IRRC, FSBK and FR EU: five wins and a total of 12 podium finishes in six races for the BMW S 1000 RR racers.
Munich. Three race series, three times big success for the BMW Motorrad Motorsport family: in the six races held at the weekend in the individual championships, the BMW S 1000 RR racers celebrated no fewer than five wins and a total of 12 podium finishes. Sébastien Le Grelle (BEL) led the strong BMW array at the season opener of the 2017 International Road Racing Championship (IRRC) at Hengelo (NED). He won both races, while Didier Grams (GER) and Marek Cervený (CZE) joined him on the podium. In the French Superbike Championship (FSBK), Kenny Foray (FRA) was victorious in Nogaro (FRA) and took the overall championship lead. At the same venue, Michel Amalric (FRA) and Cyril Brunet-Lugardon (FRA) took the wins in the French European Bikes Championship (FR EU). With their results, the riders took a good points haul for the 2017 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy.
International Road Racing Championship in Hengelo, the Netherlands.
The Varsselring in Hengelo (NED) hosted the International Road Racing Championship (IRRC) 2017 season opener. The BMW S 1000 RR road racers continued what they did last year – they dominated the series. The strong array of BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders was led by Sébastien Le Grelle (BEL) of team Herpigny Motors – BMW Motorrad Belux. The Belgian won both races and set the fastest race lap on both occasions. German road racing ace Didier Grams (G&G Motorsport by Todoracing) finished both heats in second. Marek Cervený (CZE / Wepol Safemetal Racing) was fourth in race one and also stepped onto the podium after the second race, when he claimed third position. This second race saw a 1-2-3-4 result for the BMW riders, as Martin Pärtelpoig (EST / MBH Superbike Team) completed the top-4 in fourth place.
Didier Grams: “It was a great weekend and it went very well for us. I was second in both timed practices and then to finish second on the podium in both races was fantastic. I am really very pleased with the season opener. We had no incidents, we collected a good amount of points, the BMW S 1000 RR was great and the team did a superb job. I just have to work on my own performance a little bit in order to try to beat Sébastien Le Grelle. But overall it is looking really good.”
French Superbike Championship in Nogaro, France.
Kenny Foray (FRA) of the Tecmas Racing Team enjoyed a successful weekend in the French Superbike Championship (FSBK). The series held its second round of the 2017 season at Nogaro in the South of France. In race one, Foray secured third on the podium, while in race two, he was unbeatable on his BMW S 1000 RR. The Frenchman celebrated his first win of the season and also set the fastest race lap. The results give Foray the overall lead in the FSBK championship standings.
Kenny Foray: “It was a good weekend for us. In the first race, I found a really good rhythm but it would have been very difficult to take the win because Jeremy Guarnoni was very fast at the front. In race two, I took the lead on the opening lap and I kept it until the finish line to take the win. I am really happy and I hope that this was just the first of many victories.”
French European Bikes Championship in Nogaro, France.
The French European Bikes Championship (FR EU) also held its second round of the 2017 season at Nogaro (FRA) at the weekend. In the first of the two races, the BMW riders were the dominant force. They secured a top-5 lockout for the BMW S 1000 RR. Michel Amalric (FRA) of the Tecmas Racing Team took the win after a fantastic battle at the front. Cyril Brunet-Lugardon (FRA / Gers Moto Vitesse Ordannaise) set the fastest lap and finished second on his home track – just 0.044 seconds behind Amalric. Julien Brun (FRA / JB Racing Team) joined them on the podium in third. Fabien Gabrielian (FRA / FG Racing) and Hernani Teixeira (FRA / Team ERT Motorshow) completed the success in fourth and fifth position.
In race two, it was Brunet-Lugardon’s turn to take to the top step of the podium. With an impressive 16 second advantage, he celebrated his first victory of the season. He also set the fastest lap again. Amalric was third, while Brun and Gabrielian followed in fourth and fifth. After the second round of the season, Brunet-Lugardon is the overall leader. His younger brother Florian Brunet-Lugardon (FRA) did not compete in the races.
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad USA:
Nate Kern Earns Podium Finish In Round One Of WERA Triple Crown On Stock BMW S 1000 RR
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – Last weekend, BMW Motorsports Advisor, test rider and Boxer Cup Champion Nate Kern defied all odds by winning third place in the WERA Superbike Class in Round One of the WERA Triple Crown at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. His ride? A completely stock BMW S 1000 RR, that had been in storage and awaiting pickup by a friend.
BMW HP Race Engineer Steve Weir Provides the Backstory
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – Last weekend, BMW Motorsports Advisor, test rider and Boxer Cup Champion Nate Kern defied all odds by winning third place in the WERA Superbike Class in Round One of the WERA Triple Crown at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. His ride? A completely stock BMW S 1000 RR, that had been in storage and awaiting pickup by a friend. BMW HP Race Engineer Steve Weir shares the backstory HERE.
WERA will run its 1000cc Superbike Triple Crown class in upcoming support races at Pittsburgh International Race Complex and Barber Motorsports Park, offering current and prospective BMW racers even greater incentives to compete on the bestselling BMW S 1000 RR superbike this year.
For information about BMW Motorrad’s Contingency Program for racers piloting a 2015, 2016 or 2017 model year S 1000 RR in 2017 national and international race series, visit www.bmwmotorcycles.com and www.bmwmotorcycles.com
For racers who want to get on board an S 1000 RR this year, BMW Motorrad is offering a limited Racer Support Program offering substantial savings on a 2016 BMW S 1000 RR with Race Package and HP Race Power Kit, as well as a monetary rider incentive. Racers holding current licenses for race series included in the contingency program and who have earned top finishes in those series are eligible to apply for the program at their local authorized BMW Motorrad USA dealer.
BMW Motorrad also offers MotoAmerica racers the opportunity to shine on an international level with the international BMW Motorrad Race Trophy. The Race Trophy provides a platform for racers piloting an S 1000 RR, HP4 or a sidecar with BMW engine, to compete at venues around the world. The BMW Motorrad Race Trophy 2017 is comprised of 20 championships that stage around 280 races in 25 countries on six continents. The overall winner is awarded 15,000 euro, the top 30 riders collect bonuses of 100,000 euro in total. All winners of the several defined categories receive a trophy and additional bonus for their achievements. For more information about the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy, visit: https://www.bmw-motorrad-motorsport.com.
BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 and X4 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 341 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 152 BMW motorcycle retailers, 127 MINI passenger car dealers, and 36 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.