After winning four Superbike titles in the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM), Markus Reiterberger has now conquered Asia as well on the BMW M 1000 RR. At the fifth of six rounds of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC), the 29-year-old Bavarian clinched the title early today, Sunday. He won both races at the Zhuhai International Circuit and is now uncatchable in the overall standings.
During Friday’s practice sessions, Reiterberger first had to get used to the layout of the track, which was unfamiliar to him. The 4,319-meter course in Guangdong Province is China’s oldest permanent racetrack. However, by setting the fastest time of the day on the very first day, Reiterberger made it clear that victory on Saturday and Sunday would go through him.
In qualifying, the Obing native set a new track record in his BMW. In the first race, he took the lead early on and drove a controlled race to victory. By winning Sunday’s race, he clinched the championship title ahead of schedule. The season finale will take place in early December at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand.
Reiterberger had a breathtaking weekend, as he himself puts it. “On Sunday morning, we tried a modification to the bike during the warm-up. That allowed me to improve my performance even further, and I was able to ride almost as fast on used race tires as I was on the qualifying tires. In the second race, I got off to a great start. It was close in the first corner, but I took the lead. I was able to build up a small lead, but I had to give it my all until the end of the race. In the end, it was enough for a start-to-finish victory and the early championship title. I’m very grateful to my team. They provided me with a very good bike. We’ve had a great season so far and can race without pressure in the finale.”
