Team LRP Poland – the endurance heroes from Poland.
Munich. One of the fixtures in the FIM Endurance World Championship is Team LRP Poland. Team owner and rider Bartlomiej Lewandowski unites an enthusiastic racing family around him. Since 2016, the Warsaw based privateer team has been competing in the EWC class of FIM EWC with BMW and excites with passion, fighting spirit and strong results. Most recently, Team LRP Poland finished the Bol d’Or at Le Castellet in eighth of the EWC class and tenth overall. Lewandowski shared duties on the #90 BMW S 1000 RR with Dominik Vincon and Pepijn Bijsterbosch, both also team regulars. In the team’s overall FIM EWC 2022 standings, Team LRP Poland claimed tenth place.
Bartlomiej Lewandowski
© Team LRP Poland / Pawel Rogalski
Lewandowski himself started racing in 2010 and next to FIM EWC, he also raced in the Polish Championship, the Alpe Adria Motorcycle Championship and last year also in the International German Motorcycle Championship IDM. In an extensive interview, Lewandowski speaks about the keys to success, the amazing spirit in the team, the fascination of endurance racing, the BMW Motorrad Motorsport family, future goals and much more.
An interview with Bartlomiej Lewandowski.
Team LRP Poland at the Bol d’Or
© Team LRP Poland / Pawel Rogalski
At the Bol d’Or, the team finished in a strong P8 in the EWC class and P10 overall – what were the keys to this success in this legendary 24-hour race?
Bartlomiej Lewandowski: “On a technical side, the key was to prepare the engine in the right way. Having raced at the Bol d’Or many times before we knew that the long Mistral straight takes a huge toll on the engines, causing them to overheat and simply blow up, so it was crucial to balance the engine temperature and the overall performance. We got it absolutely spot on, as we had no issues with the temperature but also delivered great performance, including the highest top speed of the entire race, an impressive 349 km/h. Another key is the human factor. We have a unique team of young, enthusiastic mechanics, students of the Wroclaw University of Science and Technology. We are giving them the chance to taste the FIM Endurance World Championship and they reward us with an amazing dedication. One of our team members, Kamil Malcherek, was even defending his master degree thesis online in the team truck during the Bol d’Or and did it successfully with the highest score possible. How cool is that?”
We never give up and do our best to finish every race.
“Bartlomiej Lewandowski
Dominik Vincon, Bartlomiej Lewandowski & Pepijn Bijsterbosch
© Team LRP Poland / Pawel Rogalski
The team are real fighters – one good example was also the 24-hour race in Spa, where you grit your teeth after a crash in qualifying and rode 40 laps to start the race and Dominik and Pepijn then did the rest of the race. Is that fighting spirit typical for the team and one of its strengths?
Lewandowski: “I did two stints early in the race, around 40 laps in total, in order to give my two teammates some time to rest and recover. Unfortunately I wasn’t able and wasn’t allowed to ride any longer, as after the crash in the qualifying I was suffering from injured ribs and a bruised lung. The painkillers were no longer working and after five laps I simply couldn’t breath while on a bike, so our team doctor told me I couldn’t continue. That kind of fighting spirit is our strong point. We never give up and do our best to finish every race. Even at the Bol d’Or last year, when we had a technical issue with one hour to go, we decided to go out with one of the riders pushing the bike around that final lap to make it to the finish. In the end we did it and that gave us an eighth position in the race. We always fight until the end.”
It also seems that the team is like a big family – is it?
Lewandowski: “Absolutely! This is our motto – going to the races with a smile on our faces as being a part of a World Championship is a great privilege for all of us. To keep that frame of mind in the entire team it’s important that as a team owner I make sure that we maintain that family atmosphere.”
#90 BMW S 1000 RR, Team LRP Poland
What would you rate as the team’s biggest success to date?
Lewandowski: “Rather that highlighting one particular race, I’d say that our biggest success is building and developing such a great team. We started as an amateur outfit with three riders and six mechanics. Now it’s a pretty big effort, with a couple of team trucks, a great hospitality unit at the track, big technical know-how and infrastructure and most importantly great people who want to work with us. Our partners see this as well and want to work with us. They see our passion to deliver the results that we get. In the end we’re able to finish all the FIM EWC races inside the top ten, we finished all the races this year, again, and finished inside the Top 10 in the overall standings for another year.”
What makes endurance racing so exciting, why are you doing it?
Lewandowski: “That’s a great question! Endurance racing brings out the character from both the riders and the teams. It separates the men from the boys. It’s really demanding but it’s also a great show with a fantastic atmosphere trackside, very passionate fans both at the grandstands and during the amazing pit walks and watching on TV worldwide. Each race is a unique, separate story and a battle we have to continue until the very end.”
It is simply the best race bike in the world. No doubt.
“Bartlomiej Lewandowski
#90 BMW S 1000 RR, Team LRP Poland
Why did you choose to ride a BMW?
Lewandowki: “That’s very simple. Having started our partnership with BMW all the way back in 2012, we were able to gather a lot of data and experience which brought us to the conclusion that it is simply the best race bike in the world. No doubt.”
How well do you feel in the BMW family?
Lewandowski: “We feel great, otherwise – even if the bike itself is great – we wouldn’t be a part of this family for a decade now. The technical part is very important but so is the atmosphere and the right ‘chemistry’. As we’ve said, that family atmosphere in the garage is very important for us and that’s also very much the case when it comes to BMW’s approach to its teams, so we’re a great fit.”
Dominik Vincon & Bartlomiej Lewandowski
© Team LRP Poland / Pawel Rogalski
The 2022 FIM EWC season is over – what are your plans and goals for next season?
Lewandowski: “Our plans are very ambitious but it’s a little bit too early to show all of our cards just yet so make sure you follow us on all of our social media platforms, including our bi-weekly YouTube vlogs. Some big news will be coming soon but all I can say now is that of course we’ll be back in the FIM Endurance World Championship and will continue to aim higher and higher.”
Are there any motorsport dreams you still want to fulfill?
Lewandowski: “The ultimate dream, or rather our goal, is simple; become World Champions together with Team LRP Poland.”
