If you read our interview earlier this week with Dr. Herbert Diess, Director of BMW Motorrad, you know that the good doctor denied that BMW Motorrad is currently in the process of developing an 800cc MotoGP machine for future competition use. This is a direct snub of the rumors which have been swarming through the European press lately, most notably an article in British weekly MCN which featured ‘spy shots’ of what looked to be a fairly well-developed racing machine being tested by racer Jeremy McWilliams. The bike in the photos was complete with a glossy paintjob in BMW’s colors, and what appeared to be top-of-the-line Ohlins forks, of the specification commonly used in MotoGP.
So what the hell is going on? Well, there are a few possibilities.
The first, and most obvious, is that Dr. Diess is lying, deliberately concealing the fact that BMW is indeed developing a MotoGP machine. There are a few problems with this theory, though – namely, what would be his (and BMW’s) motivation to lie about the fact that they are developing a MotoGP machine, especially after testing a bike that was easily identifiable as a BMW, at a track session where photographers were able to get close enough for photos?
It is also possible that BMW was developing a MotoGP racer at the time the pictures were taken, but sometime between then and the interview, scrapped the project. However, this seems highly unlikely, particularly considering the well-developed appearance of the bike in the photos.
If it’s not a MotoGP bike, then what is it? The distinct possibility exists that BMW is developing a racing machine for competition in an entirely different series – possibly Superbike or Supersport (at either the national or World level), a new one-make BMW series, or even the AMA’s Formula Extreme class. With the multitude of new models (and new engines) the German marque has released in the last two years, it seems they would have little trouble finding a motor to use as a basis for competition in any of these series.
Another possibility (another unlikely one, in our minds at least), is that the bike shown is merely a test mule that BMW is using to develop advanced technology for application to it’s street motorcycles. With the recent furor in the US over traction control, we know that many engineers prefer that any advanced technology be forged in the crucible of racing before being brought to the dealership floor. So if BMW wanted to develop such technology (traction control, next-generation throttle-by-wire, or something even more exotic), it is possible (though unlikely) that they would build a race-spec machine and hire a talented racer simply for testing purposes.
We probably won’t find out exactly where the mysterious BMW racebike is headed until the beginning of next season (if ever), but one thing is for sure – it provides yet more evidence of BMW’s ever-increasing dedication to the performance market.
