New BMW Superbike Team to debut at The Bend

More M 1000 RR BMW Superbikes on the ASBK grid

In recent years BMW has been ably represented in the ranks of the Australian Superbike Championship primarily through Next Generation (NextGen) Motorsports. A tie up between Shane Kinderis and his SKR workshop and Alpine Performance Centre at Whorouly in northeast Victoria. Wayne Hepburn’s Hepburn Concrete Services, Nathan Webb’s Zoom Recruitment and Greg Stevens’ Signpro. 

Maxima Racing Oils have also backed their efforts which in recent years have primarily been concentrated on helping Glenn Allerton compete at a high level in ASBK.  Since the formation of the team highlights have included two Australian Superbike Championship Titles, in 2011 and 2014, both titles coming with Glenn Allerton at the controls. 

Shane Kinderis has been responsible for building the motorcycles, tuning them and setting up the motorcycles at the circuit, along with technician Brad Lewis and other hands on help from the likes of Glenn’s dad George and some other keen supporters. 

Kinderis will run Glenn Allerton himself next year and at this stage could run under the existing NextGen Motorsports or S1K Racing banners as they shoot for Glenn’s fourth Australian Superbike Championship crown, and their third together as a team. 

Glenn Allerton tested at Winton last week and has been testing at Phillip Island this week. On Tuesday Glenn circulated the 4.445 kilometre circuit quicker than they have ever been before, Breaking the 300 km/h barrier consistently every lap and revelling in the performance of the new M 1000 RR.

Allerton and Kinderis have also not given up hope of wrestling the 2021 Australian Superbike Championship crown this year from the hands of Wayne Maxwell. Allerton will arrive at The Bend 32-points behind series leader Wayne Maxwell, but with 51-points up for grabs in South Australia, it’s not over yet… 

As it stands at the moment the Kinderis family will only run Allerton in 2022, but if finances allow could expand to a two-rider outfit.  

The remaining personnel from the original NextGen squad will go their own way and form a new team called BMW Alliance Racing. That means Wayne Hepburn, Nathan Webb, Brad Lewis and Greg Stevens will all back and be integral parts of the new team. 

Nathan Spiteri and his Livson Construction business will be a part of the new BMW Alliance Racing outfit and Nathan will also race an M 1000 RR for the new team. Spiteri envisages his role will eventually evolve to be more as part of the team organisation when he eventually decides to no longer compete.

Spiteri’s team-mate at BMW Alliance Racing will be 21-year-old Lachlan Epis. Lachlan has displayed improving speed this season and his current intention will be to race two more seasons in Australia before pursuing a dream to race in Europe, something he has done quite a bit of already with starts in European Superstock, World Supersport and most recently a couple of World Superbike rounds on a TPR OutDo Pedercini ZX-10RR.  

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While Kinderis has built the current M 1000 RR BMW motorcycles that Alliance BMW Racing will field, the next builds and ongoing technical work for the new team will move to their premises in Melbourne’s western suburbs under the stewardship of Jake Skate. 

The new look team will hit the track for the first time at a Phillip Island two-day test later this month before heading to The Bend to contest the final round of the Australian Superbike Championship on the first weekend in December. 

Wayne Hepburn told MCNews.com.au that the new team came together almost by accident and at this stage is a work in progress.  However, they are determined to become a force in ASBK and help Lachlan build some consistency towards top five results. The eventual plan for the future is to then bring young new riders through into the category with the backing of the people behind the team. 

ASBK Superbike Championship Points Standings