Number of entries for BMW Motorrad Race Trophy up to 65 –Jackson and Kiyonari taste success in the BSB.

New entries received in the last week for the global racing project – events in the BSB and SWC.

Munich, 6th August 2014. Interest in the new BMW Motorrad Race Trophy continues to grow, with more new entries received within the last week. This takes the total number of entries to 65. In the British Superbike Championship (BSB), Ryuichi Kiyonari (JP) claimed another two podiums in the Superbike class, while Lee Jackson (GB) celebrated his first ever victory in the Superstock class. In the Sidecar World Championship (SWC), BMW duo Uwe Gürck (DE) and Manfred Wechselberger (AT) were in action in Assen last weekend (NL). However, the BMW Motorrad Motorsport community received sad news from Belgium.

BMW Motorrad Race Trophy: 65 entrants.

BMW Motorrad Motorsport officially launched the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy at the end of April, and interest in the global racing project for BMW Motorrad privateers remains huge. In the meantime, the number of participants has risen to 65. They come from 19 countries on five continents and line up in 15 different championships.

The top three in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy standings remains unchanged this week. Northern Ireland’s Michael Dunlop continues to lead with 199.38 points. Dunlop scored heavily at the Isle of Man TT, where he bagged three race wins. However, there could be another change at the top of the standings this weekend. Second-placed Marco Nekvasil (AT) will be in action on his BMW S 1000 RR at the next round of the International German Motorcycle Championship (SUPERBIKE*IDM) in Assen (NL). Nekvasil currently has 162.50 Race Trophy points to his name, and could add to this tally in Assen. Currently third in the Race Trophy standings is Canadian Jordan Szoke with 153.50 points. He will contest his next races in the Canadian Superbike Championship (CSBK) on 17th August.

Changes will be afoot throughout the entire standings. As well as Nekvasil, a further twelve BMW Motorrad privateers in the SUPERBIKE*IDM are registered for the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy. They will all have the opportunity to pick up points in Assen this weekend, and to climb the Race Trophy rankings. The same goes for BMW Motorrad privateers in the BSB, who will contest their next races at Oulton Park (GB) this weekend.

British Superbike Championship in Thruxton.

Last weekend, Thruxton (GB) hosted the sixth round of the British Superbike Championship (BSB) – and the BMW Motorrad Motorsport customer teams were once again successful. Lee Jackson (GB) celebrated his first ever victory in the Superstock class on his BMW S 1000 RR for the Buildbase BMW Motorrad Team. He won a really dramatic race: just 0.7 seconds separated the first five, with Jackson crossing the line first by just 0.189 seconds.

His team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari (JP) produced a sensational fightback in both Superbike races. Kiyonari had had to settle for eleventh place in qualifying, but worked his way through the fiercely-competitive field to finish third in both races. The two team-mates from the Bathams Prize Winning Ales team, Michael Rutter (GB) and Patric Muff (CH), also finished in the top ten in race one, coming home ninth and tenth. In the second race, Muff was eleventh while Rutter failed to finish.

FIM Sidecar World Championship in Assen.

Round six of the 2014 FIM Sidecar World Championship (SWC) was held as part of the Gamma Racing Day at the TT Circuit in Assen (NL) last weekend. In perfect weather, 80,000 spectators flocked to the circuit known as the “Cathedral of Speed” to watch the race. The BMW duo of Uwe Gürck (DE) and Manfred Wechselberger (AT) finished fifth.

Road Racing: BMW Motorrad Motorsport mourns the death of Vick de Cooremeter.

It was with great sadness that BMW Motorrad Motorsport received the news of Vick de Cooremeter’s death. De Cooremeter, successful Belgian rider and technician at BMW Motorrad Belux, crashed heavily at the fourth round of the International Road Racing Championship in Chimay, Belgium. The 29-year-old died later in hospital. De Cooremeter finished third in last season’s Belgian Superbike Championship. He made his first appearance at the infamous Isle of Man TT this year, where he lined up in the Superbike and Superstock races, as well as contesting the Senior TT. The thoughts of the entire BMW Motorrad Motorsport community are with Vick’s relatives and friends during this difficult time, and would like to offer its most sincere condolences.

2014 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy – Current Standings.

Status: 6th August 2014

16. Matthieu Lussiana (FR/BRSBK/99,50), 17. Lee Jackson (GB/BSB/95,00), 18. Dominik Vincon (DE/IDM/91,50), 19. Gianluca Vizziello (IT/CIV/90,00), 20. Michael Rutter (GB/IOMTT/BSB/89,50), 21. Leon Bovee (NL/IDM/85,50), 22. Andy Rey (FR/FSBK/82,00), 23. Eeki Kuparinen (FI/CEV/80,00), 24. Federico D‘Annunzio (IT/WSTK/78,00), 25. Febrizio Perotti (IT/CIV/75,00), 26. Alessio Corradi (IT/CIV/73,75), 27. Ryuichi Kiyonari (JP/BSB/72,00), 28. Denni Schiavoni (IT/CIV/68,75), 29. Stefan Nebel (DE/IDM/68,25), 30. Uwe Gürck (DE/SWC/64,32), 31. Marc Neumann (DE/IDM/62,25), 32. Janine Davies (ZA/SAM/58,05), 33. Marco Muzio (IT/CIV/55,00), 34. Thomas Hainthaler (DE/IDM/53,25), 35. Hudson Kennaugh (ZA/BSB/51,00), 36. Mark Albrecht (DE/IDM/51,00), 37. Florian Drouin (FR/FSBK/48,00), 38. Jean Foray (FR/FSBK/45,00), 39. Björn Stuppi (DE/EWC/42,35), 40. Hayato Takada (JP/EWC/42,35), 41. Florian Brunet-Lugardon (FR/FSBK/41,00), 42. Jörg Steinhausen (DE/SWC/40,80), 43. Nicolas Pouhair (FR/FSBK/36,00), 44. Daisaku Sakai (JP/MFJ/EWC/34,73), 45. Robert Muresan (RO/WSTK/30,00), 46. Kohji Teramoto (JP/MFJ/EWC/28,96), 47. Lucas Barros (BR/BRSBK/27,00), 48. Sergiy Grygorovych (UA/IDM/25,50), 49. James Westmoreland (GB/BSB/19,50), 50. Camille Hedelin (FR/FSBK/18,00), 51. Lucas Teodoro (BR/BRSBK/18,00), 52. Tim Robinson (CA/CSBK/17,50), 53. Luciano Ribodino (AR/BRSBK/16,50), 54. Alessio Velini (IT/CIV/15,00), 55. Patric Muff (CH/BSB/13,50), 56. Shinya Takeishi (JP/MFJ/EWC/10,73), 57. Imre Toth (HU/WSBK/6,50), 58. David Datzer (DE/IDM/6,00), 59. Rémi Boitel (FR/FSBK/6,00), 60. Martjin Polinder (DK/IDM/3,00), 61. Peter Sebestyen (HU/WSBK/3,00), 62. Filip Altendorfer (DE/EWC/0,00), 62. Florian Bauer (DE/EWC/0,00), 62. Rico Löwe (DE/EWC/0,00), 62. Didier Grams (DE/Macau Grand Prix/0,00)

It is still possible to register for the 2014 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy on the websitewww.bmw-motorrad.de/motorsport. The deadline for registrations for the current season is not until 2nd November 2014, entry is free. Regardless of when the registrations are received, each participant will receive points for all the race events he/she has competed in since the start of the scoring period on 15th February 2014. So the ranking can also continuously change as new participants are added.

More, from a press release issued by Honda East of Toledo:

HONDA EAST YOSHIMURA SUZUKI WINS FOUR WERA RACES AT GRATTAN RACEWAY

August 5, 2014 – Maumee, OH – Honda East Yoshimura Suzuki rider Eddie Kraft won four of seven races in the WERA event at Grattan Raceway, located in Belding, Michigan. Kraft won races in B Superstock, B Superbike and A
Superstock, while finishing on the podium in the remaining three races on two Pirelli-shod, Riders Discount-sponsored Suzuki GSX-R750s.

“It was a solid weekend”, commented Eddie. “We had a good pace on Friday, less than a second off our personal best. With the double header format, we gambled a little on a new tire combination on Saturday, which didn’t work
quite as well, so Sunday we went back to what we knew. We set a new personal best after that and won a couple tough races in the process.”

Kraft continued, “Thank you to my dad, Doug and Aaron for their help all weekend. Also thanks to the family and friends who came out to support us this weekend. We had even more fast guys out this weekend than usual to
compete against – especially on 1000’s – and it was some of the best racing we’ve had all season!”

The team is currently leading the championship in the B Superstock, B Superbike and A Superstock classes, while just six points out of the lead in the Formula 1 points chase.

About Honda East: As a family owned and operated Ohio motorcycle dealer, Honda East’s philosophy is to treat each customer like a family member, every visit. Our award-winning sales staff will strive to meet and exceed your expectations, whether you are purchasing a new vehicle, calling with a question, picking up a part, or just looking in our shop. Located in Northwest Ohio, Honda East is the #1 ranked dealership in both Ohio and Michigan; offering a full line of sport bikes, cruisers, dirt bikes, ATVs, scooters, watercraft and snowmobiles not only by Honda, but
Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Aprilia, Indian, Sea-Doo, Ski-Doo, Can-Am, Kymco, Bombardier, Polaris and Artic Cat. Honda East prides themselves on the best out the door deal, period. No games, no hassles.

About Yoshimura R&D of America: Yoshimura is “The Leader in Performance” and has been for more than 55 years. With unmatched skills, knowledge, and passion for racing, Yoshimura is on the forefront of the aftermarket exhaust
industry. Yoshimura pipes are race bred and feature the same legendary performance, fit and quality that has been their trademark for more than five decades. To learn more about Yoshimura and view their wide variety of performance products, visit www.yoshimura-rd.com.

Witchkraft Racing would also like to thank their 2014 sponsors: Pirelli Tires, MCJ Motorsports, GoPro, Riders Discount, Dynojet, Motul, Millennium Technologies, NGK, Chicken Hawk, Moto Liberty, RS Taichi, Shoei Helmets,
Samco, WWB, Ballistic Performance and Motion Pro. Also Ohlins USA, Pit Bull, Sharkskinz, PopShadow Decals, MC Designs, Spider Grips, Hammer Nutrition, Performance Cycleworx, Andrew Swenson Designs and Dave Moss.

For more information on Honda East, visit hondaeast.com. For information on Yoshimura, visit yoshimura-rd.com. And for news on the race team, please visit witchkraftracing.com.

More, from a press release issued by Tim Reeves’ publicist:

Reeves extends World Championship lead with fifth win of the season

Tim Reeves and Gregory Cluze took a step closer to clinching the 2014 World Sidecar Championship on Sunday when they took their fifth win of the season at Assen, Holland. The SMT/Remse Racing pairing again went head-to-head with Ben and Tom Birchall but came out on top to extend their Championship lead to 51 points.

Part of the ‘Gamma Race Day’ event, qualifying started well for the Anglo-French duo on their LCR Kawasaki as they set the pace in the opening session with a time of 1m42.361s, almost four tenths of a second quicker than the Birchalls. However, Saturday’s second session saw better conditions and the tables were turned as the Nottinghamshire brothers went quicker at 1m42.120s to claim the pole position. Nevertheless, Tim and Gregory, who had been hindered by a fuel leak in final qualifying, were still more than content with second place and the front row.

A staggering 85,000 fans were in attendance for Sunday’s feature race day and when the lights turned green at the start of the 17-lap race around the famous ‘Cathedral’ circuit, it was Tim and Gregory who grabbed the holeshot from the Birchalls and local heroes Bennie Streuer and Geert Koerts.

As expected, the race turned out to be a battle between Tim and Gregory and the Birchalls, the duo dominating proceedings as they exchanged the lead on numerous occasions. As the race entered its final third, Tim – already a four-time World Champion – had slowly began to edge away and although the Birchalls clawed back some of the gap in the closing stages, he wasn’t to be denied and took his fifth win of the season by 0.561s to extend his Championship lead to a more than healthy 51 points.

Tim Reeves: “What can I say, it’s been another great weekend and to take the win in front of such of a huge crowd was a great buzz. Things went well from the start and although we didn’t grab the pole position, a fuel leak held us back in the final qualifying session and we felt confident of our race pace. I got a great start to lead off the line and just tried to keep control at the front and conserve the tyres as much as possible.”

“Ben and Tom got by on a few occasions but I managed to get back ahead almost straightaway and just after half race distance, I got my head down to open up a bit of a gap. It wasn’t a huge gap but it was enough and I’m delighted to have taken another win and strengthen our title lead. There’s still work to be done but things are shaping up well so a massive thanks as always to all my sponsors especially DFDS Seaways, SMT Racing, H&S Contractors, MJW Kawasaki, Remse Racing, Professor Dr Sallmon, Planet Engineering, Pro-Shift, Aircode and LA Marketing.”

The penultimate round of the series sees two races take place at Oschersleben, Germany on August 22-24.

More, from a press release issued by Birchall Brothers Racing:

BIRCHALL BROTHERS A CLOSE SECOND AT ASSEN

After a thrilling and close race between Ben and Tom Birchall and Reeves/Cluze in round six of the FIM F1 World championship which took place at Assen in Holland on Sunday, the victory eventually went to Reeves with the Birchall brothers coming home in a very close second place.

This was the championship’s second visit to the Assen circuit, better known as the Cathedral, and with only a short time between free practice and the two qualifying sessions on Saturday morning it was a busy time for the Mitchells of Mansfield supported team who qualified the LCR Suzuki on pole for the start of the 17 lap race on Sunday. Ben had further surgery on his injured hand just 10 days prior to the Assen race and although the fingers had more movement it was always going to be a difficult task to race on the fast and demanding track especially with the hot weather the area was experiencing. But the final qualifying session went well for the brothers who posted the fastest lap of the session with a 1m 42.12s to claim pole position.

In front of 80,000 spectators it was Reeves who got the hole shot with Ben and Tom Birchall hot on their heels. There followed a monumental battle between the two British teams who dominated the race from the start and they exchanged the race lead on numerous occasions throughout each lap.

But the pace between the two was red hot and by the half way stage of the race they began to reel in the back markers. While Reeves got through relatively cleanly The Birchall boys were held up and lost a few seconds to the leaders. Once they were clear of the slower riders Ben and Tom fought their way back into contention for the lead but ran out of time and had to settle for a very close second place at the end of a crowd thrilling race.

Ben said: “We knew it would be a difficult task for us this weekend as it is only 10 days since my surgery and although Mike Hayton did an amazing job on my hand it is still a bit tender.. But despite this and the extremely hot weather we were so happy to secure pole position.

“The team worked hard in qualifying to find a good set up for the race which turned into a great battle with Tim Reeves. The main difficulty with me was to keep control of the outfit under heavy braking conditions and then with six laps remaining we got tangled up with some back markers which held us up. But we managed to catch up again and were only a whisper away from the lead on the last lap but it was just that bit too late and we had to settle for second place.”

The next round is at Oschersleben in Germany on August 23 when the Mansfield brothers will enjoy two races in the penultimate round of the series and with three weeks to allow Ben’s injured hand to heal he should be on top form.

More, from a press release issued by Team Traction Control:

Rispoli excited by huge progress!

Team Traction Control’s riding ace James Rispoli is in great spirits after an exciting weekend of racing at Thruxton.

The young American has taken on a huge challenge this year. By moving from the AMA Championship to race in the UK he’s having to learn new tracks and be part of a new team in its infancy. This weekend continued a staggering stint of progress that has seen James Rispoli go from struggling also-ran to a rider who’s posting top times and starting to believe he can make podiums in his first year racing in the British SuperSport Championship.

Rispoli was on fine form and excited after first practice and qualifying for Saturday’s Sprint race, “We fixed electrical issues quickly and I learned the track. There was a little rain but I was happy to qualify in 9th. Felt good, bike felt good too,” said Rispoli.

In the Sprint race itself James had a fantastic start and was up to 6th place at one point, riding with great confidence and right in a group battling between 6th to 11th for the entire race. He eventually finished in 9th overall and was happy to be right on pace with the fastest lap times.

Sunday started with a very encouraging warm-up that saw Rispoli only 0.8sec off the leader’s time. Rispoli clearly starting to feel comfortable on the new R6 Yamaha and enjoying the racing. Whilst on the grid he also had supporting words and guidance from Monster Energy MotoGP star Bradley Smith who was along to watch. Those words obviously had good effect as James started well and moved up from 12th to 5th place at one stage. Even more encouraging than his position was James’ lap times through this feature race – absolutely on pace with the very fastest guys out there.

An eventual 8th place wasn’t representative of the level TTC have achieved, and Rispoli knew the significance of his lap times, “I started this weekend with lap times that were a long way off but we made changes and I learnt the track. In that final race I was only 0.2sec off the leader’s lap times and felt right on pace and able to battle,” said Rispoli. Feeling at home in the TTC team he continued, “I can’t thank all the great people around me enough for their help, support and guidance. New tracks, new country, new bike and a new team… it makes all the difference in the world. Thanks guys.”

Team Principal Paul Bolwell was also very pleased with the progress and looking forward to the next race: “Great battling from James on a crazy fast circuit he’s never seen before this weekend, started 12th, ended 8th, lap times at the end were right up there!” said Bolwell. “The big set-up changes worked – now we head to a circuit we know and we’ve raced at already this season!”