New BMW HP2 Wins Austrian Erzberg
Race
BMW's brand-new HP2 has just proven its outstanding
qualities under the toughest conditions in the Austrian Erzberg Race.
BMW Motorrad Enduro Team Feil entered this grueling off-road
event in the Austrian Steiermark Region with top riders Simo Kirssi,
American Jimmy Lewis and the winner of last year's Hare Scramble, Chris
Pfeiffer, in the saddle.
And Simo Kirssi, the "Flying Finn", finished the race a
staggering six seconds faster than his competitors on single-cylinder
machines so far dominating the event and clinching the overall title in the
Iron Road Prologue.
The Erzberg Rodeo had a field of more than 1,000 entrants:
Kirssi completed the 13.3-kilometer course on rough gravel and loose rocks
in a record-breaking 09:05.65, leaving the competition far behind.
Third place in the overall Iron Road Prologue rating also went to an BMW HP2
rider, Jimmy Lewis from the USA. The fifth rider overall also came
from the white-and-blue works-supported team, German rider Christian
Pfeiffer successfully winning the Iron Road challenge on his BMW HP2 after
finishing second on Thursday in the top two-cylinder class.
Taking up the old Erzberg tradition of amateurs and hobby
riders measuring their skills against the best professionals, BMW Motorrad
offered even more activities at the event, the BMW Motorrad Rider Training
Instructors' Team finishing up with no less than two riders among the top
ten in the Desert Bomber Category for two-cylinder machines.
Both of these highly successful instructors completed the
event on absolutely regular, series-production R 1200 GS Enduros. The
race was started by Berti Hauser, the Director of BMW Motorrad Motorsport,
with Dr Herbert Diess, the President of BMW Motorrad, personally sending out
BMW's top riders on the course.
Iron Road Prologue, overall score:
|
|
Name |
|
|
|
|
Race 1 |
Race 2 |
Time |
|
1 |
Simo |
Kirssi |
(FIN) |
BMW |
HP2 |
00:09:05.65 |
00:09:02.67 |
00:09:02.67 |
|
2 |
Werner |
Müller |
(AT) |
KTM |
525EXC |
00:09:19.77 |
00:09:04.64 |
00:09:04.64 |
|
3 |
Jimmy |
Lewis |
(USA) |
BMW |
HP2 |
00:09:29.38 |
00:09:08.37 |
00:09:08.37 |
|
4 |
Kurt |
Nicoll |
(GB) |
KTM |
540EXC |
00:09:11.95 |
00:09:14.39 |
00:09:11.95 |
|
5 |
Chris |
Pfeiffer |
(D) |
BMW |
HP2 |
00:09:18.16 |
00:09:15.7 |
00:09:15.7 |
|
6 |
Giovanni |
Sala |
(IT) |
KTM |
950 |
00:09:33.98 |
00:09:19.04 |
00:09:19.04 |
|
7 |
Juha |
Salminen |
(FIN) |
KTM |
250EXC |
00:09:37.48 |
00:09:22.69 |
00:09:22.69 |
|
8 |
Bernha |
Walzer |
(AT) |
KTM |
EXC400 |
00:09:46.11 |
00:09:27.92 |
00:09:27.92 |
|
9 |
David |
Knight |
|
KTM |
300 |
00:09:39.7 |
00:09:30.62 |
00:09:30.62 |
|
10 |
Antti |
Kallonen |
(FIN) |
KTM |
525EXC |
00:09:51.21 |
00:09:31.16 |
00:09:31.16 |
