The four guys from the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team are currently experiencing unusually hot days at the Circuit Bugatti in Le Mans. Usually it is quite fresh during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Even if the hot conditions are causing the tyres a few difficulties, Markus Reiterberger is confident for tomorrow's race. With the night come cooler temperatures and under these conditions the BMW factory team has clear advantages with their Dunlop tyres.
Markus Reiterberger, Xavi Forés, Ilya Mikhalchik and Kenny Foray finished the first qualifying on Thursday afternoon in third place. The night practice, just like the private test day on Tuesday, they finished first. In the second qualifying session for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the four of them were able to hold onto third position again and will therefore start tomorrow’s 44th edition of the legendary “24 Heures Motos” from third spot on the grid.
The Bavarian knows that good tactics will be crucial for the race and is confident that he and his team are optimally prepared. It is clear that it will not be an easy race, especially if it stays that hot on the French race track.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans will start tomorrow at 12:00 noon and will be broadcasted in full on Eurosport at least in the Eurosport Player. Further information is available at: www.fimewc.com
Markus Reiterberger: “It was very hot in the first qualifying session yesterday, and that is apparently something we struggle with. The bike behaves differently in these temperatures to during the test in spring. It was cooler today and I was the fastest man in the team with a 1:35 lap on the new tyre – not the Qualifier. We all improved and managed to secure third place on the grid. We saw that we have a slight disadvantage in the heat, but that changes when it gets cooler. Because of this, we must now consider how to pace the race tactically. It is definitely going to be a challenging, long and tough race, but we are feeling positive and excellently prepared.”