Sylvain Guintoli – A versatile champion joins the BMW team
At the age of 41, Sylvain Guintoli brings an impressive racing career to the team. His successes include two world championship titles: victory in the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) in 2014 and in the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) in 2021. His career is also characterized by active participation in MotoGP. In the future, Guintoli will not only ride for the BMW Motorrad Motorsport test team, but will also compete in the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team in the FIM EWC.
Bradley Smith – MotoGP experience for BMW Motorrad Motorsport
Bradley Smith, 33 years old, is best known for his performances in MotoGP. He began his career in the 125cc class of the World Championship and continued in the Moto2 class before moving up to MotoGP in 2013, where he was active until 2020. Smith is also known as the winner of the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race in 2015. He is now joining the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team as a test rider.
The BMW Motorrad Motorsport team management welcomes the new riders
Christian Gonschor, Technical Director of BMW Motorrad Motorsport, emphasizes the importance of the two new additions: “Welcome on board, Sylvain and Bradley. It’s great that both of them are strengthening our project with their wealth of experience. After so many years in the Superbike and Endurance World Championships, where he also won the title, as well as in MotoGP, Sylvain brings a wealth of knowledge that few others can match. Bradley complements this knowledge perfectly with his many years of experience as a race and test rider in MotoGP. The two of them are the perfect riders for our new test team, which concentrates entirely on testing work on the track, regardless of racing commitments.”
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director, adds: “I am proud that we have been able to put together such a strong line-up under the leadership of Chris, which supports the factory commitments in WorldSBK and the FIM EWC with the test team in the background. It is also a clear sign of BMW Motorrad’s strong commitment to motorsport. The important input provided by the test team has already been evident in recent months and we are convinced that this structure will contribute to its success.”
Guintoli and Smith on their new roles at BMW
Guintoli is confident about his new role: “I am delighted to be joining the BMW Motorrad Motorsport WorldSBK factory project as a test rider. The project is very exciting and I’m looking forward to putting my experience to good use. I can’t wait to get started and have fun with the BMW M 1000 RR.”
Smith also shares his enthusiasm: “Being asked by BMW Motorrad to be part of the test team is a great privilege. I will do my best to deliver what our four WorldSBK factory riders need to be successful in the battle against the best in the championship.”
