Another double win with the BMW S 1000 RR in the Alpe Adria Road Racing Championship: Michal Prášek is the new leader of the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy.

The “Automotodrom Grobnik” in Croatia proved to be a successful hunting ground for the BMW Motorrad Motorsport racers: Wins and podium finishes in the FIM Sidecar World Championship and the Alpe Adria Road Racing Championship.

Munich (DE), 22nd June 2016. The 2016 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy has a new leader: Michal Prášek. The Czech rider continues to dominate the Superstock class of the Alpe Adria Road Racing Championship (AARR STK), celebrating another double win with his BMW S 1000 RR last weekend in Rijeka (HR). There were also podium finishes in the Superbike class (AARR SBK) and in the FIM Sidecar World Championship (SWC), who raced in Rijeka as well. The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) and the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup (STK1000) were in action in Misano (IT). For the BMW racers in these series, it was a weekend of mixed emotions, with success but also setbacks.

2016 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy.

After just one week, the lead has changed again in the 2016 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy. Michal Prášek (CZ) jumped into first position with 262.00 Race Trophy points. The rider of the Rohac and Fejta motor racing team celebrated a double win in the Superstock class of the Alpe Adria Road Racing Championship (AARR STK) last weekend. The previous leader, Isle of Man winner Ian Hutchinson (GB / BMW RRC), is now second with 198.50 points. Raffaele De Rosa (IT / STK1000) currently holds third position with 189.04 points (see full standings below).

MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship in Misano, Italy.

The eighth round of the 2016 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) was held at the “Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli” (IT) last weekend. The experts from BMW Motorrad Motorsport were on site to support the BMW racers in the WorldSBK as well as their fellow BMW riders in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup (STK1000). At the home round for his Althea BMW Racing Team, Jordi Torres (ES) was the best-placed BMW rider. He brought his BMW S 1000 RR home in fifth and seventh respectively. His team-mate Markus Reiterberger (DE) also put in a strong outing, but experienced bad luck in Sunday’s race. In the first heat on Saturday, Reiterberger had claimed his second-best result of the season so far and finished sixth. In race two on Sunday, however, he had a serious crash on the first lap. Reiterberger suffered a compression fracture to a thoracic vertebra and now needs to rest for several weeks. At the next round in early July in Laguna Seca (US), Reiterberger will be substituted by the Althea BMW Superstock rider Raffaele De Rosa (IT). We wish “Reiti” a speedy recovery.

Milwaukee BMW rider Joshua Brookes (AU) ended both Misano races in the points. He was 11th and 14th respectively. His team-mate Karel Abraham (CZ) had to retire in race one, but finished 15th in race two on Sunday, also adding another point to his tally.

FIM Sidecar World Championship in Rijeka, Croatia.

The FIM Sidecar World Championship (SWC) teams met at “Automotodrom Grobnik” near Rijeka (HR) last weekend to contest their second round of the 2016 season. Two heats were held, the sprint race on Saturday and the “gold race” on Sunday. On both occasions, Finnish BMW duo Pekka Päivärinta and Kirsi Kainulainen (44-Racing) stepped onto the podium. They finished third on Saturday and were second on Sunday. In the world championship standings, Päivärinta/Kainulainen are currently second. The German pairing of Mike Roscher and Anna Burkard (Roscher-Burkard Penz13 Racing) finished the two races in seventh and ninth respectively.

FIM Superstock 1000 Cup in Misano, Italy.

At the WorldSBK weekend in Misano (IT), the fifth race of the 2016 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup (STK1000) was held. The championship leader, Raffaele De Rosa (IT / Althea BMW Racing Team) battled for his third win of the season. The Italian, however, crashed on the final lap when fighting for the lead with his rival Leandro Mercado (AR). De Rosa was able to finish the race but had to settle for 19th. In the championship standings, he retained his lead with an advantage of five points.

Best-placed BMW rider was Luca Vitali (IT), who crossed the line in sixth on his Team 2R Racing BMW S 1000 RR. Matteo Ferrari (IT / DMR Racing Team) followed directly behind in seventh.

Alpe Adria Road Racing Championship in Rijeka, Croatia.

The BMW Motorrad Motorsport racers in the Alpe Adria Road Racing Championship (AARR) had another successful weekend at the “Automotodrom Grobnik” near Rijeka (HR), where the third round of the 2016 season was held.

In the Superbike class (AARR SBK), Lukáš Pešek (CZ) raced onto the podium in both races. He finished third and second respectively on his BMW Motorrad CSEU team RR. Four more BMW riders claimed top ten finishes in both races: Martin Choy (BG / BMW Motorrad CSEU) was fourth and sixth, Miloš Cihak (CZ / BMW Motorrad CSEU) crossed the line in fifth and eighth. Christopher Kemmer (AT / Bertl K. Racing Team) came home in eighth and seventh and Wolfgang Gammer (AT / Heating-factory) was tenth on both occasions.

In the Superstock class (AARR STK), reigning champion Michal Prášek (CZ) celebrated his second double win of the season. He also set the fastest race lap on both occasions with his Rohac and Fejta motor racing team BMW S 1000 RR. Prášek has won five of the six races contested so far this season and extended his lead in the championship. Marcin Walkowiak (PL / Team LRP Poland) finished the races in sixth and fifth. David Bozic (SI / AMD Kranj) was fifth and seventh, while Martin Tritscher (AT) also claimed a top ten result, finishing tenth in race one.

2016 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy – Current Standings.

Status: 22nd June 2016

16. Martin Choy (BG/AARR SBK/123.60), 17. Sébastien Le Grelle (BE/IRRC/117.09), 18. Lance Isaacs (ZA/RSA SBK/116.57), 19. Michael Rutter (GB/BMW RRC/112.60), 20. Didier Grams (DE/IRRC/109.00), 21. Pekka Päivärinta/Kirsi Kainulainen (FI/SWC/106.22), 22. Mathieu Gines (FR/IDM SBK/104.73), 23. Joshua Elliott (GB/BSB STK/102.55), 24. Santiago Barragán (ES/CEV/99.49), 25. Marco Nekvasil (AT/IDM STK/94.00), 26. Michel Amalric (FR/FR EU/93.85), 27. Martin Tritscher (AT/AARR STK/90.00), 28. Hudson Kennaugh (ZA/BSB STK/88.00), 29. Florian Brunet-Lugardon (FR/FR EU/87.96), 30. Miloš Cihak (CZ/AARR SBK/85.20), 31. Hernani Teixeira (FR/FR EU/81.54), 32. Markus Reiterberger (DE/WorldSBK/80.00), 33. Christian Iddon (GB/BSB SBK/77.80), 34. Cyril Brunet-Lugardon (FR/FR EU/72.92), 35. Lee Johnston (GB/BMW RRC/71.00), 36. Jan Bühn (DE/IDM STK/69.54), 37. Luca Vitali (IT/STK1000/69.25), 38. Joshua Brookes (AU/WorldSBK/68.80), 39. Richard Cooper (GB/BSB SBK/68.20), 40. Bertrand Boyer (FR/FR EU/64.00), 41. Michael Laverty (GB/BSB SBK/61.80), 42. Jordan Szoke (CA/CSBK/61.25), 43. Steve Rapp (US/AMA SBK/58.40), 44. Madjid Idres (FR/FR EU/56.92), 45. Camille Hedelin (FR/EWC SBK/54.53), 45. Clive Rambure (FR/EWC SBK/54.53), 47. Marek Hartl (CZ/AARR STK/54.40), 48. David Bouvier (FR/FR EU/52.96), 49. Alastair Seeley (GB/BMW RRC/51.90), 50. Pepijn Bijsterbosch (NL/IDM STK/50.00), 51. Jeremy Cook (US/AMA STK/49.33), 52. Julien Brun (FR/FR EU/45.08), 53. Karel Abraham (CZ/WorldSBK/44.10), 54. Petr Bicište (CZ/IRRC/43.64), 55. Garrick Vlok (ZA/RSA SBK/42.57), 56. Nasarudin Mat Yusop (MY/MSC STK/41.20), 56. Denni Schiavoni (IT/CIV/41.20), 58. Mike Roscher/Anna Burkard (DE/SWC/38.67), 59. Matteo Ferrari (IT/CIV/38.00), 60. Sam West (GB/BMW RRC/34.20), 61. David Datzer (DE/IRRC/32.73), 62. Colin Butler (CA/MSC SBK/32.00), 62. Manu Dagault (FR/FR EU/32.00), 64. Daisaku Sakai (JP/MFJ/31.33), 65. Ronald Slamet (ZA/RSA SBK/31.14), 66. Lee Jackson (GB/BSB SBK/30.60), 67. Davo Johnson (AU/BMW RRC/29.80), 68. Nicolas Senechal (FR/EWC SBK/29.77), 69. Alex Olsen (GB/BSB STK/29.09), 70. Eric Vionnet (CH/STK1000/28.75), 71. Rene Skalicky (CZ/AARR STK/26.60), 72. Roberto Blazquez (ES/CEV/26.40), 73. Michal Bidas (CZ/AARR STK/26.00), 73. Ben Young (GB/CSBK/26.00), 75. Michael Leon (CA/CSBK/25.75), 76. Dominique Platet (FR/EWC SBK/24.77), 77. Ricky Lee Weare (ZA/RSA SBK/23.43), 78. Leon Jeacock (GB/BSB STK/23.27), 79. Michal Šembera (CZ/AARR SBK/22.00), 80. Yuta Kodama (JP/MFJ/20.67), 81. Rob McNealy (GB/BSB STK/20.36), 82. Maxime Bonnot (FR/FSBK SBK/20.00), 83. Adrián Bonastre (ES/CEV/19.00), 84. Justin Gillesen (ZA/RSA SBK/18.86), 85. Michal Fojtik (CZ/AARR STK/18.40), 86. Marc Neumann (DE/IDM STK/18.31), 87. Chrissy Rouse (GB/BSB STK/17.45), 88. Gauthier Duwelz (BE/STK1000/17.25), 89. Paul Shoesmith † (GB/BMW RRC/16.80), 90. Janez Prosenik (SI/EWC SBK/15.65), 91. Etienne Nelson (ZA/RSA SBK/15.43), 92. Lim Hogon (KR/MFJ/15.33), 92. Shinya Takeishi (JP/MFJ/15.33), 94. Dominic Herbertson (GB/BMW RRC/13.80), 95. Léon Benichou (FR/FR EU/13.54), 96. Evert Stoffberg (ZA/RSA SBK/13.14), 97. Pedro Rodriguez (ES/CEV/12.60), 98. Matthieu Lussiana (FR/WorldSBK/12.20), 99. Dominic Chang (SG/MSC STK/11.20), 100. Björn Stuppi (DE/IDM STK/9.54), 101. Howie Mainwaring Smart (GB/BSB SBK/8.80), 102. Sabine Holbrook (DE/AARR SBK/7.60), 103. Federico D’Annunzio (IT/STK1000/7.50), 104. Pierre Bezuidenhout (ZA/RSA SBK/6.57), 105. Thomas Toffel (CH/STK1000/5.75), 106. Pascal Meslet (FR/FR EU/4.92), 107. Valter Patronen (FI/CEV/4.80), 108. Matej Smrz (BSB SBK/ 4.60), 109. John Krieger (ZA/RSA SBK/4.57), 110. Heinrich Rheeder (ZA/RSA SBK/3.29), 111. Jakub Smrz (CZ/BSB SBK/3.20), 112. Derek McGee (IE/BMW RRC/1.60), 113. Eric Dagault (FR/FR EU/1.23), 114. Elwyn Steenkamp (ZA/RSA SBK/1.14), 115. Daniel Cooper (GB/BMW RRC/0.00), 115. Christophe Costes (FR/FR EU/0.00), 115. Stefan Dolipski (DE/AMA STK/0.00), 115. Ryan Farquhar (GB/BMW RRC/0.00), 115. Ben Godfrey (GB/BSB STK/0.00), 115. Joan Sardanyons (ES/CEV/0.00), 115. Tomas Svitok (SK/AARR STK/0.00), 115. Jacques van Wyngaardt (ZA/RSASBK/0.00)

More, from a press release issued by Lester Helm’s publicist:

LESTER HELM #912 – WERA Cycle Jam at Road Atlanta

Atlanta, GA’s Lester Helm competed this past weekend with WERA and their combined Pirelli/WERA National Challenge Series along with the WERA Sportsman Series for the yearly Cycle Jam in Braselton, GA. With a full day of practice Friday, a great set-up would be key to the weekends’ success. Saturday’s events included morning practice in gorgeous weather conditions, along with the three Sprint races, including the larger 1000 CC class. Sunday’s events included two National Series sprint races along with a short morning practice. Lester proudly stood on the podium twice over the weekend in the National events held on Sunday.

Friday morning practice was interesting. After advice from some entrusted colleagues, a switch to Pirelli rubber was made. Once the new slicks were mounted, the one and only Thermosman put the “jam” chassis and suspension numbers on the GSXR 750. “By Friday afternoon I felt more comfortable than I ever had at Road Atlanta – I can’t get the rear to spin” said Helm. Comfortable with the setup, Lester was poised for Saturday’s races.

Saturday was overcast with warm temperatures. After an uneventful morning of practice with lap times dropping, the races couldn’t come soon enough. Up first was B Superstock, where after a decent launch and consistent lap times, Lester ended up 5th. Next up was Formula 1, where Lester was the only non 1000 CC competitor. With consistent 1:35 lap times, Lester finished 12th out of 32 starters. The last race of the day was B Superbike. After another great start, Lester was in the lead battle. Even with his fastest time of the day, a 1:34.775, he came up a bit short at the line for a 4th place finish. “With the new setup I had to adjust some of my marks” explained Helm. “That last race – that bike felt amazing – Thanks Thermosman!”.

Sunday saw sunshine and a warmer track. With the National Challenge Series races, those all-important and accumulating points are on the line. Up first was 750 Superstock. Lester battled hard after a great launch and ended up with his first podium of the weekend with a 3rd place finish. 750 Superbike was the last race entry for the day. Again consistent lap times produce results – a couple battles ensued on track, and Lester enjoyed his second podium of the day with another 3rd place finish. “On the box!” exclaimed Lester.

Another fantastic weekend of racing and hanging with friends and family in the books – which is not possible without the help of his sponsors. Lester is proud to work with Pirelli and James Bock, Thermosman, JRI Shocks, Livengood, Vortex Sprockets, Silkolene Oils, Pit Bull, Cycle Gear, Pop Shadow Decals, Chicken Hawk Tire Warmers, Dianese, AGV, Atlanta Tattoo and Removal, Vesrah, Atlanta Classic Livery, and Lee Fields with Active Shooter Photography. Lester would like to especially thank his lovely fiancé Tiffany for keeping him hydrated, fed, and most importantly on task throughout the weekend, and Hooligan for taking care of any dropped crumbs.