance of the bike and straightaway we were able to fight for a top five position. It’s a big credit to all the team and the medical staff who managed to get me out there in the first place! I also want to express condolences to the family and friends of Oscar McIntyre, who died in that tragic crash yesterday.


Bernhard Gobmeier, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “Overall the weekend was very positive – Marco’s second place means the best result for BMW Motorrad in World Superbikes so far. The weekend was a bit of a rollercoaster, but in the end we proved that the work over winter paid off. Still, we are not where we want to be, and that we have some areas to work on. And this is what we will do over the next couple of weeks.

“I am very happy about the performance of our riders: Leon having finished the second race in the top five is very impressive and makes everyone at BMW Motorrad very proud. Marco’s second place in the first race has been the best result for BMW Motorrad in this championship so far. He did an outstanding job and proved his qualities, and is now lying second in the World Championship. On behalf of the entire team and BMW Motorrad, I wish to pass my condolences to the family and friends of Oscar McIntyre, who lost his life in yesterday’s crash at Phillip Island.”

Race One
1. M. Biaggi (ITA) – Aprilia; 2. Marco Melandri (ITA) – BMW Motorrad Motorsport; 3. S. Guintoli (FRA) Ducati; 6. Fabrizio (ITA) – BMW Motorrad Italia Goldbet; 12. Leon Haslam (GBR) – BMW Motorrad Motorsport; DNF – Ayrton Badovini (ITA) – BMW Motorrad Italia Goldbet

Race Two
1. C. Checa (ESP) – Ducati; 2. M. Biaggi (ITA) – Aprilia; 3. T. Sykes (GBR) – Kawasaki; 5. Leon Haslam (GBR) – BMW Motorrad Motorsport; 6. Marco Melandri (ITA) – BMW Motorrad Motorsport; DNF Fabrizio and Badovini – BMW Motorrad Italia Goldbet

Points
1. Biaggi (45); 2. Melandri (30); 3. Sykes (29); 8. Haslam (15); 11. Fabrizio (10)

Labels: 2012 Superbike World Championship, BMW Motorrad Motorsport team

Up to six RRs on the grid as WSBK season kicks of at Phillip Island

Up to six BMW S 1000 RRs will be in action ‘Down Under’ as the 2012 Superbike World Championship (WSBK) finally gets underway at the fast and flowing Phillip Island circuit in Australia this weekend (24 – 26 February). The Phillip Island WSBK round has taken place every year except 1993, making it the longest-running single event in the championship’s history.

A comprehensive winter testing programme has included two days of testing in late January at Valencia in Spain, as well as two further tests over five days at Phillip Island. The BMW Motorrad Motorsport pairing of Leon Haslam and new signing Marco Melandri had been ready and raring to get the racing finally started after more than four months away from competitive action, but Leon unfortunately crashed during the first session of Monday’s official test at the Australian circuit. A fracture and two cracks in his right tibia, a crack in his left heel and a small crack in his right little toe were detected. He will undergo surgery on Thursday in Melbourne in a specialist clinic where the plan is to insert two screws to fix the tibia fragment in its original place. The prognosis on what will happen after surgery is not yet known.

For team-mate Marco Melandri, testing has gone well and although it is a new challenge on a new bike, it is one he is relishing, as he adapts to the RR Superbike.

“At the moment, we haven’t yet started thinking about what we can expect at the race weekend, as we are concentrating on what we need to do to improve my feel for the bike. Generally speaking I like the Phillip Island circuit. I won there in 125cc, 250cc and MotoGP, and also claimed a podium finish there in the Superbike World Championship last year, so it has been a good track for me. I hope I will get the confidence that is lacking at the moment and take that next step forward.”

All fans will of course be hoping that both Leon and Marco will compete, but four other RR riders are also planning to be in the thick of the action at the 4.445 km circuit for this traditional WSBK season opener.

BMW Motorrad Italia returns for its second consecutive season in the top flight, having retained the services of top-ten finisher Ayrton Badovini, who will compete alongside new team-mate Michel Fabrizio on the BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet race bikes.

Having won the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup on RR in 2010, Badovini graduated to WSBK last year, impressing fans and fellow riders by regularly finishing in the top ten and scoring a total of four top-six finishes – including a fourth place in his home race in Misano. Fellow Italian Michel Fabrizio will be making his debut on the RR, but with four wins and a further 29 podium finishes to his credit in his WSBK career to date, his talents will undoubtedly shine through in 2012.

And although former BMW Motorrad Motorsport rider Troy Corser is no longer competing in WSBK, having ‘hung up his leathers’ after three years with the factory squad, there will, however, be two Australian riders flying the flag on their RRs at their ‘home’ round in Phillip Island.

Competing in the entire 2012 series will be 28-year-old Mark Aitchison, making his debut on the Team Grillini Progea BMW RR, while fellow Australian David Johnson has managed to secure a ‘wildcard’ entry to this event and will be riding the Rossair AEP Racing Team RR.

After all this testing, the time for waiting is finally over and fans can now look forward to seeing old rivalries renewed and plenty of fresh battles in the quest to become 2012 Superbike World Champion. For BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Bernhard Gobmeier, it promises to be the most exciting season to date for the factory squad which is eager to show fans the results of the continued development of the 2012-spec RR in this highly-competitive series.

The target is to close the gap to the front runners and be involved in the fight for the world championship, and Gobmeier is hoping that 2012 will be the year when racing history is made with the formidable factory RR Superbike.

This is a view shared by Head of Race Operations, Andrea Dosoli, who said: "After the tests held in Valencia and Phillip Island, we're now looking forward to the race weekend. It will be the first time to see in the garage only one bike per rider. This rule forces our team to approach the race weekend in a different way compared to the past. On this track, with severe tyre wear, variable weather conditions and a bumpy surface it will be important to be consistent. We'll work in this direction."

The action kicks off on Friday 24 February with free and qualifying practice, followed by Superpole qualifying on the Saturday with both 22-lap WSBK races taking place at 1200 and 1530 (local time, GMT + 11 hours) on the Sunday . There is no FIM Superstock 1000 Cup race at Phillip Island, but there will be RRs in action in the Australian Superbike support races, which take place before and after the first WSBK race. Keep an eye out for defending Champion Glenn Allerton on his RR.

Labels: 2012 Superbike World Championship, BMW S 1000 RR

Last weekend’s new season launch was a star-studded affair with visits from Leon Haslam and Charley Boorman. Excellent food and great deals made us a hit. For more information on our new season models visit - http://www.vinesbmwbikes.co.uk/latest-offers.htm.

Labels: BMW Bikes 2012, Charley Boorman, Leon Haslam

We want to fill Vines Caterham's new showroom "Around the World Map" with customers' adventures on their beloved BMW bikes. Send us a picture and tell us when, where and who is in the picture and you can be featured on our wall of fame.

Labels: BMW bikes

Ben Pearman started with us in 2010 and is currently working through his BMW Academy apprenticeship, and sectioned engine is something that Ben challenged himself to do as a project whilst also learning his trade.

The BMW R 1200GS Boxer Engine assembly was donated to us by a very unfortunate customer who dropped his GS in a river and we had to change his engine as it failed in dramatic style as it stayed running sucking in over 10 litres of water before finally seizing up!

Ben's engine is now available for viewing in Vines Caterham showroom.

Engine Specificiation:

Make Model: BMW R 1200GS Boxer Engine Sectioned and Presented by Ben Pearman Of Vines Caterham Motorrad
Year: 2008
Engine: Four stroke, two cylinder horizontally opposed Boxer air/oil-cooled, 4 valves per cylinder
Capacity: 1170
Bore x Stroke: 101 x 73 mm
Compression Ratio: 11.0:1
Induction: Electronic intake pipe injection/digital engine management: BMS-K with overrun fuel cut off, dual ignition
Ignition  /  Starting: BMS-K  /  electric
Clutch: mSingle plate dry clutch, 180 mm diameter. Hydraulically operated
Max Power: 77 kW 105 hp @ 7500  rpm
Max Torque: 115 Nm @ 5750 rpm

Labels: New BMW Bikes, Used BMW Motorbikes, Vines Bikes, Vines BMW Bikes, Vines Caterham, Vines Guildford