Tyco BMW boss Philip Neill believes the switch from Suzuki to the German manufacturer was the motivation his team needed to continue at the highest level in British Superbikes after 2014 left them ‘at a low’.
Only able to finish ninth and tenth following a year of scoring the most points with Josh Brookes in 2013 left Neill and his team feeling deflated and he says they ran the risk of falling further behind had they not embraced the chance of running S1000RR tackle.
“We were at a low it has to be said and we needed to do something. Then all of the circumstances came together; it all was exactly the motivation that we needed. We operate as a very close team, like a family. If anyone is lacking motivation it can easily spread. In the end everything came together for us,” said Neill, speaking to bikesportnews.com.
“Racing started as a passion for both my father and myself, but now it is a business. We employ staff; there is a lot of money involved in putting budgets together and if we do not have the passion we can’t do a good job. Without making a major change we may have lacked motivation for 2015. You cannot change how you feel.
“We have tried really hard over the years and the package we had with Suzuki was very good. For instance, in 2012 we had 26 podiums with Josh Brookes and after scoring the most points over the season we only lost the title in the Showdown. Even with these results we were still being questioned by our riders, our sponsors and the public regarding our competitiveness and over time that can be difficult.
“We had two years of that although 2014 was a big factor with us having an under-power season in BSB. Josh Waters did well for us winning two races. However, ninth and tenth are not the kind of championship results we are striving for.
“Two more years like that and our BSB days could be over, I fear. As a team based around passion it would be difficult to keep going without the results we desire. Our challenge now is with the new BMW package. The proof is there, now we have to harness it and make it work for our riders.”
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