2023 WORLDSBK SEASON FINALE: BMW MOTORRAD MOTORSPORT LACKS THE NECESSARY RACING LUCK IN THE BATTLE FOR THE TOP SIX
- 12th and final round of the 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship at Jerez de la Frontera.
- Top eight results for the BMW M 1000 RR, but more could have been possible.
Jerez de la Frontera. The 2023 season in the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) concluded with the finale at Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the two teams demonstrated that the BMW M 1000 RR had the potential for top six result in Spain as well. However, the necessary racing luck was missing to translate that potential into the corresponding results. The best race results were achieved by Michael van der Mark (NED) and Scott Redding (GBR) from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, both securing eighth positions.
In Superpole qualifying on Saturday morning, Van der Mark claimed a 13th place. The first main race on Saturday afternoon proved to be challenging for both teams with Van der Mark retired after a fall.
The racing action on Sunday commenced with an eventful Superpole race. After the first lap, Redding, Gerloff, and van der Mark were in promising positions of sixth, eighth, and tenth, respectively. However, on the second lap, the race was red-flagged due to a another competitor’s technical issue. After a break, the race was restarted for eight more laps. Van der Mark worked his way up to finish eighth, improving his start position for the second race.
Michael concluded the final race of the season in twelfth place.
Michael van der Mark, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team (SP: 13 / R01: DNF / SP Race: 8 / R02: 12): “This morning, we made a change to the set-up of the bike and I was going at quite a good pace. I was happy with it. In the Superpole race, my first start wasn’t great. I lost some positions. I gained them back really quick but then we had a red flag. At the re-start, I had a nice and a good race, finishing in P8. It was really nice to finish in the top ten so I improved on the grid for race two. I again had a good start but struggled a bit with the grip in the beginning. Then halfway through the race I struggled with the front of the bike. It was quite a long race but at the end we scored some points again which is the most important thing. We know what to work on and I’m happy to finish the last round of the year with some positive results.”