Success at Hockenheim for BMW S1000RR
Former 250cc Grand Prix rider Jürgen Fuchs holds the BMW S 1000 RR steady for his team mate during the Le Mans start.
Arne Tode on the Team Motobike S 1000 RR at Hockenheim.
The BMW S 1000 RR enjoyed its first national race success on 11 April, with victory in the prestigious 1,000 km Hockenheim race in Germany. Not only did Team Motobike (a cooperation partner of BMW Motorrad Germany for motorcyclist training programs) celebrate victory with a production version of BMW's new 1000cc superbike in this famous endurance race, but the HP2 Sport also enjoyed a podium finish in its class.
Under the leadership of crew chief Albin Kirchengast, three teams of riders competed under the 'Team Motobike' banner in the 1000 km endurance test and sprint races at the 4,567m Hockenheimring circuit. A special treat for all race fans was that in Class 1 (motorcycles up to 1200cc) Team Motobike brought the brand new BMW S 1000 RR superbike to the starting grid, along with racing legend Jürgen Fuchs and the two-times German IDM Supersport champion, Arne Tode.
The absolutely standard production machine gave both team-mates a convincing victory and also proved its strength and reliability by being entirely problem-free during the 203 laps of this endurance race - much to the delight of team chief Albin Kirchengast:
"Initially I was a little apprehensive about our plans for this race, because we had only unpacked the motorcycle from its container 14 days ago," he said. "However, the BMW superbike ran like a dream! It was also great to complete this hat trick of victories for Team Motobike, especially after we had won in 2007 with the R 1200 S and in 2008 with the HP2 Sport. Now, with the addition of this inaugural victory for the S 1000 RR, we have clearly demonstrated BMW Motorrad's sporting credentials - and then some!"
This was a view shared by former 250cc Grand Prix rider Jürgen Fuchs, who was lucky enough to ride the S 1000 RR across the finishing line and celebrate its first national race victory against a field of Suzuki GSX-R1000s, Yamaha R1s, Honda CBR1000s, and Kawasaki ZX-10Rs.
"With a brand new motorcycle, a completely different engine concept and a new team mate, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but I needn't have worried," he said. "My team mate Arne Tode made a very clean start and when it was my turn on the bike, I was able to increase our lead further and it was quickly clear that we had only ourselves to beat. Although in previous years we were up against some quite superior motorcycles, the S 1000 RR is without doubt a 'declaration of war' to the series-production sport competition!"
In Class 4 (motorcycles with a maximum of three cylinders) Team Motobike also started with two BMW HP2 Sport machines, up against the various competition machines from Ducati, Triumph, Buell, Aprilia and KTM. Team Motobike HP2 Sport riders Oliver 'Rackete' Schmidt and Dirk Schnieders celebrated a podium finish, after crossing the chequered flag in third place, while two seriously fast ladies - Babette Schneider and Insa Jäschke - finished in a creditable 18th place.
"To finish in 18th place out of 30 starters wasn't a bad effort, all things considered," said Babette Schneider, the former R6 Cup competitor - who along with Katja Poensgen and Nina Prinz, is recognised as one of the fastest women in German motorcycle sport. "I was satisfied with the outcome in spite of some difficulties during practice, because Insa and I had to share a motorcycle, when it would have been better if we could have had a machine each. It was tough out there and by the end of the race, I felt drained due to the long stints in the saddle. Although I wasn't completely satisfied with my lap times the overall experience was great."
Results
1. Team Motobike (BMW S 1000 RR)
2. SPS Race Team Motorland Mannheim (Yamaha R1)
3. Motorrad Stein (Suzuki GSX-R1000)
4. Schiller (Suzuki GSX-R1000)
5. FRS-Attack Team (Suzuki GSX-R1000)
Class 4 (motorcycles with a maximum of three cylinders)
- KTM Zentrum Heilbronn (KTM RC8)
- Ducati am Ring (Ducati 848)
- Team Motobike 3 (BMW HP2 Sport)
- Ducati Frankfurt (Ducati 1098)
- Buell Racing Bonn (Buell 1125CR)
18. Team Motobike 2 (BMW HP2 Sport)
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