After his one-two finish in the IDM Superbike at the Schleizer Dreieck, title favorite Markus Reiterberger had only a brief moment to catch his breath. The flight to Japan was soon on its way. This coming weekend, the Bavarian will compete in the Suzuka 8 Hours with the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team.
This racing classic marks the third round of the 2022 FIM Endurance World Championship. After winning the 24 Hours of Spa in early June, the crew knows what it’s capable of and is hoping for a similar result in Japan. In Asia, Markus Reiterberger (GER), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR), and Jérémy Guarnoni (FRA) will take turns in the saddle of the #37 BMW M 1000 RR.
Due to the pandemic, the Suzuka 8-Hour Race could not be held for the past two years. This marks the first appearance at Suzuka for the team led by Team Manager Werner Daemen. Nevertheless, most of the team is familiar with the 5.821-kilometer track and the event from previous years.
Here’s what Markus Reiterberger has to say: “I’m really looking forward to the race. I’ve been here twice before with Team Penz13. The track is breathtaking, but very difficult to learn. We’re still a little behind the top teams, but we’re not giving up and we’re continuing to work hard. It’s going to be a grueling weekend. Temperatures have been extremely high over the last few days, but they’re supposed to drop a bit. Our approach to an 8-hour race is the same as for a 24-hour race: always go all out.”
The Suzuka 8 Hours has always been the most important race of the year for Japanese manufacturers. Accordingly, they regularly field factory teams bolstered by top international riders. This year, BMW Motorrad is the only European manufacturer represented at Suzuka with a factory team. Given the strong competition, Werner Daemen would be absolutely satisfied with a fifth- or sixth-place finish on his debut at the track.
The eight-hour race starts on Sunday, August 7, at 11:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. CEST).