The BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team are in Thailand for Round 2 of the 2019 World Superbike Championship, held this weekend at the Chang International Circuit.

The “destination of speed” was added to the World Superbikes calendar in 2015 and has since become an exciting addition to the series, with two very long straights and a combination of seven right corners and five left, totalling 4.544km in length.

The Chang International Circuit this weekend is set to see temperatures reach 40 degrees centigrade and the humidity to soar at 80%, making for difficult conditions for both the riders and the mechanics.

Sykes heads into round two of the championship in ninth position with 12 points on the board, having secured two top twelve finishes at Phillip Island. Markus Reiterberger sits in 15th position with 7 points to his name.

With the first round out of the way both riders will be looking to add some solid points to the standings.

Shaun Muir – Team Principal

“It’s going to be a very tough weekend for everyone with the temperatures soaring at 40c, but we are confident we can continue the good work we made in Australia and slowly bring some new ideas to the table to make another step forward for Buriram.

The team have done some good work in-between Phillip Island and Buriram which we can implement here and hopefully improve our pace come the race, which is our main aim. "

Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director

“We have taken a lot of positive things from Australia, but we have also clearly seen in the races where we are still behind and which areas we need to focus on in terms of further development.

Due to the short time between the two race weekends the fact that the material has not returned to the team headquarters between Australia and Thailand, we will only bring certain technical updates.

These are aimed primarily at the reliability for the upcoming heat battle. We look forward to the next event where the atmosphere is always great, and we will be able to gather more important experience there on the way forward.”

Tom Sykes (GBR)

“It always great to come and race at the Buriram circuit here in Thailand. Obviously my main focus this weekend is still to continue the development of the new BMW S 1000 RR, I’m feeling really confident in some ways but given our experience in the race at Phillip Island one of my only concerns is in the two long straights with the speed deficit we have.

However, the chassis on the BMW S 1000 RR is really good and is capable of taking on the rest of the field. I am looking forward to starting the race weekend and hope that we can continue the good progress made from winter test period. Roll on Friday!”

Markus Reiterberger (GER)

“I really like Thailand. Firstly, because my best result in the Superbike World Championship came there – fifth place in 2016. Secondly, because the track really suits my riding style.

There are a lot of sections where you have to brake hard, which is my strength and something our new RR is also very good at. We just have to try not to lose too much on the long straights and then to make up in the corners what we are still currently losing on the straights.

However, we are all working hard and I think that Thailand can be a good hunting ground for us. The heat will make it challenging for everyone, but we are well prepared and I believe we can have a good weekend. I am determined to do well and already looking forward to the weekend, as I really like the track and we found a positive trend in Phillip Island, which we will now carry into the race in Thailand.”