Munich. This weekend (27th to 29th October) sees the 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) draw to a close with the twelfth and final event of the season. BMW Motorrad Motorsport is eager to build on the good results of previous rounds at the finale at Jerez de la Frontera (ESP). Garrett Gerloff (USA / Bonovo action BMW Racing Team) finished in fourth place in both the main races at the penultimate round of the season at Portimão (POR), trailing first place by less than three seconds. Michael van der Mark (NED / ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) returned to the top ten there after an injury-enforced break.
Scott Redding (GBR / ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) is also hoping to round off the season with strong results after recent difficult races, and the same is true of Loris Baz (FRA / Bonovo action BMW Racing Team), who will be contesting his final races as a BMW Motorrad WorldSBK factory rider at Jerez de la Frontera.
The season was originally due to end in San Juan, Argentina, but changes were made to the calendar and Jerez de la Frontera became the new venue for the finale. The Andalusia tracm has hosted the WorldSBK many times previously, the most recent time being in 2021.
Quotes ahead of the Jerez de la Frontera season finale.
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “It feels like we only just kicked off the 2023 WorldSBK season in Australia and now we’re already at the final races of the year. The season hasn’t gone quite the way we would have hoped for various reasons, including our bad luck with injuries. However, even if we couldn’t always secure the results, from mid-season onwards, we repeatedly demonstrated strength and pace, as we could confirm most recently at Magny-Cours with Garrett and at Portimão with Garrett and Michael. This shows that we have taken the right path. We are confident that we will be able to build on this at Jerez. Scott will be focussing on regaining his feel for the BMW M 1000 RR and we want Loris to bring home strong results once again in his final WorldSBK races for us. We are all familiar with Jerez from previous years and from test rides, and we need to translate our knowledge into performance. We’re all looking forward to the finale in front of the enthusiastic Spanish motorcycle fans.”
Garrett Gerloff, #31 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “I’m really looking forward to going into this last weekend of the year. I feel like the team and I are in a really good place. If we could have a solid weekend to finish off the year, this would be really good for us going into winter testing and into 2024. Our focus and our heads are set to try to finish the year off with a bang.”
Scott Redding, #45 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “We’re already heading into the final round of the season. It’s different to what was initially planned but Jerez is a circuit that a lot of riders know very well. I’m looking forward to the last round of the season. Hopefully we can have a good weekend.”
Michael van der Mark, #60 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “It’s nice to go to Jerez, especially after Portimão. We had such a good weekend there and I gained a lot of confidence. Jerez is a very nice track, I really enjoy riding there. So with the improvements on the bike I cannot wait to see how it turns out there. Keep building, keep making progress and have a good end to the season – that’s the plan. Obviously it has not been the season I had hoped for but let’s end it on a high and get ready for the winter.”
Loris Baz, #76 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “It’s going be a special weekend for me, the last race with the team. I still don’t know how to feel about it, it will be strange. It has been two years, which were difficult, but we had some highlights last year. This season, it was tricky with the injury, but I always had a great group of guys around me. I want to push hard until the last lap for them. I really hope we can have a good and clean last weekend together, especially for the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team. I hope we can have a strong last race and some good moments. I am looking forward to it. It’s hard at the moment, but I want to be the best I can be for them and have a great party with them on Sunday.”
Track Facts Jerez de la Frontera.
Circuit length
4.432 km – clockwise
Corners
13 – 8 right-handers, 5 left-handers
Pole position
Left
Longest straight
580 metres
Grip level
Medium
Track layout
Partly long corner, hard braking zones
Strain on brakes
Medium / high
Amount at full throttle
25 %
Top speed / lowest speed
283 km/h / 59 km/h
Best overtaking opportunity
T1, T6, T13
Key factors
Good delay, agility