BMW Motorrad substitutes riders for WorldSBK development testing at Aragón
With both regular riders injured, BMW Motorrad used substitute riders Michael van der Mark and Hannes Soomer for development testing at the WorldSBK Aragón round.
- 7th
- 10th in Race 2
- 18th
What Happened
At MotorLand Aragón, the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team was forced to compete without regular riders Miguel Oliveira (shoulder injury) and Danilo Petrucci (fractured coccyx). Substitute riders Michael van der Mark and Hannes Soomer took over riding duties on the BMW M 1000 RRs, focusing on development work for the remainder of the season. Van der Mark achieved a notable lap time under 1:48 for the first time, while Soomer contributed solid testing despite crashes.
“Of course, it was a somewhat unusual weekend for us, but we made the best of the situation. Our objective here was not to fight for the podium – for us, this was a test under race conditions.”
under 1:48 minutes
First time lapping the circuit under 1:48, confirming positive development.
Why this matters
The testing helps BMW Motorrad improve the BMW M 1000 RR's setup for the second half of the WorldSBK season, despite missing regular riders due to injury.
Terms in This Story
- WorldSBK
- FIM Superbike World Championship, a production-based motorcycle racing series.
- FIM EWC
- FIM Endurance World Championship, a motorcycle endurance racing series.
- Superpole
- A qualifying session that determines the starting grid for WorldSBK races.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.