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Entries in BMW (2)

Tuesday

16Feb2010

Team to race under the name "BMW Husqvarna Motorsport".

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 12:47PM

The 2010 season will see BMW Motorrad Motorsport lining up in the E2 class of the FIM Enduro World Championship under the name "BMW Husqvarna Motorsport". The reason for signing up with the FIM under this new name is to achieve a targeted pooling of off-road racing expertise by the two brands BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna Motorcycles in the area of 450 cc four-stroke engines. The aim is to set up an ideal knowledge transfer through this sporting involvement, while at the same time optimising the team's performance.

Rainer Thoma, President and CEO of Husqvarna Motorcycles, explains: "In order to achieve sustainable economic as well as sporting success, it is essential to exploit synergies as best we can. That is why we are now collaborating intensively with our colleagues at BMW Motorrad. We are pooling the enormous expertise of both brands: know-how from BMW Motorrad will flow to Husqvarna and vice-versa."

The BMW Husqvarna Motorsport team is set to live up to this target: it will be entering the season with the BMW G 450 X under the team management of Speedbrain. In parallel with this, over the course of the season Husqvarna Motorcycles will be working together with specialists from BMW Motorrad and Speedbrain to develop a machine based on the Husqvarna frame/chassis concept and coupled with the 450 cc four-stroke engine developed by BMW Motorrad. Following extensive trials, the team plans to deploy the motorcycle in the ongoing event.

BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Berthold Hauser adds: "Our goal is clear: with the BMW Husqvarna Motorsport team we intend to compete for the title in the E2 class of the 2010 Enduro World Championship. Our E2 class runner-up result in the drivers' and manufacturers' championship, our win in the Red Bull Romaniacs and many more triumphs and podium places around the world bear witness to the potential of the BMW G 450 X concept and the team's outstanding work in the season just past. Our joint involvement in enduro racing now provides the ideal platform on which to test how an authentic Husqvarna with the BMW G 450 X drive concept acquits itself in the competitive arena."

Team Husqvarna CH Racing will continue to run in the E1 and E3 class of the FIM Enduro World Championship. The Supermoto and Motocross segments will also remain under the Husqvarna banner.

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BMW Motorrad Motorsport launches 2010 Superbike Team

Monday, February 8, 2010 at 4:09PM

Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport officially launched its second season in the FIM Superbike World Championship with a presentation at BMW Group Classic in Munich on Friday. With riders Troy Corser (AU) and Ruben Xaus (ES) set to commence battle for the first World Championship points of the year at Phillip Island (AU) on 28th February, the team gave international media representatives the opportunity to get an idea of the current progress of the project.

In the presence of Infront Motor Sports CEO Paolo Flammini, Superbike World Championship Director Paolo Ciabatti and a selection of other guests, Corser and Xaus laid on a spectacular show at BMW Group Classic, riding onto the stage on two BMW S 1000 RR machines. Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport recorded 17 top-ten finishes in 2009, its debut season in the Superbike World Championship.

General Director of BMW Motorrad Hendrik von Kuenheim said: "Even back in the initial development phase of the BMW S 1000 RR we were clear that we wanted to build a supersport bike for the road with genes from the race track. Our aim was to be battling for pole position in the supersport segment straightaway - and we did that in impressive fashion. Never before has one of our new motorcycles enjoyed such positive press reviews. Showcasing the potential of this bike on the track as well as on the road is a logical move for BMW Motorrad. The Superbike World Championship pits us against our direct competitors, and we are looking to show that we can match or even get the better of them."

Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport Berthold Hauser added: "Our goal is to close the gap to the leading teams. We are aiming to finish in the top five as regularly as possible and pick up our first podium. That's the ambitious aim we have set ourselves for our second year in what is an extremely challenging World Championship. However, we are well aware that our competitors have not been standing still either. The Superbike World Championship brings us up against six motorcycle manufacturers who have established themselves on the race track. You can set yourself aims in sport and make plans to achieve them, but you cannot dictate results - those have to be earned out on the track. Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport is working flat out to make this possible."

The team is sticking with the experienced rider pairing of Corser and Xaus for its second year in the Superbike World Championship. Together they have notched up no fewer than 507 starts and 44 wins in this series. The ambition of two-time world champion Corser remains undiminished: "I definitely want to win another World Championship before the end of my career. The next step along the road to achieving that goal is to collect as many top-five finishes as possible this season. You can sense the determination of BMW Motorrad to climb the ladder."

Xaus is also aiming high for the coming season: "I'm very happy to be competing as part of such a strong works team and to be playing my part in this project from the ground up," explains the Spaniard. "We are looking to take the next step in 2010 to ensure that our goals become reality in the not too distant future."

A new addition to the team is Davide Tardozzi, a man with a proven track record in Superbike racing. The Italian will head up team management and operational control at the race tracks. Rainer Bäumel will continue as Head of Overall Project Management and Project Management Engineering.

Following the tests in Portimão (PT) and Valencia (ES), Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport is now preparing for the first race weekend of the Superbike World Championship in Australia. Further tests are scheduled at the Phillip Island Circuit on 20th, 21st and 22nd February ahead of the first race weekend of the season there commencing 26th February.

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