BMW R 1200 S dominates Open Class

BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s two teams recorded superb results in the fourth round of the 2007 QMMF Endurance World Championship at Oschersleben at the weekend, finishing fifth and ninth overall on the modified R 1200 S sports boxer, as well as first and second in their class.

During the 24-hour marathon at the 3.667-kilometre circuit, both bikes hardly skipped a beat on their way to their best results of the year so far. The number 17 R 1200 S ridden by regulars Thomas Hinterreiter, Rico Penzkofer and Marcus Barth finished fifth – with only a minor problem during 873 tortuous laps – while the number 71 bike ridden by Richard Cooper, Peter Ottl and Jose-Luis Nion went from the start of the race to the finish without any problems whatsoever.

Although drizzle and damp conditions greeted the riders at the start on Saturday, the weather soon improved for the rest of the 24-hour world championship race, which was won by the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team of Vincent Philippe, Matthieu Lagrive and Julien da Costa. Despite suffering from a couple of minor crashes, the Team Kawasaki France outfit of Steve Plater, Gwen Giabbani and Julian Mazuecost fought its way up to second place, albeit 12 laps adrift. Third place went to Yamaha Austria (Igor Jerman, Sebastian Scarnato and Steve Martin), while Team Bolliger Switzerland (David Morillon, Patric Muff and Horst Saiger) finished fourth.

Coming home in fifth overall and taking outright victory in the Open Class was the number 17 BMW R 1200 S ridden by Thomas Hinterreiter, Rico Penzkofer and Marcus Barth.

“That was a perfect race for us and I must say that I am a bit surprised by the result,” said Hinterreiter. “I didn’t expect such a good result – especially when you consider that we were fighting against riders from the world championship. So to get fifth overall against such high-level teams is a fantastic result for us. In the Open Class, I sort of expected us to win – if we had no problems – but fifth overall in the race is amazing!”

Contributing to a great weekend of race success for BMW Motorrad Motorsport was a second team consisting of Richard Cooper, Peter Ottl and Jose-Luis Nion, who finished ninth overall in the race, and second in the Open Class behind their team-mates.

“I’m very happy because all I had expected was a good top 15 finish, so to end up ninth in a world championship event is fantastic” said British rider Cooper, who was competing in his first 24-hour race. “This track doesn’t give you much time to rest, but the bike is easy to ride and I didn’t find it tiring at all – in fact, it’s surprising what you can do with it! The team has been perfect to work with and they made my job so much easier.”

BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team Manager: Berti Hauser had the final say on what has been a fantastic weekend at Oschersleben: “I am absolutely delighted for the whole team. They’ve worked so hard since Barcelona and their will to get a good result has been so strong. To get fifth and ninth overall competing against the best teams and riders in the World Endurance Championship is a fantastic achievement and to get first and second in our class is also pretty special. These results are better then we dreamed about and it’s all down to the way we worked together as a team – and I’m talking about both bikes. Overall, it’s been a fantastic weekend and I can say no more!”

Oschersleben results
1. Suzuki Endurance Racing – 905 laps
2. Kawasaki France – 893 laps
3. Yamaha Austria – 885 laps
4. Bolliger Switzerland – 878 laps
5. BMW Motorrad Motorsport (Hinterreiter, Penzkofer, Barth) – 873 laps
6. Raffin Motos – 871 laps
7. Diablo 666 Bolliger – 870 laps
8. Jadoul Motosport – 868 laps
9. BMW Motorrad Motorsport (Cooper, Ottl, Nion) – 868 laps
10. Endurance Moto 38 – 866 laps