Three BMW M 1000 RRs were among the top nine to cross the line in the second WorldSBK main race at Estoril. Michael van der Mark from the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team rode his way up from 14th on the grid to finish sixth on his BMW M 1000 RR. His team-mate, Tom Sykes, finished eighth. Eugene Laverty, competing for the BMW satellite team RC Squadra Corse, wrapped up a strong Sunday in ninth place.

Estoril. BMW Motorrad Motorsport rounded off the second race weekend in the 2021 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) in Estoril (POR) with a solid Sunday: three BMW M 1000 RRs were among the top nine to cross the line in the second main race. Michael van der Mark (NED) from the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team rode his way up from 14th on the grid to finish sixth on his BMW M 1000 RR. His team-mate, Tom Sykes (GBR), finished eighth. Eugene Laverty (IRL), competing for the BMW satellite team RC Squadra Corse, wrapped up a strong Sunday in ninth place. Jonas Folger (GER) from the BMW satellite team Bonovo MGM Racing retired early from the second race due to a technical problem.

Sykes was the best BMW rider in the morning’s Superpole Race, claiming seventh place. Starting from 13th on the grid, Laverty leapt forward from the start and crossed the line in eighth after ten laps. Van der Mark ended the Superpole Race in 13th, while Folger claimed 18th.

In the second race, that featured incidents and falls in the leading group, the BMW riders produced a consistent and error-free performance. As had been the case in Saturday’s first race, van der Mark put on another impressive chasing performance. He started from 14th after the Superpole Race and had already reached the top ten on the second lap. It did not take long for van der Mark to move up to seventh place and he was able to secure sixth spot on lap 15 of 21. Sykes initially fell back from seventh on the grid, but was able to move up again in the second half of the race. He crossed the finishing line in eighth.

Laverty made another great start from eighth on the grid, moving up to fifth. Laverty held third place for a short time after Garrett Gerloff (USA) and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (ITA) retired due to a collision. He slipped back as the race continued, but finished ninth to secure his second top ten result of the day. Folger, however, was forced to end his race on lap three due to a technical problem.


The third round of the WorldSBK 2021 will take place from 11th to 13th June in Misano, Italy.