BMW MOTORRAD GOLDBET SBK TEAM: A STRONG FINALE!

BMW Motorrad concluded its factory commitment in the FIM Superbike World Championship with a successful performance at Jerez. In the first race of the 2013 season finale, factory rider Marco Melandri fought for victory until the finish line, coming home in second on his BMW S 1000 RR and claiming the fastest lap. Unfortunately Marco could not take part in race two due to his injured ankle. His team-mate Chaz Davies finished the last races of the year in seventh and fifth respectively. Sylvain Barrier showed a strong World Superbike debut on a third RR of the BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team. He finished 12th in race one and fought within the top 10 in race two but crashed and slipped back to 13th. It was also a strong finale for BMW in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup. Two weeks after Sylvain celebrated his second consecutive Riders' title with the BMW HP4 of the BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK Team, the German manufacturer today also secured the Manufacturers' title in the series.

Despite his injury, Marco only narrowly missed the victory in race one. Coming from fourth on the grid he improved to third right at the start. On lap two he put in the fastest lap of the race and overtook Tom Sykes to take second. From then on he stayed on the heels of leader Eugene Laverty. The two fought an exciting battle until the chequered flag. Marco was waiting for his chance and took it on the penultimate lap. He got past Laverty and took the lead. It was only in the final corner, when Laverty gave it another try and managed to overtake Marco. The Italian BMW rider crossed the line in second, slightly behind Laverty. Chaz meanwhile was not happy with his race. At the start, he improved from tenth to seventh, but he could not push to gain more positions. Thus, he stayed in seventh until the finish line. Sylvain had a faultless debut race in World Superbikes. From 16th on the grid, he put in consistent laps and improved some positions, coming home in 12th.

After race one, Marco had to be treated in the Clinica Mobile again and unfortunately he could not start in the second race. Chaz improved to fifth right at the start and in the early stages he was fighting in the front group. Over the course of the race, the gaps to the front increased. Chaz stayed in fifth until the finish line. Sylvain was getting more and more confident on his RR. He fought exciting battles with some established competitors and worked his way up to ninth. On the penultimate lap he then unluckily crashed but was able to re-join and cross the line in 13th. The winner of this race was again Laverty.

In the Manufacturers' ranking, BMW finished the season in third with 443 points. This marks the best ever season for BMW in the Superbike World Championship with the previous best score of 421 points in the 2012 being topped. In the Riders' classification, Marco is fourth overall with 359 points. Chaz follows directly behind with 290 points. BMW Motorrad congratulates Tom Sykes for securing the 2013 Riders' title and Aprilia for winning the Manufacturers' championship.

In the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, BMW Motorrad secured its second Manufacturers' title after 2010 Thus, the new BMW HP4, which is equipped with the electronic damping system DDC, celebrated the Riders' and the Manufacturers' title in its first year in the championship. The HP4 which Sylvain won the Riders' title with two weeks ago was ridden by IDM-Champion Markus Reiterberger at Jerez. The young German finished today's final race in fifth. In doing so, he collected the points BMW Motorrad needed to stay in front of its rivals and to celebrate the Manufacturers' crown. South-African Greg Gildenhuys finished 12th on the other HP4 of the BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK Team.

Stephan Schaller (President BMW Motorrad): "During the last five years, BMW Motorrad have clearly shown a consistent growth, becoming one of the top teams in production based motorcycle racing in both Superbike and Superstock championships. In the last two WSBK seasons we established ourselves as a title contender, winning or being on the podium very often with both our riders. In the Superstock class, we won three Riders' titles in the last four years and two Manufacturer championships with two different models, the BMW S 1000 RR and the BMW HP4. I want to congratulate the team, the R&D department and our riders and all others who have contributed to make BMW Motorrad a strong player in the Motorsport. The experience we have gained in World Superbikes has been fundamental for BMW Motorrad as a brand as well as for the product development. In the last five years we learned a lot from the technical and sportive points of view, and we understood how important it is to stay committed to motorsports. BMW Motorrad will go on as protagonist in motorsports thanks to our comprehensive customer sport project."

Marco Melandri: "The first race was amazing. I gave everything to keep Eugene's pace. Already with five laps to go I could not ride like I wanted because I could not use my foot properly but it was quite okay thanks to the Clinica Mobile. On the penultimate lap he made a little mistake so I came close to him and could try to make a pass. It was not an easy situation because we were sliding a lot but I was in front on the last lap. Then in the last corner I thought that Eugene has nothing to lose in the championship and could give it a try so I preferred to stay inside but I braked too early. Eugene was very smart so in the end he made a nice pass on me and that was it. I was sorry for my team because I would have liked to celebrate the 100th podium of my career with a win but it was okay like this. Congratulations to Tom and Kawasaki, they had an amazing end of the season. After race one my ankle was too painful. I preferred to listen to my body and not to race. I also did not want to end my time with BMW with a bad result. The last two years were a really important time in my career. I met great people who became really close to me and ready to help me. For sure the most difficult step will be to leave them, because they loved me, and to re-start from scratch. I wish all of them the best for the future, because they are fantastic and deserve the best."

Chaz Davies: "P7 in the first race just seems to be where we are this weekend. I did not get the feeling that I wanted, I was struggling when turning and lacking grip. We made a lot of changes for today but we had a damp warm-up so we weren't able to evaluate these changes properly so I went into the race with a completely different bike, but I still had issues. I kept losing the front and eventually the rear seemed to break traction too easy. I just gave all that I had but more was not possible. For race two we changed the front tyre and it was definitely an improvement. I was faster than in race one in hotter temperatures so I was closer to the top guys but unfortunately not close enough. It was probably one of the toughest weekends of the season which is a shame to end on. Looking back on the season I have to say that on the whole I am happy. Thanks to BMW for giving me the opportunity to win in World Superbikes more than once. I collected three victories this year and challenged at the front and got multiple podiums. So again: 'Thank you' to BMW and the team, it was a good year."

Sylvain Barrier: "I really enjoyed the weekend, it was a great experience. Race one was amazing. I was really excited to get on the grid and then I was surprised by my lap times. I was not super quick but I was consistent and that is what I wanted. I was more than pleased with how my debut race went and was looking forward to even making it a little bit better in race two. I had learned more about the bike and felt better and better on it. I was a bit sad that I crashed but this is racing. I tried to give my best and wanted to finish the race in a good position. Overall I improved a lot over the weekend and I think I can be satisfied. I am very happy to be with BMW and grateful that BMW gave me this chance to race in World Superbikes for the first time."

Andrea Buzzoni (General Manager BMW Motorrad WSBK): "Today a very important period for BMW Motorrad comes to the end, with a very positive outcome. In last five years in the Superbike World Championship we experienced a steady growth of performance, which brought BMW Motorrad to be permanently among the top teams and able to fight for victories. In addition, In the Superstock Championship, BMW established a dominant leadership achieving three rider titles and 2 manufacturer titles.

This season in the Superbike Championship has been the best ever. Together our riders, Marco and Chaz, scored 121 points more than last year and 18 podiums, 3 more than last year and, for the first time, both of them won. The team was able to understand the needs of the two riders - who have different riding styles and physical characteristics - and enable them to win. We achieved those results thanks to the professional skills and the human qualities of all people involved in this successful project and, of course, thanks to the cooperation of R&D division and the race team. I want to thank all of them for this success. I'm proud that BMW Motorrad gave me this responsibility and I thank BMW for this confidence."

Stephan Fischer (Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport): "First of all, I want to say a big 'Thank you' to everyone who was involved in this project. We have been a fantastic team and a real community. Every single person gave everything and this allowed us to reach our common target. With working very hard, everyone contributed their part to make the factory commitment in World Superbikes a success. From a technical point of view I can look back with pride on what we have achieved. Our bike has the perfect base and we technicians developed a very good understanding of what is needed to make it perform on the race track. Today Marco was very close to gifting himself and the team with a farewell victory. This showed the high potential of the team, the bike and the rider. We have also seen something else this weekend: Sylvain debuted on the WSBK version of the RR and Markus rode the HP4 for the first time. Both were fast from the word go. This proved how competitive our bikes are and how quickly we can adapt them to the individual requirements of each circuit. For us, the logical step is to now bring this on a wider platform which we will do with our extended customer sports programme. We will strengthen our presence in the national and international championships. Our customers around the globe can count on evidentially competitive bikes. We are looking forward to an exciting and successful future of BMW Motorrad in motorsports."