Suzuka. The BMW M 1000 RR has passed the endurance test, and BMW Motorrad Motorsport was more successful at the Suzuka 8 Hours (JPN) within the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) than ever before. The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team fought its way to an outstanding fifth place with the #37 BMW M 1000 RR in a field full of strong Japanese teams. With this, BMW Motorrad factory riders Markus Reiterberger (GER), Sylvain Guintoli (FRA), and Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) secured the team’s best result to date at this endurance classic. In the championship standings, the team improved to third place. In the Superstock class, the privateer BMW teams TONE RT SYNCEDGE 4413 BMW and Team Étoile achieved a 1-2 result for the BMW M 1000 RR.
As expected, the external conditions in Suzuka pushed riders, teams, and material to their limits. Air temperatures of over 35 degrees Celsius, extremely high humidity, and asphalt temperatures of 60 degrees Celsius made the eight-hour race a major challenge, which the BMW teams mastered with flying colours.
The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team already showcased its potential with a strong qualifying performance on Friday, securing one of the coveted spots in the Top 10 Trial on Saturday. There the team claimed an excellent fourth starting position for the #37 BMW M 1000 RR. In the race, starting rider Reiterberger briefly took the lead at the start. Throughout the race Reiterberger, Guintoli, and Mikhalchik maintained a long-standing position in sixth place, thanks to flawless performances from both the riders and the team, eventually taking over fifth place, which they held until the end of the eight-hour race.
In the Superstock class, the privateer BMW teams celebrated unprecedented success. Victory went to the #95 BMW M 1000 RR of TONE RT SYNCEDGE 4413 BMW, with BMW Motorrad rider Hannes Soomer (EST) alternating with Japanese riders Tomoya Hoshino and Ainosuke Yoshida. Team Étoile completed the double success with the #25 BMW M 1000 RR, ridden by Yudai Kamei (JPN), Hikari Okubo (JPN), and Roberto Rolfo (ITA).
Three other BMW teams also competed in Suzuka: Team TARO PLUSONE with SDG finished 13th in the EWC class with the #6 BMW M 1000 RR, with Taro Sekiguchi (JPN), Kyosuke Okuda (JPN), and reigning Canadian Superbike champion, Ben Young (CAN), sharing riding duties. Team SHINSYUREN with TOTEC (#42) was placed 21st in the EWC class with Isami Higashimura, Shuichiro Nakamura, and Tatsuya Nakamura (all JPN). Team Frontier (#96), with Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (MAS), Kevin Manfredi (ITA), and Chris Leesch (LUX), retired early.
The Suzuka 8 Hours marked the third of four events in the 2024 FIM EWC. The season finale, the 24-hour race Bol d’Or in Le Castellet (FRA), will be held on 14th/15th September.
Reactions after the Suzuka 8 Hours.
Marc Bongers, Sporting Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “It was a very pleasing result in Suzuka, which we followed from the WorldSBK event in Most. Suzuka is always an exceptional race, and securing fifth place in the ‘lion’s den’ is fantastic. This is an extremely good result with our package. In Suzuka it’s simply a fact that it becomes difficult if you’re not using the Bridgestone tyres developed there. However, our tyre partner Dunlop supported us greatly, and we received special tyres for Suzuka from Dunlop Japan. This helped us a lot. In qualifying we broke into the 2:05 times for the first time, which is an incredible achievement by the team, riders, and all partners. The team achieved a great result, which keeps our chances alive to fight for the world championship at the finale, the Bol d’Or. Additionally, there was the double victory in the Superstock class. It was truly excellent.”
Werner Daemen, Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “I am very proud of the team and of the result. We had 37 degrees, it felt like 52 degrees, and that’s not easy for the riders, the team and the bike. But our BMW M 1000 RR was working perfectly over the entire race. Dunlop made a big step, they did a very good job. And all three riders showed a tremendous performance. They did nearly the same lap times as the leaders. Fifth place is the best result for our team here, so I am very proud.”
Markus Reiterberger (#37 BMW M 1000 RR, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team): “We can be very satisfied. Fifth place is great and better than expected. Our goal was to improve on our position from last year and finish in the top five. But it was hard to believe because many good teams were participating. However, we managed it on our own, without benefiting from others’ misfortunes. We gave our best and had an extremely good week. Especially for me, things went very well. I was able to improve my personal record in Suzuka twice, by the end even by a whole second. The start was really good, and I was able to ride some great stints. The whole team worked really well. I am just super proud of the entire team for delivering such a good performance. Fifth place also shows the quality of our equipment. I want to thank my teammates and the team, and we can continue like this.”
Sylvain Guintoli (#37 BMW M 1000 RR, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team): “It was a good performance in the race and a great performance in qualifying by Markus. He rode a beautiful lap, he was very quick. For the race we did not quite know what to expect because the temperatures were very high, and we did not really test in those conditions with the tyres that we used. But it actually worked really well. It was great to be able to maintain that pace and to get home with a very well deserved fifth place. Which, to be very honest, we were not expecting. So it is great, but we are all tired now because it was so challenging as it was so hot.”
Ilya Mikhalchik (#37 BMW M 1000 RR, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team): “I am really happy, especially for the team. Everyone did a really good job. I struggled a little bit over the weekend as I had missed the test a month ago and, in some areas, I lost a little bit of speed. But anyway, I tried to focus on myself and to have a strong race pace, and I was better than last year, almost by one second. Markus and Sylvain did a really good job, everyone was pushing and we can be happy with the best result for the team and Dunlop in Suzuka.”
Hannes Soomer (#95 BMW M 1000 RR, TONE RT SYNCEDGE 4413 BMW): “I am very happy to have won the Superstock class here in Suzuka on my first trip to Japan. We had a trouble-free race, no crashes, no big problems and the entire team did a really good job. I am very, very happy. Thanks to the team and thanks to BMW Motorrad Motorsport that I can be here.”