WSBK: BMW unveils WSBK racer, talks targets.

[Rory Phoulorie]

Thursday, 17th April 2008

"...And our medium-term objective, obviously, is to win the world championship!" - Hendrik von Kuenheim.



Upon unveiling a prototype version of BMW's new World Superbike racer for the first time, Hendrik von Kuenheim - general director BMW Motorrad - also outlined that winning the world championship is seen as a 'medium term' objective.



"We naturally realise that we are taking on a great challenge," said von Kuenheim. "Particularly the Japanese are some 20 years ahead of us in this class and have lots of experience. But even so, the spirit of this competition alone encourages us in our efforts. From the start we wish to be on par with our well-established competitors.



"Our development team is highly motivated to achieve our goals. And I can tell you today that the status we have achieved so far is very promising.



"We are confident that we will be able to start the Superbike World Championship next year with a convincing all-round package, and that our series motorcycle will be just as convincing. In both terms of both its technology and price, our 'Supersports' will be absolutely competitive."



After years of rumours linking BMW with a MotoGP entry, von Kuenheim explained why the famous German marque had chosen WSBK instead.

"The Superbike World Championship is becoming increasingly popular among motorcycle riders, since here, unlike the MotoGP, they are able to watch and admire their motorcycles in a direct comparison with competitors," he said. "And they can enjoy this thrill all around the world. This year the Superbike World Championship is being held on four continents and in 13 countries."

von Kuenheim added that the process of building the new BMW WSBK race team, in partnership with Alpha-Racing, is progressing well and revealed that its test riders - ranging from veterans to young guns - are operating on a 'revolving system'.

"Today I can confirm that our preparations are proceeding according to plan in every respect: In compliance with the rules of the series, the new motorcycle will be available to customers in 2009 and we will build 1,000 production models by the end of next year," he said.

"We are implementing our racing activities in close cooperation with our partner Alpha-Racing, a specialist very experienced in motorsport. Located near Munich, Alpha-Racing have already started work in a special production hall specifically for this purpose.

"The process of building up the team is proceeding at full swing and we have already filled the key positions.

"The team is a combination of specialists from BMW and members of the Alpha-Technik racing crew, as well as further specialists from professional Superbike racing.

"Choosing the development and test riders for our racing machine, we are currently operating in a revolving system to gain as much experience as possible. The selection of test riders ranges from experienced riders still active today all the way to young 'top guns'.

"In the upcoming weeks and months we will systematically start production of the racing machine in its individual power and performance stages, testing the new model as we go along."

The Superbike itself, called the 'S 1000 RR' is powered by an inline four-cylinder engine and has a number of 'special' design features, particularly in terms of its cylinder head and traction control. However, BMW's Duo-Lever front suspension has not been incorporated for packaging reasons.

"In this name, the 'S' stands for Supersports, marking a new class of motorcycles from BMW. The '1000' designates the size of the engine, and the 'RR' naturally stands for the model itself," he explained.

"Since we are still in the middle of the development process, it would be too soon to mention any specific technical data. But you naturally know the usual level of performance our competitors have to offer. So with this in mind, I leave it to you today to speculate on what the specifications might be.

"In the early project phase we checked out various engine concepts. And as you know, we then decided in favour of a four-cylinder, with the straight-four offering the best qualities to meet the power, performance, weight, and package requirements to be fulfilled.

"In typical BMW style, the engine will of course offer a number of special features, especially on the cylinder head. For package reasons we have decided against the BMW Duo-Lever on the suspension. Taking up more space, this kind of front-wheel geometry would have presented disadvantages with the very compact structure of BMW's new Superbike," he revealed.

"But you can be sure that the innovations we are introducing are absolutely convincing. One example is the special traction control you will find on the new machine. Again, however, we cannot give you any further information today."

Finally, von Kuenheim listed BMW's targets for its new WSBK adventure.

"Naturally, we will have to go through a certain process of learning - which is precisely why we have set ourselves realistic targets for the time being: In our first year in the Superbike World Championship we seek to bring home several places in the top ten and to consistently close the gap to the top teams. In year two we plan to catch up with the top teams and to win our first places on the podium.

"And our medium-term objective, obviously, is to win the world championship!" he declared.

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