12 Hours Estoril: BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team ready for round two of the FIM EWC 2021.

Estoril. The stage is set for the second round of the FIM Endurance World Championship 2021 (FIM EWC): This Saturday (17th July) BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team will take on the 12-hour race at Estoril, Portugal. After third place on the podium at the season opener, the 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA) in June, Werner Daemen’s team is confident ahead of the second endurance race with the new #37 BMW M 1000 RR.

The #37 M RR will be ridden by Markus Reiterberger (GER), Xavi Forés (ESP) and Kenny Foray (FRA), the fourth rider of the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, at Estoril. Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) will be in action in the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) at the Nürburgring (GER) at the same time. Forés was recently forced to sit out races after injuring his wrist in the British Superbike Championship (BSB) but was able to take part in the Estoril test rides without any restrictions on Tuesday, and was given the go-ahead to race at the weekend by the official FIM race doctors on late Tuesday afternoon. Eugene Laverty (IRL) was on hand just in case Forés was unable to ride, which is why he also completed test laps on the #37 BMW M 1000 RR on Tuesday.

Last year the 12-hour race in Estoril was held as the season finale in September. From third on the grid, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team took an early lead and broke away from the pack. After a fall and ensuing repair break, the team battled its way back up the field from 19th place to finish the race in seventh place.

In addition to BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team, privateers BMW Team LRP Poland will also be in action at Estoril with the #90 BMW S 1000 RR.

Quotes ahead of the ‘12 Hours Estoril’.

Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “Our goal at Estoril is to carry on where we left off with the strong performance at Le Mans. We proved the potential of our new BMW M 1000 RR in endurance racing. We were initially pushed back down the field due to a technical issue, but the team resolved it quickly. The test on Tuesday was promising once again, so we are optimistic going into the race weekend. All three of our riders, Markus, Xavi and Kenny, were riding at the same very high level once again so we are well-prepared and hope to be as strong as we were at Le Mans. Thanks also go to Eugene for coming to Estoril at short notice to jump in as reserve rider if necessary.”

Werner Daemen, Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “If you see the result from Le Mans where we finished third despite some setbacks, I expect that we will aim for the podium again as a minimum. If we stay on two wheels and if we don’t have any technical problems, which I’m not expecting, I think we will be among the frontrunners, going for the podium or maybe more.”

Markus Reiterberger: “We’re very confident and highly motivated going into the second race of the FIM EWC season at Estoril. We have good memories of last year’s event, and it’s a fantastic track that should suit our motorbike and the tyres should perform well again there. I expect that it will be really hot, which will be a big challenge for everyone but we are well-prepared. The team has been working on the motorbike intensively since Le Mans, and I hope that we will be able to take the next step and do battle for the win with our package. We’re hoping for a great, accident-free, successful weekend. I’m really looking forward to Estoril.”

Xavi Forés: “I am really focused on the Estoril race. It is going to be a very important race for us because we had a good finish at Le Mans, so the feeling we have from the bike and the tyres is quite good. I hope that Estoril will suit us all. Last year, the team did a great job there and I was also fast in World Superbikes there so hopefully we can do a very good job. The target definitely has to be to go out and try to fight for the win.”

Kenny Foray: “I am really looking forward to being part of the #37 BMW M 1000 RR line-up in the second round of the FIM EWC season. It is great to be back on the bike and to ride with Reiti and Xavi. I think it is possible to secure a strong result. I will give it my all to help the team to be successful, I will definitely enjoy this week and I am sure that we will be strong.”