BMW MOTORRAD MOTORSPORT KICKS OFF THE 2023 WORLDSBK SEASON WITH THE NEW BMW M 1000 RR
- Phillip Island and Mandalika: Overseas double-header to open the 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship.
- ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and Bonovo action BMW Racing Team run the new BMW M 1000 RR.
- BMW Motorrad factory riders Michael van der Mark, Loris Baz, Garrett Gerloff and Scott Redding look ahead to the first races of the year.
Phillip Island – The 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship opens with two back-to-back overseas events for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. This weekend (24th to 26th February), Phillip Island in Australia hosts the opening round of the season. Just one week later (3rd to 5th March), the WorldSBK circus is at Mandalika, Indonesia, for round two. The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team and BMW Motorrad factory riders Michael van der Mark (NED), Loris Baz (FRA), Garrett Gerloff (USA) and Scott Redding (GBR) are set for their race debuts with the new BMW M 1000 RR.
The new generation of the BMW M 1000 RR was launched in October 2022 and serves as the basis for the World Superbike for the 2023 season. The new bike’s aerodynamics, in particular, have undergone comprehensive optimisation. At the same time, BMW Motorrad Motorsport has spent the winter developing specific racing components to be used in WorldSBK.
The two teams completed their pre-season preparations with the official tests at Phillip Island on Monday and Tuesday. The teams and the four riders used both days to fine-tune their bikes ahead of the opening races.
Michael van der Mark, #60 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “It was nice to have another two days of testing. We had a solid plan, tried a lot of things, mainly with the electronics but also with the suspension. We did not change the bike completely but it was just small things we wanted to try and re-confirm. It has been good days of testing but as always in testing you want more time, but I think we can be quite happy. We had no problems so I am starting the weekend quite confident. At the first two rounds, we for sure need to be in the top ten. It seems that the midfield in WorldSBK is really tight now and I think we can expect some really good battles but we improved the bike a lot over the winter, step by step. Maybe not in the single-lap pace but over race distance and feeling for us. So I am looking forward to start the season. To be racing at Phillip Island and in Indonesia is amazing, two really good but completely different tracks. For me, the winter has been long enough and I can’t wait to start racing.”