UPDATE: BMW Announces End of Boxer Cup! Say it isn’t so…!
More: 2003 BMW Boxer Cup race series to be re-broadcast on Speed Channel in the U.S.A. | wBW BMW Motorcycle Page
August 17, 2004 – BMW Motorcycles announced today that 2004 will be the last season “for the time being” for the successful Brand Cup with the BMW R 1100 S. Since 1999 the exciting races with the large capacity flat twin boxers on the basis of the R 1100 S have been thrilling the fans of the white and blue brand. The bikes even went to Daytona where the BoxerCup was held as part of the fringe program of the 200 miles of Daytona. Two very popular replica models for road use based on the race bike have also been available since 2003 in a limited edition.
“It was clear right from the start that a brand cup would only attract widespread attention over a limited period of time”, is how BMW Motorsports director, Berthold Hauser explains the termination of the racing series at the end of this season. “We have achieved all our objectives. We have shown how fast the Boxer can go on the racetrack and have proved the sports-oriented side of our brand to a wide public. The throaty sound of the flat twins and the thrilling duels and battles for position are what got the fans really excited”, Hauser continues.
Every season it was never clear right until the last race of the season who was going to take overall victory. In the current season, however, it will be hard to snatch victory from Thomas Hinterreiter but the battle for positions two and three is still raging between Markus Barth and Stephane Mertens. So once again it will be exciting right until the last race on 30th October in Valencia as part of the Spanish MotoGP.
Thus the BoxerCup will end in its 4th international year (in 1999 and 2000 it was carried out as a national event in Belgium and France). As part of the MotoGP tour, up to 100,000 spectators followed the races which offered nail biting and hair rising excitement.
Currently it is completely open how BMW Motorrad will continue its motor sports commitment. “At the moment there are a lot of interesting ideas but there is no rush and above all there is no need for making decisions”, comments motor sports director Hauser.
Maybe when we see an R1200S? How about it, BMW?
BMW MOTORCYCLE BOXER CUP RETURNS TO DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, January 20, 2004… A field of 39 riders representing 25 racing teams from 10 nations throughout the world will take to the high banks of Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, March 6 for the much-anticipated return of the BMW Motorrad Boxer Cup.
The race, to be held at 11:30 am-prior to the 63rd running of the Daytona 200 by Arai-will be the opening round of the 2004 BMW Motorrad BoxerCup race series and will feature 30 full-season race teams from Europe battling for the series championship. Included in the field in Daytona will be 7 BMW Motorrad USA dealer-sponsored teams all riding near-production spec BMW R 1100 S motorcycles.
Hosted by the American Motorcycle Association Pro Racing , the Daytona running of the BMW Motorrad BoxerCup race will conclude a week-long series of special events presented by BMW Motorrad USA during the 67th annual Bike Week in Daytona Beach, FL. The Daytona matchup will be the first of eight races in the 2004 BMW Motorrad Boxer Cup series, and will be broadcast live on SPEED Channel.
“If it’s anything like last year’s debut, we’ll have the crowd on the edge of their seats,” commented BMW Motorrad USA Brand and Event Marketing Manager Laurence Kuykendall. Last year’s inaugural U.S. BoxerCup race was won by Italian racer Roberto Panichi in a side-by-side photo finish over Team USA rider Brian Parriott.
Competing for the 2004 BMW Motorrad BoxerCup series championship are former World Endurance Champion and 2002 BoxerCup Champion Stephane Mertens of Belgium, former World Supersport competitor and 2003 Daytona BoxerCup champion Roberto Panichi, 2003 Macau GP 4th place finisher Markus Barth and young up-and-coming Brit Richard Cooper.
Riders representing BMW Motorrad USA dealer teams., include Tripp Nobles for Foothills BMW of Lakewood, CO; Sylvester Lemanski for Westchester BMW Motorcycles of White Plains, NY; Nate Kern for DeSimone Racing and BMW Motorcycles of Cherry Hill, NJ; Ricky Orlando and Jon Siminsky for Team Colorado (BMW Motorcycles of Northern Colorado); Frank Shockley for Touring Sport BMW of Greenville, South Carolina, and John Glaefke of BMW Motorcycles of Atlanta.
Also returning to competition in 2004 is BMW Motorrad design engineer Norbert Rebholz., who will ride for the German DAS Boxer Team. Former champion and racing legend, Randy Mamola will, once again, function as official ambassador and spokesperson for the BMW Motorrad BoxerCup 2004 race series.
For the BMW BoxerCup enthusiast, BMW Motorcycles offers a special version of the R 1100 S for the American public. The 2005 R 1100 S BoxerCup Replika ($14,485 MSRP) is equipped with unique trim and equipment to celebrate the BMW Motorrad BoxerCup race series. A special graphics package, which mimics the BoxerCup racebike as ridden by Randy Mamola, will grace the new Pacific Blue, Red and Alpine White paint scheme. Clear turn signal lenses replace the amber turn signal lenses found in the R 1100 S.
Additionally, a pair of carbon-fiber cylinder head covers and a lower engine spoiler distinguishes this S as one of only 300 units that will be produced for the U.S. market. If a personalized version of the R 1100 S is more to your liking, BMW Motorrad USA now offers you the ability to factory-customize your bike based on your desired level of performance. Base price for the R 1100 S is $12,485, including freight. Available options include Partial Integral ABS Brakes, 5.5″ wide rear wheel, Sport Suspension, Sport Transmission, heated hand grips and saddle bag mounts just to name a few. Please contact your local BMW Motorcycle retailer for a complete list and pricing of available options.
The BMW Motorrad BoxerCup series offers over $85,000 in prize money as well as a BMW M3, BMW Z4 and BMW motorcycle to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place series finishers. The 2004 BMW Motorrad BoxerCup is the only support race series for the MotoGP World Championship Series and has seen spectator attendence grow to over 100,000 fans for select events. Originally, the BMW Motorrad BoxerCup series was conducted on a national level in France and Belgium. When it was expanded to an international scale throughout Europe in 2001, it began to attract participants with extremely high levels of riding skills from all corners of the globe.