In the eight months since BMW’s announcement that they would enter the Superbike World Championship in 2009, the project has gathered pace and race fans everywhere have now been able to see the tangible aspects of the project properly for the first time. The new BMW S 1000 RR has been tested at various racetracks in Spain, but it has now had its first test at a track used by the Superbike World Championship - the Eurospeedway Lausitzring.
After a successful and very positive qualifying, BMW Endurance racing teams attack on the 24 Hores Frigo at Barcelona came to a premature halt after eight laps due to a crash. Thomas Hinterreiter crashed at a long left-hander and although he was uninjured, the R1200S was too badly damaged to continue. The bike was later brought back to the pits and given a complete check-up, but the team was only able to confirm that their race was over.