The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team has made it onto the top step of the podium in the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC). The team celebrated its first victory in the FIM EWC at the final round of the 2021 season, the six-hour race in Most (CZE). After a breathtaking finish, the #37 BMW M 1000 RR crossed the finish line first to take the win. Alternating in the saddle were Reiti and his colleague Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR). Kenny Foray (FRA) was on standby as the third rider. Victory secured second place in the championship standings in the 2021 FIM EWC for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team.
Reiterberger, Mikhalchik and Foray qualified second to secure a good start position for the #37 BMW M 1000 RR.
The turmoil at the start initially saw Mikhalchik drop back to sixth place, however he was soon able to work his way back towards the front of the field through a combination of speed and skill. After 15 minutes of racing, Mikhalchik was running second. Shortly after that, he moved to the head of the field on the #37 BMW M 1000 RR and set about opening a lead. Over the course of the race, which included two lengthy safety car periods, he and Reiterberger only surrendered the lead briefly twice. With a strong performance from the two riders, a smart strategy and a perfect BMW M 1000 RR, the team led for almost the entire race.
Having said that, the closing stages were not for the faint-hearted. The #7 Yamaha from the YART team was closing all the time, however Reiterberger kept a cool head, used all his skill, paced the race perfectly and defended the lead to take the team’s maiden victory. After six hours of racing, and a real thriller, he took the chequered flag with a lead of just 0.070 seconds.
2021 was the second season in the FIM EWC for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. The new BMW M 1000 RR was used for the first time this year. The team finished third in the first two races, at Le Mans (FRA) and Estoril (POR). In race three, the Bol d’Or at Le Castellet (FRA), they were forced to retire with a technical issue. The acclaimed maiden victory came just a few weeks later in Most.
Markus Reiterberger: “I think that was a really breathtaking race to the chequered flag. Ilya was on the bike at the start. He overtook everyone in the first stint and we took the lead. We fancied a five-stop strategy, but for that to work you need a safety car. That is very probable at this track, and that is exactly what happened. We managed to make one stop fewer than YART, for example. I think fuel consumption was the key to success today, and the fact that we rode flawlessly. I gave it everything in my last stint and rode against the clock. That was very tough, because Marvin Fritz was really pushing behind me. It was really very close, but I did it. I am grateful that we have finally won, as the whole team has more than earned it. This is the reward for the huge amount of hard work. Thank you to the team, BMW and everyone who has supported us. This is a really nice way to end the season.”
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