BMW Motorrad Newsroom

Munich. After a break of a few weeks, the European leg of the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) begins this weekend for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. The iconic TT Circuit at Assen (NED) will host round three of WorldSBK 2023 from 21st to 23rd April. The races at the ‘Cathedral of Speed’ are a home outing for Michael van der Mark (NED) from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. The headquarters of the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, in the town of Cuxhaven in northern Germany, is also just two and a half hours down the motorway from Assen. BMW Motorrad Motorsport has used the break in action to make more progress with the new BMW M 1000 RR. At the end of March, both teams attended tests at Barcelona, where they were able to...

Le Mans. The BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team kicked off the FIM Endurance World Championship 2023 (FIM EWC) with a podium finish. Markus Reiterberger (GER), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) and Jérémy Guarnoni (FRA) claimed third place at the opening event, the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA). This was also the first podium for the new #37 BMW M 1000 RR in its first race. Mikhalchik also posted the fastest lap time, 1:35.751 minutes. The newly-formed Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team enjoyed a perfect debut, claiming victory in the Superstock class. Having endured difficult, changeable conditions during qualifying, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team began the 24-hour race from eighth place. It took just 90 minutes for the #37 BMW M 1000 RR...

Le Mans. The FIM Endurance World Championship 2023 (FIM EWC) starts this weekend with the 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA). This season, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team will be competing with the new BMW M 1000 RR that has been optimised in a number of areas. Markus Reiterberger (GER), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) and Jérémy Guarnoni (FRA) will be sharing regular riding duties in the saddle of the #37 bike again. Supported by BMW Motorrad Motorsport, the new Tecmas-MRP-BMW Racing Team from France will be competing in the Superstock class of the FIM EWC this season. In interviews and statements, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team Manager Werner Daemen and the three BMW Motorrad works riders...

Le Mans. The stage is set for the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC): next weekend (13th to 16th April), the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team will be starting the 2023 season with the new #37 BMW M 1000 RR. The opening event will once again be the 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA). In terms of riders, the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team around Team Manager Werner Daemen (BEL) is focusing on continuity. For the 2023 season, Markus Reiterberger (GER), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR) and Jérémy Guarnoni (FRA) will again be the regular racers on the #37 BMW M 1000 RR. Patrick Hobelsberger (GER) will support the team as the fourth rider at Le Mans. For the latest generation of the BMW M 1000 RR, the aerodynamics have been reworked extensively...

Munich. International motorcycle racing is setting course for greater sustainability. In doing so, one area to address is that of fuel. With this in mind, the Superbike commission of the FIM World Superbike Championship (WorldSBK) has decided that, as in MotoGP, the fuels used must be made from at least 40 percent fossil-free components as of the 2024 season. BMW Motorrad Motorsport is preparing intensively for this and is heavily involved in the development of such alternative fuels, as a partner of the company NORDOEL within the government-supported joint project DeCarTrans. DeCarTrans stands for ‘Demonstrating a Circular Carbon Economy in Transport Along the Value Chain’. Along with other companies and research centres, one of the...

Munich. BMW Motorrad Boxer models are among the most popular and sought-after motorcycles in the world - unfortunately also among thieves. BMW Motorrad is now the first motorcycle manufacturer in the world to meet this challenge with BMW iFace - a face recognition system that makes the previous ignition key superfluous and perfectly complements the existing Keyless Go technology. BMW iFace was developed in cooperation with Professor Dr. Dr. Gerhard Lesjöh, head of the world's leading institute for ophthalmology at the University of Munich. The system offers facial recognition of the rider’s face on the one hand and also an iris-cornea comparison of the eyes for definite identification on the other. Face recognition using 3D scan and...

Munich. BMW Motorrad achieved the highest sales in its corporate history with 202,895 motorcycles and scooters handed over to customers, which is an increase of +4.4 % compared to the previous year. BMW Motorrad remains in first place in the global premium motorcycle and scooter segment. Dr. Markus Schramm, Head of BMW Motorrad: "I would like to express my sincere thanks to our customers worldwide for the great trust they have placed in us again in 2022. The record result in 2022 clearly proves that our attractive product range and our brand are very popular with customers. I look forward to our centenary year in 2023 with great joy and confidence." Stable sales in Europe. Germany remains the largest single market for BMW Motorrad in...

Munich/Stuttgart. Once again BMW Motorrad received numerous awards in the annual MOTORRAD magazine readers' vote this year. The BMW representatives were able to go up on the podium eight times at the awards ceremony in Stuttgart, four times even to the top step of the podium. “Eight awards with four wins really confirms us in our product offensive. This result once again confirms that we at BMW Motorrad are in exactly the right position with the right product range and offer highly attractive products in the different segments,” says Dr. Markus Schramm, Head of BMW Motorrad, on the result of what is already the 25th readers' vote by MOTORRAD magazine. “I would like to sincerely thank the readers of MOTORRAD magazine for their great...

$20,000 winner-take-all prize. Saturday, March 25th 11:00 am till midnight. Two locations. Foley Gallery, 59 Orchard St., Manhattan, NY The House of Machines, 49 Monroe St., Manhattan, NY Woodcliff Lake, NJ – March 16, 2023…BMW Motorrad is excited to announce that the Lighting Bolt USA Custom Motorcycle Building Challenge is coming to the Two Bridges neighborhood of Manhattan, New York on Saturday, March 25th. The highest winner-take-all prize amount offered at a custom motorcycle challenge in the U.S. will be up for grabs. Custom motorcycles and their builders will be on hand at the Foley Gallery at 59 Orchard Street, Manhattan, New York. Gallery doors open to the public at 11:00 am. Judging will take place between 11:00 am and...

Munich. The Grande Prémio de Portugal from 24th to 26th March at Portimão marks the start of an anniversary season for BMW M, the 25th season as Official Car of MotoGP™. The close partnership with MotoGP™ rights holder Dorna Sports dates back to 1999. The start of the anniversary season in Portugal will see the new BMW M safety car make its debut. The new BMW M2 MotoGP™ safety car is based on the new BMW M2 (combined fuel consumption in accordance with WLTP: 9.8 – 9.6 l/100 km; combined CO2 emissions in accordance with WLTP: 222 – 218 g/km; details as per NEFZ: –)*, which made its world premiere in October. “We are delighted to be joining BMW M in celebrating the 25th anniversary season of our partnership in 2023,” said Carmelo...

Munich/Borken/Daytona. Anyone who talks about the US customizing scene mentions Fred Kodlin almost in the same breath. For more than 40 years, he has dedicated himself to customizing motorbikes, from radically modified creations to sophisticated new designs. Since the 1990s he has been incredibly successful with his custom bikes and was able to win various important Daytona shows regularly. He was the very first non-US citizen to be inducted into the Sturgis Hall of Fame. For the first time, Fred Kodlin has now set about customizing a BMW together with his son Len - the BMW R 18 B. "The R 18 B HEAVY DUTY was a real father-son project. There was a lot of creative input from Len which also goes to show that the next generation at Kodlin...

Mandalika. Round two of the FIM Superbike World Championship 2023 (WorldSBK) at Mandalika, Indonesia, began with promising results on Saturday. In Superpole qualifying, Loris Baz (FRA) of the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team landed his bike on sixth place on the grid. Race one saw Michael van der Mark (NED) from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team finish sixth after an impressive fightback. Sunday, however, turned out to be a wretched day with misfortune in the races and injuries. Baz fractured his right leg in an incident in the Superpole race, while van der Mark crashed and injured his left hand in race two. Baz led the BMW quartet with an excellent performance in Superpole qualifying. Van der Mark qualified tenth, followed by Scott...

Munich. Riding on winding country roads, going on extended tours to distant countries - all this requires riding skills and experience. That's why taking part in an ADAC BMW Ride Training Course is a worthwhile investment, especially at the start of the new season. Last year alone, more than 2,300 motorcyclists and interested persons completed BMW Ride Safety Training Courses powered by ADAC. A figure that speaks for itself. BMW Motorrad and ADAC have already been cooperating in the area of ride safety training since 2014 and the continuation of this cooperation was recently sealed by Mike Sommer, Head of BMW Motorrad Germany and ADAC Board Member Dr Dieter Nirschl. BMW Motorrad will provide 149 BMW motorcycles from different model...

Munich/Graz/Salzburg. While the international customising scene around BMW Motorrad primarily devotes its inspiring creativity, excellent craftsmanship and continuous flow of new ideas to the BMW Motorrad Heritage models R 18 and R nineT, an exceptional project based on the BMW CE 04 has now taken shape in Austria. In collaboration with BMW Motorrad Austria in Salzburg, customising specialist Vagabund Moto GmbH in Graz has created the BMW CE 04 Vagabund Moto Concept – a stylish and multifunctional e-scooter based on the BMW CE 04 for urban use. “Everyone defines the mobility of the future in their own individual way. With the BMW CE 04 Vagabund Moto Concept, we now present our own idea of a stylish and multifunctional urban e-scooter...

Phillip Island. After a short but busy winter break, BMW Motorrad Motorsport kicked off the 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship with the new BMW M 1000 RR at Phillip Island, Australia. The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team claimed top-ten finishes, but on the whole it was a challenging weekend for both teams and the four BMW factory riders Scott Redding (GBR), Garrett Gerloff (USA), Michael van der Mark (NED) and Loris Baz (FRA). The best race result was a ninth place for Redding in the opening race on Saturday. After the first two practice sessions were held in sunshine and high temperatures on Friday, the weather changed on Saturday. Light rain started to fall in the third free practice...

Munich. For more than 20 years, the BMW Motorrad Days have been a highlight and must-attend event in the annual calendar of motorbike enthusiasts from all over the world. Be it sport or touring riders, off-road cracks or customizing and racing fans - in some cases they travel not only from European countries, but even from the USA, Japan and Australia to experience a thrilling BMW Motorrad themed time in Berlin with like-minded enthusiasts. This time, the 21st edition of the BMW Motorrad Days from 7 to 9 July 2023 will be dedicated to the 100th anniversary of BMW Motorrad. Dr. Markus Schramm, Head of BMW Motorrad: "We successfully anchored the BMW Motorrad Days at the BMW plant location in Berlin last year with a new concept and there...

Phillip Island. The 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship opens with two back-to-back overseas events for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. This weekend (24th to 26th February), Phillip Island in Australia hosts the opening round of the season. Just one week later (3rd to 5th March), the WorldSBK circus is at Mandalika, Indonesia, for round two. The ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team and BMW Motorrad factory riders Loris Baz (FRA), Garrett Gerloff (USA), Scott Redding (GBR) and Michael van der Mark (NED) are set for their race debuts with the new BMW M 1000 RR. The new generation of the BMW M 1000 RR was launched in October 2022 and serves as the basis for the World Superbike for the 2023 season. The new...

Munich/Schmerikon. The old "Aunt Ju" Junkers Ju 52, the legendary three-engine commercial and transport aircraft from the 1930s, is still familiar to many people. The Ju 52 with the aircraft registration D-AQUI in the Lufthansa colour scheme grey-black from 1936 became particularly well known worldwide. During its time in the USA from 1970 to 1984 under the American aircraft registration N52JU, it was christened "IRON ANNIE" for short by its then owner Martin Caidin. It was precisely this aircraft that inspired a customer of BMW partner VTR Motorrad AG & VTR Customs in Schmerikon, Switzerland, to create a very special customized version of the BMW R 18 – the R 18 "IRON ANNIE". Years before, the architect had already had an individual R...

Munich. The 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) kicks off at Phillip Island, Australia, on the last weekend of February (24th to 26th February). The interactive BMW Motorrad Motorsport WorldSBK Media Guide 2023 is packed with information to put you in the mood for the coming season. In a series of interviews and statements, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Marc Bongers, Shaun Muir, Team Principal of the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, Michael Galinski, Team Manager of the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, and the four BMW WorldSBK works riders Loris Baz (FRA), new addition Garrett Gerloff (USA), Scott Redding (GBR) and Michael van der Mark (NED) look ahead to the new season. In the technology section, you will find...

Munich. BMW Group Polska has been working with the Polish police for many years. Besides BMW cars already in use, Polish authorities will also rely on BMW motorcycles in the future. To this end, BMW Group Polska achieved its greatest success in the local government business. As part of the “Safer on the Roads” program, the Polish police purchased 503 BMW R 1250 RT-P motorcycles in a special configuration with police equipment and motorcycle suits. 25 of them were sent to the police training center in Legionowo near Warsaw, where new officers are trained on them. The other vehicles are put into active service on Polish roads. The last shipment was officially handed over in Warsaw on November 24 in the presence of Christian Haririan...

Munich. The venue of the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2024 has been decided: this time the off-road adventure will take place in Namibia. Having been held on all continents around the globe, the International GS Trophy now returns in 2024 to where it all began in 2008 – Africa. Namibia’s fascinating attractions includes magnificent landscapes as well as unique flora and fauna. When night falls after a hot day has drawn to a close with a deep red sunset, a spectacular starry sky stretches out over this paradise located on the Atlantic coast of south-western Africa. In short, the journey into fascinating Namibia will be an entirely unique experience in many respects – well seasoned with a good portion of SpiritOfGS. National...