Anyone who’s raced a motorcycle will know it can be hideously expensive. The consumables, the tyres, the fuel, the crash damage, and even the travel – it all racks up and can make it incredibly difficult for emerging talents breaking through the sport.

BMW UK are looking to tackle that though, revealing a new F900R British Superbike support series that will see race-ready bikes available for £11,000.&

The BMW F900R Cup will take over from the long-time contested Ducati TriOptions Cup series from 2023 and will see up to 40 riders with a Clubman ACU licence and above compete on identical track-prepared naked machines.

But what exactly goes into the finished build? Available to buy race-ready from your local BMW dealership, the competition machines build on the firm’s road-biased 104bhp naked bike, which is powered by an F850GS-derived 895cc parallel-twin.

All the racing machines will then be treated to a standardised track package, including K-Tech fork internals, a K-Tech rear shock, a cone-shaped Arrow exhaust, rear sets, a quickshifter and racing bodywork.&

On top of this, the standard Bridgestone S21 tyres have been ditched for racier Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SC and Diablo Rain tyres – meaning everyone’s on a level playing field at every track.

“We wanted to offer up-and-coming riders the opportunity to race at a national level with greater exposure, in a one-make series where rider talent rather than budget dictates how competitive you are,” BMW UK’s Head of Marketing and PR Scott Grimsdall said.

“The F900R provides a perfect platform of power and agility for riders looking to make their mark on a bigger stage, and the new series can become a stepping-stone to Superstock or Superbike racing.”

Those who get involved with the series will have the option of purchasing a bike and having the race kit fitted by their preferred BMW dealership, approved partner Fortis Racing or their own support team.

Fortis Racing will also be present at each round, offering on-site race support and spares for all riders, should you run into any problems.

BSB Series Director Stuart Higgs added: “A much repeated question is when can we offer an un-faired ‘naked’ bike class on our racing platform? History reminds us of simple, accessible race classes that provide great competition and action. Combined with the prestige of the BMW brand, the F900R Cup deserves to be a success.”

• Step away from the engine& Although running a more open exhaust system, the parallel twin engine internals have been left as standard. This keeps costs down and should help with reliability.
• Ready-made package& BMW will sell you the race ready F900R for £11,000. Although still a decent whack of change, it’s a damn sight cheaper than many other racing classes.
• Naked attraction& The F900R Cup will be the first naked bike class to run alongside the British Superbike championship since the Harley-Davidson XR1200 Cup, which joined the national series back in 2009.
• Gentle proportions& The F900R was not built with motorcycle racing in mind and as such is a roomy, gently set naked roadster. As standard, there’s a seat height of 825mm.
• Race on Sunday, sell on Monday& The F900R road bike is available in a 47bhp, A2-licence-friendly version. With up to 40 bikes competing at each BSB round over two races each weekend, we could see a spike in sales amongst race-loving youngsters.

Sourse: motorcyclenews

#BMW #Sportbike #Bike #Moto