The 2019 Bennetts British Superbike Championship opened over the Easter weekend at Silverstone on the National circuit giving the Tyco BMW team a first glimpse at the pace of the all-new BMW S1000RR in a competitive pack, after pre-season testing.
After a solid start during race one in the superbike class, both Christian Iddon and Keith Farmer got caught up in racing incidents, dropping them back down the field and then having to fight their way back up the order, demonstrating the potential of the S1000RR as further development continues during the season. Christian and Keith sit 13th and 15th respectively in the Championship standings.
Despite showing promise, Andy Reid was victim to bad luck in the Superstock class when he was tagged by another rider and forced out of both races in Saturday’s double-header. Race two was more promising for the Northern Irish rider as he crossed the line in twelfth place.
The team remain focused about the potential package of the BMW S1000RR and head to Oulton Park for an official test ahead of round two of the Bennetts British Championship at the Cheshire track on the weekend of May 4 to 6. Philip Neill, Team Manager said: “We leave Silverstone a little frustrated although to be fair the potential shown by each of our riders this weekend on the 2019 S1000RR exceeded our expectations considering our limited pre-season preparation schedule. Christian had the pace for top six in race one when a small technical problem halted his progress. In race two both Keith and Christian showed pace strong enough for the top six however a small error cost each rider the opportunity to fulfill that potential. It’s very early days with the new BMW S100RR and we can’t wait to be shown its full potential.”
