This weekend, the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) kicks off the 2023 season, with Markus Reiterberger (Onexox BMW TKKR Racing) joining in for a second attempt in Asia this year. Three years ago, Reiterberger already wanted to fight for the ARRC title. Back then, the season was cancelled after the first race weekend due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The first of six ARRC events in the new season will take place at the MotoGP circuit in Buriram (Thailand). Before the season opener, there was already a two-day test in which Reiterberger set the best time on both days. In extreme temperatures, the crew around the starting number 28 made great progress with the set-up of the new BMW M 1000 RR and gained important experience with the Dunlop tyres.
The sessions will be livestreamed with English commentary on the ARRC YouTube channel from Friday.
Markus Reiterberger:
"I really like the track here in Buriram. I was able to achieve my best result in the World Superbike Championship on this circuit. I finished fifth in the first race of the 2016 season. We did a very good two-day test here in Buriram. The temperatures were extreme. The air temperature was 40°C and the asphalt warmed up to 65°C. We were able to finish both days of testing with the fastest time. On the second day, however, we only had a small advantage. We tried a lot on the chassis, the electronics and the tyres. This is all new territory for us. Since the Japanese Dunlop tyres are unknown to me here, we had to feel our way around as far as the air pressure is concerned. We were able to find a lot of answers. I expect that we can make further steps on the race weekend. But we are definitely well prepared. The weekend will be exciting. The competition is stronger than in 2020. The quality of riders is greater than back then. We have to step up our game to compete against the lightweights. With Zaqhwan Zaidi and Anthony West, there are strong opponents. But I am confident. There is only one goal for us: We want to win races and get the championship. I thank my team for their hard work and look forward to the first event of the 2023 season."
Schedule ARRC & EWC 2023:
24th - 26th March - ARRC season opener Buriram (Thailand)
13th - 16th April - EWC 24 Hours of Le Mans (France)
12th - 14th May - ARRC Sepang (Malaysia)
16th - 18th June - EWC 24 Hours of Spa (Belgium)
23th - 25th June - ARRC Sugo (Japan)
4th - 6th August - EWC 8 Hours of Suzuka (Japan)
11th - 13th August - ARRC Mandalika (Indonesia)
14th - 17th September - EWC 24 Hours of Bol d'Or (France)
6th - 8th October - ARRC Zhuhai (China)
1st - 3rd December - ARRC season finale Buriram (Thailand)
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