Strong Team Performance at GCC event in Mernes.

Munich. Round three of the 2008 German Cross Country championship was coloured
white and blue, as three of the top four bikes in the XCPro class were BMW G
450 X machines. The BMW Motorrad factory team may have been denied its third
consecutive victory, but overall the racing at Mernes proved to be a major
success.

BMW factory rider Simo Kirssi, the current GCC series leader and winner of the
opening rounds at Tollwitz and Walldorf, was yet again the fastest man out of
the Munich manufacturer's camp, still the race win on the well prepared and
entertaining "Speedhang" went to Frenchman Cyrille Coulon. The sentimental win
belonged to five-time World Motocross champ Joel Smets though, who came from
behind to seal the final podium step.

Under blazing sunshine Kirssi grabbed the Le Mans-style start and guided the
field into the first lap, shadowed by his teammate Bert Meyer and Coulon. The
latter set a blistering pace and wasted no time. The Frenchman passed Meyer in
lap one and Kirssi in lap two. Smets meanwhile suffered drama in the first
chicane. Finding himself trapped under his own bike after a crash - and visibly
in pain - the likeable Belgian re-joined the race dead-last. But Smets was on
fire and quickly started to pick up competitors to the left and right,
ultimately rounding out his fine performance by stealing third place from Meyer.

Championship leader Kirssi had been following Coulon for a large portion of the
2-hour race, yet had to accept the runner-up position. Bert Meyer, who
completed the BMW display of strength behind Kirssi and Smets, had his hands
fulls with long-time rival Arnaud Demeester early in the race. The veteran
Frenchman however crashed out two thirds into the proceedings.

The BMW Motorrad Motorsport crew applauded their riders after the chequered
flag and everyone on the team was delighted with the result. After all, success
is the best reward for all the hard work and extensive development carried out.

Simo Kirssi: "I started well and enjoyed the track. Cyrille went by in the
second lap and I couldn't quite keep his pace. Not today. I am not satisfied
and would have preferred to win."

Joel Smets: "There was a lot of dust in the first corner after the start. I
couldn't see anything and don't even know why I crashed. Maybe I clipped
another rider's bike, maybe someone touched mine or maybe I just lost the
front. Anyway, I was lying there with my leg trapped between the rear wheel and
fender. I hurt my hip in the incident and had to ride through the pain for two
hours. Nevertheless, it was a lot of fun and I am pleased with the result."

Bert Meyer: "The start went well today. After re-fuelling though, I ran into an
old problem of mine: struggling to gain my rhythm back. I was then battling
with Arnaud (Demeester) and taking control before he crashed out eventually.
Fourth place is okay."

Wolfgang Fischer (head of team): "Simo rode his own race in second place. His
lap times were similar to Coulon's, but he couldn't quite keep him. Joel
delivered an exciting race and came from being way behind to take third. Bert
had a nice battle with Demeester going on until the Frenchman dropped out. All
team riders completed the race and two climbed onto the podium. A good day for
us and a good day's racing."

GCC Mernes XCPro class
1. Cyrille Coulon (FRA), Yamaha, 22 laps
2. Simo Kirssi (FIN), BMW Motorrad Motorsport, 22 laps
3. Joel Smets (BEL), BMW Motorrad Motorsport, 22 laps
4. Bert Meyer (GER), BMW Motorrad Motorsport, 22 laps
5. Marco Straubel (GER), KTM, 21 laps
6. Stefan Geyer (GER), KTM, 21 laps
7. Falko Karbautzki (GER), KTM, 21 laps
8. Christoph Seifert (GER), KTM, 20 laps
9. Steffen Albrecht (GER), Yamaha, 19 laps
10. Andreas Schulz (GER), 19 laps

Photos are available at www.speedbrain.de/press (user: speedbrain, password:
press).