BMW MOTORRAD:

Both practice and qualifying sessions took place in the wet at the Nurburgring today, but Troy rode superbly and took third position despite the difficult conditions. Richard Cooper, his team mate this weekend, managed to embarrass many of the established stars by finishing in eleventh position – all on his World Superbike debut. Briton Jonathan Rea Honda) took provisional pole, with a time of 2:11.278, with fellow countryman Tom Sykes (Yamaha) second.

Troy – 3rd, 2:12.086
It was full wets all day today and conditions were not so easy. Halfway through the afternoon session it rained so hard and there was a lot of standing water around and it was dangerous to stay out so I pulled in instead. It’s funny because this track has two different surfaces – the old part and the newer part – and the grip level in the wet on the old part is actually better than the new part. I am quite happy because I feel that the connection between the throttle and the engine now feels very direct and so the bike is easier to ride. The power delivery feels more smooth and I am really looking forward to riding the bike in the dry – hopefully tomorrow. I had a bit of a slide on my final lap and lost some time, otherwise I would’ve ended second for sure.

Richard – 11th, 2: 13.391
I am really enjoying this experience and it’s so nice to walk into the garage and feel that everybody is 100% behind me. That makes me happy and that makes my job easier. I supposed the rain played into my hands a bit, but it felt good to go faster than a lot of the regular riders. I crashed because of the standing water in one part of the track in first practice. The back end just came round without warning and I couldn’t save it. I’ve got a bit of a sore backside, but otherwise I’m OK.

Berti Hauser (Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport)
I am more than happy how today has gone and think both riders have done a superb job. Troy has returned from the summer break smiling and that is giving the whole team a boost. This is Richard’s first WSBK race and he has done an excellent job. His crash was just a slow speed fall in difficult conditions and could’ve happened to anybody. He is very professional and is working very well with all the guys and today he should be happy because he finished in front of many of the top guys.