21.06.19
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
The first day of action at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli was a positive and promising one for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team as both riders tried to find their base settings aboard the BMW S 1000 RR.
The BMW pair got off to relatively solid start during this morning’s FP1 session with Tom Sykes finishing in P6 and Markus Reiterberger in P12.
As the day progressed into the afternoon the track temperature increased causing the surface to become greasy, resulting in multiple crashes throughout the session. Unfortunately, Markus crashed at T2 during FP2 forcing him out of the session with damage to the bike. Despite the crash, Reiterberger ended the session on combined time in P13 with a best of (1'36.968).
Tom Sykes managed to complete Free Practice unscathed and put in some strong laps throughout the two sessions, his best being a (1'36.382) putting him into P6. Sykes' race pace was equally impressive which he will look to continue into tomorrow.
The focus for the team now changes to day 2, where the BMW Motorrad team will battle for grid positions ahead of Race 1.
Shaun Muir – Team Principal
"Markus did pretty well today, crucially the settings and data from Jerez worked well here in Misano so both him and his crew chief did a good job. He didn’t get the chance to try the softer tyre in FP2 following his small crash, however at that time he was positioned in the top eight so again that was good progress. Tom on the other side of the box made quite a lot of changes and ended up with a strong race pace lapping high 1:36s, and with the track temperature rising I’m pleased with his performance today. We have got some small changes to make over night before heading into FP3 and Superpole so hopefully we can have a good Qualifying and start on the front two rows with both riders."
Tom Sykes (GBR)
"I’m very happy with our Friday free practice. I came here and sat down with my crew chief and we made a plan for the weekend. I have to say that the whole BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team have worked very well today. We had a very structured effort in FP1. I’ve not been on track too long in FP1 but that was good because we set some changes to the BMW S 1000 RR which obviously gave us our direction for FP2 and I have to say that I’m happy with the outcome of today’s efforts.
On paper we look quite strong. But in reality when I’m on the track with the bike - you’ve probably heard from many riders and you’ve seen that the lap times are a bit off – the track is very greasy. It’ really quite unpredictable and the track could change from hour to hour. So, yes, I’m happy with our performance and quite surprised with the pace there at the end. Tomorrow is another day and we just try to build a little bit further on the information we got today. But we won’t do anything too drastic now, just a couple of minor modifications and then go racing."
Markus Reiterberger (GER)
"The first day at Misano was a bit more difficult than expected. Misano in general does not offer too much grip but today, the track conditions out there were really difficult. The first free practice was okay, we ticked every box on our list and then made some changes for the second practice. At the beginning of FP2, I had to return to the pits due to a brake issue. We changed the brake disks and that helped. For a long time, I was able to stay within the top-seven but then I lost the front. Unfortunately, the damage on the bike prevented me from continuing the session. That was a pity as we had quite some items on our test list and we could not work through them all as a result. But in general, we know what we have to do and are in a positive mood for the rest of the weekend."
