Desktop 1 "Uncompromising"
“Nice road here” or - the HP2 Enduro and rider engaged in one of their favourite pastimes.
Desktop 2 "Sporty"
“I collect bonus miles while flying” or - the HP2 Enduro from a different perspective: from below ...
Desktop 3 "Exclusive"
“I leave everything behind me to experience this feeling” or – what goes through your mind when you let the HP2 Enduro do what it is built for: showing what’s possible ...
Sunday, February 21, 2010
High Performance by BMW Motorrad
Video "The Vision" The Birth of the HP2.
For years, a team of enthusiasts have been developing and testing the HP2 Enduro – here you have a chance to have a glimpse over their shoulders.
Video "Dig the Dirt" Rollout for the HP2 Enduro.
"One hundred bhp off the road - truly out of the ordinary ..."
Take a look at what real pros do with the HP2 Enduro.
QuickTime 6 | |
| Windows MediaPlayer 7 | |
Video "Dig the Dirt" Rollout for the HP2 Enduro.
"One hundred bhp off the road - truly out of the ordinary ..."
Take a look at what real pros do with the HP2 Enduro.
QuickTime 6 | |
| Windows MediaPlayer 7 | |
HP motor racing The Videos
What a season! The final race at the GCC in Eckolstädt.
On a 7-kilomtere long XXL racetrack. Will Simo bring all the strenghts of the HP2 to bear here? A conciliatory end and lots of optimism for next season...
First showdown at the GCC Goldbach
Simo vs. Sala - or HP2 Enduro against KTM EXC 950: where does the better rider come from, Finland or Bavaria? Held on one of the toughest tracks, the race of 100 bhp and beyond ran a fascinating course ...
Higher & Further at the GCC Höchstädt
Rider and machine are harmonising even better – in the fourth race, the only direction was forward resulting in the best position to date!
Airtime at the GCC Walldorf
The second race by Simo Kirssi on the HP2 Enduro. Demanding conditions and a jump into the top ten? It's all shown here:
Baptism of Fire at the GCC Tollwitz
Simo Kirssi and the HP2 Enduro on the starting line for the first time – pure, nail-biting excitement. Will everything go right, will it all hold? Join the thrill. Now.
QuickTime 6 | |
| Windows MediaPlayer 7 | |
First showdown at the GCC Goldbach
Simo vs. Sala - or HP2 Enduro against KTM EXC 950: where does the better rider come from, Finland or Bavaria? Held on one of the toughest tracks, the race of 100 bhp and beyond ran a fascinating course ...
QuickTime 6 | |
| Windows MediaPlayer 7 | |
Higher & Further at the GCC Höchstädt
Rider and machine are harmonising even better – in the fourth race, the only direction was forward resulting in the best position to date!
QuickTime 6 | |
| Windows MediaPlayer 7 | |
Airtime at the GCC Walldorf
The second race by Simo Kirssi on the HP2 Enduro. Demanding conditions and a jump into the top ten? It's all shown here:
QuickTime 6 | |
| Windows MediaPlayer 7 | |
Baptism of Fire at the GCC Tollwitz
Simo Kirssi and the HP2 Enduro on the starting line for the first time – pure, nail-biting excitement. Will everything go right, will it all hold? Join the thrill. Now.
QuickTime 6 | |
| Windows MediaPlayer 7 | |
Chris Pfeiffer on the HP2 Enduro
Born
20 April 1970 in Halblech, Germany
First steps
First motorbike at the age of 5
His support
His wife Renate and his daughters Pia and Amelie
His vocation
Professional rider since 1996
His passion
Shows, extreme riding, stunts
Always at the limit
Freeride skiing, mountain biking as well as enduro and trial
Fights won
2006
Winner Stuntwars (biggest stunt contest in the U.S.A)
2005
1st place standard Enduro race, Dirt Days, Penzberg
3rd place Hillclimbing EC, Obersaxen, CH
2nd place "King's Class" Erzberg Rodeo
5th place Erzberg Rodeo Prologue
5th place ACC, Roppen
2004: European Stunt Riding Champion
2003: Stunt Riding World Champion
1996, 1997, 2000, 2004: Winner of the Red Bull Hare Scramble, Erzberg
1996: Winner of the Offroad Challenge
1988: German Trial-Pokal-Champion
Jimmy Lewis on the HP2 Enduro
Born
20 June 1968 in Santa Monica, California (USA)
His vocation
Rally rider
Job
Offroad editor
Always at the limit
Mountain biking, snowboarding, surfing, BMX, trial riding
Fights won
2005: 3rd place Erzberg Rodeo Prologue, 3rd place Baja 1000 Mexico
2000: 3rd place in the Paris – Dakar – Cairo Rally, Winner of the two-cylinder class, Winner of the Dubai Rally
1998: Baja 1000 Rally
1997: 4th place in the Paris – Dakar rally, Winner of the one-cylinder class
1993: 2nd place in the Baja 1000 Rally
1992: ISDE Junior World Champion
1991: AMA Amateur of the Year
1989 – 1992: 4 x gold at the International Six Days Enduro
4 x AMA National Hare & Hound
3 x AMA National Reliability
Simo Kirssi
Simo Kirssi is a man of few words. The 26-year-old from Helsinki prefers to let his riding do the talking and therefore interviews are rare. However, during a break from pre-season testing in Italy, the ‘flying Finn’ spoke to BMW Motorrad about his plans for 2006 and his ambition for success in this year’s motorsport programme.
There’s an old saying that talent will only take you so far, and that you also need a little luck on the long road to success. Well, Simo’s lucky day came two years ago in April 2004 while participating in a German Cross Country race (GCC), when by chance he met a man who would turn out to be his future manager and mentor. Simo was only really racing because he was visiting some friends in Germany and decided to ‘have a go’.
Like a lot of privateers, Simo had sunk all his spare funds into racing, even to the point where he no longer had enough money to get back home to Finland. Buying spare parts for his bike was completely out of the question but – somehow – he won this GCC race against very strong competitors such as motocross world championship runner-up Fred Vialle.
Despite the win, Simo would still have been forced to stop racing due to lack of money and no one would have ever heard of him but Ulrich Hanus, Executive Director of off-road racing organisation ‘Baboons’ took a big risk and offered him a management contract there and then. That was beginning of Simo`s professional career and also the start of his involvement with BMW Motorrad’s motorsports department. Simo soon paid back Ulrich’s faith in him by winning the 2004 German Cross Country Series.
Simo came to the attention of many BMW fans with the HP2 Enduro in May last year when he set a new record of 09:05.65 in the gruelling 13.3 km Iron Road Prologue at Erzberg in Austria. In a field of more than 1000 entrants, Simo went faster than anyone else had ever gone before – even beating his nearest challenger by a massive six-second margin. He then went on to achieve a runner-up spot in the Italian and European Cross Country Championships. Overall, it was a great debut year for the BMW factory rider, but one he hopes to improve on during 2006.
“I was not happy with my results from last season,” said Simo, who first rode a motorcycle at the tender age of six and actually competed in his first international race at just 12-years-old. “But I was surprised to win the Iron Road Prologue at Erzberg last year and am looking forwards to this year’s event because we have some new parts for this kind of race.”
After year’s of riding lightweight dirt bikes, Simo had no problem adapting to the vicious power delivery of BMW’s HP2 Enduro and has in fact already tasted victory on the 105 hp bike in 2006, at the Baboons Snow Speedhill event. This consisted of 60 riders all competing against each other for the fastest time up an 800-metre ski slope!
“I’m not sure whose idea it was to race motorbikes on snow, but it was great fun because the HP2 Enduro has a lot of power and you can use all of it in the snow. I had been riding motocross bikes for most of my life and thought that it would be difficult to switch over to the HP2 Enduro but I was surprised at how easy it was.”
One would imagine that growing up in Finland gave Simo the skills to race a motorcycle on any kind of surface and it is clear that he has a fondness for the country of just five million inhabitants that holds its sports starts in high esteem (Simo cites Finnish motocross stars Heikki Mikkola and Pekka Vehkonen as his heroes). It is also obvious that Simo has found his niche in life, and is quite happy to exploit it.
“I love everything about Finland – the lifestyle, food, nature, environment and the overall harmony of the place and the people. The Finnish rally drivers are also the best in the world and I try to get home every year to watch the World Rally Championship round there but up until now I have never been tempted to have a go competitively. It’s the same thing with road racing or desert rallies, such as the Dakar. They are great fun to watch but I’ve no plans to ever try and compete in them.”
Simo is, however, used to riding on the limit and during his military service, even served as a motorbike scout in a fighter battalion. However, unlike a lot of off-road riders, he enjoys road bikes (“as long as they are powerful”) and has even tried his HP2 with street wheels. But it’s the challenge of the various off-road races that Simo is looking forward to as part of BMW Motorrad’s motorsport team.
“We have a strong team in place for 2006. Jimmy [Lewis] and Chris [Pfeiffer] are good riders and the rest of the team works really well together. I’m just concentrating my efforts on the immediate future though and am enjoying my racing. I don’t really want to think too far ahead in terms of my future. It’s a scary sport we’re involved in and there are some moments – like when a big jump is going wrong – that you fear for yourself, but then you soon forget about it.”
See Simo and the rest of the team in action at the following events throughout 2006.
Date, Event
April 15-16 ICC, Malandrone
April 22-23 ACC, Reisersberg
April 29-30 GCC, Tollwitz
May 13-14 ACC, Tirol
May 20-21 GCC, Walldorf
May 26-28 Erzberg, Austria
June 3-4 Endurance day, 24-hour
June 4 Baja 500
June 17-18 GCC, Höchstädt
June 17-18 Obersaxen Hillclimb, Switzerland
June 30-July 2 Pikes Peak, USA
July 1-2 GCC, Mernes
July 7-9 International BMW Biker Meeting, Garmisch
July 22-23 GCC, Goldbach
August 24-26 ACC Waldviertel
September 2-3 ICC, Cassale Monferrato
September 9-10 GCC, Mühlhausen
September 16-17 ACC final, Mattighofen
September 23-24 GCC final, Eckolstädt
7-8 October ECC final, Schefflenz
15-17 November Baja 1000
There’s an old saying that talent will only take you so far, and that you also need a little luck on the long road to success. Well, Simo’s lucky day came two years ago in April 2004 while participating in a German Cross Country race (GCC), when by chance he met a man who would turn out to be his future manager and mentor. Simo was only really racing because he was visiting some friends in Germany and decided to ‘have a go’.
Like a lot of privateers, Simo had sunk all his spare funds into racing, even to the point where he no longer had enough money to get back home to Finland. Buying spare parts for his bike was completely out of the question but – somehow – he won this GCC race against very strong competitors such as motocross world championship runner-up Fred Vialle.
Despite the win, Simo would still have been forced to stop racing due to lack of money and no one would have ever heard of him but Ulrich Hanus, Executive Director of off-road racing organisation ‘Baboons’ took a big risk and offered him a management contract there and then. That was beginning of Simo`s professional career and also the start of his involvement with BMW Motorrad’s motorsports department. Simo soon paid back Ulrich’s faith in him by winning the 2004 German Cross Country Series.
Simo came to the attention of many BMW fans with the HP2 Enduro in May last year when he set a new record of 09:05.65 in the gruelling 13.3 km Iron Road Prologue at Erzberg in Austria. In a field of more than 1000 entrants, Simo went faster than anyone else had ever gone before – even beating his nearest challenger by a massive six-second margin. He then went on to achieve a runner-up spot in the Italian and European Cross Country Championships. Overall, it was a great debut year for the BMW factory rider, but one he hopes to improve on during 2006.
“I was not happy with my results from last season,” said Simo, who first rode a motorcycle at the tender age of six and actually competed in his first international race at just 12-years-old. “But I was surprised to win the Iron Road Prologue at Erzberg last year and am looking forwards to this year’s event because we have some new parts for this kind of race.”
After year’s of riding lightweight dirt bikes, Simo had no problem adapting to the vicious power delivery of BMW’s HP2 Enduro and has in fact already tasted victory on the 105 hp bike in 2006, at the Baboons Snow Speedhill event. This consisted of 60 riders all competing against each other for the fastest time up an 800-metre ski slope!
“I’m not sure whose idea it was to race motorbikes on snow, but it was great fun because the HP2 Enduro has a lot of power and you can use all of it in the snow. I had been riding motocross bikes for most of my life and thought that it would be difficult to switch over to the HP2 Enduro but I was surprised at how easy it was.”
One would imagine that growing up in Finland gave Simo the skills to race a motorcycle on any kind of surface and it is clear that he has a fondness for the country of just five million inhabitants that holds its sports starts in high esteem (Simo cites Finnish motocross stars Heikki Mikkola and Pekka Vehkonen as his heroes). It is also obvious that Simo has found his niche in life, and is quite happy to exploit it.
“I love everything about Finland – the lifestyle, food, nature, environment and the overall harmony of the place and the people. The Finnish rally drivers are also the best in the world and I try to get home every year to watch the World Rally Championship round there but up until now I have never been tempted to have a go competitively. It’s the same thing with road racing or desert rallies, such as the Dakar. They are great fun to watch but I’ve no plans to ever try and compete in them.”
Simo is, however, used to riding on the limit and during his military service, even served as a motorbike scout in a fighter battalion. However, unlike a lot of off-road riders, he enjoys road bikes (“as long as they are powerful”) and has even tried his HP2 with street wheels. But it’s the challenge of the various off-road races that Simo is looking forward to as part of BMW Motorrad’s motorsport team.
“We have a strong team in place for 2006. Jimmy [Lewis] and Chris [Pfeiffer] are good riders and the rest of the team works really well together. I’m just concentrating my efforts on the immediate future though and am enjoying my racing. I don’t really want to think too far ahead in terms of my future. It’s a scary sport we’re involved in and there are some moments – like when a big jump is going wrong – that you fear for yourself, but then you soon forget about it.”
See Simo and the rest of the team in action at the following events throughout 2006.
Date, Event
April 15-16 ICC, Malandrone
April 22-23 ACC, Reisersberg
April 29-30 GCC, Tollwitz
May 13-14 ACC, Tirol
May 20-21 GCC, Walldorf
May 26-28 Erzberg, Austria
June 3-4 Endurance day, 24-hour
June 4 Baja 500
June 17-18 GCC, Höchstädt
June 17-18 Obersaxen Hillclimb, Switzerland
June 30-July 2 Pikes Peak, USA
July 1-2 GCC, Mernes
July 7-9 International BMW Biker Meeting, Garmisch
July 22-23 GCC, Goldbach
August 24-26 ACC Waldviertel
September 2-3 ICC, Cassale Monferrato
September 9-10 GCC, Mühlhausen
September 16-17 ACC final, Mattighofen
September 23-24 GCC final, Eckolstädt
7-8 October ECC final, Schefflenz
15-17 November Baja 1000
Simo Kirssi on the HP2 Enduro
Born
3 October 1979 in Helsinki, Finland
First steps
Rode in his first motocross race at the tender age of 10.
His support
His parents and two siblings.
His vocation
Professional rider since the age of 21.
His passion
Offroad biking. The wilder the better.
Always at the limit
During his military service, he served as a motorbike scout in a fighter battalion.
Fights won
2005
1st place Erzberg Rodeo Prologue
2nd place Italian Cross Country
2nd place European Cross Country
BABOONS honorary award for the most spectacular 2005 cross country racing season.
Winner of the German Cross Country Series 2004.
Clear goals
Simo Kirssi loves a challenge. That is why he would like to rise to the top with the HP2.
BMW Motorrad Baja 1000
There were 431 entries and only 231 finishers in the 2006 Tecate Score-International Baja 1000, but the BMW Motorrad off-road team was one of them, posting 14th overall in the motorcycle class. The team, consisting of riders Beau Hayden, Ron Bishop, Chuck Dempsey, Tony Megla and Peter Postel, tore the 105 horsepower HP2 Enduro through a treacherous 1047-mile course, racing for twenty-four hours straight to reach the finish line at La Paz.
In a race where just surviving is a victory in itself, the team´s 14th overall win was quite an accomplishment - even more so when you factor in that the 13 bikes that finished ahead of the 1200cc HP2 Enduro were all 650ccs or less.
The race began at 6am in Ensenada, with Beau Hayden tearing off the starting line into the coastal morning haze of dust and fog. Hayden did approximately 215 miles to checkpoint 3, just north of Puertocitos and had this to say about the race:
"I started the 22nd bike out of 26 open pro entries. There was no wind but very thick dust and the sun was in my eyes for the first 40 miles of the race. The dust rarely let up during my stint on the bike. My ride was fairly uneventful as I concentrated hard on not making mistakes or misjudgments in the dust. The bike worked flawlessly and I steadily moved forward through the pack. At one point we moved up to approximately 6th overall around Valle de Trinidad. My highlight of the day was crossing El Diablo dry lake bed where I could open up the bike and let it run."
"It was a tight race up to this point where I would get passed in the very rough areas of the course where there were big whoops and ruts and I would blow back by them in the faster sections. We did a tyre change at pit 3 (mile 185) and three or four riders passed me there. A few riders also passed me during a whoop/rock section prior to checkpoint three and I handed the bike to Ron in 10th place overall."
Averaging just above 42 mph, the team navigated hundreds of waist-deep water crossings, extremely rocky sections of boulder fields, pitch black night conditions, lava rocks, washouts, and tons of deep, deep silt, not to mention the numerous other surprises that the Baja throws at riders. From local traffic, roaming cattle, and hurricane-ravaged terrain, the hazards were ceaseless, but the team endured to capture a genuinely remarkable result. After Hayden´s first leg, Baja legend Ron Bishop-a veteran of every single Baja 1000 ever run-handled his section smoothly and then Chuck Dempsey took the helm. Chuck had this to say about his section:
"I rode as safely as possible in the whoops because they were pretty big and sandy. I wanted to save the bike for when I got to the fast roads. This was my 21st year racing in the Pro Class down in Baja and I´d have to say that the HP2 Enduro is the fastest bike I have ever ridden in my life. I started passing guys right off the bat which surprised me - when I got on the roads it was like taking candy from a baby."
"The middle of my section was fast," Dempsey continued, "but the last 20 miles were tight and rocky so I knew I had to get there as fast as possible before all the guys would pass me back, and then we headed into the night. I turned on the headlight and it lit up for about three seconds, and then turned off. That´s when I knew I was in trouble because Baja is pitch black when there´s no moon. I rode as fast as I could, even though I couldn´t see much in front of me. That was a handful on the HP2 Enduro when you can´t even see your own fender - and that´s when everybody started passing me back."
I tried riding next to other riders, but they were not happy with that since I had passed them earlier. So about seven miles from HWY 1 I saw a group of 30 or so Mexican locals standing and drinking beers watching the race, so I pulled up to them and grabbed a flashlight right out of their hands and took off. I guess I owe them a flashlight! I started to ride holding the flashlight with my clutch hand - it wasn´t much but it was better than nothing."
"I was so happy to see my BMW team waiting for me at HWY 1. It seemed like I rode 50 miles that night with no light. From there we jumped on HWY 1 and I rode behind the chase truck to where Tony was waiting for us with new lights. We did another wheel change and the new race lights were installed on the bike, after which Tony took off to complete his section."
Megla reports: "I was the rider from San Ignacio (mile 554) to Loreto, (mile 776) and from Insurgentes (mile 855) to checkpoint 9 (mile 943). In San Ignacio the bike showed up late because of a blown headlight fuse in the wiring harness. This was the pit where we had to change to the stock headlight with the Baja lights. I left San Ignacio about 6:45pm and tried to make up as much time as possible. We had dropped back to around 38th overall. The course from here was fast graded roads, sandy roads, and tidal flats with a few muddy spots on the Pacific coast before it turned inland to the town of La Purisma.
"From La Purisma it was a lot of old washed out rocky roads to the Gulf side of the coast. The last 60 miles into Loreto was the toughest part of my section. Some parts were brand new road freshly cut just for the race. It was twisty, tight, and technical with a lot of sand washes and rocks - first and second gear for long sections."
"I passed about eight riders - three with broken bikes - and had a trouble-free ride. I arrived in Loreto at 11:45pm, then jumped into our chase truck and drove to Insurgentes for the next section. Peter Postel was scheduled to ride the HP2 Enduro from Loreto, but a slight change occurred.
"The original plan was for me to ride from Loreto to the finish," said Postel, "however, Tony came in and said he was feeling great, so the decision was made for me to push hard through the next section to stay ahead of the Trophy trucks and then he would get back on the bike. We checked the bike when he pulled in, and the rear tyre was completely gone so we changed it there. The amount of spectators was unbelievable, even at 1am."
"South of San Javier, there was a lot of water left over from the hurricanes. Postel went on to say, "I believe there were about 27 water crossings. Also the course was extremely rocky, riding over boulders for miles. I passed six other riders in this section. Then going out to the highway, there was lots of single lane silt. From there to the finish there were big silt beds to the ocean, some so deep the cylinder heads were dragging. This was an area to just get through and survive. "
Postel did just that, before handing off to Megla, who had this to report: "When Pete arrived he was completely soaked from all the water crossings. I got back on the bike at around 2:30 in the morning. In this last section I made a wrong turn when the locals took down the course markings and I went about five miles off course. Once I was back on course there were miles and miles of deep silt. The ruts in the road filled in with the silt and the road looked hard until the bike just drops out from underneath you and the ruts almost completely stop you. I arrived at mile 943 at about 4:30am and gave the bike back to Peter."
Postel finished about 100 miles later in La Paz, bringing the BMW Motorrad off-road team to the 14th overall position in the motorcycle class, and sixth in class 22 (Pro/Motorcycles over 251 cc). This strong finish on a motorcycle as large as the HP2 Enduro in conditions as challenging as the Baja 1000 is nothing short of amazing.
"I very much enjoyed racing the BMW and truly appreciate the strong efforts put in by BMW, my teammates, and Baja Bound, said Hayden. "The HP2 Enduro certainly drew its share of attention at Tech/Contingency and at the start people were constantly surrounding the bike, asking many questions."
"The HP2 Enduro is a blast to ride!" added Postel. "You just have to respect it and ride it accordingly. I can´t wait to ride it again. It was truly a unique experience."
"I started the 22nd bike out of 26 open pro entries. There was no wind but very thick dust and the sun was in my eyes for the first 40 miles of the race. The dust rarely let up during my stint on the bike. My ride was fairly uneventful as I concentrated hard on not making mistakes or misjudgments in the dust. The bike worked flawlessly and I steadily moved forward through the pack. At one point we moved up to approximately 6th overall around Valle de Trinidad. My highlight of the day was crossing El Diablo dry lake bed where I could open up the bike and let it run."
"It was a tight race up to this point where I would get passed in the very rough areas of the course where there were big whoops and ruts and I would blow back by them in the faster sections. We did a tyre change at pit 3 (mile 185) and three or four riders passed me there. A few riders also passed me during a whoop/rock section prior to checkpoint three and I handed the bike to Ron in 10th place overall."
Averaging just above 42 mph, the team navigated hundreds of waist-deep water crossings, extremely rocky sections of boulder fields, pitch black night conditions, lava rocks, washouts, and tons of deep, deep silt, not to mention the numerous other surprises that the Baja throws at riders. From local traffic, roaming cattle, and hurricane-ravaged terrain, the hazards were ceaseless, but the team endured to capture a genuinely remarkable result. After Hayden´s first leg, Baja legend Ron Bishop-a veteran of every single Baja 1000 ever run-handled his section smoothly and then Chuck Dempsey took the helm. Chuck had this to say about his section:
"I rode as safely as possible in the whoops because they were pretty big and sandy. I wanted to save the bike for when I got to the fast roads. This was my 21st year racing in the Pro Class down in Baja and I´d have to say that the HP2 Enduro is the fastest bike I have ever ridden in my life. I started passing guys right off the bat which surprised me - when I got on the roads it was like taking candy from a baby."
"The middle of my section was fast," Dempsey continued, "but the last 20 miles were tight and rocky so I knew I had to get there as fast as possible before all the guys would pass me back, and then we headed into the night. I turned on the headlight and it lit up for about three seconds, and then turned off. That´s when I knew I was in trouble because Baja is pitch black when there´s no moon. I rode as fast as I could, even though I couldn´t see much in front of me. That was a handful on the HP2 Enduro when you can´t even see your own fender - and that´s when everybody started passing me back."
I tried riding next to other riders, but they were not happy with that since I had passed them earlier. So about seven miles from HWY 1 I saw a group of 30 or so Mexican locals standing and drinking beers watching the race, so I pulled up to them and grabbed a flashlight right out of their hands and took off. I guess I owe them a flashlight! I started to ride holding the flashlight with my clutch hand - it wasn´t much but it was better than nothing."
"I was so happy to see my BMW team waiting for me at HWY 1. It seemed like I rode 50 miles that night with no light. From there we jumped on HWY 1 and I rode behind the chase truck to where Tony was waiting for us with new lights. We did another wheel change and the new race lights were installed on the bike, after which Tony took off to complete his section."
Megla reports: "I was the rider from San Ignacio (mile 554) to Loreto, (mile 776) and from Insurgentes (mile 855) to checkpoint 9 (mile 943). In San Ignacio the bike showed up late because of a blown headlight fuse in the wiring harness. This was the pit where we had to change to the stock headlight with the Baja lights. I left San Ignacio about 6:45pm and tried to make up as much time as possible. We had dropped back to around 38th overall. The course from here was fast graded roads, sandy roads, and tidal flats with a few muddy spots on the Pacific coast before it turned inland to the town of La Purisma.
"From La Purisma it was a lot of old washed out rocky roads to the Gulf side of the coast. The last 60 miles into Loreto was the toughest part of my section. Some parts were brand new road freshly cut just for the race. It was twisty, tight, and technical with a lot of sand washes and rocks - first and second gear for long sections."
"I passed about eight riders - three with broken bikes - and had a trouble-free ride. I arrived in Loreto at 11:45pm, then jumped into our chase truck and drove to Insurgentes for the next section. Peter Postel was scheduled to ride the HP2 Enduro from Loreto, but a slight change occurred.
"The original plan was for me to ride from Loreto to the finish," said Postel, "however, Tony came in and said he was feeling great, so the decision was made for me to push hard through the next section to stay ahead of the Trophy trucks and then he would get back on the bike. We checked the bike when he pulled in, and the rear tyre was completely gone so we changed it there. The amount of spectators was unbelievable, even at 1am."
"South of San Javier, there was a lot of water left over from the hurricanes. Postel went on to say, "I believe there were about 27 water crossings. Also the course was extremely rocky, riding over boulders for miles. I passed six other riders in this section. Then going out to the highway, there was lots of single lane silt. From there to the finish there were big silt beds to the ocean, some so deep the cylinder heads were dragging. This was an area to just get through and survive. "
Postel did just that, before handing off to Megla, who had this to report: "When Pete arrived he was completely soaked from all the water crossings. I got back on the bike at around 2:30 in the morning. In this last section I made a wrong turn when the locals took down the course markings and I went about five miles off course. Once I was back on course there were miles and miles of deep silt. The ruts in the road filled in with the silt and the road looked hard until the bike just drops out from underneath you and the ruts almost completely stop you. I arrived at mile 943 at about 4:30am and gave the bike back to Peter."
Postel finished about 100 miles later in La Paz, bringing the BMW Motorrad off-road team to the 14th overall position in the motorcycle class, and sixth in class 22 (Pro/Motorcycles over 251 cc). This strong finish on a motorcycle as large as the HP2 Enduro in conditions as challenging as the Baja 1000 is nothing short of amazing.
"I very much enjoyed racing the BMW and truly appreciate the strong efforts put in by BMW, my teammates, and Baja Bound, said Hayden. "The HP2 Enduro certainly drew its share of attention at Tech/Contingency and at the start people were constantly surrounding the bike, asking many questions."
"The HP2 Enduro is a blast to ride!" added Postel. "You just have to respect it and ride it accordingly. I can´t wait to ride it again. It was truly a unique experience."
Saturday, February 20, 2010
HP motor racing, Schefflenz, D
An amazing mud fight was to be seen at the European Cross Country final in Schefflenz - the finale with the best riders of the Austrian, Italian and German Cross Country Championships.
Heavy showers transformed what is in fact an attractive meadowed area into a mud bath for this last race of the professional class.
Even regular climbs became a real challenge. But not for Simo Kirssi - as a Finn accustomed to such difficult conditions, he powered his HP2 Enduro with incomparable skill round the circuit to the applause of the numerous spectators.
Gerhard Forster also lined up for the start: the two BMW riders were able to give an impressive demonstration of the power and traction of the HP2, thundering straight up the slopes where others fell.
Simo Kirssi was able to achieve an outstanding 6th position after 2 hours of exceptionally tough racing time. Gerhard Forster managed 11th place with the semi-professionals.
The European Cross Country Champion was Bert Meyer, who had finished second in the German Cross Country series.
As the best 2-cylinder rider in the series, Kirssi enjoyed well-deserved special applause at the celebrations after the race.
A very pleasing conclusion to a successful BMW HP2 racing season!
Gerhard Forster: "At first I had to get used to the power of the HP2 again, but the more selective it got, the getter I was able to get some drive out of the bike´s incredible traction.
Pure off-road pleasure in these conditions!
"Simo Kirssi: "Today it was really hard work again on this difficult, slippery surface.
But it was also great fun ploughing everything up with the power of the HP2.
I´m certainly looking forward to the next cross country season with BMW."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
