Since debuting in British superbike, the Munich-based manufacturer has had a number of fluctuating seasons, characterized by very few victories, few podiums, occasional access to the showdown and some un encouraging performances. Rightly or wrongly seen as an unfulfilled promise of the championship, with only Ryuichi Kiyonari able to consistently bring the bike to the top positions in 2014, Last weekend everything was undermined after a masterful and historic double victory in Knockhill by Danny Buchan on the brand new M1000RR from BMW SYNETIQ by TAS Racing.
Team managers Philip Neill (left) and Danny Buchan (right) celebrate in the garage after the race
Performance below expectations
As mentioned earlier, ‘King Kiyo’ was initially the only man (either thanks to his proverbial talent or his experience in the UK) to climb the top step of the podium six times. Subsequently, the updated version of the S1000RR was useless and had great difficulty adapting the ShiftCam system (changing the stroke and timing of the inlet valves) to the individual MoTec control unit. Despite the great commitment of the German manufacturer, they were no better than a pitiful third place as the best result in the past two years. With a view to 2021, BMW decided to revolutionize its plans with the introduction of the M1000RR. modernized in terms of engine and aerodynamics and its potential caught several BSB protagonists right from the start, including Danny Buchan.
Up and down career between BSB and Stock 1000
From a past in the National Motocross Championship, Aprilia Superteens, Formula 400 Kawasaki and British SuperStock 600, he finished third in the Stock 1000 in Great Britain in 2011. Born in Essex, who rose to the top class in the middle of the year, impressed the fans right from the start with fourth place in Cadwell Park. Apart from a short stay in the British SS600, In 2014 he won the Stock 1000 title with Morello Racing, followed by an encore in 2017 wearing the same outfit, punctuated by ups and downs in BSB. Back at FS-3 Racing, Buchan has taken three poles, two wins, eight podiums and fourth overall in 2019 in the past three years. it was time for a change of scenery: After more than ten years of partnership with Kawasaki, the choice fell on the glorious TAS Racing, BMW’s benchmark squad in Great Britain, which was also aiming for a promotion.
Glory in Knockhill
While the Oulton Park lap was a test case to familiarize yourself with the qualities of the bike, the real spark came in Scotland. Leading in both free practice sessions, third in qualifying and race 1 within 24 hours. He actually had a bad moment when he had to make a Marquez-like parade while he was in the lead. After overcoming this disappointment in the Sunday races he defeated his rivals in one fell swoop, with two different strategies: overtaking Iddon in Race 2 and pulling away, happy to overtake a quickly recovering Skinner in Race 3 just moments before the crucial red flag. This double victory marked the renaissance of driver and team: a fourth career win for Buchan, for Philip Neill’s team it was the first since Thruxton 2016 and since 2017 for BMW. Too long, almost an eternity.
The 28-year-old has a special flair for the Scottish Railways, bear in mind that he has won three of his four wins there, and he finally showed the (true?) value of the M1000RR against proven opponents, like the Panigale V4-R and Yamaha YZF-R1 and the improved Ninja ZX-10RR (demonstrating the maximum balance in BSB). In addition he has restarted his chances as a title contender (-20 from Iddon, but with 11 podium credits, important for the showdown). Now all that’s missing is the litmus test: to stay competitive on every type of route so that the bewitched title doesn’t turn into a utopia.
Photo credit: Double Red Photography.