BMW Motorrad’s Racing Programme

[Anonymous]

#2014

In the 2007 season, the Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport will enter a total of four European 24-hour races. The Races: April 21st/22nd - Le Mans Bugatti Circuit - Le Mans FranceJuly 7th/8th - Circuit de Catalunya - Barcelona SpainAugust 11th/12th - Motorsport Arena - Oschersleben GermanySeptember 15th/16th - Circuit de Nevers - Magny-Cours FranceThe Bike: The technical basis for the endurance motorcycle is provided by the sports flat twin "boxer" BMW R 1200 S, launched in May 2006. The awesome R1200 S race bikeThe most striking feature remains the flat twin "boxer" engine - something which has become rare in motor-cycle racing nowadays. In order to achieve the higher engine speeds necessary for use in racing, the cylinder head has been redesigned. As usual, the engine management system is taken care of by the BMW Motorrad BMS-K, though here it has a revised characteristic map for racing purposes. As a result of these modifications, engine output has been increased to well over 96 kW (over 130 bhp). The speed limit is at around 9500 rpm. All the important information is displayed to the rider on the new freely programmable racing dashboard. This instrument panel can be connected to a lap timer for example and if required can generate a gear flash. Other typical racing functions of this bike are a gearshift assistant, the speed limiter function for the pit lane and the crash sensor. In order to reduce the time spent in the pits as much as possible, a quick-change facility was mounted on the front wheel as is typical in endurance racing. As far as the chassis is concerned, the bike is fitted with an Öhlins sports chassis adapted to racing requirements, new aluminium fork stabilisers and an adjustable steer-ing damper. The front brake is a new twin disc brake with radially bolted four-piston fixed calipers. Radial ar-matures round off the racing package here too. All trim parts have been optimised for the aerodynamic and ergonomic needs of Supersports use and made entirely of carbon fibre reinforced plastic. A larger fuel tank is necessary for long distance use with a capacity of 23 litres and a fast filling valve.In spite of the additional volume of 6 litres, the racing bike still weighs an impressive 23 kg less than the serial production machine. The Team: Under the management of BMW Motorrad´s head of motorsport, Berti Hauser, a team line-up of well-known and experienced riders will be taking controls of the sport boxer in the following four 24 Hour Races in Europe. They are: - Stéphane Mertens, Belgium- Nate Kern, USA- Thomas Hinterreiter, Austria- Rico Penzkofer, Germany- Markus Barth, Germany

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