The press release below discusses BMW’s maiden voyage in WSB competition this year, and provides detailed specifications of its 999cc four-cylinder superbike, including 200+ horsepower and 367 pound dry weight. You will also find quotes from BMW’s two riders, Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus. These photos are of the fully painted (with sponsor stickers) race bike. Here is the press release:

The 2009 Superbike World Championship promises to be more exciting than
ever, with BMW Motorrad Motorsport making its debut in the ultra-competitive
series and taking on no less than six other manufacturers, four Japanese
and two European. Although this is BMW’s first attempt in World Superbikes,
their racing heritage goes back 86 years, starting with their R 32 motorcycle
in 1923. Since then BMWs have raced successfully on the Isle of Man and at
other world-famous racetracks and have enjoyed many successes. The last
success of the official BMW factory team was Walter Zeller’s runner-up place
in the 1956 World Championship. BMW officially returned to roadracing in
2007 with the HP2 Sports Boxer taking part in the Endurance Championship
24 hour classics in 2007 and 2008.

BMW’s first ever ’Superbike’ success took place at Daytona, USA, in 1976,
when American Steve McLaughlin won the AMA Championship Superbike
race in a thrilling photo-finish with team-mate Reg Pridmore. Both were riding
R 90 S BMWs prepared by Butler & Smith, BMW’s American importers.
Back then the ‘Superbike’ class was a support race to the main event, but
nine years later the first ideas for a Superbike World Championship (a world
championship for production-based motorcycles) began to grow. The series
was born in 1988 and since then has become the hallmark for close-fought,
competitive racing, without sacrificing any of its friendly paddock atmosphere.
It may be all-out combat on the track, but off it, it has an atmosphere
unmatched by any other world championship.

BMW Motorrad have a very long history, but they are the ‘new boys’ of the
Superbike World Championship. The company has decided to enter the
series at, without a doubt, the hardest and most competitive time in its 21-year
history. Any new manufacturer joining the series is going to face a tough
time and BMW are under no illusions about the challenges ahead. BMW
are entering World Superbike because it is a championship where fans and
customers identify with the brand and the bikes. And fans will not have long
to wait for the S 1000 RR roadbike from which the racebike is derived: it will
make its public debut in early summer 2009.

Troy Corser

“The BMW S 1000 RR racebike has a good base and we are all working
hard to be competitive as soon as we can. This is BMW’s first time in World
Superbikes and none of us underestimate the challenge. But the challenge is
part of the excitement and we are determined to do the very best we can.
As the season progresses I’m sure we’ll improve a lot, but we are at a bit of
a disadvantage because every time we go to a track we will be starting from
scratch, whereas the others will have info and data from previous years. Even
so, as the year goes on, I’m sure we’ll get better and better and maybe even
surprise a few people along the way.”

Ruben Xaus

“This is a great challenge and I am so happy to be riding for a factory team and
working with a great bunch of guys. I think I always knew that I would probably
have to modify my style (after years of riding a twin) but I am very pleased with
the progress we made in this direction at the recent tests.
For sure, it is not easy for any new manufacturer to enter this incredibly
competitive series, but I believe that BMW can make a big impact on the
championship and I am very happy to be a part of this big adventure.”

Berti Hauser – Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport

“This great adventure began not so long ago, but now we are about to take
part in our very fi rst World Superbike Championship race and it is an exciting
moment for us all. I fi rmly believe we have two great riders – Troy Corser and
Ruben Xaus – and a very committed and enthusiastic team. Troy is the most
experienced rider in WSBK and brings a lot of knowledge and information
to the team. Although Ruben is not as experienced as Troy, he has so
much enthusiasm for this project and I feel that he and Troy are a perfect
combination. I am very pleased with the amount of progress we have all
made in the past few months and now, like the whole team, I am really looking
forward to this great challenge.“

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.