On Saturday, in Barcelona, BMW won a long World Superbike race for the first time since its return to the championship with an official team in 2019. More precisely, it had not won since 2013 (Chaz Davies in the second Nurburgring race). Markus Flasch, CEO of the German brand's motorcycle division, witnessed Toprak Razgatlioglu's success live. After the victory, the new head of BMW Motorrad spoke about the brand's future in motorsport.
“I've already told Shaun Muir, the team boss, that he has to learn to win even when I'm not there,” joked the new CEO of the BMW motorcycle organization immediately after the Turk's performance.
Flasch is a staunch supporter of racing and describes his visits to races as the “icing on the cake” of his job as CEO. But did he expect BMW to be able to win so early in 2024?
“It would be wrong to say that I expected it to happen so soon. But when BMW races, it does so to win,” clarified Flasch, who is enthusiastic about the way the team is working, and particularly impressed by the collaboration between Razgatlioglu and Michael van der Mark.
“I like what I see in terms of the attitude and professionalism of the team. I am also very satisfied with the work of the drivers. I really liked the collaboration between Michael and Toprak in qualifying. This is what I want to see. This embodies the values of our brand I'm very proud,” he said.
After winning on a difficult track in the past, it is clear what the goal is for the rest of the season. “I spoke to Shaun and he told me that he is very happy with the support from BMW. The goal is to win the championship,” explained Flasch.
Why BMW shows interest in MotoGP
In recent weeks, Flasch has already expressed his desire to enter MotoGP. For years, the Motorcycle World Championship was not a matter of interest to BMW. The Bavarian company has instead focused on series derivatives to promote its existing models.
“It's no secret that I have a great passion for MotoGP,” said Flasch. In the past he was in MotoGP as head of BMW M and had the opportunity to see behind the scenes of the premier class.
“But we won't make decisions just because the CEO has some passion,” he said. “Our task is to be successful in World Superbike. At the same time, we are evaluating the direction Superbike is taking and whether it makes sense for us to take a step forward.”
Flasch stressed that BMW first wants to achieve its goals in Superbike before making the leap to MotoGP. It remains to be seen whether the WSBK project will continue if BMW switches to MotoGP. “It's too early to tell,” Flasch said.
BMW does not want to race despite the new 2027 MotoGP regulations
2027 could be the ideal time to participate in MotoGP, as new regulations will be introduced around that time. Motorsport.com has already reported that 850cc engines will be used and that aerodynamics will be limited. Additionally, a ban on lowerers is being discussed behind the scenes. The cards will be reshuffled and all builders will have to start from scratch.
“We are in contact with Dorna and we are talking about the regulations. It is part of our evaluation. The 2027 season would be an obvious time to start. But this does not force us to make a decision,” confirmed Flasch.
Toprak Razgatlioglu
But why is BMW suddenly interested in a MotoGP project? Is the new CEO the driving force? “The key to a decision is to convince people of the idea. A strategic analysis is needed. Funding is only one aspect. Branding is another. If the analysis is convincing and has internal support, the decision does not depend from who is the CEO of BMW Motorrad”, underlined the CEO.
For Flasch, technology transfer is not the main reason for entering MotoGP, but focuses on marketing. “The most important aspect is the brand. MotoGP is about branding and global reach. That's why companies are involved. Technology transfer is another aspect, but it's only the second most important point,” he concluded .
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