11.07.19
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team have travelled across the pond for round 9 of the FIM World Superbike Championship. Following Tom Sykes’s success last weekend at Donington Park Sykes heads into the weekend currently in seventh place with 139 points, his team mate Markus Reiterberger returns from illness, also as a rookie to the Californian circuit he will be looking to get up to speed as quickly as possible. Markus sits 14th in the championship with 56 points.
The 3.610 Km circuit situated in the hillside of Salinas on the Monterey Peninsula contains 11 corners, 4 right and 7 left corners, the Laguna Seca track also includes the world famous “Corkscrew” which sees an elevation drop of 59 feet.
Shaun Muir – Team Principal
“It’s good to be back in the US. We want to build on the momentum that we gained at Donington Park last week. Tom is full of confidence. Despite the rules issue that we had at Donington Park we nevertheless came away with a lot of positives. We’re pleased that Markus is fit and well to return at Laguna Seca. We hope he can learn the circuit very quickly and pick up some good pace. Overall we are confident of carrying some momentum; hopefully we can start the weekend strongly and then we aim for some strong positions before we enter the summer break.”
Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director
“We showed at the recent rounds that we are making good progress with the development of our new BMW S 1000 RR. We are gradually closing in on the front-runners in terms of performance. We are now very excited about Laguna Seca. We hope to be able to continue the trend we have seen in recent weeks and to again have a say at the front of the field. Obviously every circuit has its own characteristics, so we will have to wait and see how the specific layout of the track at Laguna Seca suits our RR. We are pleased to have Markus back on board and are ready for the race weekend in California.”
Tom Sykes (GBR)
“I’m very much looking forward to the US round of WorldSBK. Obviously just continuing on from previous rounds it looks like the whole of the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team is gathering good momentum now. It’s just unfortunate that some things went against us at the Donington round which denied us another two strong podium finishes, but we had the pole position and a strong second place on the podium in race one there. Now we’re going to Laguna Seca, a circuit with a great atmosphere and a circuit which I enjoy riding. That coupled with the new BMW S 1000 RR really gives me motivation and I would certainly like to finish before the summer break with a very strong weekend.”
Markus Reiterberger (GER)
"I am really looking forward to finally riding at Laguna Seca. This is my first time there and I am already very excited about the circuit. I will give it everything there and am looking for a good result. We will work hard to find a few details on the bike that can help me to further improve and show even more of my potential. I am looking forward to an exciting adventure in the USA, to work with my team again, to good races and to a great event.”
