Husqvarna Press Release, 6/23/11

Husqvarna Motorcycles is proud to announce the newest member of the North American team – Fred Hoess. As a former factory Husqvarna rider, Hoess is excited to get back on board with the brand that started his professional career. Hoess has joined the Husqvarna team as an MSP (Market Sales Professional) for the Northeast region of the United States.

“I’m totally excited to be back with Husqvarna, and it’s great to be back in the industry,” Hoess said. “Husqvarna was my first factory supported racing effort during the late 80’s. I have competed on a factory level for Husqvarna at some point during each of the last three decades. In fact, I was the last rider to win a National Enduro, a National Hare Scrambles and an ISDE Qualifier on Husqvarna.”

One of the most decorated American riders in off-road, Hoess has been involved with motorcycling for nearly 40 years. He has amassed an unprecedented 21 ISDE (International Six Day Enduro) medals and has represented the United States as a member of the Trophy Team and Junior Trophy team no less than 15 times.

Hoess has no plans of slowing down any time soon, either. He is already qualified for the 2011 ISDE in Finland, and is looking forward to bringing home his 16th gold medal this year.

“We’re delighted to have a sales professional and rider of Fred’s caliber on board with us,” Husqvarna’s National Sales Manager Revelle Harrison said. “He’ll make a great addition to the Husqvarna team, and we already can’t wait to hit the trails with him!”

"The first place I rode my TXC511 was in Baja at the Mexican 1000," Roeseler
commented. "The 511 ran great the whole time. A thousand miles later, I came
back home, changed the oil and put some fresh tires on it and went to a local GP
where I almost lapped the field. So far this bike's been awesome, and it's the buzz
of the pits wherever I go. People are just amazed by the features and the
innovative design of the bikes and I have a lot of people coming up to me asking
questions.

"I'm really excited to be a part of Husqvarna again," Roeseler continued. "They've
been a big part of my race career. Now they're not just in my past but in my
future, too."

"It's great having a rider of Larry's caliber represent us," said Husqvarna National
Marketing Manager Corey Eastman. "He's exactly the kind of guy you want out at
the races talking to people about the bikes. He's excited about where Husqvarna
is headed, and so are we, so we're happy to support his motorcycle riding and
racing."

Preparations for the start of the 2011 Superbike World Championship are gathering steam, with the BMW Motorrad Motorsport factory team riders concluding several days of testing at Eastern Creek and Phillip Island circuits. With only around three weeks until the first round of the 2011 WSBK series, new signing Leon Haslam speaks exclusively to BMW Motorrad about entering the most exciting year of his career to date.

How’s life as a married man?

It’s pretty much the same really. We went away to Sweden for the wedding which was amazing, it was really relaxing and remote and we just chilled out. We both wanted a winter wedding and as we enjoy our winter sports, we did some snowboarding as well. For the honeymoon we went out to Borneo and again that was incredible. During the off season it’s just nice to get away and recuperate ready for the start of the new WSBK season. The wedding and the honeymoon allowed me to relax and recharge my batteries.

You’ve followed the development of the S 1000 RR closely over the past two years. Do you feel that it is truly competitive now?
For me the RR is a proven package. It’s the best selling bike from last year, it’s been winning championships and races all round the globe and in stock trim you will struggle to find a better package. On a racing level, the bike has only been developed over the last two years, but the potential is undoubtedly huge with this motorcycle. Last year both Troy and Ruben were competitive, pushing machinery and manufacturers who have been developing and racing for decades. I think it would be a lie for anyone to say they weren’t impressed by the job BMW did last year.

Are you surprised at the speed of the learning curve?

We are playing catch-up in some respects, purely down to the limited amount of racing experience we have as a manufacturer in WSBK, but the experience and expertise of the BMW family across the entire brand indicates that this team has a huge amount to bring to this championship. There is no doubt that I am riding for the Championship this year – it would be an insult to BMW to say that I wasn’t, and an insult to myself. It’s a really exciting project to be part of and testing already indicates that I can do the times I was doing last year on the Suzuki. I still feel we have a lot more to come in order to push the bike forward before the first race at Phillip Island.

The rider that secures BMW Motorrad its first WSBK victory will be immortalised in the brand’s history. How much of an incentive is that for you?

I just want to win races. I am with a team that wants to win races and we are pushing on every level to make that a reality. BMW has always been associated with success and prides itself on the machinery it supplies across all sectors. This team has a definite winning mentality and that can only be good for me. I am not thinking about the first win, I am thinking about winning every race we enter. As a racer I am in this sport to win and I came to BMW because they have the ambition and resource to make that possible.

Have you been able to form an early impression from testing of how good the RR is yet?

Yes. It was obvious from the first time I met the team and rode the bike that we have a great motorcycle in the RR. There is so much we can try and so many parts being developed, to the point where every time I step on the bike I have the ability to try something new. That’s a great feeling because you cannot afford to stand still for a minute in this game and every test so far we have been quicker. We spend a lot of time running through information and identifying areas of improvement but you have to do that with a new motorcycle because you are constantly finding new areas to work on.

So your confidence is high at this point then?

I am confident that when we pull everything together at Phillip Island for that first round we will have an exceptional package. The key aspect with this package for me is that we do a lot our development in-house which means that things are done in days rather than weeks and the development curve is a lot steeper than our rivals. We have a great stock motorcycle to work from – one which is only a few seconds off the actual Superbike at certain circuits – so we know we have a superb package to work with.

Is the RR a totally different package to the Suzuki?

With Suzuki we really hit the ground running, we had a good package which was right at the top of its development cycle from the first race of 2010. For the first few rounds we had one of the strongest motorcycles on the grid, but everyone soon developed their machines and progressed ahead of us as the season went on. We just couldn’t see a way to develop the Suzuki any further – the package just wasn’t evolving at the rate of the other leading machines on the grid. What we had at the first race was pretty much the same package we ended the year on.

Things must seem different now?

Here with BMW we could do a three-day test and every day I could have the opportunity to try something new, all in an aid to develop and that can only be good for me. I am really enthusiastic about the rate of development here and that’s what wins races and world titles. I think we can really challenge from the first race of the season and improve the machine with every race. That in itself is a great feeling. There are seven manufactures all pushing for the title next year – all proven race winners – so we have a tough job ahead of us but one which we are more than capable of.

Is there a lot you feel you can still learn from an experienced racer like Corser?

Troy has got the bike to where it is now, there is no doubt about that, so yes I think I have already learnt a lot from Troy. I think he will be a good source of information as the year rolls on. Personally I think the strongest thing for me and the team now are the new ideas coming to the table. We have new team personnel this year, new mechanics, my chief engineer Giacomo has joined me from Suzuki and he has a lot of ideas already. It’s easy to forget that only Troy and Ruben have raced the BMW at this level and the team only have their feedback to go on when it comes to racing. Another benefit and good source of information will come from James Toseland, Aryton Badovini and the BMW Motorrad Italia team stepping into the series this year. The team is undoubtedly strong, they will have access to all the parts and materials we do, they are all new to the bike and will have some good ideas to work with. I’m sure they can benefit us as well. Ayrton has shown his ability to make the BMW work at a stock level, winning 9 out of 10 races last year.  James’ pedigree speaks for itself. He is a two-time world champion at this level and has recent MotoGP experience so he knows how to develop machinery. I think collectively BMW have a great stable of riders this year and a good blend of qualities to develop the machine.

Look out for Part Two of this interview next week and don’t forget to sign up to the BMW Motorrad Motorsport newsletter to receive all the latest information from the team, including race and test reports, WSBK previews and much more. Signing up is easy and can be done at www.motorrad.com

After practicing there today (Friday), Pfeiffer has another engagement to attend to, this time with new Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel. The pair will fly up to Berlin together and make a stop in the capital so that the youngest ever F1 champion can drive his Red Bull F1 car on a lap of honour through central Berlin in front of thousands of German fans.

The 23-year-old German will drive his F1 car down the Strasse des 17 Juni Boulevard that cuts through the heart of the city and ends at the Brandenburg Gate. Pfeiffer will be there on his F 800 R performing special shows for the tens of thousands of motorsport fans who have turned up to celebrate Vettel’s achievement.

“I’m really looking forward to this weekend, although I’ve hardly had time to catch my breath since arriving back from Argentina,” said the multi-time stunt riding world champion. “It will be an amazing party in Berlin for Sebastian and we’re also going to repeat this F1 show at his home town at a later date. As soon as our shows are finished, we’re both going to jump in a private jet, courtesy of our sponsor Red Bull, and head back to Düsseldorf for the Race of Champions, which starts with the Nations Cup on the Saturday night and then the main event on the Sunday.”

This year’s Race of Champions will feature a thrilling line-up of stars and cars headed by the biggest names in motor sport. Newly-crowned F1 champ Vettel will take on the greatest drivers of all time from F1, world rally, Le Mans and world touring cars, plus aces from many other fields on two wheels and four.

The list of competitors includes world rally champion Sébastien Loeb; multiple F1 world champions Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost; five-time motorcycling world champion Mick Doohan; 2010 X-Games rally and rallycross gold medallist Tanner Foust; Formula 1 grand prix winner Heikki Kovalainen; eight-time Le Mans 24-Hour race winner Tom Kristensen; three-time World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx; 11-time X-Games gold medallist Travis Pastrana; and many more superstars who will race identical machinery head-to-head on a parallel track.

The event will take place on a specially constructed tarmac circuit with two parallel lanes winding their way round Düsseldorf’s ESPRIT arena – the home of German football team Fortuna Düsseldorf. In recent years The Race of Champions has been held at the Stade de France in Paris (2004-2006), London’s Wembley Stadium (2007-2008) and Beijing’s ‘Bird’s Nest’ National Stadium (2009) but in 2010 it is returning to European soil. Consequently, Pfeiffer is looking forwards to entertaining the thousands of spectators in the stadium, and millions more who will be watching around the world via live Web streaming.

“Having performed shows at Wembley, London in 2007 and 2008, and last year at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing, I know what to expect, but I just hope the weather holds out for us,” says Pfeiffer. “If it’s wet and slippery, it will be great entertainment for the spectators but challenging for me to perform on the new asphalt. I’ll be doing shows before the races and more shows in-between races too, plus I’ll even be on standby to entertain the crowds with some tricks and demos if there are any delays due to things like crashes.”

The 2010 track at Düsseldorf’s ESPRIT arena is the widest Race of Champions track ever to have been created inside a stadium and it took about a week to build. At around a kilometre in length and with a width of 7.5 metres, several thousand tonnes of asphalt and gravel, and a bridge weighing over 100 tonnes were needed to build the circuit. The extra width will allow the drivers to push to even greater limits than before, making it especially exciting for the fans.

Team Germany will of course be starting as favourites, thanks to the talents of Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher, who said: “It’s going to be very exciting to see The Race of Champions in Germany, particularly as Sebastian Vettel and I have won the Nations Cup for the last three years. So this is a great opportunity and a fantastic decision from the organisers. I’m really looking forward to defending our title in front of our home crowd.”

To watch the 2010 Race of Champions streamed LIVE on the web, a pay-per-view service costs just 4.99 EUR for the weekend. Saturday night features the ROC Nations Cup from 1900-2200 CET (1800-2100 GMT) while Sunday has The Race of Champions itself from 1300-1600 CET (1200-1500 GMT). This fee includes live action plus the replay of all the action from ROC 2010. Commentary will be in English and the stream will be visible on www.raceofchampions.com and www.freecaster.tv

Here is the remaining schedule:

http://www.dragbike.com/dbnews/anmviewer.asp?a=5985&z=5

All street-legal parts are removed, and everything is safety-wired for tech inspection.

Paul Wilson finished installing the rear sets, and was able to reverse the shift pattern for Nate. Nate rides with a GP-style shifter setup, which is a standard in road racing.

The bodywork fits like a glove and looks great... now to fit the windshield:

Bill Walls finishes the installation of the upper fairing and windshield.

Paul Wilson installs the frame sliders, and hopes Nate never has to use them.

The tail section is finished and ready for decals.

The bike is put through a heat cycle, mainly so Nate Kern can hear how it runs:

The next day, the new double bubble windshield is installed and the decals are applied. We also received our final piece of the puzzle, the exhaust system from Akropovic:

The bike looks great from all sides:

Nate is excited about the bike... good luck in Daytona, Nate!



The Finnish multiple-world champion has delivered BMW's best ever WEC performances to date, scoring two hard-fought Enduro 2 class runner-up results at the GP of Finland, a double podium at the GP of Sardinia and another podium finish at the GP of Slovakia. Furthermore, Juha also captured a debut overall win in the hotly contested Spanish Enduro Championship round held at Becerrea, beating regular WEC front-runners such as Ivan Cervantes, Oriol Mena and Cristobal Guerrero in the process.

After a decade of being a factory rider for KTM, Salminen took on the challenge of helping develop the works G 450 X in 2009 and beyond. Along with his teammates Marco Tarkkala and Simo Kirssi, the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team has a serious presence and impact on the Enduro World Championship paddock, and now sport enduro enthusiasts everywhere have the opportunity to look and perform just like factory riders with the launch of a selection of race kit options for series production customer machines.

For a limited period only (until the end of September) a choice of three kits are now available for the 2009 BMW G 450 X which let you 'pimp' your bike so that it looks just like Juha's factory bike (Kit Race) and give you a special deal on all parts needed for racing (Kit Basic Equipment and Wheels).

1. Kit Race G 450 X

Look just like a works rider with this replica factory kit that includes a racing silencer especially made for competition, chain hose top and bottom as well as lateral trim panels (without labels) and a Factory Sticker Kit (Decor Kit G 450 X Factory Replica red-blue by www.speedbrain.de). The slip-on, stainless steel racing silencer is engineered by BMW and at just 3.3 kg, it weighs about 1 kg less than the series production version. It's easy to fit and sounds fantastic, although it is not street legal. This kit is available for delivery from the beginning of August.

2. Kit Basic Equipment G 450 X

For those riders making proper use of their G 450 X and using it for its intended purpose, this 'Basic Equipment' kit gives a good selection of spares for the usual consumable items, and includes front and rear brake pads, 50-tooth sprocket, chain, air filter, oil filter, spark plug, handlebar, clutch lever, clutch lever clamp and handbrake lever.

3. Kit Wheels G 450 X

If you're serious about racing and riding in enduro events, then you’ll need a spare set of wheels, so that you can change them quickly, depending on the conditions encountered at different tracks. The G 450 X Wheels Kit includes standard front and rear wheels including brake discs, 50-tooth sprocket and all mounting material for discs and sprocket.

Information on all these kits is available via the BMW motorcycle dealer network, where the kits can also be ordered. You may not be as fast or talented as Juha Salminen and his teammates, but at least you can look like them and give your BMW G 450 X that extra special performance edge.

The BMW S 1000 RR, the German manufacturer's most recent project, was greeted with a mixture of surprise and excitement when it was announced to the world’s press in 2008. Speculation regarding the S 1000 RR's styling and technical specification was rife, and it wasn’t until the fifth round of the World Superbike Championship that the production model was unveiled to widespread acclaim. The bold design and phenomenal performance figures stunned the motorcycling world. BMW Motorrad had officially arrived in the supersport market - and in some style.

BMW Motorrad is no stranger to producing motorcycles of distinction, with the GS models the most obvious examples of a long line of machines that stand out from the offerings from the other manufacturers. But, having never previously attempted to produce a supersports machine, the S 1000 RR project was possibly BMW Motorrad's most ambitious task to date.

In order for the project to be a success, BMW Motorrad assembled a team of industry experts - each possessing a wealth of experience and a will to succeed - and set the challenge of designing the world's best supersports bike. Heading up the team was David Robb, a BMW veteran with over 30 years of design experience to his name. He explains the origins of the S 1000 RR project: "BMW Motorrad has, for many years, been looking to raise the pulse rate of the company," he says. "We have always been well-known for our dynamic products and our innovation, and we wanted to seize on this opinion and produce a supersport motorcycle that embodied everything that BMW Motorrad stands for. Recent models such as the HP2 Sport and the K 1200 S were an indication of a direction in which we wanted to take the brand and the S 1000 RR is the realisation of this ambition."

With the supersports segment being one of the most hotly contested in the motorcycle industry, BMW Motorrad acknowledged that the S 1000 RR had to be an entirely different prospect to its competitors, while still appealing to the market’s desire for high-performance racing thoroughbreds.

"From very early on in the project, we identified that to be accepted in the supersports market, the S 1000 RR had to be first and foremost a race machine," says David. "Therefore, performance was a vital aspect of the bike. Our research also informed us that to appeal to the target audience, the bike needed to look good. As a result, communication between the engineering team and the design team was essential to make certain that neither the overall performance of the bike or how it looked were compromised when trying to maximise both aspects."

The outcome of the collaboration between the design and engineering teams is a bike that excels in both categories. On track, the engineering success of the project is clear to see. With Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus at the controls, the S 1000 RR machines are a regular fixture in the World Superbike Championship top ten - a remarkable feat in the bike’s first season in this highly competitive series. Meanwhile, the unique styling of the S 1000 RR, featuring asymmetric front lights and fairing setup, is distinctly BMW and a refreshing take on the traditional supersports design.

In light of the success of the project so far, David is quick to credit the design team, who he feels deserve the adulation. "My role was to nurture the team’s creativity in order to get the best end result, but to also foster the collaboration between the designers and design engineers," comments David. "We were lucky enough to have a team of very talented individuals, who each brought different qualities to the group."

One such individual was Ola Stenegard, BMW Motorrad’s Principle Designer. Although the S 1000 RR project was an opportunity to create a chapter in BMW Motorrad’s illustrious history, Ola wasn’t fazed by the prospect. "The project wasn’t challenging at all, in fact, it was the dream brief," he says. "As a designer, it’s the bike you wait your whole life for. I worked on the HP2 Sport project and thought that was the pinnacle of the dream and once that had finished, I wondered how I could better it. Then, the S 1000 RR came along and I had my answer!"

So, with a blank canvas and the task of creating a brand new bike, Ola and the team began the job of creating sketch after sketch, toying with ideas and discussing the possibilities with the design engineers. "The main inspiration came from the track," continues Ola. "I would go to the track and watch the test riders, and ride myself. My goal was to make the bike look as fast as it could be ridden and now the project is complete, I wouldn’t change a thing. As a designer, you often revisit previous projects and wonder how you could have improved them. But when I look at the S 1000 RR, I don’t believe we could have done anything better."

Elsewhere, the design engineers, including Thrass Papadimitriou, were tasked with ensuring that the S 1000 RR’s performance wasn’t compromised by its styling and played a vital role in ensuring that the brief was adhered to. "The project was a dream come true for me," says Thrass. "It was exciting as BMW had never previously focussed on a supersport machine. As such, there were more technical requirements to factor into the design than ever before and the specification list and design had to work in perfect harmony. Communications between the engineering team and the design team needed to be superb and, thankfully, they were and the S 1000 RR is the result of this effort."

The supersports sector may be competitive, but judging by the reaction of the press and members of the public, the BMW S 1000 RR is poised to make a big impression. "I’m very proud of the way in which BMW Motorrad has reshaped itself in recent times," concludes David. "The GS models opened the brand up to a whole new audience. We are confident that the S 1000 RR will do the same and prove to be a landmark machine in this company’s illustrious history."

If you can’t wait for the S 1000 RR to hit the showrooms, visit www.s1000rr.com for exclusive video content.