BMW will have only its two f🐭actory bikes on the WorldSBK grid in 2025, but that is of little apparent concern for its technical director, Chris Gonschor.

BMW’s downsizing from four to two bikes in 2025 will coincide with Ducati’s presence increasing to eight bikes, as the MGM Bonovo team that ran M1000 R﷽Rs las💧t year will field a single Panigale V4 R this season.

This will mean a reduction in data for BMW on race weekends, and force the𒉰 evaluation of new parts on a race weekend to🌄 the factory riders.

However, it also means that the focus of the race department is more focused on the two riders – Toprak Razgatlioglu and Michael van der Mark – who are spearheading the pꦛroject.

“Luckily I can focus on my bikes and our riders,” BMW’s WorldSBK technical director Chris Gonschor told WorldSBK.com at last week’s B༒MW WorldSBK team launch.

“Having just two bikes on the grid is also a chance because you can focus on two high-class ﷺriders.

“At the end, anyway, just one rider can winಌ the race, and just one rider can win the championship.

“Both of them [van der Mark and Razgatlioglu] are capable to do the job, and I am looking forward to seeing both r🧸iders on the podium, it doesn’t matter in which ranking.”

Gonschor believes that BMW’s two-rider test team, which will consist this year of Endurance World Championship regulars Sylvain Guintoli and Markus Reiterberger, will be able to compensate for any disad⛎vantage incurred by BMW’s lack of WorldSBK race bikes this year.

“I’m not afraid of the situation,” he said.

“We have two strong race bikes on the gri♋d and we have the test team in the backgrounꦫd so we can do the work we need to do anyway, we can do the work in the test team even more and more hard.

“So, we gain the information and the test items in the test team, the race team will receive feedba🍎ck and the part🍨s verified and optimised.”

Gonschor added: “We have Markus Reiterberger and Sylvai𒐪n Guintoli as our test riders for this year, so they can do a parallel job doing the test team work additionally to the endurance racing,” Gonschor sౠaid.

“So, they keep sharp, they make experience in b𝓀oth ജchampionships.

“This is the best ‘win-win’ situation for the whole BMW M♕otorsports group ဣbecause we get experience from different riders on different bikes in different teams – like endurance racing, superbike racing, and test team.”

Gonschor added, though, that the test riders will likely not be wildcarding this year, saying “Wildcards [are] not the target ꦜfor 2025.”

Superconcessions, “Our bike will be according to the regulations” - Gonschor

Superconcessions is another key part of BMW’s season, with them losing their Superconcessions for the 2025 season but other manufacturers concerned that their 2024 parts wil𓂃l carry over to the new🅺 season with their new M1000 RR homologation.

“Based on the regulations,ꦬ we can carry on our concession parts,” Gonschor said.

“There are some discus♓sions about fine-tuning the regulations. In case the regulations will change, our bike will be according to the regulations; so let’s see and wait the final outcome of the regulations, [...] and when we are in Phillip Island our bi💧ke will be perfectly prepared according to the regulations.”

Gons꧃chor added that he has no doubts about the M1000 RR being homologated in time for the season, with𒀰 the homologation process set to be carried out by the FIM

“Our bike will be definitely fully homologatꦐed,” he said.

“I think in two weeks [the last week of January] they [the FIM♋] come here to make the homologation for the 2025 model.

“We are fully prepared, and t⛎here is definitely no doubts to be not prepared – everything will be sorted and in Phill💛ip Island we will be ready to race.”