Sylvain Barrier, a two-time FIM Superstock 1000 Champion, will be riding a Scheibe Racing BMW S1000RR Superbike in the 2017 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Series.
Frenchman Barrier said the deal came about through his connection to BMW Motorrad Motorsport, with whom he won both of his Championships.
“I was in the big show in Milan, EICMA,” the 28-year-old told Roadracingworld.com during the MotoAmerica/Dunlop test at Circuit of The Americas. “I was talking with the big boss of BMW Motorsport in Munich. I was talking with him and he said in the U.S. he had a big opportunity to do the [MotoAmerica], and he had Steve Scheibe doing a team, and it’s quite good. We started to talk. After that, I get in touch with Steve and here we are right now.”
Barrier said he did not start following the racing in America until 2016, when riders he knew like Toni Elias and Claudio Corti started competing in the MotoAmerica series.
“Yeah, for sure, because I know them from Europe. I was curious to see what was going on over here, and it was quite good,” said Barrier. “From last year, [MotoAmerica] get really famous in Europe, like a lot of people were talking about it.”
As for his test at COTA, Barrier said there was a lot of new things to take in, so he focused on getting comfortable and not trying to do too much too fast.
“Today was the first time on the bike and the first time on the track,” Barrier said, after the first day of the test. “I love the track. Really, I love the track. Also, first time on the U.S. Dunlops. It was quite interesting. There was a lot of things to learn, a lot of things to have sensation with, but it’s ok. Every session we improve. In the last session we put on the new tires, but it’s so easy to get in the air. I wanted to keep my foot on the ground just to be OK. I know I can go faster for sure, easy, but I wasn’t ready to do it today. I just want to take my time. The first days, even the first race is very important [to make] the base really strong to come back more stronger and more faster for the future.”
In spite of it being his first visit to COTA, his BMW being closer to Superstock than Superbike spec (except for a set of Öhlins forks and Hayes brake calipers), and him not using a qualifying tire at the end of the test, Barrier finished with a best lap time of 2:12.155, which ranked him 13th overall and ninth among Superbike riders.