Sir Lancelot Aims to Race Back Up the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy Leader Board With many riders (52 and counting) representing lots of different nationalities in a whole series of national and international championships, it would be impossible to predict a winner of the new BMW Motorrad Race Trophy, which launched earlier this year. However, some strong contenders are already beginning to appear, including South African Lance Isaacs, who was one of the early leaders of this innovative and unique series. In an exclusive interview, Lance tells BMW Motorrad why he is now thinking and acting globally and locally – all at the same time... By the time you read this, Black Swan Racing BMW rider Lance Isaacs has slipped out of the top three of the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy leader board. This fast moving, pioneering one-make, but multi-national race series uses a complicated formula to determine rider points, based on their performances in championships all over the world. In early June, Lance had been leading the early standings, but a recent four-week break in his Super-GP Champions Trophy in South Africa means that he has to wait until the next round at Port Elizabeth on Sunday 27 July for a chance to score his next points. Meanwhile, other BMW Motorrad privateers in series such as the International German Motorcycle Championship (Superbike IDM), the French Superbike Championship and the Spanish Superbike Championship have all been in action, scoring points towards the Race Trophy and thus making up ground in the overall standings. For Lance, it is of little concern, as he knows that success in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy doesnt depend on how many races you compete in, but by a complex and balancing formula where points are scored towards the Trophy based on individual results achieved in specific championship races. At the end of the year, the world’s best BMW Motorrad privateer will be crowned, and a total prize purse of 100,000 Euros is up for grabs – a significant incentive for any privateer! Whats more important to Lance though, is that this series has a chance to put a rider “on the international map” without them having to leave their own country to do it. Having raced all over the world in World Superbikes, AMA Superbikes, Supersport and even the BMW BoxerCup, the BMW Motorrad South Africa ambassador has family and business interests in his native country which demand time and commitment. However, he is also dedicated to racing, and loves the idea of a championship that allows your name to travel worldwide, without your feet having to leave the ground! “The BMW Motorrad Race Trophy really makes you feel connected to the rest of the racing world, and this is why it has been great from a global perspective,” says Lance. “Im sure that whoever wins it, will really put themselves and their country on the map. I didnt realise that a country like Brazil had its own SBK championship until I started reading about all the other nations and riders participating in the Race Trophy. Having this special series really brings the world closer together in terms of racing, but it also offers the opportunity for new talent to be discovered and given international exposure, and that has to be a good thing.” Having the idea to bring all of these national series together into one global championship is also a very smart way of connecting directly to the customers, according to Lance, who has raced all over the world, but is currently the only rider contesting the highly-competitive South African series on German machinery. “Right now Im the only BMW rider in the South African Superbike Championship, and I guess about 75 per cent of the competitors are on Kawasakis,” he says. “We made the decision last year that we wanted to race the S 1000 RR for the season and Ive stuck to my guns. But knowing that there are other guys out there, doing the same thing in other countries, connects us to the worldwide BMW family. Weve got great dealership support from Bavarian Motorcycles of Centurion, Pretoria, and my race mechanic Eddie Henry has lots of prior superbike experience on BMW bikes. He worked as part of the development crew on the original RR race project with Steve Martin, and has also worked within the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team with riders such as Troy Corser, Marco Melandri and Leon Haslam, so hes well placed to help me out. I raced in the BMW BoxerCup championship a decade ago and I can tell you that the brand has come a long way in the last 10 years, especially from a sporting perspective. Its really come on leaps and bounds and it’s great to be working with BMW Motorrad again.” For Lance, who owns a Graphic design and advertising company called 38 INDESIGN (38 was his original WSBK race number, which he has carried on using throughout his career) being involved in racing is a great talking point among clients, especially those who are motorsport fans, and has certainly helped him in business. However, as the saying goes, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy and when Lance is away from the office and the racetrack, he loves to take a dual-sport BMW and just enjoy one of the best places in the world to own and ride a motorcycle. “South Africa is a beautiful country which is great for exploring on two wheels, especially on bikes like a GS. I live in Cape Town and from there you can ride around 700 kilometres off road along the coast. There are so many options to try and youll never tire of the riding or the views. I enjoy riding my F 800 GS which is a very nice bike. Id like to try the R 1200 GS boxer but I think it would be a bit too heavy for me.” With a win and a lap record at the last round of the Super-GP Champions Trophy at the East London Grand Prix circuit, Lance and the Black Swan Racing BMW S 1000 RR moved back up to second place in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy. However, at the time of writing, a series of races elsewhere means that Lance has already slipped down to seventh in the points table, due to other races in the IDM and French Superbike series. Furthermore, there is more race action due in the Spanish CEV and Canadian Superbike series before Lance gets the chance to race again at Port Elizabeth, so watch this space and well let you know if he is racing back to the top again...
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 07:11:06 +0000
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