Leon Haslam will line up alongside Troy Corser for BMW Motorrad Motorsport in 2011.

BMW Motorrad Motorsport

Munich/Stephanskirchen, 28 September 2010. BMW Motorrad Motorsport's rider line-up for the 2011 season in the FIM Superbike World Championship is now complete. Riding the second BMW S 1000 RR for the Munich and Stephanskirchen-based team alongside double world champion Troy Corser (38) will be Briton Leon Haslam (27).

"We're extremely excited about working with Troy and Leon," says BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Berthold Hauser. "This rider pairing brings together a wealth of expertise and youthful fighting spirit. We're very pleased to have not only a double world champion in our team for next year, but also the runner-up in the 2010 World Championship. It's just the right combination for our recently formed team at this stage of the project." And Hauser adds: "We've been monitoring Leon for a long time now and have been more than impressed by his strengths as a rider. We're extremely happy to be able to welcome him into our team. We have a strong pair of riders in Troy and Leon and are in no doubt that we'll be able to achieve our ambitious aims with them on board. We would also like to thank Ruben Xaus, who over the last two years has helped to take the team to where it is today. We wish him all the best for the future."

Leon Haslam is looking forward to racing for BMW Motorrad. "I've watched the progress of the BMW S1000RR in the past two seasons and the almost constant improvement of the machine has been very impressive. I'm very much looking forward to riding the machine and experiencing for myself what I've been watching. The team has shown the potential to win and the team has the factory support required so I'm hopeful that I can add the extra little bit that is needed to win.I'm really grateful to BMW for showing such faith in me and patience during difficult times and we're looking forward together now for a successful 2011."

Leon Haslam profile:
Date of birth: 31st May 1983
Place of birth: Smalley/Derbyshire (GBR)
Residence: Smalley/Derbyshire (GBR)
Marital status: Engaged
Height: 1.73 m
Weight: 67 kg
Hobbies: Golf, wakeboarding, mountain-biking
Passion: My family, motor racing
Favourite circuits: Phillip Island, Assen, Silverstone
First bike: Honda QR 50
First race: 1987, Argentina, 50cc class
Career highlights: 2006/2008: 2nd in British Superbike Championship
2010: WSBK, Kyalami (RSA), Race 2
2010: Currently 2nd in the WSBK riders' standings
WSBK history: 82 races, 19 podiums, 3 wins, 9 second places and 7 third places, 1 pole position, 2 fastest race laps
Website: www.leonhaslam.com

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BMW Motorrad Motorsport launches 2010 Superbike Team

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.