# BMW Motorrad Race Trophy keeps gaining momentum



## [email protected] (Aug 15, 2012)

Munich, 28th May 2014. The entry list for the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy keeps growing: In the meantime, 38 participants from all over the world have registered. In addition, privateer BMW Motorrad riders celebrated further wins and podiums in their racing series. Now, experts from BMW Motorrad Motorsport are in action on the Isle of Man, where they are on site to support their customer teams at the legendary Tourist Trophy. Their colleagues are heading to Zolder in Belgium to lend a hand to the BMW Motorrad Teams racing in the SUPERBIKE*IDM.

*The current top three in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy: Isaacs from SAM, Polita from CIV, Mackels from IDM and EWC.*

The race for the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy keeps gaining momentum. In the first months 38 privateer BMW Motorrad riders from 13 countries on five continents have registered for this innovative racing project. By a complex and balancing formula, they score points towards the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy based on their individual results achieved in their championship races. At the end of the year, the world's best BMW Motorrad privateer will be crowned. A total prize purse of 100,000 Euros is up for grabs in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy.

Already in the first weeks there were interesting and tight battles going on in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy rankings. The gaps in the points are very close throughout the whole classification despite the fact that the riders compete in very different championships. The complex formula makes this possible. The current leader is South African Lance Isaacs, who competes in the South African Motorcycle Championship with a BMW S 1000 RR. This year Isaacs has celebrated four podiums so far. At the recent round at Killarney (ZA), he claimed two third places. His is closely followed by Alessandro Polita (IT), who finished second and third on the podium at the second round of the Italian Superbike Championship (CIV). With the points he scored for these results, Polita moved into second in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy rankings. Currently third is Bastien Mackels (BE), who is contesting the SUPERBIKE*IDM and the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) this season.

But Mackels has a good chance to again compete for the lead in the rankings, as he can score his next points when racing in his home round of the SUPERBIKE*IDM at Zolder (BE) this weekend, while Isaacs and Polita have a race-free weekend. However, Mackels is not the only one who can target the top of the rankings. This also goes for the other BMW Motorrad riders in the IDM and for those who compete in the first races on the Isle of Man (GB): they can all achieve a big points haul this weekend to improve in the rankings. This is what makes the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy so exciting: the fact that the rankings can completely change week by week - depending on which championships' race weekends are on the schedule.

*Road Racing: Isle of Man TT.*

For now the British Isle of Man is the focus of interest on the international motorcycle scene. Up to 6th June, the island is again hosting the legendary Tourist Trophy (IOMTT). For BMW Motorrad, the 2014 Tourist Trophy is a very special staging of the event, as it marks the 75th anniversary of BMW Motorrad's historic victory at the TT with Georg Meier (DE) in 1939. Meier was the first non-Brit on a non-English bike to win the Senior TT.

This year, one of the favourites is the seven-time TT winner Michael Dunlop (NI), who will race a BMW S 1000 RR entered by BMW Motorrad/Hawk Racing and supported by the BMW Motorrad Motorsport experts. The specialists from Munich will also give on-site support to all other BMW Motorrad riders and teams, among them the Penz13.com BMW Racing Team. The squad of Team Principal Rico Penzkofer (DE) will have Jimmy Storrar (GB) racing on a RR and Dan Kruger (CA) on a BMW HP4.

The first highlight is scheduled for Saturday, 31st May, when the Superbike riders will start their six-lap race around the Island. On Monday, 2nd June, the four-lap Superstock TT race will be held, and on Friday, 6th June, the race week will culminate in the prestigious Senior TT.

*FIM Superbike World Championship at Donington.*

The Superbike World Championship (WSBK) raced at British Donington last weekend. The British circuit hosted the fifth round of the 2014 season. Imre Toth (HU / BMW Team Toth) finished the two races in 18th and 20th respectively with his Superbike version of the BMW S 1000 RR. In doing so, he also collected further points for the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy rankings. Leon Camier (GB), who rides the EVO version of the RR for the BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team, was struck by bad luck at his home race. On Saturday he crashed in the wet Superpole qualifying. He suffered an injury to his upper left arm, which prevented him from taking part in Sunday's races.

*FIM Sidecar World Championship at Donington.*

Last weekend, Donington (GB) also hosted the second round of the 2014 Sidecar World Championship (SWC), the highest race category for motorcycle combinations in the world. A total of 19 sidecar teams sat on the grid. They were fighting exciting battles right to the finish line - with a BMW team on the podium.

The BMW duo of Jörg Steinhausen and Axel Kölsch (both DE) performed an impressive catch-up after they had been off the track when fighting for positions. With a late pass in the final corner they secured third on the podium. The BMW sidecar team of Uwe Gürck and Manfred Wechselberger (both DE) finished fifth in this action-packed race. In the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy rankings, both improved with the points scored for their results: Steinhausen is now eighth, Gürck is currently 17th.

*French Superbike Championship at Nogaro.*

At the second round of the 2014 French Superbike Championship (FSBK) at Nogaro (FR), privateer BMW Motorrad rider Nicolas Pouhair (FR) finished the races for the Superbike class in fourth and 11th respectively. The category for European Bikes was dominated by the BMW S 1000 RR. In race one first to sixth went to RR riders, in race two they claimed first to fourth. The first race was won by Cyril Brunet Lugardon (FR), who shared the podium with Michel Amalric (FR) and Laurent Aymonin (FR), who claimed second and third respectively. Amalric celebrated the victory in race two, with Emilien Jaillet and Andy Rey (both FR) also finishing on the podium.

*Japanese Road Race Championship at Motegi.*

Asia also saw some motorcycle race action last weekend. At the Japanese Motegi circuit, the third round of the 2014 Japanese Road Race Championship (MFJ) was contested. In the JSB1000 class, the category for 1000 cc Superbikes, privateer BMW Motorrad rider Daisaku Sakai (JP / Flex D.R.E. Motorrad 39) claimed his best result of the season so far. He crossed the finish line in seventh, and in doing so he also collected a lot of points for the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy rankings.


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