BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent Previews The 8 Hours Of Doha

BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent Previews The 8 Hours Of Doha

© 2012, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

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Eupen, Belgium – 4 June 2012: BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent head for Qatar and the 8 Hours of Doha, the second round of the 2012 Endurance World Championship, with their sights set firmly on the podium. A costly crash just two hours into the Bol d’Or, which left the #99 BMW S1000RR too damaged to continue, means that BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent currently trail the championship leaders, SRC Kawasaki, by 40 points and second placed SERT by 33 points. With only four rounds of the championship remaining, and 35 points on offer to the winner of the 8 Hours of Doha, Sébastien Gimbert, Erwan Nigon and Damian Cudlin know that they need to push hard for victory in Qatar if they are to close the gap to the championship leaders, who will not contest the 8 Hours of Doha. Pushing hard at the Losail International Circuit will not be a new experience for the BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent riders. Six months ago, at the same circuit, the BMW trio found themselves down in 24th place when Katsuyuki Nakasuga crashed and collected race leader Gimbert on his way to the gravel trap. The three riders set fastest lap after fastest lap as they fought their way back through the field to finish second, just 30 seconds adrift of the race winners. It’s this pace that BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent will be looking for once again this weekend, as they attempt to get their 2012 season back on track with a strong showing in Qatar. Erwan Nigon: “It was disappointing to come away from the Bol d’Or with no points, but it can happen in endurance racing. It puts some pressure on us for the 8 Hours of Doha, because nothing less than a win will do if we are to put ourselves back in the running for the championship. I’m confident that we have everything we need to win in Qatar; the bike is good, the team is good and I have two fast teammates in Sébastien and Damian. Now we just need to push hard from the first practice session onwards, to make sure we’re well and truly on the pace ahead of the race.” Damian Cudlin: “I think the entire team is heading to Qatar wanting to win, but no one is more motivated than I am, especially since it was me that crashed and put us out of the Bol d’Or! We’ll face some strong competition in Doha, including a few new faces like Nori Haga and Ryuichi Kiyonari, so we expect a fight in this race. We can take confidence from the fact that our package was strong last year and it’s even stronger now. Hopefully we get the job done there once and for all!” Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal “Missing out on any points at the Bol d’Or has put us on the back foot championship wise, but there was no way we could have continued safely after the crash. It means we head to Qatar knowing that we have to finish on the podium at the very least if we are to get our championship campaign back on track. Yes, there are risks top pushing hard for the podium, but we’re here to challenge for the championship, not just to pick up safe points. We know from last year that our BMW S1000RR suits well the Losail circuit and this, combined with one of the strongest rider line ups in the championship, means I’m reasonably confident we can significantly reduce the gap to the championship leaders this weekend in Qatar.” For more information and additional high resolution images please visit the BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent website at www.thevent.eu.

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