BMW Motorrad riders enjoy continued success in the IDM. Backed by BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport, BMW teams keep celebrating victories and podium finishes – Munich experts on duty also at the Isle of Man TT. Munich, 18th June 2013. BMW is on the right path in its mission to defend the title in the International German Motorcycle Championship IDM. Three of the eight rounds of the 2013 season are now complete, with BMW Motorrad HP RaceSuppport backed BMW teams and riders continuing to claim wins and podium finishes as per previous years. In the fiercely competitive IDM Superbike category, BMW heads the manufacturers’ classification with a big lead. In the riders’ classification, the three top spots are occupied by BMW riders. Five of the six races so far have been won by a BMW S 1000 RR rider and 13 of the total 18 podium positions have gone to BMW teams. The most recent successes of the BMW customers were celebrated last weekend at the third round at Oschersleben (GER). BMW riders claimed five of the six possible podium finishes. In the first of the two races, Markus Reiterberger (GER / VanZon Remeha BMW) and Damian Cudlin (AUS / RAC Racing) rode their RRs to second and third places respectively. The race was won by Yamaha rider Matej Smrz (CZE). Stefan Nebel (GER) finished a strong fourth with the brand new BMW HP 4 entered by the Wilbers BMW Racing Team. The bike is equipped with the innovative electronic damping control DDC. Dutchman Kevin Valk also finished within the top five. He rides the second RR of the RAC Racing Team. Nebel’s team-mate Lucy Glöckner (GER) crossed the line with her HP4 in a strong seventh place. In the second race at Oschersleben, the BMW riders were even more successful. They contested the top positions among themselves, finishing in all top five places. The race was won by reigning champion Erwan Nigon (FRA / VanZon Remeha Racing). Cudlin and Reiterberger were also on the podium, crossing the line in second and third. Arie Vos (NED / VanZon alpha Technik BMW by Herpigny) finished fourth on his BMW S 1000 RR, while Valk was again fifth. BMW heads the manufacturers’ standings after three rounds with 246 points. The advantage to the second placed manufacturer Yamaha (136 points) is 110 points. In the riders’ classification, Cudlin is leading with 122 points. The Australian has won three of the six races contested so far. Second position is occupied by Reiterberger (100 points). The young German celebrated his first victory in the IDM Superbike at the second round at Zolder (BEL). Reigning champion Nigon currently sits in third with 72 points. “It is great that the BMW team in the IDM Superbike are celebrating these impressive results this year again. These successes are by no means a matter of course in a highly contested category like the IDM Superbike”, explains Berthold Hauser, General Manager BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport. “All our customer teams have a wealth of racing experience and fast, talented riders. Our specialists support them with their expertise in specific and complex areas and tasks. This combination is the key for the successes. For quite a while now, the RR has been the bike to beat in the IDM Superbike but the new HP4 is getting stronger and stronger. Here the further development of the DDC, on which we work intensively with several teams and the specialists from the stock development, bears fruit. We are making good progress in optimising the electronic damping system, which is already set up for extensive and perfect stock and road use, for the very specific requirements of racing to the limits in the Superbike-class.” Over the last weeks, the BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport specialists have also been in action at the legendary Tourist Trophy on the British Isle of Man. This road racing classic was first staged back in 1907 and is regarded as being the oldest motorcycle race in the world. The 37.73 miles long road course is a hard test for the bikes and a real challenge for the riders, who start in several races and categories. At this year’s TT, BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport successfully helped the Penz13.com BMW Racing Team. Rider Steve Mercer made impressive proof of the potential of the new BMW HP4. The Brit only narrowly missed victory in the overall classification of the privateers, for which the results of the whole racing week count, as he did not score points at the final Senior-TT after he had to retire due to an issue with the clutch. Before in the week, Mercer had won the privateers’ classification in the Superbike-TT as well as in the Superstock-TT. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Suzuki GRANDys duo rider Marko Jerman dominated the third round of this year’s Alpe Adria series on the Rijeka circuit in Croatia, winning both the Superbike and Superstock 1000 races and earning bonus points for fastest qualifications and the best race laps. GSX-R1000-mounted Jerman, racing on his home circuit, also took over the lead in the Superbike Championship from team-mate Andy Meklau – who was a non-starter at Rijeka – and also moved closer to the Championship lead in the Superstock 1000 series. GRANDys duo Superstock 600 rider Daniel Bukowski was unlucky and suffered a heavy crash in Sunday’s warm-up, but despite serious damage to his GSX-R600, made the start line and finished sixth – the first time Bukowski had finished off the podium this season. Said Suzuki GRANDys duo Team Manager Jacek Grandys: “I am very pleased with Marko’s wins. And despite his fall, Daniel did not lose too much distance to the series leader. I thank the whole team for the work done and we are looking forward to the next event.” Said Bukowski: “We changed some set-up after qualifying and wanted to check it out during the warm-up. Unfortunately, one of the riders in front of me made an unexpected high-speed move and pushed me off the track. The team did a great job after my crash rebuilding the bike so I could start the race. I’m still second overall in the championship with real chances to fight for the title and I hope the next race at the Most circuit will be much better for us.” Race results: Superbike: 1 Marko Jerman (GRANDys duo Suzuki) SLO 2 Jan Halbich (Kawasaki) CZE 3 Janez Prosenik (BMW) SLO 4 Berto Camlek (Yamaha) SLO 5 Irek Sikora (BMW) PL Superstock 1000: 1 Marko Jerman (GRANDys duo Suzuki) SLO 2 Michal Filla (BMW) CZE 3 Martin Choy (BMW) BUL 4 Marko Erceg (BMW) CRO 5 Stefan Schrammel (BMW) AUT Superstock 600: 1 Luka Decko (Yamaha) SLO 2 Luca Tommasini (Triumph) ITA 3 Viktor Kispataki (Yamaha) HUN 4 Janos Chrobak ( Kawasaki) HUN 5 Martin Ivanov (Yamaha) CRO 6 Daniel Bukowski (GRANDys duo Suzuki) PL Championship Points: Superbike: 1 Marko Jerman (GRANDys duo Suzuki) SLO 83 pts 2 Andy Meklau (GRANDys duo Suzuki) AUT 72 pts 3 Jan Halbich (Kawasaki) CZE 62 pts 4 Janez Prosenik (BMW) SLO 53 pts 5 Berto Camlek (Yamaha) SLO 43 pts Superstock 1000: 1 Michal Filla (BMW) CZE 92pts 2 Marko Jerman (GRANDys duo Suzuki) SLO 78 pts 3 Martin Choy (BMW) BUL 61 pts 4 Andy Meklau (GRANDys duo Suzuki) AUT 58 pts 5 Michal Sembera (BMW) CZE 33 pts Superstock 600: 1 Janos Chrobak (Kawasaki) HUN 80 pts 2 Daniel Bukowski (GRANDys duo Suzuki) PL 66 pts 3 Luca Tommasini (Triumph) ITA 52 pts 4 Kevin Koller (Yamaha) AUT 37 pts 5 Adrian Gyutai (Honda) HUN 36 pts More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision: GEARLINK KAWASAKI AND WILSON CELEBRATE IN SCOTLAND Gearlink Kawasaki’s Ben Wilson scored his first double win since 2011 after a storming performance in the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Feature race at Knockhill whilst the home fans celebrated a podium finishes from Stuart Easton. In the Sprint race Wilson had taken charge once he had seen off the early threat of Graeme Gowland, who had led for the opening laps. Wilson took the victory from his team-mate Alastair Seeley and local hero Easton. The Flying Scot had ridden hard, overcoming a fifth row start, as he repaid the hard work of his Martrain Yamaha team in rebuilding his bike after a big crash in qualifying. Wilson was determined to do the double and got off to a flying start from Billy McConnell and Seeley with the Gearlink Kawasaki rider pushing hard to start to edge out an advantage. Easton was ninth at the end of the opening lap and determined to give his home supporters something to cheer about as he continued to carve his way up the order. Easton was soon in contention for a podium finish and the Martrain Yamaha rider made a move for second. He was aiming to close the gap to Wilson but despite his best efforts he had to settle for second, but left his home circuit with the standings lead. The battle for third was intense over the final laps as McConnell, Seeley and then Gowland scrapped for the final podium position. The trio fought it out but it was McConnell who claimed the position from Seeley in fourth. It was a tough round for the Australians as Smiths Gloucester Triumph’s Glen Richards tipped off on the warm-up lap with the unfortunate Samsung Honda rider Jason O’Halloran also caught up in the incident. Richards was unable to compete in the Feature race with an injury to his arm whilst the Samsung Honda rider was forced to retire from the second outing. Motorpoint British Supersport Championship, Knockhill, Sprint Race: 1. Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) 2. Alastair Seeley (Gearlink Kawasaki) +2.865s 3. Stuart Easton (MarTrain Yamaha) +3.722s 4. Graeme Gowland (Seton Tuning Yamaha) +5.083s 5. Glen Irwin (MarTrain Yamaha) +6.041s Motorpoint British Supersport Championship, Knockhill, Feature race result: 1. Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) 2. Stuart Easton (Martrain Yamaha) +1.459s 3. Billy McConnell (Smiths Racing Triumph) +5.340s 4. Alastair Seeley (Gearlink Kawasaki) +5.475s 5. Graeme Gowland (Seton Tuning Yamaha) +5.860s Motorpoint British Supersport Championship standings after Knockhill: 1. Stuart Easton (Martrain Yamaha) 156 2. Alastair Seeley (Gearlink Kawasaki) 155 3. Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) 124 4. Billy McConnell (Smiths Racing Triumph) 123 5. Graeme Gowland (Seton Tuning Yamaha) 86 For more information please visit www.britishsuperbike.com More, from a press release issued by Team WD-40: FOUR CONSECUTIVE PODIUMS TAKE TEAM WD-40 INTO CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD A points bonanza and a championship-topping performance ensured Team WD-40 enjoyed their best weekend of the season at Scotland’s Knockhill circuit. Chester teenager Joe Francis led the way by finishing in third position in the Moto 3 class of the Monster Energy Motostar race in sunny conditions. A fourth successive podium finish ensured Joe opened up an 11-point advantage over the chasing pack in the championship standings. Team-mates Tommy Aquino and Jon Railton were also in the points after finishing eighth and 11th respectively in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000.Indeed, such was the pace of Tommy, a podium finish was a possibility had the race not been red-flagged with six laps remaining. Joe produced hugely impressive qualifying performances to ensure he started from second on the grid. The opening laps of the race were exciting with the lead exchanged on almost every corner. In one audacious move into the hairpin, Joe produced a stunning surge from third to first. A small error in the super fast chicane saw Joe clip the kerb and run over the gravel, the youngster doing well to stay on board. The 15-year-old dropped to 10th spot overall but quickly re-discovered his poise to work his way back up the field to secure a podium finish. “I was disappointed to make the mistake because I was really confident of getting a race win,” said Joe. “But overall I’m happy with how the weekend went. Qualifying was good and I came back well having dropped to 10th spot. To be leading the championship is great.” TV highlights of Joe’s race http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGnlcaLvOdE In the Superstock 1000, Jon qualified in sixth spot and Tommy in 15th before both performed with distinction on race day. Tommy produced a spectacular burst through the field to climb into the top eight by the two-thirds stage of the race. At that point, he was recording faster times than the leaders and realistic ambitions of a top three finish were surfacing. But, just as he moved into seventh place, his hopes of further progress were dashed by a crash from another rider on lap 18 which led to a red flag and a premature end to the race. “I was really confident during the race and delighted with my performance,” said Tommy. “I’m learning all the time and my results are showing that. I’m confident that if the race had gone the full distance, I could have been in the top three. The bike set-up is fantastic and everybody at Team WD-40 is confident about the rest of the season.” Jon, of Grafham and who continued to battle a knee problem suffered in the last round at Donington, produced a determined display to battle through the pain and secure an 11th place finish which was well within the points. “It was very warm during our race and that led to the knee swelling up a little bit,” said Jon. “But I wanted to get as much as I could out of the weekend and I think I did that.” Team WD-40 manager Brent Gladwin was hugely encouraged by the performance of all three team members. “It has been a fantastic weekend and everyone involved with Team WD-40 should be very proud of what we have achieved,” said Brent. “To be top of the Monster Energy Motostar Moto 3 championship standings is very satisfying and the challenge now is to stay there for the rest of the season. Joe had damage to his bike and himself after his incident so to come back and finish where he did was a fantastic achievement. Tommy just got his head down and was producing some excellent times which proves he is improving with every meeting and Jon can be really pleased with his weekend as well. He had an excellent qualification and produced a very gutsy performance in the race, despite his knee causing him major discomfort. We will have a few days off now because it’s a long trip for us up to Knockhill and it’s been a busy weekend. We will then sit down with the boys and try and make some further improvements to their bikes and continue the excellent progress we are making.” David Whittome, of team sponsors WD-40 Specialist Motorbike, said: “It was another fantastic performance from Team WD-40 and all three riders displayed plenty of skill and determination. “To be top of a championship at this stage of the season is a massive boost to everybody and gives the whole team a confidence boost for the rest of the season.” The next meeting is at Snetterton from July 5 to 7 WD-40 is the new title sponsor of GR Motosport. The WD40 company has just launched seven new products specifically for use on motorbikes, under its recently launched WD-40 Specialist Motorbike brand. www.wd40specialistmotorbike.co.uk/ www.teamwd40.com Team Partners: Stauff UK, Cargolink Express, L&A Reinforcements, Carrino access flooring, The Air Con Experts, F&G Commercials, Bennetts Motorcycle Insurance, Kent Holiday Cottages, RS Components, 3 Squared, Signsxtra Technical Partners: Kawasaki, Scorpion Red Power, Dynojet UK, Swinton Motorcycles, R&G racing, PPG Paint, Goodridge, Pipercross, Solo Motorcycle products, Super B, MG Competition More, from a press release issued by Bel-Ray: Bel-Ray Racer Aleix Espargaro Top CRT Racer at Catalunya Grand Prix FARMINGDALE, N.J. – The picturesque Circuit de Catalunya, just 25 km north of Barcelona, was the location of the sixth round of the 2013 MotoGP world championship series. The Bel-Ray supported Team Aspar entered racers in all three championship divisions: MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3. The team experienced mixed results this weekend, with a top ten finish in MotoGP combined with DNF’s by other team members. MotoGP-Aleix Espargaro’s eighth-place finish in the MotoGP event was the highlight of the weekend. The current points leader in the CRT division, Espargaro used the cheers of his hometown crowd to push him to another excellent finish. Despite handling issues caused by a lack of front tire grip, Espargaro prevailed to equal the best finish ever for a CRT machine. He is currently in tenth place in the overall points standings and the top CRT racer. “I am very happy with the result todayA. My team and I have had a special weekend. When I saw all the supporters cheering us on the lap of honor, I got goosebumps,” said Espargaro. “I was the best CRT, and my brother, Pol, won the Moto2 race. So, it has been a perfect weekend. To be honest, today is not the best race I’ve ever ridden. I noticed that the front wheel had no grip, and I almost crashed several times. I was riding tense, just focusing on reaching the end. We remain the CRT to beat, but we would still like to be closer to the official riders.” Espargaro’s teammate, Randy DePuniet, experienced an unfortunate DNF due to mechanical difficulties and was forced to withdraw. “I would have loved to have had a strong race this weekend, but we haven’t had much luck lately. I hope that we can get back on track in Assen.” Moto2-Bel-Ray powered Team Aspar racers Nico Terol and Jordi Torres both experienced bad luck in Cataluyna. Terol experienced an issue with rear tire grip throughout the race. He was forced wide to avoid a downed rider on the first lap and was forced to come back through the field from 28th place. He eventually passed a large number of riders and was 16th by the time the checkered flag was waved. “It was a difficult weekend. Today, I started well. At the end of the straight, there was a crowd, and I had to swerve around a crash. I was left practically last, and I had to fight back. I found it tough to overtake once I’d noticed a lack of grip because I didn’t have the confidence to open the throttle. I want to thank the team because they did a great job like always, despite me not feeling comfortable. We suffered here, but I’m convinced that in the Netherlands, we will get a great result.” Teammate Jordi Torres was hoping for a top result at his home GP in front of his family and friends, but electrical issues during the race led to a crash that caused too much damage to his machine to continue. “This was a very important Grand Prix for me, so I wanted to give my best and be able to dedicate a good result to all the people who were here supporting me. I really wanted to make a good showing at the Circuit de Catalunya, but I did not succeed today, and I want to apologize to both the team and my family and followers. Now, I have to learn from my mistakes and believe that in Assen we will be back in good shape.” Moto3-An unfortunate crash during the training leading up to Cataluyna caused a fracture in Jonas Folger’s wrist. Despite an attempt at riding during the first practice session of the event, Folger’s injury caused instability in the joint, and he was unable to compete. “I fractured my wrist last week in a motocross crash. I came here hoping to ride through the pain. So, I went out this morning with this intention, but to be honest, it was insufferable, even on the straight. I did five laps to see if it subsided, but it only got worse. Afterwards, I went to the medical center, and in the end, we decided the best thing was to pull out of this GP. The most productive thing for us to do now is to let the joint heal and avoid any further damage. I am putting myself in the hands of the doctors to make sure that I am 100% fit for the next race.” Bel-Ray Super Clean Chain Lube is one of the products chosen by the teams to keep their machines performing their best. Bel-Ray® Super Clean Chain Lube is an aerosol chain lube that utilizes the latest innovation in chain lubricant technology, combining unsurpassed anti-wear protection for long chain and sprocket life with an outer protective coating that will not attract dirt, sand or grit and ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT FLING OFF when used as directed. The series will enjoy a one-week break before resuming in the Netherlands on the 29th of June. All five Bel-Ray sponsored Team Aspar are expected to compete and hope to improve on their Cataluyna results. To learn more about Bel-Ray specialty powersports lubricants, visit www.belray.com/powersports or call (732) 938-2421. Follow Bel-Ray racers all season long at www.belray.com