SBK, BMW increasingly Jekyll and Hyde

Since returning to SBK in an official capacity, in 2019, the German manufacturer has achieved just one win, in the Superpole Race with Michael Van der Mark at Portimao 2021, and eleven podiums. Not enough for a manufacturer like BMW that is investing so much to get back to the top in SBK. This season has seen Scott Redding score just 63 points, two more than Garrett Gerloff. Redding confessed at the end of his home round that he never knows what to expect from his bike: “I was quicker on Sunday than on Saturday but without knowing why”. A statement that should not just worry the BMW technicians, but particularly Toprak Razgatlioglu who will be riding the factory M1000RR as of next year.

Mr Hyde: crashes, injuries, and some mediocre races

Last weekend, Scott Redding was back fighting for the podium after making an incredible recovery in race 2. He crossed the line fourth, just behind Danilo Petrucci, the former MotoGP rider very happy with the result. At his home track, he was able to score a first podium with BMW last year, the bike having improved significantly thanks to the arrival of new Kalex swingarm. Performance remained strong throughout the central phase of the championship, the Brit reaching the podium in race 1 at both Magny-Cours and Most. But in the final stages, Scott and BMW were unable to take another step and slipped out of the top five.

During this first part of the championship, the M1000RR has already taken its toll on the season, and probably the career, of Michael Van der Mark. The Dutch rider was injured at Assen and still may not be ready to return for Imola. Michael will carry out a test this week and then decide what to do. The Donington weekend again highlighted a BMW in difficulty, particularly on Redding’s side, while Tom Sykes was called in to replace the injured VDM. In race 1 Redding was able to pass his team-mate on the very last lap to close eighth, 12” from Alvaro Bautista. Sykes was then knocked out by his M1000RR at the start of race 2 with a violent highside that left him with ten broken ribs and a long recovery ahead of him.

A Doctor Jekyll kind of Sunday

In race 2, and despite Scott starting from ninth, the rider appeared more aggressive. He easily broke away from the two factory Kawasakis in the final stages and pushed to move in on Danilo Petrucci. The gap during this final race of the weekend dropped to just 9”, despite Bautista running a race roughly 15” quicker than Saturday’s and also considering that the restarted race was one lap shorter. If Redding really didn’t touch anything on the bike between the two races, then his M1000RR allowed him to finish not just fourth but to improve by around 20” on his race time, for an improvement of roughly 1 second a lap!

The step forward is important but without an explanation it will be heard to repeat in future. And this just doesn’t just worry Scott Redding, who still need to clarify his future plans, but it should also bother Toprak Razgatlioglu: the Turk has chosen BMW as his new personal challenge but this looks to be a real gamble right now. The ‘musical chairs’ will likely be completed between Imola and Most. Redding has said he wants to continue with BMW although we find it hard to envisage him aplaying second fiddle to Toprak. Baz, Gerloff and Van der Mark also want to stay put but someone will have to make room for the Turk, unless Puccetti, with its long-term relationship with Kenan Sofuoglu, doesn’t leave Kawasaki and switch to BMW. It’ll be all hands on deck in Munich over the summer anyway, as the manufacturer strives to find continuity and grow a project with which Toprak Razgatlioglu seeks to chase the title over the coming years.