BMW kick off the official team launches in Berlin with reigning champ Toprak Razgatlioglu and Michael van den Mark
BMW Motorrad Motorsport unveiled its plans for the 2025 season with a launch event in Berlin, outlining its goals for the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) and FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC). The focus remains on pushing the limits of the BMW M 1000 RR across both series, where the team fields two factory programmes supported by a strong roster of riders.
In WorldSBK, BMW will continue to compete as the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, managed by Team Principal Shaun Muir. The team aims to maintain its momentum with reigning World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu, who enters his second season with the manufacturer. Razgatlioglu made a dramatic impact in his first year with BMW, winning the title and proving the potential of the M RR. He will be joined by Michael van der Mark, who remains one of the team’s most experienced riders, entering his fifth year as a BMW factory rider.
The squad will once again utilise the updated version of the BMW M 1000 RR, which has been modified for the 2025 campaign to meet the demands of an increasingly competitive WorldSBK grid. As reported by AMCN, BMW may debut some new developments to their M 1000 RR aerodynamic package for 2025.
Elsewhere, BMW continues its participation in the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) under the leadership of Werner Daemen, with the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team having secured third place in last year’s overall standings. The rider line-up includes Markus Reiterberger, Sylvain Guintoli, Hannes Soomer, and new team member Steven Odendaal. The endurance squad’s season begins with the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 19–20 April. BMW’s commitment to international road racing and the British Superbike Championship will also see experienced riders such as Peter Hickman and Davey Todd represent the manufacturer.
BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team’s preparations for the 2025 season will continue with pre-season tests at Jerez, Spain (5–6 February), and Portimão, Portugal (11–12 February), with the season officially igniting in anger with the first races at Phillip Island on 22–23 February.
Toprak Razgatlioglu: “It was the second time we did the launch in Berlin and it was even better than last year. Everyone was really happy because now we came here as World Champion. It was exciting. We will now head into the new season. Everyone will see the number one on my bike. In general I am happy. It looks like we are ready to start the season. I hope that we can achieve a lot of success this year, especially together with Mickey. Thank you very much to everyone for the support!”
Michael van der Mark: “It was nice to be here after one year. In this last year, we could see that a lot of people became fans of not just Toprak but of BMW and our entire WorldSBK project. It’s fantastic to be here, and it’s nice to start the season that way. Everything is looking fantastic and now I just want to race the bike. We finished last season so strong with the double podium, I think this is where we should start. I want to get as many podiums as possible. I think the ultimate dream of everyone in the team is to have the riders’, the teams’ and of course the manufacturers’ championship. That would be a nice goal and if we continue like last year, it should be possible.”
Shaun Muir (Team Principal ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “It is great to be here in Berlin. It has been twelve months since we set off the project with Toprak and Michael as a pairing. It is fantastic to see the new 2025 BMW M 1000 RR in the new paint scheme. It’s looking really good. We are just happy that it is now January, pre-season testing starts in one week’s time and then we are quickly off to Australia. The expectations are very high because of the successes both Michael and Toprak had last year. We would like to get one step further for sure to get the manufacturers’ and riders’ championship and also Michael in the top three or four in the World Championship would be sensational. The test team have done everything possible to give us the tools to do the job and we are excited to go to the track. It has been great to be here, to see all the fans, the sponsors and we are looking forward to start the season.”
Christian Gonschor (Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport): “I am very excited about the new season, and today’s event showed that the entire BMW Motorrad Motorsport and BMW Group are fully behind this. We had both factory racing programmes here, and there couldn’t have been a better way to start the year. The riders were happy, the fans were thrilled, and we as technicians and engineers were as well. The new BMW M 1000 RR is an outstanding foundation for the future. The goal remains, as always, to be successful and to approach every race with full focus. Naturally, we aim to defend the title in WorldSBK. We are now the ones to beat, which presents a challenge for any manufacturer as competitors grow stronger – but so will we. In the Endurance World Championship, we also aim to win the title, and I think that in 2025, with the new motorcycle, the new rider lineup, and the complete team package, we are very well positioned to succeed in endurance racing as well.”
