We celebrate the champions in Brazil.
Munich. The BMW Motorrad Motorsport family added more titles to its collection in recent weeks. In SuperBike Brasil, multiple BMW racers were crowned champions in various classes: Maxi Gerardo, Raphael Santos, Peri Cunha and Danilo Anselmo. In the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, Markus Reiterberger had already been confirmed as champion since the penultimate event of the season, and he enjoyed more success at the finale in Thailand. The 2023 season also drew to a close last weekend for the BMW racers in the Australian Superbike Championship.
We are also continuing our series of interviews with BMW champions from the 2023 season. This time: Markus Reiterberger, Ivo Lopes and Maxi Gerardo.
Images © 2soulphoto
The topics in this newsletter.
- SuperBike Brasil: It’s raining titles for BMW racers in South America.
- ARRC: Champion Reiterberger wins again at the finale.
- ASBK: Season finale at The Bend.
- Part two of our series of interviews with 2023 BMW champions.
SuperBike Brasil: It’s raining titles for BMW racers in South America.
Maxi Gerardo
© 2soulphoto
The BMW Motorrad Motorsport family had not just one title but several to celebrate at the finale of this season’s SuperBike Brasil, which took place in São Paulo at the end of November. Maxi Gerardo from the BMW Rider Experience team was crowned champion in the top class, PRO Superbike. Raphael Santos (TRC Performance) won the title in two classes: Evo and Evo Pro. Titles also went to Peri Cunha (Superbike Light) and Danilo Anselmo (Superbike Rookie Light).
Maxi Gerardo: Champion in PRO SBK.
The title in the top class, PRO SBK, was contested fiercely all season. Ten races were held this year, in São Paulo and at other racetracks throughout Brazil, with the lead in the championship changing hands regularly. In the end, it was a BMW racer from Uruguay who came out on top. Second place behind rival Gui Brito in the final race was enough to earn Maxi Gerardo the title. Gerardo became the first international rider to be crowned champion in SuperBike Brasil.
“The main goal in the race was to win the title,” said champion Gerardo after the finale. “However, I saw the opportunity to challenge for the race win and tried to apply a bit of pressure, without taking too many risks. Gui also rode a very good final lap and took the race win, but the most important thing for me was the championship. We did it! I would like to thank my whole team for the job they have done this season. It was very difficult to win this title. I would also like to thank the people of Uruguay who supported me, and everyone who came here to cheer me on.”
Double champion Raphael Santos.
Another of this season’s main protagonists was BMW racer Raphael Santos, who won the title in two SuperBike Brasil classes: Evo and Evo Pro. The rider from the TRC Performance team was impressively consistent over the course of the season. “The key to winning the title was to score points in every race. We also believed that we could win every race. We knew that we were competitive at all the circuits. Then it was just a matter of having the best set-up for the respective track in every race,” explained Santos.
He and TRC Performance came into the season with the goal of being crowned champions. “When the season began, we already firmly believed that we could win the title,” said Santos. “We knew that we were always competitive, but also that all our opponents were very strong. They pushed us to be faster all the time, and to ensure that the bike and I improved consistently. We knew our potential as a team and riders, and never stopped believing in the title.”
ARRC: Champion Reiterberger wins again at finale.
Markus Reiterberger
© twmr_photography / Onexox BMW TKKR Racing Team
Markus Reiterberger, who was crowned champion of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) at the penultimate event of the season in Zhuhai, ended the year with another victory. Reiterberger finished runner-up in the first of two races that made up the ARRC finale in Buriram, Thailand. He then took his place on the top step of the podium in race two. That victory presented his team Onexox BMW TKKR Racing with the title in the Team competition.
Right from the opening practice session, things went far better for “Reiti” and his team than they had done at the season-opener, which was also held at Chang International Circuit in Buriram. He set the fastest time of the day on the Friday and missed out on pole position by less than a tenth of a second on the Saturday.
Markus Reiterberger
© twmr_photography / Onexox BMW TKKR Racing Team
Reiterberger led the first race for many laps. In the closing stages, he started having issues with the front tyre and had to manage his pace. A very aggressive overtaking manoeuvre by a rival stood him up in the final corner, as the German tried to avoid crashing out. Reiterberger was forced off the track, for which he was handed a track limits penalty and classified in second place.
His reply was swift and emphatic. On Sunday, Reiterberger took the lead after an exciting battle with Zaqhwan Bin Zaidi. He then refused to be beaten in the final race of the season and brought a more than successful year to a close like a true champion.
Markus Reiterberger
© twmr_photography / Onexox BMW TKKR Racing Team
“The start of the weekend was very successful,” said Reiterberger. “We were out in front on Friday. That was a big relief, having had a few issues here in Buriram in the spring. My start to race one was superb. I felt really good and moved to the front. I was then able to open a comfortable lead. In the closing stages I felt that the front wheel was wanting to fold in. I nearly crashed a few times and no longer had any feeling in the left-handers. I slowed down a little and managed my lead. To be honest, I did not expect anyone to be there in the final corner. What followed was a gung-ho move. If I had not stood my bike up, then we would both have crashed. I was first across the finish line, but was then handed a penalty. But what was I supposed to do? On Sunday, we tried something out in the warm-up, but unfortunately it did not work so well. My crew really worked hard for the race and gave me a perfect bike. I could not find a way past Zaqhwan at the start of the race. He kept closing the door on me. However, the battle with him was clean and really enjoyable. At some point I managed to get past him and was able to show my full potential. After Saturday’s disappointment, I responded on the track and won the race. A big thank you goes to the team for the tireless work they have put in all year. It was a great year. Thank you also to BMW, the sponsors and everyone who has supported me this year!”
ASBK: Season finale at The Bend.
A long 2023 season drew to a close last weekend in the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK). The finale took place at The Bend in southern Australia and consisted of a further two races. Glenn Allerton from the GT Racing Team finished fifth and fourth.
The season, which started in February at Phillip Island, consisted of 16 races. Allerton claimed five podiums and ended the year in fourth place in the championship.
Ted Collins finished tenth and eighth in the final two races of the season.
Interview Markus Reiterberger: Asia champion from Bavaria.
Markus Reiterberger
© twmr_photography / Onexox BMW TKKR Racing Team
Markus Reiterberger has added another title to his collection in the 2023 season. “Reiti” has been champion four times in the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM), he became European champion in the FIM Superstock 1000 European Championship, and now he is also champion in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. Reiterberger started in the series at the beginning of the 2020 season, but then the coronavirus pandemic disrupted all plans. In 2023, he returned to Asia and competed again with the Onexox BMW TKKR Racing Team. The fact that some of the tracks were new to him posed no problems for Reiterberger. He collected wins, podium finishes, and lap records race after race, and so was already crowned champion at the penultimate season event in Zhuhai, China. At the finale in Buriram, Thailand, he added more success. Overall, Reiterberger claimed seven races and two second place finishes in the twelve races of the season. In the interview, we talk to him about the season in Asia.
Interview Ivo Lopes: Double champion in Portugal and Spain.
Ivo Lopes
© Kezman Ferreira
It’s every racers dream to become a champion. To win the title twice in a championship, is an even bigger achievement. And to win titles in two different championships in the same year? What can you say – that is exactly what Ivo Lopes managed to do this year. The 27-year old Portuguese rider can look back onto a more than successful season with the easyRace BMW Team and the BMW M 1000 RR. He completed his first mission of the year in September, being crowned champion in the Portuguese Superbike Championship with ten wins out of ten races. Then in October, he added his second title win in the Spanish Superbike Championship after 2021, at the penultimate round of the year at Jerez de la Frontera. We speak with Ivo about this stunning season.
Interview Maxi Gerardo: Our champion from Uruguay.
Maxi Gerardo
© 2soulphoto
South American BMW racers also know how to win titles. One such rider is Maxi Gerardo, the newly crowned PRO Superbike champion in SuperBike Brasil, a series that saw several BMW champions in different categories. Gerardo and Team BMW Rider Experience won the title in the highest class of the championship. He finished all ten races of the season on the podium, collecting two wins, six second-places and two third-places in the highly contested category. In an interview, we learn more about the 28-year old rider from Uruguay.
