Werner Daemen covers his face with his hands and shakes his head. “An Endurance World Championship race is just as demanding as an entire IDM season.” For weeks now, the Belgian has been carrying a backpack filled with file folders, which he keeps glancing into. The individual sheets contain technical drawings. “We have to manufacture all the parts for the endurance motorcycle ourselves. Nothing is off-the-shelf.”
There are thousands of things the manager of the new BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team has to take care of—and keep in mind. Yet Daemen would have more reason to celebrate. A week and a half ago, Ilya Mikhalchik defended his title in the IDM Superbike 1000 class with his alpha Racing-Van Zon-BMW team. But the celebration will have to wait until the finale at Hockenheim.
Why? The Ukrainian and his teammate Julian Puffe are part of the new BMW project and will already be competing in the next event. The new endurance team’s debut is just around the corner: the 24-hour Bol d’Or classic in Le Castellet, in southern France. It is the season opener of the 2019/2020 FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC).
The trio of riders—Kenny Foray (F), Julian Puffe (D), and Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR)—will take turns at the handlebars of the BMW S 1000 RR bearing start number “37.” Bastien Mackels (B) will serve as the reserve rider. With the exception of Foray, they are all top riders from the IDM Superbike 1000 series. The 83rd edition of the Bol d’Or starts on Saturday, September 21, at 3:00 p.m., and ends 24 hours later on Sunday afternoon.
The #37 RR is based on the BMW from the Superbike World Championship. It has been modified for endurance racing. These modifications include, among other things, a larger fuel tank, a quick-fill system, and quick-change wheel mechanisms. The electronics have been adapted to meet the requirements of the FIM EWC, and the engine is designed for durability and fuel efficiency. Why the race number “37”? It’s derived from the company EMC37, which has been active in endurance racing for years and whose owner, Steven Casaer, has been appointed Technical Coordinator of the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team.
“Our debut season is intended to be a learning year, during which we hope to make steady progress,” says Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director. Ilya Mikhalchik, whose goal is to maintain a good pace throughout the weekend, admits that he also wants to enjoy riding the factory bike.