— WSBK debut for Sylvain Barrier with BMW at Jerez
Superstock champion Sylvain Barrier will ride a third BMW S 1000 RR of the BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team for the season finale at Jerez – Markus Reiterberger takes over his Superstock BMW HP4.
Munich/Milano, 9th October 2013. Last weekend at Magny-Cours (FRA), he celebrated an early title defense in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup and for the next round, he will be promoted to the highest class: BMW factory rider Sylvain Barrier will debut in the FIM Superbike World Championship at the season finale at Spanish Jerez (18th to 20th October). The 24-year old Frenchman will ride a third BMW S 1000 RR of the BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team and join the team’s regular riders Marco Melandri (ITA) and Chaz Davies (GBR).
With giving him the opportunity to race in the Superbike World Championship, BMW Motorrad thanks Sylvain for the strong performances he showed in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, especially for the two titles he has won in the past and the current season. At Jerez, the factory team will enter a third RR in 2013 WSBK spec for Sylvain. His crew will be the same as in the Superstock class with additional support by BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport.
“This is really great news, I am so excited that BMW has given me the chance to debut in World Superbikes”, said an enthusiastic Sylvain Barrier. “This is the perfect present for my 25th birthday, which I will celebrate on Sunday at Jerez. The years with the BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK Team have been amazing, and for sure, this will be another highlight. It has always been my target to race in World Superbikes and I want to thank BMW for making this reality. I will give my very best to pay BMW back for this great opportunity. I cannot wait to come to Jerez and to jump on the RR!”
“We are happy to offer this opportunity to Sylvain, he more than deserves this”, said Andrea Buzzoni, General Manager BMW Motorrad WSBK. “He’s been with us for three years and we’ve seen him growing up. Last year he had a competitive bike and he made, once more, a winning bike out of it. This year he won another challenge: to make the new BMW HP4, equipped with an innovative electronic damping system, the DDC, a winning bike on its debut. Sylvain developed this system during the season, showing that he is a sensitive tester and, also, able to understand this new technology. And, in addition, he also confirmed he is a fast and talented rider. There’s no doubt that Sylvain is ready to step up to a higher series. We’re happy to offer him the debut in the last race of the season, on the stage of World Superbike.”
In the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, the duties on Sylvain’s BMW HP4 will be taken over by another rider who impressed on his BMW this season: Markus Reiterberger will race for the BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK Team at Jerez. The 19-year old German is the man of the year in the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM). In only his first full season in the series, he celebrated an early title win. In addition, he started as a wild-card entry at the German round of the Superbike World Championship at Nürburgring, scoring points in both races. Reiterberger also has a wealth of experience of riding with BMW in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, racing a RR in the series in the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
