Misano - Free Practice & Qualifying Practice 1.
Friday, 25 June 2010.

Weather conditions: Hot, sunny.
Temperature: Air: 32 - 36 °C, Track: 46 °C
Number of riders participating: 23 from 14 teams
Fastest lap Free Practice: Troy Corser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 1:37.362 min
Fastest lap Qualifying Practice 1: Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Sterilgarda Team) 1:36.288 min


Programme:
After an extensive testing programme in the last weeks, Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport had a good start to what is expected to become one of the hottest race weekends of the 2010 Superbike World Championship season. Troy Corser (AUS) finished second in Friday's Qualifying Practice in Misano, less than a tenth of a second off Cal Crutchlow's time. Ruben Xaus (ESP) qualified 15th.


Troy Corser:
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR
Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:37.362 min (1st ) / Fastest lap Qualifying 1: 1:36.344 min (2nd)
"The track is completely different to how it was last week. The circuit management resurfaced
Quercia corner. Quercia was quite bumpy before, now the corner has not a lot of grip, but is still bumpy. Nevertheless, today was pretty good. We have the bike pretty similar to how we had it during the test. I did not want to change too much on the bike when the track is completely different. Tomorrow we will try some solutions to get more grip. I am a little disappointed I crashed today. We tested a new front brake master cylinder and lever. I grabbed the brake and simply overbraked the bike. The new brake feels better, but I simply need more time."


Ruben Xaus:
Bike: BMW S 1000 RR
Fastest lap Free Practice: 1:38.214 min (10th) / Fastest lap Qualifying 1: 1:37.461 min (15th)
"We tested here in Misano last week. Unfortunately we had to finish our test early due to some
mechanical problems. Therefore I am simply missing some time. We went into today's sessions with a new engine spec, and the bike feels completely different again. I am struggling with the bike's gearbox settings. So far, we have used a gearbox with a neutral between first and second gear, and I sometimes miss the first gear. We will now change the gearbox. Tomorrow, I want to go out on the track and have fun riding the bike. I am always quick when I enjoy riding."


Davide Tardozzi (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team Manager):
"Today was not too bad - especially for Troy. He was first in today's Free Practice session, and
finished the first Qualifying Practice second, only six hundredths of a second off Cal. This is a really good result. I am happy we now understand why Ruben is having difficulties. He is not happy with the gearbox. I am confident we can sort that out for tomorrow."

Kirssi captures fourth consecutive XCC victory

Simo Kirssi is on a roll. The Finn has taken yet another win in the European Cross Country Championship (XCC), as he owned round three of the Austrian Cross Country Championship (ACC) at Türnitz. The BMW Husqvarna Motorsport rider came from behind aboard his BMW G 450 X to dominate the two-hour moto.

Kirssi started with number twenty-one, following a late decision to participate. This meant having a not-so-favourable position on the grid. The Scandinavian nevertheless passed a bunch of riders immediately after the Le Mans-style start procedure. Kirssi came in fifth around the first corner, where he stayed until mid-race to study the track and his competition. Once the 30-year-old European champ felt fully accustomed to
the technical, woody and rather muddy Türnitz course, he twisted the throttle a bit further. When all was said and done, Kirssi had increased his lead to two minutes over second-placed Markus Tischhart.

Simo Kirssi: "That was a fabulous race today - a real nice Enduro terrain with lots of difficulties included, pretty much like at all the ACC rounds. I needed to find way to the front, but then I was able to ride my own race and control the field. Some of the root sections were extremely slippery. Two weeks ago during the GCC in Germany, the ground was rock-hard, the complete opposite of today. This proves how my BMW works perfectly on all types of track.

"I´d like to add a special thanks to my brother Juho and everyone on the team. They´re all doing a fantastic job. This has been my fourth consecutive cross country win in a row. We´re back to a round in Germany at the beginning of July. Hopefully the streak will continue."

ACC Rd. 3, Türnitz
1. Simo Kirssi (FIN), BMW Husqvarna Motorsport, 21 Runden
2. Markus Tischhart (AUT), KTM, 21
3. Daniel Stocker (AUT), KTM, 21
4. Rudi Pöschl (AUT), BMW, 21
5. Markus Auer (AUT), KTM, 20

Formerly with Ducati, he led Troy Corser to his first WSB title.

Interview with Davide Tardozzi.
"We still have a lot of work ahead of us."

Munich/Stephanskirchen, 22 June 2010. The race weekend in Salt Lake City,
USA, marked the half-way point in the FIM Superbike World Championship
season 2010. As BMW Motorrad Motorsport prepare for the race at Misano, Italy,
Team Manager Davide Tardozzi looks back on his opening six months in the job.

Davide Tardozzi, how would you sum up your first half year at BMW Motorrad
Motorsport?

Davide Tardozzi: "When I look back at my time at BMW Motorrad up to now, it's
clear to me that we're on the right track, and we can be proud of our results so
far. We've already collected 130 points and six top-five finishes, and Troy Corser
picked up the historic first podium finish for Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport at
Monza. However, I'm somebody who is never one hundred per cent satisfied.
There is always room for improvement and that's the basis I work on. We still
have a lot of work ahead of us before we are ready to challenge for the World
Championship title."

What stands between the team and the very top of the sport?

Davide Tardozzi: "Experience. I see this season as a development year. The basic
elements are all in place to achieve success over the long term. We have a very
able and ambitious team capable of winning races, and a good infrastructure in
Munich and Stephanskirchen and at trackside. However, racing is a complex
business that can't be mastered overnight. What we've been missing up to now
is experience in production-based motorcycle racing. I hope I can put the
experience I have to good use in one way or another and help us achieve the
goals we've set ourselves."

What are you expecting from the team in the second half of the season?

Davide Tardozzi: "We hit our target for the season after just five race weekends
with our third place at Monza, but we can't afford to get carried away by this
success. We still have a way to go before we can regularly achieve this kind of
result on merit. We will continue to follow the same path, and I'm in no doubt that
further success will be possible in due course."

How does it feel working for BMW Motorrad?

Davide Tardozzi: "Let me start by saying that BMW Motorrad is a brand
possessing an unbelievable aura. I'm proud to work for BMW Motorrad. After six
months at BMW you realise that the company is very engineer-driven. The
employees go about their work in a highly structured and process-oriented way.
This is a new experience for me. I can learn something here."

What would be a satisfactory outcome for you at the end of the season?

Davide Tardozzi: "I will never be one hundred per cent satisfied; that would mean
I'm standing still. Recording that podium finish at Monza meant we'd already
achieved our aim for the season. Our results up to now and the 130 World
Championship points we have under our belts show that we're heading in the
right direction, but there is still a long way to go before we are right up there at
the front of the field. At the end of the season we can be pleased with ourselves if
we've taken another big step towards the leaders and put the foundations in
place to further reduce the gap to the top teams in 2011."

25th  - 27th  June 2010
8th  of 13 World Championship race weekends


Munich/Stephanskirchen, 21st  June 2010. Following a brace of overseas race weekends
and an extensive programme of testing over the past two weeks, Team BMW Motorrad
Motorsport can now look forward to one of the classic events on the FIM Superbike
World Championship calendar. Races 15 and 16 of the season will take place at the
Misano World Circuit at Misano Adriatico, Italy, not far from the Republic of San Marino.

Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport will travel to the Adriatic coast with 130 World
Championship points in the bank - just 11 points fewer than their total for the whole of
the 2009 season. Ruben Xaus (ESP) already has three victories to his name at Misano,
making him one of the Superbike World Championship's most successful riders at the
circuit. Only Troy Bayliss (AUS) can boast a better record here, having notched up two
more wins than the Catalan.


Troy Corser:
"The Italian fans certainly make themselves heard at Misano. They love their motorcycle
racing and welcome us with open arms. I've competed at the circuit many times, and it's a
real fixture of the Superbike World Championship calendar. In 2000 I won both races here
for Aprilia in their home event - that was my best weekend here so far. Modifications
were made to the circuit in 2006 and we now race clockwise. That was a nice change;
although this was a familiar venue for the riders, we all had to start from square one again.
The track is quite twisty and there are a few bumps, but it's still pretty fast. Returning to
sea level means we will have more power again."


Ruben Xaus:
"I'm really looking forward to the races at Misano and am a big fan of a circuit where I've
won three times. At Misano every area of the track is important - it's one of those circuits
where you can't afford to make a single mistake. The moment you slide off line, that's it.
Bike set-up is about compromise. There are bumps, fast and slow corners, and a long
back straight. Engine braking is an important factor going into the hairpins at the end of
the long straights.

On the Thursday before the race weekend I will be riding a BMW S 1000 RR alongside
several other riders in a parade through the historic old town of San Marino. That's
something I'm very much looking forward to."

Double sixth place Enduro 2 class result for Tarkkala at GP of Slovakia

BMW Husqvarna Motorsport rider Marko Tarkkala has claimed his and the new BMW powered Husqvarna 450cc enduro bike’s highest placing results so far this season having placed sixth in the competitive Enduro 2 class at the GP of Slovakia, round five of the ’10 EWC series. An event that many riders considered to be the toughest of the championship so far due to a challenging enduro special test and rain soaked motocross and extreme tests, Tarkkala ended both days having performed well and having kept mistakes to a minimum. Extremely wet and muddy at the start of day one conditions were thankfully drier on day two, but nevertheless still very tough.
The first time the new BMW powered Husqvarna Enduro 2 class bike has been raced in such wet and demanding conditions, Tarkkala performed well on both days remaining largely mistake free. Like all riders Marko had no option but to be extremely cautious during the first half of the opening day as the wet, grass motocross special test and the slippery tree covered enduro test proved extremely challenging. Improving his speed during the second half of the day Marko claimed a deserved sixth place result, 26 seconds behind fifth placed rider Fabien Planet from France and less than two minutes behind class winner Mika Ahola from Finland.
Day two started with Marko recording the fourth fastest Enduro 2 class time on the opening enduro special test, which set him up well for a another sixth place result. Remaining mistake free and going on to again finish fourth in class on one other enduro test later in the day, Marko continued to ride well on all tests and in matching his day one result of sixth in class further proved the competitiveness and reliability of the new BMW powered 450cc Husqvarna machine.
The BMW Husqvarna Motorsport team will next be in action in the Enduro World Championship at the GP of Greece, which takes place on August 28/29, where Juha Salminen will make his return to competition following the ankle injury that forced him to miss the third, fourth and fifth rounds of the series.

Marko Tarkkala – Enduro 2 class: ‘Sixth on both days is an extremely positive result for both myself and the team. The conditions have been really slippery and tougher than at any other round of the championship this year, so to finish both days without any problems at all and in sixth position is great. Day one was really slippery during the morning, so it was hard to push hard. You had to survive really and just try and not make mistakes. Things improved during the afternoon and I was able to ride harder. I finished fourth on the enduro test on the third lap, so I was pleased with that. The second day also went well. I was fourth again on the opening enduro test, which started the day well, and I then stayed consistent. These have been my best results so far and I’m seventh in the championship so it’s been a really good weekend.’

2010 Enduro World Championship, Grand Prix of Slovakia – Day 1
Enduro 2
1. Mika Ahola (Honda) 54.21:30; 2. Rodrig Thain (TM) 54.29:34; 3. Thomas Oldrati (KTM) 54.55:75; 4. Ivan Cervantes (KTM) 55.23:61; 5. Fabien Planet (Sherco) 55.50.70; 6. Marko Tarkkala (BMW Husqvarna Motorsport) 56:17.03; 7. Pierre Alexandre Renet (KTM) 56.19:76; 8. Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg) 56.25:20; 9. Valtteri Salonen (Husaberg) 56.26:56; 10. Jeff Goblet (Yamaha) 57.39:28; 11. Oscar Balletti (Honda) 58.56:29; 12. Hans Vogels (Husaberg) 58.59:58; 13. Bert Meyer (Honda) 59.17:54; 14. Jordi Figueras (Gas Gas) 59.57:33; 15. Koikeda Takeshi (KTM) 1.02:45.16; 16. Marco Neubert (KTM) 1.04:10.68

2010 Enduro World Championship, Grand Prix of Slovakia – Day 2
Enduro 2
1. Thomas Oldrati (KTM) 56.22:56; 2. Mika Ahola (Honda) 56.40:36; 3. Ivan Cervantes (KTM) 56.54:95; 4. Pierre Alexandre Renet (KTM) 57.20:14; 5. Joakim Ljunggren (Husaberg) 58.25:47; 6. Marko Tarkkala (BMW Husqvarna Motorsport) 58.52:92; 7. Valtteri Salonen (Husaberg) 58.53:91; 8. Fabien Planet (Sherco) 59.24:44; 9. Hans Vogels (Husaberg) 59.30:91; 10. Oscar Balletti (Honda) 59.32:67; 11. Jeff Goblet (Yamaha) 59.34:09; 12. Bert Meyer (Honda) 1.02:28.27; 13. Jordi Figueras (Gas Gas) 1.03:03.66; 14. Marco Neubert (KTM) 1.03:56.31; 15. Koikeda Takeshi (KTM) 1.06:27.09