Markus Reiterberger and BMW Motorrad Motorsport were more successful than ever at the Suzuka 8 Hours as part of the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC). The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team with the #37 BMW M 1000 RR achieved an excellent fifth place in a field that included many strong Japanese crews. Reiti and his team-mates Sylvain Guintoli and Ilya Mikhalchik thus achieved the team's best result to date in this endurance classic. In the world championship standings, the team once again improved to third place.
As expected, the external conditions in Suzuka pushed riders, teams, and material to their limits. Air temperatures of over 35 degrees Celsius, extremely high humidity, and asphalt temperatures of 60 degrees Celsius made the eight-hour race a major challenge.
The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team already showcased its potential with a strong qualifying performance on Friday, securing one of the coveted spots in the Top 10 Trial on Saturday. There the team claimed an excellent fourth starting position for the #37 BMW M 1000 RR. In the race, starting rider Reiterberger briefly took the lead at the start. Throughout the race Reiti, Guintoli, and Mikhalchik maintained a long-standing position in sixth place, thanks to flawless performances from both the riders and the team, eventually taking over fifth place, which they held until the end of the eight-hour race.
Markus Reiterberger:
"We can be very satisfied. Fifth place is great and better than expected. Our goal was to improve on our position from last year and finish in the top five. But it was hard to believe because many good teams were participating. However, we managed it on our own, without benefiting from others’ misfortunes. We gave our best and had an extremely good week. Especially for me, things went very well. I was able to improve my personal record in Suzuka twice, by the end even by a whole second. The start was really good, and I was able to ride some great stints. The whole team worked really well. I am just super proud of the entire team for delivering such a good performance. Fifth place also shows the quality of our equipment. I want to thank my teammates and the team, and we can continue like this."
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