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In depth: why TAS Racing switched to BMW for BSB 2015

A change made total sense for the  TAS team, but it also came amid much heart-searching for the men from Moneymore in Northern Ireland. The Neill family had a long and happy relationship with Suzuki and it was tough for them to break the mould with the switch to race BMWs ahead of the new season.

The switch to the German marque’s latest S1000RR machines brings with it exciting new challenges, as the team prepares for busy campaigns. They will use the machines both in the hunt for the MCE Insurances British Superbike crown and on the roads, where they will target the Isle of Man TT, North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix in their Tyco BMW colours.

Team owner Hector Neill and his team principal son, Philip, have had a hectic time since the end of the 2014 season as they and their staff get to grips with the job in hand. “We knew the Suzukis inside out and backwards but now it is new territory for us with the BMWs. We are not alone in this, as we have full support from BMW both in the UK and in Germany,” explained Philip, who will mastermind the operation.

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After 14 years of running Suzukis in the team, and prior to that both he and his father competing on Suzukis in motocross and in racing for a number of years, it was, as Philip said, “Strange to be talking to another manufacturer. But it was necessary as we were getting some pressure coming off the back of what had been a couple of difficult seasons for the team.

“There was nothing controversial about the move but we were not where we expected to be, nor where we were expected to be. There was talk and pressure within the industry, from sponsors, from the media and the general public. They were asking questions of the team: was it good enough to do the job?”

It was a tough time for Suzuki in terms of competition worldwide while other manufacturers were coming to the fore. Kawasaki and BMW were predominant. In the case of the latter the resurgent form of three-time British champion Ryuichi Kiyonari in BSB and Michael Dunlop at the TT made the point clearly.

“BMW gave us the opportunity to talk to them and they were very positive towards us, very motivating, especially when you looked at the performance of the bikes, which had been very competitive, said Philip. “They were attractive in terms of a couple of factors: retaining our sponsors and our choice of riders for the new season. For the riders, it was clearly important to have the most competitive bikes to ensure our rider line-up.

“There was the consideration of our main sponsors, Tyco Security Products, and we felt it would be best for them in terms of the package we had in the short term and also our riders. That’s not to say that the guys who raced last season did not do a good job for us. There was no clear factor in making the difficult decision to end our term with Suzuki, with whom we never had more that a one-year contract, rather a relationship built on trust. Rather everything came together in terms of the move to BMW and we left on the best of terms with Suzuki.

 “We had an approach from BMW prior to the final BSB round. Several teams appeared to be interested in running the official team and after some initial discussion we talked in more detail at the end of the season and made the decision to accept the offer from BMW within a few weeks. We saw the package available and the strength and support that BMW were offering and that made it easier to make the move in the end. The hardest thing about it all was leaving Suzuki after such a long time together.

“The potential of the BMW was underlined last season although I had always believed in the bike since it arrived on the scene some years ago, well before Kiyo and Michael’s results of last season. We saw Keith Amor ride strongly at the TT a couple of years earlier and also saw him lap at the Ulster Grand Prix circuit at over 130mph. It was very clear that the potential of the bike was huge, even during the early years. As a road bike, reviewers and customers alike were raving about it.”

The decision was made, effectively, a no-brainer for the TAS team, who at the time were questioning what would be the best way forward. “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.

“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.

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“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.

“Success does not come easily but we will continue to work hard. Motivation is high among the team and, as the saying goes, ‘a change is as good as a rest’. Yes, there is pressure on us as always and there may be a different level of expectation, but there will be a start-up period and most people will understand that.

“We have a fairly extensive test programme planned and we do expect to be competitive from the start. BSB will be extremely competitive once again and it will be difficult for anyone to dominate from the word go but we do expect to be challenging for podiums from the start. We don’t feel any extra pressure, and that is not being arrogant. But you can’t simply take a proven bike and just assume that it will win. We need to work hard to get our rewards from 2015. The same riders who were competitive in BSB and in road racing last season will be strong once again.

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“Although we expect to have to fight for results in 2015, we are out there to win races – that is our job,” said Philip, who has put a lot of thought and effort into the project, selecting his riders carefully for the new term, and working with dedicated team members on the bikes’ technical data he intends to bring them major successes.

Sponsors are important…

Philip Neill pulls no punches about how much he values the input of Tyco backing his team:

“We can’t race without sponsors. We do not race on personal wealth, we need them and Tyco Security Products are delighted with our decision to race BMW. They have been loyal to us and we do have a great relationship with them. We will also enjoy support from some other loyal sponsors, like Beacon Security.
“Tyco have been with us for four years and they do enjoy the experience, and we do have to thank the organisers of the BSB series and events like the TT, NW200 and Ulster GP, who provide such great platforms to help us promote our sponsors.”

But Neill takes nothing for granted. Last season he was aware that other teams were trying to snatch Tyco’s backing away from TAS. “Others were knocking on the Tyco door. It’s dog-eat-dog in this world, and you have to learn to deal with these pressures.”

Careful choice of riders for 2015

Michael Laverty returns to domestic action after two years of MotoGP experience and Philip Neill is delighted to have him back in the team, spearheading it towards honours in the buoyant MCE BSB Championship.

“We worked with Michael in 2007 when he won the Supersport title and know him and his capabilities well. But, apart from his racing, he is an excellent test rider, and for me that is a key factor going into this new campaign.

“Tommy [Bridewell] put in some tremendous performances last season to finish third in BSB. He has also had some experience racing BMWs as well so that is another factor behind our decision to bring him into the team.

“BMW has a strong desire to win in Superstock, to showcase and sell their production bikes, and we had been talking to Alastair Seeley earlier last season about returning to us to ride Supersport. But this opportunity came up for him to race the BMW in Superstock, with the chance to regain that title and go for more wins at the NW200. He wanted to come back to TAS Racing and it is good to have him back.

“On the roads, it was always our desire to keep the same riders, William [Dunlop] and Guy [Martin] – they wanted to stay and we did discuss our machine options with them. Guy has a strong desire to ride a BMW, he made that clear, but it wasn’t a case of him holding a gun to our head, as the decision to run with Guy was made before the machine switch.”

The only matter to resolve on the roads is the team’s participation in Supersport. Neill has yet to sort that: “We will make a decision at some point in January – the guys may well compete, but I don’t know how much of an involvement the team will have at this point.”

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