Tough Challenge Ahead for Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport

This will undoubtedly favour the four cylinder machines as the race is now effectively a 'sprint' instead of a marathon. Nevertheless, BMW Motorrad Motorsport are keen on putting on a good show for their fans at their home race and will once again be fielding two teams running the HP2 Sport. In Oschersleben, bike number 17 will be ridden by Thomas Hinterreiter, Richard Cooper and Jose-Luis Nion and bike number 71 will be ridden by Stéphane Mertens, Rico Penzkofer and Grégory Fastré. Twenty-eight year old Belgian Grégory Fastré is the new addition to the team, but is no stranger to Endurance racing. He won this year's Barcelona 24 hours in the Stocksport class and has participated in Endurance racing since 2003.

Berti Hauser (Director of BMW Motorrad Motorsport)
Last year's race was fantastic for us, a special moment, but it will be hard to repeat that performance this year, because the race will be over eight hours instead of twenty-four. Our HP2 Sport suited the Oschersleben circuit quite well and its twisty nature meant that we were not at such a big disadvantage like some other tracks. What we lost in horsepower me made up for on handling and braking and because we were able to do less pit-stops then the four cylinder bikes meant that we stayed out on the track longer in between sessions.
We were a little disappointed to hear that this year's race would be just eight hours, because now it will favour the 1000 cc fours for sure. But Endurance racing is unpredictable and we know that our team will be well-prepared and ready to face this tough challenge. I am not going to try and predict the outcome of the race, but what I would like is for both bikes to come home safely and finish in the top fifteen overall.