BMW Moto GP.

[the real deal]

BMW are to enter the Moto GP championship from 2007 with a factory bike.

"In February, BMW Motorrad issued a press release, including a photo, of a prototype motorcycle it described as a “test vehicle” to study “highly dynamic processes in engine and driving dynamics management under extreme conditions” with an eye toward future production models.

When contacted by Roadracingworld.com, BMW Motorrad USA’s Communications Manager Roy Oliemuller said that there were no specific plans to go racing with the bike.

Roadracingworld.com, however, has been told by a well-placed source that the motorcycle is actually a precursor to an official BMW factory MotoGP racing effort starting in 2007 with the introduction of an 800cc displacement limit.

According to our source, the vehicle pictured is powered by a three-cylinder engine, which is will be BMW’s MotoGP engine configuration. The chassis, however, is only a test bed for research and data gathering.

The press release stated that the “test vehicle” had only been ridden at BMW facilities but would soon be tested at “other closed-off circuits,” and the motorcycle was, in fact, tested recently in Italy with former MotoGP regular Jeremy McWilliams at the controls.

Luca Cadalora has also ridden the motorcycle and is the rider on the machine in the picture supplied with the press release from BMW.

Our source did not know further details about the engine or BMW’s timeline for its racing plans."

At the Goodwood festival of speed, the rumours were near enough confirmed by the comentators while Casey Stoner was riding his bike up the hill, that BMW were going to enter a couple of bikes in the Moto GP championship with the possibilty of a British rider. I beleive that they said Jeremy McWilliams but im probably wrong bout the rider.

[jorismo]

Found the press release on the bike...

BMW MOTORRAD TECHNOLOGY BEARER FOR HIGHLY DYNAMIC SYSTEMS

02/06/2006

As part of research activities on future regulation systems, a motorcycle test vehicle has been created under the umbrella of BMW Group research and technology. This vehicle has a very high engine output and lightweight construction technology and is designed to test highly dynamic processes in engine and driving dynamics management under extreme conditions.
BMW Head of Development Prof. Burkhard Göschel said that the choice of a motorcycle to study fundamental technological developments was due to the very interesting challenges relating to the special driving dynamics of motorcycles and their tilted position: "The dynamics of powerful motorcycles operating at the physical limits are among the most complex phenomena in the field at the current time. For our engineers this is a highly sophisticated and at the same time fascinating task." Additional considerations are the special motorcycle requirements in terms of lightweight construction and aerodynamics, which are also to be subjected to research at threshold level. The Director of BMW Motorrad, Dr. Herbert Diess, sees in these BMW research activities valuable impulses for serial development and emphasises: "Regulation systems for longitudinal dynamics such as drive-slip control will be introduced for powerful motorcycles in serial production in the years to come. In addition to ABS they will form part of an integrated concept to increase active safety."

Engine management of the high-performance engine and the entire engine electronics system including hardware and software will form a key focus of the project. By conducting in-house development such as this, engineers benefit from the expertise derived from Formula 1 and BMW's technology leadership in the field of electronics. Dr. Diess explains: "The close networking of all research and development activities with the BMW Group is a competitive advantage and a key element of the strategic orientation of our entire motorcycle development operation".

The motorcycle has only been ridden on BMW's own test circuits to date. However, in the foreseeable future it will also be tested on other closed-off circuits. Functional tests under the widest possible range of realistic conditions provide the best feedback on the interplay between engine, chassis and electronic components. The comparative data thus obtained serves to provide a comprehensive assessment of the capabilities of this technology research vehicle and of the development status of the components in question.