IDM Superbike – the rookie secures the title

 

With his international experience gained from the STK1000, Markus returned to the IDM in 2013. In the team of Werner Daemen - an experienced rider himself - the young „Reiti“ was meant to habituate to the BMW-Superbike with no pressure. But this was done faster than expected, as at his first IDM-event on the 200-hp-strong Superbike of Team Van Zon-Remeha-BMW, he gained the pole position and put the competition in a flurry. At the second event in Zolder he secured the new lap record, just to win it. At the end of the season the new and youngest international German Superbike-champion was called: Markus Reiterberger. 

 

In 2014 the competition around Markus armed up to factory material and he had to settle „only“ with a third placement in the overall standings. 2015 Markus won 12 of the 16 races and had to content himself with four second places. His worst placement of the season was a third position in one of the qualifying. Markus dominated the IDM, controlled the international top-class and had big influence on the increased interest of the media for the German motorcycle racing sport. 

In 2013 and also in 2014 Markus had wildcard appearances with the Team Van Zon-Remeha-BMW in the Superbike world championship. 

 

Additional he also took part in the Long-distance-world-championship for Team Penz13 in 2014 and 2015. In Oschersleben the crew around Reiti put the Superstock S1000 RR on pole position for the very first time in history - in front of the established factory teams of the EWC-class.

 

Together with his manager Werner Daemen and BMW Motorrad, who realized the potential of the then 21-years-old, Markus stepped up to the Superbike world championship in 2016. He got a two-years-contract with the Althea-BMW-Racing team inside the WorldSBK.

 

WorldSBK – life is not easy at the bottom

 

After Markus had achieved everything in the IDM and made it together with Werner Daemen and BMW Motorrad to the Superbike world championship, the next big challenge was waiting for him. The expectations towards the young German high-flyer were huge - his own not to be forgotten. The long-awaited dream to start in the WorldSBK turned into reality.

 

At his first test with the new bike in spring 2016, Markus Reiterberger already impressed with a new lap record. Not later than at the first race of the season at the circuit of Philip Island in Australia, he seemed to conquer a believed to be safe Top-Ten finish. But a massive tyre damage in the last corner of the last race lap avoided it to happen. Just in the second race he was granted with a P8. 

The sensation arrived at the second event of the season. Markus occupied the fifth place on the unknown circuit of Buriram/Thailand and also finished as the best BMW-pilot. A few weeks later in Sepang/Malaysia, he seemed to be safe on a fourth position, just before the end of the race. But an electronical failure forced him to give up. Until this point Reiti frequently joined the Top-Ten, surprised in the free practices with his great performance and left his competitors speechless. 

 

Blowback – momentous crash in Misano

 

The young Bavarian impressed also at the eighth event of the WorldSBK-season in Misano/Italy. Markus had qualified on second position for Superpole. The first race he finished on sixth. The hope to improve this result in the second race was high. Markus outbrakes the former MotoGP-worldchampion Nicky Hayden in the first lap of the second race and tries to get closer to Ducati-factory-rider Chaz Davies, when his Althea-BMW and the Ducati-factory-bike touched and Markus was thrown off high up in the air in a spectacular way. He hit the ground hard and that caused a compression fracture of two thoracic vertebras. Fortunately the injury healed without consequential damage and Markus was able to return to the racetrack after three months of rehabilitation, when his home race on the Lausitzring was taking place. 

The situation got more complex during the second part of the season. Markus and his team were not able to further build onto his achievements from the first half of the season. Bad weather, technical problems and a loss of feeling for the bike were only a few reasons why Markus was not able to finish his first permanent WorldSBK-season with a positive highlight. Markus Reiterberger finished the season in 16th position on the overall standings after 26 races. 

 

With changes to the structure of the Althea-BMW-Racing-Team and even more professional preparations to the season, Markus started 2017 again for Althea and BMW Motorrad Motorsport into the highest FIM-rating of close-to-production motorcycle racing - the FIM Superbike World Championship. Unfortunately Markus had to realize after three races into his second WorldSBK-season, that he won‘t get the positive development he was hoping for. He decided to step out of the world championship and to gain power again together with his manager Werner Daemen inside the International German championship.

 

Strong decision made – new start inside IDM

 

The target was to gain as many racing kilometres as possible to gain the confidence with the bile back and to find a new competitive base for a return to the WorldSBK. Amongst the IDM, Markus also took part in the long-distance-world-championship (EWC) for the team LRP Poland. The season 2017 was meant to be a special one whatsoever. 

Reiterberger secured himself all pole positions in the IDM and masterfully won 13 of the 14 Superbike races.

 

The highlight of the season 2017 took place in the area of Lausitz. The WorldSBK was hosted in Germany and the IDM played a role as support race at the event. Reiterberger and his Van Zon-Remeha-BMW-Team went as double-starter on the grid: with a wildcard at the world championship and an especially for this reason built Superbike and at the two races of the International German championship. 

In the WorldSBK-field Reiterberger finished his first race on 13th position; the second run he ended in 9th - not far from the world-elite and only two seconds behind Tom Sykes, who was fourth. 

 

The two races of the IDM, the then 23-years-old Markus won and saved himself his third IDM-Superbike-title with style within the scope of the WorldSBK-event. 

 

At the end of the season it was clear - Markus Reiterberger has to step up. With the clear target to return to the world stage, it has been decided, that there needs to be an intermediate step: the Superstock 1000 European championship, which took place as support class during the WorldSBK-events in Europe. To gain the first experiences with the hard-fought championship, the decision was made to get a wildcard appearance during the 2017 season-finale in Jerez/Spain. Reiterberger outclassed the international competition with a pole position, the fastest lap during the race and the victory and established himself a solid base for the upcoming season 2018.

 

Intermediate Step – FIM Superstock 1000 European Championship 

 

The new established team alpha Racing-Van Zon-BMW, under guidance of Werner Daemen, started the Superstock 1000 European championship. Markus Reiterberger got the chance to prove his performance on international level. 

 

There were 33 pilots over the whole season taking part in the Superstock 1000 European championship. Reiterberger finished that season with 156 points and 14 points advantage over the second-placed Roberto Tamburini (BMW) as the European champion. The 24-years-old Bavarian casted the rostrum six times in eight races. Four wins and five pole positions are the yield of the final season of the FIM-Superstock-1000-European championship. During the eight events, Markus Reiterberger achieved twelve new records with his BMW S1000 RR. The Bavarian occupied position one with 54 leading laps in front of Maximilian Scheib. 

It is the fourth international title of Markus Reiterberger with the team alpha Racing-Van Zon-BMW of crew chief Werner Daemen. Since 2012 the Belgium-based racing-team achieved its seventh international title.

 

2019 – BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team

 

Markus Reiterberger returns to the Superbike world championship with the new BMW S1000 RR (K67). „Reiti“ will start in the highest class of the close-to-production motorcycle racing along his new teammate Tom Sykes (GBR) - former Superbike world champion of 2013 - in the team of Shaun Muir (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). Two times the 25-years-old finished in sixth place at the event in Assen, where he also qualifies in third position on the starting grid. It also was his best result of the season and he finished it in 14th position overall. 

 

2020 – BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team & ARRC

 

„Reiti“ returned to the World Endurance scene, where he had some quite successful guest starts in the past, with the team of his manager Werner Daemen. Additional to that he proved his talent in the Onexox TKKR SAG Team, participating in one event of the Asian Road Racing championship, before the Corona pandemic hit the planet.

 

2021 - FIM World Endurance championship and Dunlop test rider

 

Reiti will stay in the BMW factory team in the endurance world championship and will compete together with Ilya Mikhalchik and Xavi Fores in the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. Talks are still going about any further participation in the Asian Road Racing championship, but will be decided once it is clear how the travel restrictions  due to the COVID-19 virus will change. Additional to that Markus not only works as BMW test rider in 2021, he also is part of the offcial DUNLOP test team. Wildcard appearances in the World Superbike championship and other european platforms are also in the planning. It won‘t get boring around the 26 years old from Obing, Germany.

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2022 - FIM World Endurance championship, International German Motorcycle Championship and Dunlop test rider

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Markus Reiterberger returns to the IDM with his old team - BCC Alpha Van Von BMW - and becomes the first rider in the history of the championship to secure the title of German Champion for the fourth time. With the World Endurance Championship team of his manager Werner Daemen, which runs as an official BMW Motorrad factory team, he wins a 24-hour race for the first time, the one at the newly added circuit in SPA Francorchamps, Belgium. Overall, the team, battered by technical failures, finishes eleventh in the world championship standings. Reiti was again a test driver for tyre manufacturer Dunlop in 2022. 

2023 - With the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, he and his team-mates took podium places in all three 24-hour races and finished the season in third position overall. Reiti concluded the Asia Road Racing Championship in a dominant overall lead as champion, incidentally for the first time for a European in the championship. 

 

2024 - Together with his team-mates Ilya Mikhalchik and the two-wheels-veteran Sylvain Guintoli, he will once again compete for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team in the FIM Endurance World Championship. Further outings on two wheels are being planned.