The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team is ready for one of the classic races in the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC): the ‘24 Heures Motos’ at Le Mans (FRA). The 24-hour race marks the resumption of the 2019/20 season, after a break of over eight months. This weekend’s endurance race is the third round of the team’s debut season in the FIM EWC.
Le Mans 24-hour race on 29th / 30th August
After two podiums, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team is currently second in the overall standings
“After the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team’s successful start to its debut season, we have had to wait a very long time to finally go racing again. However, we have used the break to continue to develop the endurance version of our RR. The tests in July at Le Mans were very positive. We are well-equipped and can hardly wait to take on the challenge that is the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Anything can happen in endurance racing, so it is difficult to make any predictions before the race. However, we have done our homework and are looking to build on what we achieved at Le Castellet and Sepang.”
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director.
Alternating on the #37 BMW S 1000 RR will once again be regular riders Kenny Foray (FRA), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) and Markus Reiterberger (GER). Vladimir Leonov (RUS) will be in the role of reserve rider; he competes with the EGS-alpha-Van Zon-BMW Team in the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) in 2020.
The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team finished third to claim a spot on the podium in both of the first two races of its debut season in the FIM EWC, at Le Castellet (FRA) and Sepang (MAS). That puts the team second in the World Championship standings. After the ‘24 Heures Motos’ at Le Mans, the 12-hour race at Estoril (POR) at the end of September represents the season finale.
As well as the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, two private BMW teams will again race at Le Mans: GERT56 by GS YUASA (#56 BMW S 1000 RR) and Team LRP Poland (#90 BMW S 1000 RR).
“We are very excited to resume the season at Le Mans and we have worked day and night to prepare the bike. I am pretty sure that with Kenny, Ilya and Markus, we have the best three riders for the world championship. And our reserve rider Vladimir showed at the IDM season-opener at Assen that he is very quick. In the pre-test, together with our partners, we could see that the lap-times were good. We have a really strong team. Also in regards of the mechanics and technical crew under Steven Casaer we are really on a world level, BMW does a tremendous job with the bike and the engine, and Dunlop is a strong tyre partner. I think that we are well prepared and we hope for a strong result.”
Werner Daemen, Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team.
The ‘24 Heures Motos’ officially gets underway on Thursday 27th August with the first practice sessions and qualifying. The race itself starts at 12:00 on Saturday, 29th August and ends at 12:00 on Sunday, 31st August.
Credits | Source and images courtesy of BMW AG, Munich (Germany).
