It took BMW three years and couple of crew changes and a former MotoGP rider by the name of Marco Melandri to give the German manufacturer their first ever win in World Superbikes.

As expected it was a tight race 1 at Donington Park with the four front row starters, Tom Sykes, Marco Melandri, Leon Haslam, Max Biaggi battling it over the race distance and never losing touch only to have Jonathan Rea enter the fray in the final exciting paint swapping laps.

Sykes was on pole, but Haslam went on out side to overtake the Kawasaki rider at the first corner, but the Huddersfield man wrestled back the lead, after an error by Haslam with the BMW duo still hot on his tail with Biaggi taking the rear of the fleeing group and Rea more than second arears after battling it out with Carlos Checa.

The race would turn into a double battle, Sykes vs Haslam and Melandri vs Biaggi with the riders exchanging passes until first Haslam and then Biaggi - almost simultaneously - overcooked it at the Foggy’s running off track giving Melandri the lead and 1.8 second breathing space until the finish line. BMW team mate Haslam came in second after he struggled to get past Sykes after his error at Foggy’s, but he managed to take to regain the spot at the Hairpin and hold on to it, while Sykes finished in third after leading a big part of the race.

A hard charging Rea was fourth after he got the better of Biaggi on the final lap, when the Aprilia rider went wide and snuck out from behind him. Reigning champion Carlos Checa after a very prudent start pushed up to sixth after having had to battle not only with Rea but also with Sylvain Guintoli who then faded to 8th. Checa’s Althea team-mate Davide Guigliano came home in 7th, with Fixi Suzuki’s Leon Camier in ninth and clearly suffering Michel Fabrizio rounded out the top ten with his GoldBet BMW.

WSBK Donington Race 1 results:

1. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 34′26.736
2. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 34′27.464
3. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 34′28.345
4. Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) Honda CBR1000RR 34′28.555
5. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34′28.838
6. Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R 34′31.556
7. Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R 34′34.256
8. Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 34′34.663
9. Leon Camier (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 34′41.880
10. Michel Fabrizio (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) BMW S1000 RR 34′42.801
11. Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) BMW S1000 RR 34′46.541
12. Chaz Davies (ParkinGO MTC Racing) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34′46.906
13. Maxime Berger (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 34′48.010
14. Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Team Effenbert) Ducati 1098R 34′48.253
15. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 34′53.656
16. Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 35′01.761
17. Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda World Superbike Team) Honda CBR1000RR 35′05.929
18. Lorenzo Zanetti (PATA Racing Team) Ducati 1098R 35′09.070
19. Niccolò Canepa (Red Devils Roma) Ducati 1098R 35′10.290
NC. Mark Aitchison (Grillini Progea Superbike Team) BMW S1000 RR 35′50.353
NC. Peter Hickman (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 35′17.985
RT. Gary Mason (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 22′08.892
RT. Leandro Mercado (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 

While in Monza, World Superbike stars Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team) and Michel Fabrizio (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet SBK Team) attended the launch of the BMW F800R with the brand new Nero Zaffiro Metallizzato paint-job (which is Metalized Sapphir Black in Italian), and we got to admit that the “all black” dress makes the F800R even more aggressive-looking, emphasizing both its lines and bare mechanical bits.

This exclusive color scheme will be made available for the Italian curstomers only, with no extra charge. The F800R is a well-balanced naked bike which is easy and fun to ride in urban traffic as well as on motorways, and comes with a 798 cc flat twin engine with electronic fuel injection delivering 87 hp and an impressive 86 Nm (63 ft-lb) of peak torque at 6,000 rpm, with a smooth delivery and good fuel consumption figures. Its comfortable and light chassis (the bike boasts a dry weight of just 177 kg) makes the bike agile enough to be easily ridden even by the less experienced riders.

Other highlights of this model include standard ABS, TPC Tyre Pressure Control, 320 mm Brembo double disk brake at the front, heated grips, white turn indicators, a flat instrumentation screen (featuring digital clock, total and 2 trip odometers, cruising range indicator and service interval indicator) as well as new sports windshield in body colour.

View the full BMW F800R 2012 Nero Zaffiro Metallizzato photo gallery

The expected rain hit the the North of Italy and Monza’s track conditions for World Superbike’s second qualifying practice started damp and then started to dry out, however there was no improvement on yesterday’s lap times which
confirmed QP1 positions.

Remaining outside today’s Superpole will be Ducati riders Lorenzo Zanetti, Niccolo Canepa and Maxime Berger, Hiroshi Aoyama, Leandro Mercado, Mark Aitchison and debuting and replacement rider Sergio Gadea for Kawasaki.

In QP2 the fastest rider was Eugene Laverty who posted a 1’43.571 a second slower than yesterday’s leader Michel Fabrizio, while Tom Sykes, Max Biaggi, Jonathan Rea and Ayrton Badovini completed the top five positions.

Marco Melandri will not have his crew chief Silvano Galbusera at his side for the rest of the weekend. The Italian was hospitalized for what seems an acute case of food poisoning and he’ll be replaced by Peter Goddard.

This afternoon’s first qualifying session at Monza was a repeat of this morning’s with another BMW domination - four riders in the top five - only taking the provisional pole was Michel Fabrizio on his satellite machine who pipped factory rider Marco Melandri by a mere 0.053s in one of his last flying laps, but he also posted a top speed of 334.8km/h which equalled Max Biaggi’s last year’s record speed.

Third went to Leon Haslam, and the only rider to able to stop the German procession was Aprilia’s Eugene Laverty, who put Fabrizio’s team mate Ayrton Badovini in fifth, albeit by just one tenth of a second.

Tom Sykes was 6th ahead of Max Biaggi and Chaz Davies. Carlos Checa managed to jump into the top ten with his 9th spot, but he was one second from Fabrizio and he was followed by Althea team mate Davide Giugliano.

Completing the provisional top 16 was Jonathan Rea, John Hopkins who suffered two technical problems , his team mate Leon Camier, David Salom and Effenbert Liberty Ducati duo Sylvain Guintoli e Jakub Smrz who suffered a crash at the Lesmo turn.

Leandro Mercado also suffered a crash but his was at the Roggia, while World Superbike and Kawasaki newbie Sergio Gadea had technical problems and could only put in six laps and he was six seconds from the top of the timesheets.

WSBK MonzaQP1 results:

1. Michel Fabrizio (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) BMW S1000 RR 1′42.327
2. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 1′42.380
3. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) BMW S1000 RR 1′42.523
4. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1′42.625
5. Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet) BMW S1000 RR 1′42.690
6. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1′42.794
7. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1′42.844
8. Chaz Davies (ParkinGO MTC Racing) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1′43.228
9. Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R 1′43.393
10. Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) Ducati 1098R 1′43.408
11. Jonathan Rea (Honda World Superbike Team) Honda CBR1000RR 1′43.410
12. John Hopkins (Crescent Fixi Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1′43.576
13. Leon Camier (Crescent Fixi Suzuki) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1′43.837
14. David Salom (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1′43.943
15. Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 1′44.042
16. Jakub Smrz (Liberty Racing Team Effenbert) Ducati 1098R 1′44.057
17. Lorenzo Zanetti (PATA Racing Team) Ducati 1098R 1′44.203
18. Niccolò Canepa (Red Devils Roma) Ducati 1098R 1′44.321
19. Maxime Berger (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing) Ducati 1098R 1′44.489
20. Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda World Superbike Team) Honda CBR1000RR 1′44.686
21. Leandro Mercado (Team Pedercini) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1′45.156
22. Mark Aitchison (Grillini Progea Superbike Team) BMW S1000 RR 1′45.841
23. Sergio Gadea (Kawasaki Racing Team) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1′48.085

This morning’s World Superbike round at Monza kicked off with Leon Haslam taking the top of the timesheets in the first free practice leading a bevy of of four BMW riders in the top five positions.

The BMW factory rider posted a best lap 1’43.042, that was just 0.007s faster than Michel Fabrizio on the BMW Italia satellite machine, while Marco Melandri was third after dominating most of the session with his British team mate.

The always fast Tom Sykes was fourth on his Kawasaki as he managed to break the BMW domination inserting himself ahead of another BMW rider, Ayrton Badovini.

Last year’s double winner Eugene Laverty was sixth but almost nine tenths off pace, ahead of teammate Max Biaggi in eighth, while Assen Race 2 winner Jonathan Rea was sandwiched between the two Aprilia riders in seventh, but the Honda rider posted a top speed 334 km/h which just 0.8 km/h slower that Max Biaggi’s last year’s record.

Niccolò Canepa who is nursing torn ligaments after his Assen crash, put his privateer Ducati into 9th on a track where everyone knows that the twins will suffer .The Superbike rookie was the fastest Ducati rider in the top ten, while reigning World champion Carlos Checa could only manage an 13th spot, while last week’s Race 1 winner Sylvain Guintoli was even further down the charts in 17th.

John Hopkins was 15th in his first outing at the Temple of Speed, while debuting Kawasaki rider Sergio Gadea who is replacing injured Joan Lascorz brought up the rear in 22nd.

WSBK Monza FP1 results:

01 Haslam Leon - BMW Motorrad Motorsport - BMW S1000 RR - 18 - 1′43.042
02 Fabrizio Michel - BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet - BMW S1000 RR - 17 - 1′43.049
03 Melandri Marco - BMW Motorrad Motorsport - BMW S1000 RR - 18 - 1′43.171
04 Sykes Tom - Kawasaki Racing Team - Kawasaki ZX-10R - 16 - 1′43.374
05 Badovini Ayrton - BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet - BMW S1000 RR - 19 - 1′43.893
06 Laverty Eugene - Aprilia Racing Team - Aprilia RSV4 Factory - 12 - 1′43.922
07 Rea Jonathan - Honda World Superbike Team - Honda CBR1000RR - 16 - 1′43.939
08 Biaggi Max - Aprilia Racing Team - Aprilia RSV4 Factory - 16 - 1′43.965
09 Canepa Niccolò - Red Devils Roma - Ducati 1098R - 16 - 1′44.119
10 Davies Chaz - ParkinGO MTC Racing - Aprilia RSV4 Factory - 14 - 1′44.151
11 Smrz Jakub - Liberty Racing Team Effenbert - Ducati 1098R - 18 - 1′44.174
12 Berger Maxime - Team Effenbert Liberty Racing - Ducati 1098R - 16 - 1′44.258
13 Checa Carlos - Althea Racing - Ducati 1098R - 17 - 1′44.445
14 Giugliano Davide - Althea Racing - Ducati 1098R - 16 - 1′44.565
15 Hopkins John - Crescent Fixi Suzuki - Suzuki GSX-R1000 - 17 - 1′44.569
16 Zanetti Lorenzo - PATA Racing Team - Ducati 1098R - 15 - 1′44.623
17 Guintoli Sylvain - Team Effenbert Liberty Racing - Ducati 1098R - 17 - 1′44.629
18 Camier Leon - Crescent Fixi Suzuki - Suzuki GSX-R1000 - 16 - 1′44.992
19 Salom David - Team Pedercini - Kawasaki ZX-10R - 17 - 1′45.226
20 Aoyama Hiroshi - Honda World Superbike Team - Honda CBR1000RR - 14 - 1′45.770
21 Mercado Leandro - Team Pedercini - Kawasaki ZX-10R - 18 - 1′46.088
22 Gadea Sergio - Kawasaki Racing Team - Kawasaki ZX-10R - 14 - 1′49.466

Many of you guys may remember that 2008 case study that said riding motorcycles for too long could cause erectile disfunction and impotency, well a California man has just messed up those statistics as he is suing BMW North America and seat maker Corbin over a severe case of priapism (medical term for a persistent, lasting erection)

Apparently, the plantiff Henry Wolf, is claiming that in May 2010 after a four-hour ride on his 1993 BMW equipped with a Corbin Pacific seat caused him to suffer from a painful erection that still hasn’t gone away 20 months later, and this has resulted in lost wages, personal injury, medical expenses, negligent infliction of emotional distress and inability to engage in sexual activity, so he is seeking compensation from both companies.

We doubt that BMW’s legal department has ever had to handle something as hard as this.

Source | asphaltandrubber.com

Here are three pretty interesting videos (see the other two after the ‘jump’) starring the new BMW G 650 GS Sertao 2012, which is already available in the showrooms of the German manufacturer. The latest enduro bike from BMW uses the same 652 cc liquid-cooled single cylinder engine of the standard G650GS, credited with an output of 48 hp at 6,500 rpm and 60 Nm of peak torque at 5,000 rpm. Other highlights of this model include electronic fuel injection, twin spark ignition, a three-way catalytic converter, a 21″ spoked wheel at the front as well as a longer travel suspension and stiffer settings that make it decidedly more ‘off-road’ oriented than its standard counterpart.

The Sertão is pretty sleek and agile, features that suit the riding standing on the pegs that is typical of the offroad use. Weighing in at just 192 kg and with a pretty low fuel consumption (rated at 3.2 l/100km), this bike turns out to be the ideal choice for those who are new to off-road riding Besides, there is also a reduced power version of this model delivering 34 hp at 6,500 rpm and 47 Nm of peak torque at 4,500 rpm.

The standard G 650 GS Sertão can be enhanced with a slew of accessories: disengageable BMW Motorrad ABS (priced at 405 €), hazard warning flashers, heated grips, DWA alarm system and even a charging socket. Needless to say, a number of cases and case holders are also available in the list of optional extras that BMW offers for this model.

The largest BMW Motorrad dealership in the world has just opened in Rome. With 3,700 square meters of show floor (800 of which will be dedicated to subsidiary Husqvarna), the new showroom is bound to become the biggest reference point for the enthusiasts of these two brands in Central Italy.

Selling bikes aside, the new facility will obviously offer all sorts of accessories and services to its customers, and also features a massive apparel shop on the ground floor. The service area is also quite huge, with a large reception that will allow BMW scooters and bikes owners to show up and get the job done without booking.

Its workshop is also quite massive, and uses a special ‘lung’ section that will be used in those times of the year when there are peaks of work, such as the beginning of the summer. The new BMW Motorrad Roma will also offer the ‘Fastlane’ service, which allows customers to book a maintenance intervention at any time and, when they show up to get it done, they can wait in a special ‘bar’ area of the building where they can have a coffee, connect to the internet or get to know other bikers. Moreover, 800 square meters of the first floor are dedicated to used bikes.

View the full BMW Motorrad Rome photo gallery

Thanks to Manuela Raffaeta, Marco Melandri’s girlfriend, we can show you the photo finish of Melandri and BMW factory team mate Leon Haslam in Race 2 at Assen.

Macho Melandri took fourth by a mere 0.002s in the battle with Pocket Rocket. The Italian is now fourth in standings alongside Sylvain Guintoli with 66 points, while Haslam is 7th with 58 points.

Marco Melandri (9th and 4th)

“It has been a very tough weekend. Today, the most important thing was to bring home points. Race one was pretty good for us when it was dry. I had a very good start and I was following Tom Sykes. I was waiting for the best moment to pass him, when he had a problem. After that, Leon was leading, but I passed him. Then I saw some drops of rain coming down and my hope was that they would stop the race, so I tried to stay at the front. But suddenly there was a turn where it was wet, I did not see the water and went down. Unfortunately our race was compromised by the wet conditions after the re-start. I did not have any grip, so it was difficult to be confident.

“For race two we had a good set-up and a good choice of tyres, but unfortunately we got some chatter again. From the first lap on it was very difficult to control the bike, so I could not push properly. The last lap was exciting. I tried to pass Eugene and suddenly both Eugene and Leon were in front of me, but I passed them back. It was big fun and Leon, Eugene and me showed respect for each other, which was very important. I am disappointed because I just missed the podium, but we are working hard and are in good shape.”

Leon Haslam (DNF and 5th):

“Race one was dry at the start. I made a small mistake when I was battling with Carlos Checa mid-race and dropped back to sixth, but I came back in the lead. I had a bit of a tyre issue in that race but it was red-flagged anyway due to the rain. At the re-start it was raining. I passed Johnny Rea quite easily, felt pretty confident – and then had a big crash. I did not realize that I was pushing so much. In hindsight I could have backed off, but even so I did not feel that I was pushing too hard. After race one I was very disappointed because I could have lost a second a lap and still won the race, but the positive thing is that we feel pretty confident in the rain.

“In race two, we opted for an intermediate front and a slick rear tyre. Three minutes before the start I knew that we needed a slick front, but they would not let us change the tyre because we were running out of time. After two or three laps, the front tyre was just pushing and bouncing and I did not have any corner speed. I was surprised that the riders did not pass me sooner. But for whatever reason I managed to hold the pace of Eugene and Marco – even with the intermediate tyre. And I thought I got Marco over the line, as it was really, really close. In hindsight I am happy because we nearly got on the podium with an intermediate front tyre.”

The BMW R100 RS is a nice tourer that the Bavarian manufacturer produced between 1976 and 1984. It was powered by the 70 hp variant of the reliable 980 cc air-cooled boxer engine that was equipping many models of the German maker of that period, and it almost goes without saying that any good customizer could easily turn this tourer in any sort of bike he could think of. Mr. Karles Vives from Fuel Bespoke Motorcycles knows that only too well: the Barcelona-based specialist wanted to make a proper ‘tracker’ out of it, and we think he got that just right as the bike he has come up with is a proper stunner.

This is actually the second time that Mr.Vives put his hands on a BMW R100 RS: the first time he did that he created the Fuel R100 ‘Scram’, a nice scrambler that surely looked the part, but this time around the man really outdid himself with the amazing Fuel R100 “Tracker”: he got rid of all the useless bits to make it as light as possible and added a few elements that are typical of the ‘tracker’ style, and the result is simply astounding. The rear section have been completely re-designed as the frame got shortened and fitted with new parts specifically made for this model by English specialist VonZeti Cafe Racers Seats. The tank was lifted from a BMW R90/6 and modified to make it even slimmer, while large handlebars from Tommaselli and a round-shaped head-light complete the look of the model, which also boasts fretworked plates on the sides.

As for the engine, the original unit did not undergo any revolutionaty change: two K&N filters were added before the 40mm Bing carburettors, while the original exhaust system has been been modified to make it shorter and fitted with two cone-shaped mufflers that look pretty loose, in a good way. The suspension has been refined while the original rims now wear Dunlop K70 Vintage tyres. The electric system is placed in the battery compartment, where a more compact gel accumulator leaves enough room for the whole wiring. A masterpiece in its own right.

via | Fuel Bespoke Motorcycles

When Anthony Westsuddenly decided to switch back to Moto2 after receiving an offer from QMMF, Supersonic BMW who will be debuting this season in British Superbikes after spending two seasons in World Superbikes, was left one rider short.

With just two days left before the start of the 2012 season that kicks of at Brands Hatch, Danilo Soncini has decided to give that ride to Tommy Bridewell. The 23-year old rode for Tyco Honda and Motorpoint Yamaha in 2011 and now will be riding a BMW S1000RR alongside Patric Muff and they’ll be also sponsoring Action for A-T while they are at it.

“After a hard winter and looking like I might not get a ride at all in the championship, it was great to get a call from Danilo to ask if I could ride with the team at Brands Hatch. I am genuinely excited as all winter I have been preparing non-stop for the season and to look like I wouldn’t be on the grid was not a good feeling. I would do anything in the world to race and with this ride I feel re-energised and I really am looking forward to it. I need to use my head at Brands Hatch and get solid results for the team,” said Bridewell.

Photo source | tommybridewell.com

The British Superbike championship will be kicking off this long Easter weekend at Brands Hatch and debuting Supersonic BMW team run by Danilo Soncini will be personally sponsoring on the fairings of their BMW S1000R the Action for AT foundation for the first two rounds of the season.

Ataxia-Telangiectasia or AT is a rare, progressive and neurodegenerative disease that starts in early childhood and there currently is no cure, but they need money to help support medical research with the aim of trying to find a cure or some medical advancement.

As everyone knows researching rare diseases has never been high-up for big pharmaceutical companies who prefer to do research and development (invest and profit) on drugs for diseases that are more widespread and therefore much more marketable.

“I was working comfortably, but tirelessly in my office on my BSB project, when I came across this website in the English news regarding this little girl affected by this terrible and tremendous disease,” said Danilo Soncini. “As a father of a daughter the same age, I immediately wanted my racing team to be associated with this foundation and being in the British Superbike championship we will have a great opportunity to sensibilise the public opinion to this terrible disease that has struck a beautiful child who deserves a hope to live. I therefore decided to trace the family and thanks to the invaluable help of the organizers of the BSB managed to contact the family and explain my idea to raise funds through motorcycle racing.

Soncini also added : “This isn’t the first time I’ve done something like this. I’m very sensitive to causes regarding children and I believe that this sport is too often seen as a business or a career, I think it is instead primarily an opportunity to form friendships and solidarity. We started very late with this 2012 project and everything is still running a little late, but by the third race it will be possible to buy clothing designed specifically for this initiative and signed by our rider (the same that our team will be wearing for the first two round of the championship) and all proceeds will be donated to “Action for AT.

For more info on AT and how to donate to Action for A-T, just hit this link.

Source | motoblog.it