BMW Motorrad lines up with extensive customer racing programme for the 2014 season.

Munich, 21st October 2013. BMW Motorrad is all geared up for a successful future on the customer racing scene. In the course of the strategic realignment of BMW Motorrad, the global customer racing programme is being restructured and expanded for the 2014 season.

In the future, BMW Motorrad will support private BMW teams and riders in a versatile manner. This includes on-site support at the circuit for those running the BMW S 1000 RR and BMW HP4 in national and international series, training workshops for engineers and technicians at private teams, and special racing packages for engines and electronics. Berthold Hauser will take overall technical responsibility for the customer racing project as the new Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport

“BMW Motorrad and customer racing – they go hand in hand,” explained Stephan Schaller, President of BMW Motorrad. “To be successfully aligned as a manufacturer in the future, you have to be a strong partner for your customers. With a global approach, we will closely work together with our customers. We quite literally offer them the best riding experience – whether BMW customers on production bikes or professionals and amateurs on the racing scene. At the same time, we are able to meet all their requirements and offer comprehensive support in all areas. We are setting new benchmarks with this strategy. BMW Motorrad customer racing makes our brand and products even more dynamic and results in BMW Motorrad having a strong presence around the world.”

Over the last five years, BMW Motorrad Motorsport has established itself as one of the top teams in the FIM Superbike World Championship. To date, BMW Motorrad Motorsport has claimed 12 wins and 41 podiums in the premier league of production-based motorcycles. At the same time as its factory involvement in the Superbike World Championship, BMW Motorrad has also been running a customer racing programme for three years. In the future, BMW Motorrad customer teams all over the world will be able to benefit even more from the manufacturer’s vast wealth of experience at the pinnacle of international racing.

“From a strategic point of view, the Superbike World Championship provided us with the perfect platform, on which to present our BMW S 1000 RR and BMW HP4 models and establish ourselves globally as a manufacturer of sporty bikes” said Schaller. “We have achieved this ambitious goal. At the same time, BMW Motorrad is closer to its racing customers than any other manufacturers. We are the first motorcycle manufacturer to offer private teams and riders around the world a premium service. It is important for us to enhance and strengthen this project. Furthermore, the technology transfer allows us to incorporate the findings made by our customers out on the racetrack in the production development of our products.”

In 2011, BMW Motorrad founded the specialist BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport division.  This accommodated the customer’s desire for direct communication with BMW Motorrad and technical support. Since it was founded, the specialist division’s experts have contributed to the many titles and victories achieved by their customers in racing series all over the world. The biggest successes include winning the title in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup in 2010, 2012 and 2013, the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) in 2011, 2012 and 2013, and many national Superbike championships, as well as victories in the World Endurance Championship in 2011 and 2012.  

The new customer racing programme sees the existing structure enhanced, in order to better meet the customer’s individual requirements. With the know-how of its experts HP RaceSupport is able to support private customers in numerous racing series. BMW Motorrad also offers, amongst others, rider training courses for its sporty amateur customers.

“I am very much looking forward to this exciting project,” said Hauser, who was BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director from 1999 to 2010 and heads BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport since it was founded in 2011. “This close and continuous cooperation with our customers is unique in motorsport. With our input, we are helping teams to make the most of the innovative technology on the RR and HP4. We will do our bit to ensure that the RRS and HP4s in action in various championships are even more competitive. At the same time, our specialist knowledge and advice also allows ambitious amateur racers to enjoy the best riding experience. I am confident that we can follow on from the success we have achieved so far, and that BMW Motorrad can win over even more customers around the world through this project.”