BMW Motorrad riders secure podium win in rainy Sepang

Michelle Liew

December 15, 2019

The Sepang track was met with wet conditions but the riders still put up a stellar performance to come in third place.

BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team | Photo credits: BMW Motorrad

The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team has secured its second podium for the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) in Sepang, Malaysia. Riders Ilya Mikhalchik and Markus Reiterberger claimed third place at the Sepang 8 Hours in Malaysia with their #37 BMW S 1000 RR. Heavy downpour greeted Saturday’s race at the Sepang International Circuit, reducing it from eight to three hours. The team is now second place overall in the standings.

Mikhalchik and Reiterberger took it in turns on the saddle of the #37 RR. Teammate Kenny Foray injured himself during a fall in a practice session on Wednesday. He was unable to take part in the remainder of the race weekend.

The third round of the FIM EWC 2019/20, which is the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 18th to 19th April 2020.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director

“The second podium in our second race in the FIM EWC – this is a fantastic result for our new BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team. We couldn’t have necessarily expected this as newcomers in this highly competitive World Championship. The team and our riders Ilya and Markus weren’t distracted by the adverse conditions,” says Bongers as quoted from BMW Motorrad.

“They did yet another fantastic, flawless job on the track and in the pit. On this occasion, I also want to send a get well soon message to Kenny, who surely will be back with us soon. Of course, we would have liked to get more riding in to gain more experience in race conditions with our RR, but it wasn’t possible in this weather. Now we will keep focussing on preparing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Congratulations go to our BMW customer teams as well, who also got strong results with their RR.”

Werner Daemen, Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team

“I’m a very proud team manager today. It’s a shame that Kenny wasn’t able to take part, but Ilya and Markus did a really great job as a duo. The conditions on the wet track were very treacherous, and the day wasn’t easy overall. But the whole team did a really great job. And the pit stops were world-class. Now we’re hoping for a similarly strong result in the next race in Le Mans.”

Ilya Mikhalchik (BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team)- As It Happened

“First of all I want to say get well soon to our third rider Kenny, who unfortunately got injured in practice, and I hope that we will be back together soon because it’s a team sport and it’s important to have the entire team together. Overall I’m, of course, really happy with the race. We have been strong in all conditions.”

“At the beginning of the race, there was a lot of water on the track and I think that everyone was a bit scared of that. But everyone adapted and, while it was difficult in the early stages, it became better with every lap. Also the grip was there then. We did not quite have the pace of the winners, but we were very constant on every lap and this was important. I could have pushed more, but it was risky and it was our strategy to ride more consistently. This paid off, this was our target and we did our job. We are very happy to be on the podium and thanks a lot to my team. We did this together.”

Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team)- As It Happened

“I am really happy to be back in endurance racing. It was a pity that Kenny was injured and I wish him a speedy recovery. We had to do today’s race with two riders. In the end it was only three hours. We decided that Ilya would ride at the start and he did a really good job. I’m really happy with how qualifying and the race went. I still had to adapt to the Dunlop tyres that were new for me, but the team did a really good job and I felt very comfortable on the bike. My race pace was not quite as fast as I had hoped for, but in the end, it was more important not to crash and to bring home the result. Ilya did a great last stint, we secured third place and I think this is a really good team achievement.”