BMW Motorrad factory team lines up for 24-hour race in Le Mans.

Munich. On April 21st 2007, the legendary 24-hour motorcycle race in Le
Mans/ France begins - the "24 heures moto". On this day,
everything will be as it has been in past years - except for one
historic difference: after an absence of 50 years from competitive road
racing, a BMW Motorrad factory team will be lining up for the start.
The team BMW Motorrad Motorsport will be entering the first race of the
Endurance World Championship with a sports boxer on the technological
basis of the BMW R 1200 S. Due to its capacity of 1200 cc, the
motorcycle is registered in the Open Class. The long-distance bike will
be ridden by professional racers with BMW experience. The team consists
of Stéphane Mertens, Thomas Hinterreiter and Rico Penzkofer,
with Marcus Barth as substitute. In the 2007 season, the team will
enter a total of four 24-hour races. In addition to the "24 heures
moto" in Le Mans (21./22.04.) the program also includes the
24-hour races of Barcelona (07./08.07.), Oschersleben (11./12.08.) and
Magny Cours (Bol d'Or, 15./16.09.). For further information on the
serial production motorcycle BMW R 1200 S and an overview of BMW
Motorrad motor racing activities, please refer to the BMW Motorrad
homepage at www.bmw-motorrad.de.