Pre-season run at Barcelona to help BMW Motorrad Motorsport prep for 2022 WorldSBK

BMW Motorrad’s motorsports division is painstakingly preparing for this year’s FIM Superbike World Championship, and the team’s two-day run at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya proved to be a fruitful pre-season test run.

“We confirmed the engine with all riders as a positive step. We also were strong in regards to top speed but we clearly lose in sectors two and four, especially when accelerating out of the fast corners. Here we definitely still have to work on our package, in combination with setup and traction control. We were able to go through a lot of test items also with the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team,” said BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Marc Bongers.

According to BMW’s motorcycle arm, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team had a comprehensive test schedule and evaluated numerous new components and setup solutions for the BMW M 1000 RR.

Among the things they worked on were the rims, wiring loom, and electronics. The team also tested several chassis components during the test run in Barcelona.

“We had some minor technical issues here and there, but that’s the purpose of the tests, to identify them at an early stage. Those were topics we can well react on. In general, we are happy but we still have to work on the pace to close up to the top,” Bongers added.

Putting the BMW M 1000 RR through its paces was rider Scott Redding and Ilya Mikhalchik, the former coming in as a replacement for the injured Michael van der Mark. Their session gave the team engineers relevant riding data, which they hope will help them improve their performance in the upcoming motorcycle race.

“It was good to have two days of testing here in Barcelona. We have made some improvements with the bike and the electronics which is important for me and the team. Then we had to try a few test items, tried the different tires to get a feeling, tried again the electronics. We worked a lot and we did make some improvements which are good,” said Redding.

The next test is scheduled for April 4 and 5 at MotorLand Aragón, the same venue that will host the opener of the 12-round 2022 WorldSBK season.

Photos from BMW Motorrad

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