One of the first highlights of the year for BMW Motorrad Motorsport was held last weekend in France: the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. At the “Circuit de la Sarthe”, the new BMW S 1000 RR had a successful debut at this endurance classic. In addition, privateer BMW Motorrad riders have been in action in championships all around the globe this weekend. They were on track in several European countries, the US and Japan. With their results, the participants of the 2015 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy also collected important points for the Race Trophy rankings.
FIM Endurance World Championship: 24 Hours of Le Mans, France.
This is without any doubt one of the toughest challenges for man and machine: the “24 Heures Moto”, the legendary 24-hour race at Le Mans (FR). Last weekend, the “Circuit de la Sarthe” hosted the 38th running of the endurance classic as the season opener of the 2015 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC). For the BMW Motorrad Motorsport community, it brought several successful firsts. It was the Le Mans debut for the new BMW S 1000 RR, which was entered by BMW Motorrad France Team Penz13.com with the support of the BMW Motorrad Motorsport engineers. For team principal Rico Penzkofer’s (DE) squad it was a debut, too. After successfully competing in the Superstock category of the EWC over the past years, Penz13.com now represents the colours of BMW Motorrad Motorsport and BMW Motorrad France in the highest Superbike class, with Le Mans being its first race in the new category. The team is collaborating in its EWC campaign with the squad of Van-Zon Remeha BMW around Werner Daemen (BE), which is well known from the Superbike*IDM / International German Championship (IDM).
The team and its riders, Markus Reiterberger (DE), Pedro Vallcaneras (ES) and Gareth Jones (AU), who stood in for the injured Bastien Mackels (BE), bravely mastered all challenges presented by the 24 hours. In qualifying, they secured P5 on the grid for the new #13 RR. Despite some setbacks at the beginning, which can even happen to established teams at any time, the trio fought its way back towards the front. Even in the final stages of the race they kept an impressively fast pace. After the long 24 hours, Reiterberger powered the RR over the finish line in a strong seventh overall and fifth in the class.
In 2015, Penz13.com is also still involved in the Superstock class, joining forces with Völpker NRT48 in the Völpker NRT48 & Penz13 by Schubert Motors team. Riders Marco Nekvasil (AT), Steve Mercer (GB) and Hayato Takada (JP) brought the #48 BMW S 1000 RR safely through the 24 hours as well. Eighteen-year old Nekvasil, who was the youngest rider in the entire field, had the honour to do the final stint. He took the chequered flag in 16th overall and eighth in the Superstock class. Another first at Le Mans was the participation of the British BMW team, Prime Factors Racing. The 2014 British endurance champions are competing in their debut season in the Superstock class of the EWC. Riders Stefan Cappella (GB), Gary Mason (GB) and Barry Burrell (GB) finished 20th overall and ninth in class.
Status: 22nd April 2015
| Pos. | Name (Nat.) | Series / Class | Points |
| 1 | Matthieu Lussiana (FR) | MT1GP GP | 88,89 |
| 2 | Lance Isaacs (ZA) | SAM | 78,00 |
| 3 | Pekka Päivärinta / Kirsi Kainulainen (FI) | SWC | 61,33 |
| 4 | Emeric Jonchiere (FR) | FSBK STK | 55,38 |
| 5 | Roberto Tamburini (IT) | STK1000 | 50,00 |
| 6 | Hayato Takada (JP) | EWC STK | 48,00 |
| 7 | Florian Brunet-Lugardon (FR) | FR EU | 46,77 |
| 8 | Michel Amalric (FR) | FR EU | 44,31 |
| 9 | Alastair Seeley (GB) | BSB STK | 39,27 |
| 10 | Cyril Brunet-Lugardon (FR) | FR EU | 36,92 |
| 11 | Nicholas Kershaw (ZA) | SAM | 36,19 |
| 12 | Madjid Idres (FR) | FR EU | 30,77 |
| 13 | Florian Drouin (FR) | FR EU | 25,85 |
| 14 | Marcel Irnie (CA) | AMA STK | 24,42 |
| 15 | Stefan Cappella (GB) | EWC STK | 24,00 |
