March 30, 2010--BMW returns in force to the Isle of Man TT races this May with the new S 1000 RR, ridden by 34-year-old German privateer, Rico Penzkofer. He'll compete in the Senior TT and Superbike races, over the 37 mile Mountain Circuit.
This will be the first time to see a BMW in the main events since Helmut Dahne campaigned his R90S in the late 1970s. BMW first competed at the Isle of Man in 1937 and has scored 30 TT wins, with the majority in the sidecar class. Last year was the 70th anniversary of Geog ‘Schorsch’ Meier's victory on the supercharged R 255 Kompressor, when he became the first non-British rider to win the TT. More recently, Dave Morris won the singles TT in 1997, 1998 and 1999, on his Chrysalis BMW F 650.
Penzkofer rode the BMW S 1000 RR, in German Superbike races last year and scored a firth place finish in the demanding Macau Grand Prix. He's very familiar with the S 1000 RR as he was a development rider on the project and also rode the HP2 Sport boxer in World Endurance Championship races.
Last year at the TT, Penzkofer finished 30th and 33rd on a 600cc Yamaha in two Relentless Supersport races, lapping just under 120 mph (200 km/h). This time he'll have nearly 220 hp of BMW power to tackle the famous Mountain Circuit.
“To be riding the BMW S 1000 RR at the TT is a tremendous honor for me and I can’t wait to return to the Mountain Course. Riding the Superbike TT will obviously present a new challenge but the S 1000 RR is superb and that should give me a great chance of making an impression. Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus have proved in World Superbikes that the bike is competitive and I hope to do the same at the TT,” said Penzkofer.
The S 1000 RR is also competing in the British Superbike and Superstock Championships, IDM German Superbike Championship, the CEV (Campeonato de España de Velocidad) Spanish Championship series, and the FIM Superstock 1000 World Championship.
