Nate Kern master of the apex From BMW North America

August 7, 2007 Page 1 of 3    123

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Nate Kern's talents as a rider as well as the ambassadorial role he plays for BMW in the USA has come to the attention of the factory motorsport team, which has selected him as reserve rider for the forthcoming World Endurance Championship event at Oschersleben. But what's it like to actually be part of the action at an endurance race? San Jose BMW's pit crew team member Will Guyan takes us behind the scenes with NateÉ

A seemingly incessant cycle of laps makes up the fabric of an endurance race. We were racing at Homestead, Florida, and things were going swimmingly, as they say. Nate Kern has been on the track for 30 laps and it's Brian Parriott's turn now. The San Jose BMW flag is pushed out, marking where the front wheel must stop. Nate comes sliding into the pit, rear wheel locked, slightly askance, and the fireman is the first one over the short pit wall, ready to extinguish the unthinkable immediately. The rear wheel stand is deftly placed and the heavy four-gallon quick fuel filler is handed over the wall. The rear wheel, shod with a freshly heated Pirelli, is replaced in seconds. We change rear tires with every tank of Sunoco, and this one is shredded Ð that's one new tire per tank of fuel.

The bike gets 16 mpg at full throttle, which translates into about 30 laps of the two-mile course. The 'wheel' man in kneepads expertly places each lug bolt in record time, dreaming of the day when a single nut will replace these tedious fasteners. The front tire is checked by Mr. Pirelli and is ok. Brian hits the starter and the tire bites asphalt just as the rear stand is pulled away. It's another world-class performance of the pit-stop ballet, with not a wasted movement. We are in eighth place and no time is wasted in the catching-up game, and soon we're in fourth! The R 1200 S is running perfectly and so it goes, lap after lap, all eyes on the computer as the transponder records the lap times instantly over the Internet.

The mood is swathed in tension and concentrated hope. Nate is soaking wet in his leathers and fretting about lap times, as fractions of a second are our focus and could mean the difference between victory and defeat. In the end, Parriott and Kern finish on the podium for San Jose BMW, and after dealing with our share of gremlins, the team is elated. The chain-driven competition always focuses on defeating the BMW, and they often go home disappointed.

One notable part of every race weekend are the Nate Kern fans who faithfully show up just to share the thrill of motorsport with BMW's all-round good guy and race ambassador extraordinaire. To understand the scope of Nate's network of fans, it's necessary to understand that his Internet 'blog is followed daily by thousands of race enthusiasts the world over. Nate, always available to shake a hand or give a bit of advice to a rider who's come a long way to see him, is the most approachable, genuinely friendly fast guy at any event. In fact, he's something of a phenomenon. "Come on over to the bike and take a look at our new …hlinsÉ" And so it goes all weekend long.