Photo credits: BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad’s Markus Reiterberger will be unable to participate in the eighth round of the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) season at Donington Park, United Kingdom. The German rider has suffered from a severe viral infection and a high fever. Reiterberger will undergo further tests in the hospital. He is banned from flying and working. As such, British BMW S 1000 RR rider Peter Hickman will stand in for him in the races at Donington Park.
“We were very sorry to hear that Markus Reiterberger is suffering from a viral infection and is unable to compete at Donington. With Peter Hickman we were able to find a worthy replacement from the BMW family at very short notice. Peter rides a package very similar to WorldSBK in the British Superbike Championship. So it shouldn’t take him long to find his feet. We wish Markus a speedy recovery and Peter good luck for Donington,” says Bongers as quoted from BMW Motorrad.
“We are very sorry to hear that Markus Reiterberger is sick, feels unwell and is not fit to ride this weekend. I thank him for letting us know as soon as possible to give us time to find a replacement. Obviously, it was very important to us to have an existing BMW rider as a replacement rider. Peter Hickman is an ideal choice for us. He is already riding the current bike and he agreed to join us very quickly. So we are very hopeful that he can do a good job for us at Donington Park and assist us with the development of the BMW S 1000 RR. At the same time, I want to thank his team, Smiths Racing BMW, for releasing him for this event. Hopefully, we can have a good, positive race this weekend before we go to Laguna Seca.”
Photo credits: BMW Motorrad
“First of all, I’m sorry for Markus that he is unable to race at the weekend. I wish him a speedy recovery. At the same time, I am happy to step in and support the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team at Donington Park. I didn’t have to think long when I got the call from Shaun Muir. I want to thank the team for the trust and my Smiths Racing BMW team for allowing me to compete in WorldSBK this weekend. And a big thanks to Dunlop UK, as I should have been racing in the French Superbike Championship for them this weekend. They enabled me to do WorldSBK instead. It’s quite some years ago when I raced in this series but I know the BMW S 1000 RR and the track at Donington Park very well.
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