The action is relentless as the 2011 FIM Superbike World Championship enters its final stage. Just one week after the Italian job in Imola, Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport heads to Magny-Cours (FRA) this weekend (30th September to 2nd October) for the penultimate round of the season.
After eleven race weekends, BMW Motorrad factory rider Leon Haslam (GBR) is fifth in the Rider’s Championship with 187 points. His team mate Troy Corser (AUS) is 15th with 71 points. In total, the two have scored 258 points for Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport this season. In the Constructors’ Championship, BMW currently lies fourth with 232 points. Only the manufacturer’s best result from each race counts towards this competition.
Leon Haslam
“Magny-Cours has always been a pretty good circuit for me. Last year, I rode my very first laps on the BMW S 1000 RR there. It is always a little bit cold when we get there, but it is the same for everybody. We have two races to go, and we definitely want to get back on the podium. These last couple of races are very important.
Magny-Cours is a circuit that should suit the RR. You have a lot of heavy downhill braking and corners that require you to switch down from sixth gear to fourth gear. As a result, the stability of the bike is once again very important for this circuit. It is also crucial to have the right set-up for the conditions.”
Troy Corser
“Magny-Cours is quite a special circuit. It has lots of hairpins and some pretty fast chicanes. The grip there is normally pretty good. However, when we race there it can be quite cold, especially in the mornings. And then you have the possibility of rain. This can influence the grip level. We’ll have to wait and see what the weather is like. I really enjoy the circuit. I had a few good results there, including some pole positions. It was also one of the first places where I actually tested the RR. So it will be nice to go back there, as I have some good memories.
Important factors at Magny-Cours are the top speed of the bike and the braking. You brake from very high speeds down to the slowest corners that we have on the calendar. This is especially the case on the end of the back straight, where you brake from over 280 km/h down to under 50 km/h. So you need good stability on the brakes and a smooth connection, as the corners are quite tight. I think our RR will work well there.”
Bernhard Gobmeier, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director
“We have a score to settle with Magny-Cours after last year. We want to reproduce the fine performances we have shown in recent races, but convert these into results that reflect the level of performance. We made more important findings in Imola last weekend, and are now looking to put these into practice in Magny-Cours. We hope the temperatures there are not so high. That would help us in terms of tyres and grip. In that case, we would have every reason to be confident. Our goal is to put on another excellent show and enjoy a successful penultimate race weekend.
Magny-Cours has already proven to be a successful stomping ground for the RR this season. The BMW Motorrad France 99 team finished on the podium there at the iconic Bol d’Or, the first race in the Endurance World Championship, in which the team still maintains hopes of winning the title.
