EWC Spa: Markus Reiterberger and BMW retire after initial lead

Markus Reiterberger and the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team experienced a rollercoaster of emotions at the Ardennes rollercoaster at Spa-Francorchamps. Together with his team mates Sylvain Guintoli and Ilya Mikhalchik he was in a promising fight for the podium on the #37 BMW M 1000 RR. However, after four hours of racing, the team had to retire prematurely at the 8h Spa Motos. The race in Belgium marked the second round of the 2024 FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC). At the season opener at Le Mans in April, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team secured second place on the podium.

Starting from fourth place, Reiterberger immediately surged to the front in the first corners. In the ensuing hours, he, Guintoli, and Mikhalchik consistently raced in the leading group with the #37 bike. However, in the fourth hour of the race, disaster struck. While running in third place, Guintoli lost control of the bike for unknown reasons and crashed. The Frenchman managed to return to the pits, and the team did everything possible to keep the #37 in the race. Guintoli was able to get back on track, but as oil was leaking, he had to return to the pits two more times. Eventually, the team decided to withdraw the bike for safety reasons.

The third round of the 2024 FIM EWC, the eight-hour race in Suzuka, Japan, will be held on 21st July.

Markus Reiterberger:

“The start of the race was really good. I was able to push hard on the first few laps. The bike was great, and I was in the leading group. Unfortunately, we had to retire early. That was very disappointing because I believe a podium finish was definitely within reach. But it is what it is. We win and lose together as a team. There are always ups and downs, but we were strong throughout the entire weekend and were always competitive. We know what we need to work on and what the positive aspects are. We’ll take that into the next race. I want to thank the team for a weekend that was great despite the outcome. We showed excellent teamwork, and we’ll take the positive things with us.”