SBK, Petrucci asks BMW to fix the issues: 'We are not happy'

Assen below expectations for Petrucci and BMW: clear improvements are needed to be protagonists in the upcoming Superbike races.

The round at the TT Circuit was not thrilling for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team, which arrived at Assen hoping to perform well after Miguel Oliveira’s three podiums at Portimao. Even if the characteristics of the “Cathedral of Speed” don’t suit the M 1000 RR particularly well, the expectation was to do much better than what we saw this weekend.

While Oliveira struggled from the start and never truly recovered, Danilo Petrucci had shown a good level in free practice and Superpole and seemed to have top-5/6 potential. Unfortunately, in Race 1 he was penalized for a jump start and then dropped to the back due to a mistake made while serving the first long lap. In the Superpole Race he finished seventh, just behind Xavi Vierge, while in Race 2 he came ninth, less than a second behind Andrea Locatelli.

Petrux was aware that the TT Circuit would be tricky for him and BMW, but he thought he would be able to be more competitive: “We’re not happy,” reports Speedweek, “even though we knew it would be difficult. We’re strong on the brakes, but at Assen there aren’t many heavy braking zones. We’re quite strong in qualifying when we have traction, but that only applies for one lap and with the extra-soft tire. When rear grip drops, the bike becomes difficult to ride. In the first half of the race I was still quite close to the leaders, but I expected more, I wanted more.”

Improving rear grip to achieve more effective acceleration is essential to make the M 1000 RR stronger in the upcoming Superbike World Championship rounds: “We’re not good at acceleration,” explains the Umbrian rider, “and we only make up ground under braking. That’s why we have to push the front hard, which wore out before the rear. It wasn’t the weekend I expected.”

It had already been evident with Razgatlioglu that Assen wasn’t the best place for BMW, but the three-time SBK world champion was able to patch things up with his enormous talent. Replicating what he did isn’t possible: we’re talking about one of the strongest riders to have raced in the championship, a true phenomenon. There’s a lot of work to do in the garage to be constant podium contenders with the Petrucci–Oliveira duo.

The areas to address are clear, and Petrucci hopes to see progress for the future, because weekends like the one just passed generate a bit of frustration: “We had electronics problems—he adds—we lacked mechanical grip, and I don’t understand why I lose so much at the start. We also need to work on corner exit. At the beginning, the rear wheel would just spin; if it didn’t spin, we’d wheelie. It was a constant alternation between spinning and wheelies. The power delivery of our engine is very smooth, but we’re not putting it all down to the ground: that’s the problem. As for top speed, we’re not bad.”

Danilo’s analysis is clear, and the ROKiT BMW Motorrad team has received all the feedback necessary to try to improve the M 1000 RR. The next Superbike round will be at Balaton Park on the weekend of May 1–3; the Hungarian track features points where hard braking is important and could favor Petrucci and Oliveira more. It’s essential to show up in Hungary with some solutions that allow progress in the areas the riders currently consider weaknesses.