BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet Team launched at Monza
The BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet SBK Team was presented at the Autodromo di Monza yesterday. The Italian Team will compete in the FIM Superbike World Championship with riders Ayrton Badovini and Michel Fabrizio, and in the FIM Superstock Cup with Sylvian Barrier and new team member Lorenzo Baroni. The occasion also provided an opportunity to present to the press the new title sponsor: GoldBet.
This year, the Roman rider Michel Fabrizio will make his debut in SBK competition with the BMW S 1000 RR alongside Badovini. Michel Fabrizio will bring with him good experience and can count on a fine relationship with many members of the team with whom he raced in previous years. In the Superstock Cup, 21-year-old Lorenzo Baroni will compete alongside French rider Barrier in his second year with the BMW Motorrad Italia Team.
Andrea Buzzoni, Director of BMW Motorrad Italia and Manager of the SBK Project, declared: "The 2011 season was a positive one, both from a business and from a sports point of view. Business-wise, we maintained and strengthened our position as market leader despite the complex socio-economic and market conditions. From a sports point of view, it was a year of apprenticeship, with a brief start-up period, which proved quite exciting; I like to think back to the race in Misano, where the little more than rookie Ayrton claimed 4th place, coming very close to a podium, finishing just six races after our first world championship outing. Despite the fact for all practical purposes the team was able to count on only one rider, on account of James Toseland's physical problems, we earned a place among the top ten of the championship, which had been our objective."
"In 2012, taking advantage of the fact that we were already involved, we began development of the new motorcycles in good time, capitalizing on last year's experience even in terms of more resources being devoted to the project. We believe that we have the technical-sporting competence, the riders (Ayrton strongly on the rise and Michel whose talent is evident), as well as a strong and motivated team that can and must grow even more in terms of competitiveness and results. The objective is to close in regularly on the top five and to join them as often as possible. In Superstock competition, we want to confirm our proven top-level competitiveness and to once again take the title we won so convincingly in 2010. Thanks to the revised BMW S 1000 RR, to the exceptional talents and heart of Sylvain Barrier, to the arrival of a promising young rider, Lorenzo Baroni, and to a team having great experience and professionalism, we are looking forward to the season with determined ambition."
"In addition, the 2012 project has the support of a new Title Sponsor, GoldBet. We are proud of having this important partner with whose help we are confident that we can continue to grow, and on behalf of the BMW Motorrad Goldbet Team I would like to thank them for their confidence."
