BMW S1000R race bike Picture

BMW S1000R race bike Picture

Well, where else was BMW going to reveal its new S1000R race bike? There was video footage of Jeremy McWilliams, Steve Martin, Alex Hoffman and young Brit Richard Cooper on the new in-line 1000cc four-cylinder race bike but the boys from Bavaria still weren't giving away too many secrets.

In fact, the only secret that was revealed was the fact that BMW has no intention of releasing a road-going version of the bike until late next year - "it'll probably be in October 2009" said a BMW arbeiter. According to the WSB rules, 1,000 road-going versions of the race bike need to be produced by the end of 2009, which gives the German company plenty of time.

"We're not entering the world superbike championship for fun," said the project leader Bertie Hauser, "and we want to win the championship in the medium term. We are confident that Alpha Racing is capable of doing this (with riders Ruben Xaus and Troy Corser). Although the prototype was revealed in April, this is the official version of the bike, which has come from the new race headquarters in Roseheim, near Munich."

Up close, the bike is bristling with top 2D data aquisition pots and sensors and is clearly work in progress. It's odds-on though that the bike will be competitive. After all, with BMW's nous in engine management from its car divisions, allied to the fact that it has been able to develop the S1000R as a race bike first rather than a compromised road bike which is has to turn into a race bike, you can bet the BMW wont disgrace itself.