Tom Sykes to remain with the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team for 2020

07.09.19

Autódromo Internacional do Algarve

We can confirm that Tom Sykes will remain with the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team for the upcoming 2020 season. Sykes has had an impressive maiden season on the new BMW S 1000 RR in only its first year of competitive racing, collecting 3 podiums and a pole position so far.

Sykes will join forces with Eugene Laverty for the 2020 campaign who put pen to paper last month. With the new line up heading into next year, the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team will be looking to mount a serious challenge on the front runners in what looks to be an exciting season ahead.

Shaun Muir

Team Principal:

“As expected we have taken the option in Tom contract and extended it for a further year, this is good for our continuity and for the development for the BMW S 1000 RR. We hope that we can we progress further up the grid and fight for regular podium finishes in 2020.”

Marc Bongers

BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director:

“Continuity and stability are critical factors for the success of a project. Tom Sykes has consistently moved in a forward direction with the new BMW S 1000 RR. This is the fruit of harmonious collaboration. Which is why we are delighted to be continuing this shared journey in the upcoming season.”

Tom Sykes:

“I’m very excited and proud to be continuing in to the 2020 season with the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. After such a successful year so far with the all new BMW S 1000 RR, which is still very early in its development gives me great motivation moving forward. I really enjoy the development part and we are certainly moving in a strong way. Of course, with the support from the whole of the team and the prestigious BMW brand my expectations for the 2020 season will certainly move higher and back to where I feel most natural. I will also take this moment to welcome Eugene onboard, I am looking forward to having him as a team mate for 2020.”

Sam Lowes joins Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS for 2020

The British rider will race in the famous colours of the Belgian-Hispanic structure in 2020 aiming to fight for ambitious goals. Next year will be the sixth season in Moto2 for Lowes and previously he has claimed 11 podiums, three victories and eight poles.

Born in Lincoln (England) on September 14, 1990, Sam Lowes will join the Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS in 2020, which will be his sixth season in the intermediate category.

The Briton arrived in the MotoGP World Championship in 2014 after being crowned World Supersport Champion in 2013 with Yamaha. After three seasons in Moto2, Lowes made the leap to MotoGP with Aprilia in 2017 before returning to the intermediate category one year later. He has raced a Kalex chassis during the 2019 campaign, which saw the introduction of the new Triumph 765cc three-cylinder motor.

Throughout his World Championship career, the British rider enjoyed great success in Moto2 with 11 podiums, three victories (Austin 2015, Jerez 2016 and Aragón 2016) and eight poles.

In Moto2, Lowes has ridden three different bikes (Speed Up, KTM and Kalex) and he has demonstrated great speed and competitiveness with all of them.

SAM LOWES, rider:

“I am very happy and grateful to have the opportunity to join what I consider to be the best Moto2 team. Alex Márquez is doing a great job this year and having him as a team-mate will allow me to learn a lot from him. I have gone through some difficult times throughout my career and I think my time has finally come. I’m really looking forward to working with everyone on the team. It’s a dream come true and I will do everything in my power to return the confidence placed in me in the form of great results.”

MARC VAN DER STRATEN, Team Owner:

“It’s great news to add Sam to our team. We know him well and we know his talent as a rider and his values as a person. He shares the philosophy of the team, our way of seeing and doing things, and that’s very important. He has proven to be a fast rider, but I think he can still give a lot more in a team like ours that will put all the tools available at his disposal. I am convinced that he can bring us great success and happiness. Without a doubt with Alex, they will form a great pairing that we hope to see regularly on the podium.”

JOAN OLIVÉ, Team Manager:

“I think Sam’s arrival in the team will bring us a lot of positive things. He has a lot of experience in the Moto2 class and has had great results in the past. He has a lot of potential. If you look at his numbers you can see that he is a talented rider who can go very fast. We hope to set up a working group where he feels comfortable and can prove his worth. No doubt we will give a rider all the tools they need to do it. I think he can fit in very well with the team and together with Alex Márquez they will form a very high level partnership. Both riders have a very positive character and understand perfectly that the objective and philosophy of the team is to always fight for the maximum with both riders. I think 2020 will be a great year.”

Ben Spies Returns to Portimão on Tenth Anniversary of his World Title

Ben Spies will return this weekend to the scene of his greatest triumph, as Yamaha welcome the former FIM Superbike World Champion as a special guest for this weekend’s WorldSBK round at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, Portugal.

It was at the Portimão circuit that Spies clinched the FIM Superbike World Championship for Yamaha in 2009. The American returns to the track this weekend, to mark the tenth anniversary of his world title with a parade lap ahead of WorldSBK race 2 on Sunday, aboard the 2020 variant of the Yamaha YZF-R1 on which he won the championship a decade ago.

Having dominated the AMA Superbike Championship, with three consecutive titles in what was then one of the most fiercely contested domestic championships in the world, Spies made the move to WorldSBK for the 2009 season, to campaign the all-new YZF-R1 for the Yamaha factory team.

A direct descendant of the 2004 M1 Grand Prix machine on which Valentino Rossi secured Yamaha their first MotoGP World Championship title in the modern four-stroke era, the revolutionary 2009 YZF-R1 and WorldSBK rookie Spies were to prove a potent combination.

Racing at tracks he’d never seen previously and against vastly more experienced rivals, Spies immediately made his mark on the world stage aboard the YZF-R1. Having qualified on pole position for the first round of the season at Phillip Island, Spies went on to secure victory in the second race in Australia to become the first American to win in WorldSBK since 2002.

The Texan backed this up by winning both races from pole position at the next round in Qatar and, as a result, was immediately touted as one of the favourites for the 2009 WorldSBK title, despite his relative lack of experience on the world stage.

The American newcomer certainly lived up to expectations, racking up 17 podium finishes over the course of his rookie season, including 14 wins in the 28 races over which the 2009 WorldSBK Championship was contested.

A specialist when it came to the high pressure Superpole shootout, Spies qualified on pole position for all but three of the 14 WorldSBK rounds that season, a record that still stands to this day.

Spies’ last WorldSBK win came in Race 1 at Portimão, which in 2009 was the venue for the final round of the season. The victory meant that the Yamaha rider lined up for the final race of the season with a 15-point advantage over Noriyuki Haga at the top of the championship standings. An intelligent ride to fifth place in the final race was enough for Spies to clinch the title by six points and move to MotoGP the following season as the reigning Superbike World Champion.

No American has been crowned as FIM Superbike World Champion since Spies and the dominance with which he won the title in his debut year was even recognised by the U.S. House of Representatives, with Congressman Louie Gohmert stating from the floor “Ben Spies is to be congratulated upon his winning the 2009 FIM Superbike World Championship. He has no doubt blazed a trail for future successes with his steady hand, nerves of steel, and balance like nowhere found here in the House of Representatives.”

Although forced to retire from racing due to injury at the end of the 2013 season, Spies continues to ride on both road and dirt, with Yamaha YZF-R1 and YZF450F machines taking pride of place in his garage.

Ben Spies

2009 Superbike World Champion

“I’m really excited to come back to Portugal on the 10th anniversary of my winning the World Championship title with Yamaha. In 2009 we had the odds stacked against us for sure but the team I had behind me was incredible and the WorldSBK paddock was one to remember.”