WSBK – The 2009 World Superbike is attacking in Australia! – The arrival of BMW

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The 2009 World Superbike attack in Australia !

WSBK - The 2009 World Superbike is attacking in Australia! - The arrival of BMW

This weekend at Phillip Island kicks off the new Mondial Superbike season! A 2009 edition that promises with the arrival of two manufacturers (Aprilia and BMW) and top pilots (Spies, Sykes, Byrne and Nakano among others). Presentation…

The arrival of BMW

At BMW, two living legends of the World Superbike will unveil the S1000RR: the double world champion Troy Corser and the fiery Ruben Xaus !

Author of 41 poles – a record – and 128 podiums including 33 victories, Troy Corser has the most impressive statistics of the field. Titled in 1996 on Ducati then in 2005 on Suzuki, the Australian Crocodile dreams of joining its namesake Troy Bayliss – titled three times out of three Ducati – in the pantheon of the SBK World Cup !

For this, the "old" Croco made the daring bet to commit this year to the controls of the all new S1000RR, unveiled at the last Cologne show (read), in pre-order from April … but who will not land on our roads until December 15, 2009 !

Contrary to what one might have thought – hoped – this new BMW hardly differs from Japanese Superbikes: an in-line 4-cylinder claiming more than 200 hp at 14,000 rpm, a Dell’Orto injection, a all-aluminum chassis, classic suspensions, Ohlins shocks and Brembo brakes…

An easy solution for some, efficiency for others, the Bavarian is still born and undoubtedly has the potential of a "winner".

For the record, if this weekend BMW performs its first laps in the SBK World Cup, it is not strictly speaking its debut in the Superbike category since in 1976 in the United States, Reg Pridmore had won the first official championship. "AMA Superbike" on the handlebars of the legendary R90S !

That same season during the opening round at Daytona, Steve McLaughlin and Reg Pridmore had signed for BMW the double, ahead of Cook Neilson and his Ducati … The story being, according to the adage, only one " eternal recommencement ", Corser and Xaus will they manage to beat a Ducati during the first round of Phillip Island ?

For that, Troy will already have to avoid the Australian gulls! Indeed, during the second day of its tests at Phillip Island last week, the No.11 was the victim of a violent collision: "hitting a bird weighing about one kilogram at over 230 km / h feels like hitting a wall", remarks Corser, very happy to have been able to stay on his wheels but forced to stop his tests prematurely…

For his part, Ruben Xaus – the man with 4 poles, 7 podiums and 2 victories in the SBK World Cup – was able to calmly conclude his tests and acclimatize to his new mount. Capable of both worst and best, the Spanish n ° 111 will be one to watch this weekend !

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