Suzuka. The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team has taken a significant step forward in the battle for the title in the 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC). At the third of four rounds in the season, the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours (JPN), Markus Reiterberger (GER), Steven Odendaal (RSA), and Michael van der Mark (NED) finished fifth aboard the #37 BMW M 1000 RR. As a result, the BMW factory team not only climbed to second place in the championship standings, but now heads into the season finale in September at Le Castellet (FRA) just one point behind leaders YART. Also turning in a strong performance was the AutoRace Ube Racing Team from Japan: Naomichi Uramoto (JPN), Loris Baz (FRA), and Davey Todd (GBR) claimed sixth place on the #76 bike. And just like last year, BMW teams secured a one-two finish in the Superstock class: Team Étoile took the win ahead of the TONE Team 4413 EVA 02 BMW.
Already during Friday’s qualifying, the speed of the BMW M 1000 RR was evident, with Uramoto setting a new lap record of 2:04.796 minutes. In the decisive Top 10 Trial on Saturday, he and his teammates secured third place on the grid for the AutoRace Ube Racing Team. The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team also qualified strongly and started the race from fifth place.
In the turmoil of the start, bike #37 initially dropped a few positions, but Reiterberger, Odendaal, and van der Mark worked their way back up. By the third hour, van der Mark – who posted several of the race’s fastest laps – had moved into third. However, a rare technical defect occurred; the right footpeg came loose, causing the Dutchman to crash as he approached the pits for repairs. Although the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team quickly returned the bike to the track after repairs, they found themselves down in 21st place. From there, the factory trio launched a remarkable comeback, ultimately finishing fifth in the race and second in the championship standings.
Uramoto, Baz, and Todd, on the #76 bike, were also consistently battling in the top ranks throughout the race. In the end, the AutoRace Ube Racing Team earned a strong sixth-place finish. The ERC Endurance #6 squad, with riders Kenny Foray (FRA), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR), and David Checa (ESP), finished in 11th.
In the Superstock class, the BMW M 1000 RR was, once again, unbeatable. Team Étoile, with the #25 bike, claimed victory in the category. In the championship standings – the FIM World Cup – they are now tied on points with the leaders, holding second place. The one-two finish was completed by the TONE Team 4413 EVA 02 BMW in second place on the Superstock podium. In total, no fewer than eight BMW teams competed at Suzuka.
The all-important season finale, the 24-hour classic Bol d’Or, takes place from 18th to 21st September at Le Castellet.
Reactions after the Suzuka 8 Hours:
Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “This race week began with devastating news, and our thoughts are with Sylvain Guintoli and his family. We really wanted to get on the podium for his son Luca. That was our big goal – to represent the family here and honour Luca. Even though we didn’t quite make it, we kept the championship wide open and are now heading to the Bol d’Or in a great position. At Sylvain’s home finale, we have a very strong chance to fight for the title. We did a great job this week, and were only unlucky in the race due to a technical defect, which was no one’s fault. Without that, we would certainly have made it to the podium. But overall, the team delivered a fantastic performance. All three riders proved their abilities. We’re especially pleased that Mickey, a four-time Suzuka winner, did an outstanding job and showcased his full talent. Also, the AutoRace Ube Racing Team – a Japanese outfit making their debut with BMW here – did an incredible job. Local hero Naomichi Uramoto almost took pole position. We’re very proud to have them on board and will continue to work closely together in the future. I believe this is the beginning of a very strong partnership. ERC Endurance also did an outstanding job, completing their third race in a row without mistakes. On the Superstock side, it was fantastic to achieve another one-two result with Team Étoile and TONE. Huge congratulations to them! We represented BMW in the best possible way here at Suzuka, and now we can’t wait for the Bol d’Or and the chance to fight for the title. But first, we all need to let this week sink. Suzuka is rightly one of the most historic events with an incredible fan base. What we experienced here is truly unique, and we’ll continue to support it strongly in the future.”
Christian Gonschor, Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “First and foremost, our heartfelt condolences go to Sylvain and his family. Little Luca was with us on the bike throughout the race, and I believe he watched from above as the whole team gave their all. This race week was a challenge. The conditions were very tough, with asphalt temperatures reaching up to 69 degrees Celsius. We steadily improved over the days, step by step, and had real top-three pace during the race. Unfortunately, a technical issue caused a very unlucky crash. Mickey was slightly hurt but pushed through, being a true fighter and leader, and showed very strong pace. All three riders had the pace for a podium finish – it was a superb team effort. We wanted to be the first European manufacturer to reach the Suzuka podium. That didn’t quite happen, but going into the season finale just one point behind is the best possible setup for a thrilling title fight. And our goal remains the same: we want to win the title. Our privateer teams capped off a very successful weekend for the BMW M 1000 RR. The AutoRace Ube team showed incredible pace and an outstanding qualifying. Add to that the dominance in the Superstock class – another one-two win from our BMW teams.”
Werner Daemen, Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “I’m very happy because the goal was to get closer to YART. I think the podium would have also been possible here because our riders did incredible lap times but our main focus is on the championship and we are only one point behind now. The goal for Le Castellet is clear: it doesn’t matter in which place we finish the race, but the championship is the most important thing.”
Michael van der Mark, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “I had a very good race week here with the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. We were doing this race for Sylvain, Luca and the family. It was special. We tried as much as we could and I think especially at the beginning of the race we had a podium pace. We were in P3 but a bit unlucky with a technical failure and then a crash where we lost a lot of time. But the team showed proper endurance spirit, they repaired the bike, Steven and Markus were fast, the whole team did fantastic pit stops. And then I just did my thing. It was painful, it was tough, but I think we should be happy with P5 here at Suzuka after the crash and after we lost a lot of time.”
Markus Reiterberger, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “To finish fifth at Suzuka again is, on one hand, disappointing because we had a real chance at the podium. We were already running in third, but then had a technical issue we’ve never encountered before. Still, we fought back incredibly well. The team reacted brilliantly and got the bike repaired super quickly. With fifth place, we gained a lot of points on YART, the championship leader. We’re now just one point behind – I don’t think we’ve ever been this close. Now we want to bring it home at Le Castellet. That’s a track we really like. So we’re satisfied with Suzuka. We worked well with the new tyre supplier, the whole team is pulling together, and everything just fits from A to Z.”
Steven Odendaal, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “It’s always special to come here to Suzuka. It was my second time and I am really happy to be here with the team. We did a fantastic job and closed the gap to the number one in the championship. It’s a nice shootout for the last race, only one point between us. Let’s focus all our efforts now to bring us this championship home.”
Facts and figures.
Qualifying (combined).
Pos.
Team
Manufacturer
Pos. in class
Time
1.
Honda HRC
Honda
1. EWC
2:05.187
2.
AutoRace Ube Racing Team
BMW
2. EWC
2:05.346
3.
Yamaha Racing Team
Yamaha
3. EWC
2:05.539
4.
Yoshimura SERT Motul
Suzuki
4. EWC
2:05.674
5.
YART – Yamaha
Yamaha
5. EWC
2:05.963
9.
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team
BMW
9. EWC
2:06.485
19.
ERC Endurance #6
BMW
18. EWC
2:07.678
20.
Team Étoile
BMW
1. SST
2:07.942
25.
SANMEI Team TARO PLUSONE with SDG
BMW
22. EWC
2:08.123
26.
SHINSYUREN with TOTEC
BMW
23. EWC
2:08.248
32.
TONE Team 4413 EVA 02 BMW
BMW
5. SST
2:09.135
55.
Team Frontier
BMW
36. EWC
–
Top 10 Trial.
Pos.
Team
Manufacturer
Time
1.
Honda HRC
Honda
2:04.290
2.
Yamaha Racing Team
Yamaha
2:04.316
3.
AutoRace Ube Racing Team
BMW
2:05.001
4.
SDG Team HARC–PRO Honda
Honda
2:05.477
5.
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team
BMW
2:05.508
Race.
Pos.
Team
Manufacturer
Pos. in class
Gap
1.
Honda HRC
Honda
1. EWC
–
2.
Yamaha Racing Team
Yamaha
2. EWC
34.243
3.
Yoshimura SERT Motul
Suzuki
3. EWC
1 lap
4.
SDG Team HARC-PRO Honda
Honda
4. EWC
1 lap
5.
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team
BMW
5. EWC
2 laps
6.
AutoRace Ube Racing Team
BMW
6. EWC
3 laps
11.
ERC Endurance #6
BMW
11. EWC
5 laps
12.
SANMEI Team TARO PLUSONE with SDG
BMW
12. EWC
6 laps
16.
Team Étoile
BMW
1. SST
9 laps
17.
TONE Team 4413 EVA 02 BMW
BMW
2. SST
9 laps
37.
Team Frontier
BMW
23. EWC
34 laps
DNF
SHINSYUREN with TOTEC
BMW
EWC
–
Current World Championship standings (R03/04).
Pos.
Team
Manufacturer
Points
1.
YART – Yamaha
Yamaha
88
2.
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team
BMW
87
3.
KWT – Kawasaki
Kawasaki
83
4.
Yoshimura SERT Motul
Suzuki
73
5.
ERC Endurance #6
BMW
68