Reiti starts the Asian Championship with the first event
This week, Markus Reiterberger is starting a whole new adventure on the other side of the world. With the Onexox TKKR SAG team the season starts for him with a test on the Superstock version of the new BMW S 1000 RR in Sepang, Malaysia for the first time. After a two-day test on March 3rd and 4th, the 25-year-old will be able to compete with his new colleagues for the first time on the following weekend.
The Sepang International Circuit is not new territory for Reiti, as it was only in December that he took third place with the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team in the 8-hour race of the endurance world championship. The Onexox BMW TKKR Racing Team, with which Reiti takes part in the championship, is a private customer team. BMW Motorrad Motorsport will provide extensive support for Reiterberger in the 2020 ARRC season.
"It is fantastic to have Markus Reiterberger on board for the 2020 season in the Onexox BMW TKKR Racing Team," says team boss Bobie Farid. “He brings a lot of racing experience to the table, and we hope this can bring the Onexox BMW TKKR Racing Team forward. It will be a great learning process for the team to become even more competitive and set new standards in the Asian Road Racing Championship. The Onexox BMW TKKR Racing Team wants to build on the strong performance with Azlan Shah in the 2019 season, and of course we want to continue winning races and consistently finishing on the podium. We will work hard with our partners to be competitive and it is about having a winning mentality in all areas of the Onexox BMW TKKR Racing Team. We expect the competition between the teams to be very strong, but we are confident that the team will be at the top of the grid in the 2020 season.”
The championship can be followed live on the series' YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/AsiaRoadRacing).
The tests of the next two days can be followed in the "MYLaps Speedhive“.
Markus Reiterberger: “A new team and a new championship are waiting for me. I also don't know the bike yet. It is a superstock bike. So there are a lot of unknowns waiting for me. Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to test the bike yet. I will only be able to do that in the next two days and get to know the people and the material that is available for me this year. I am happy, however, that I am not completely in the dark. I am partially familiar with my surroundings. I know the Alpha Racing team. I am also satisfied with the overall package and I am confident that my first big assignment with the new team will go well.
The tires are just as new for me. I already rode on Dunlop tires in the EWC, but that was only once before. So I'm also looking forward to it. Traveling to Asia is not so much fun at the moment. There is hardly any other topic in the news than the Corona virus. Some teams, including the Chinese, have already cancelled their participation in the first event and that is of course a shame and not ideal for the championship. I hope everything goes smoothly and we will have fun. I am very excited to see how this championship works on the other end of the world and I am looking forward to the new challenge.
I have prepared myself very well this year and have also gone on a metabolic diet, through which I have lost a few kilos. I trained every day and was also busy in my own workshop, which I think is essential for the technical understanding of the bike. As I said, I am fit and I am happy that it is finally starting.”