E-XPLOR > BMW Continues the Tradition of Rider Appreciation Events at Daytona
BMW Continues the Tradition of Rider Appreciation Events at Daytona
We all know that Daytona Bike Week is not exactly a rider’s paradise. Yes, it’s justly famous for manic Main Street nightlife and tacky storefronts. And there are plenty of motorcycles. But for many BMW riders, the novelty of the spectacle wears off quickly. That’s why almost every year, BMW supplements a full week of demo rides and static motorcycle displays with a “rider appreciation” event at Daytona. This might be a group ride, presentation or training series with notables such as Jimmy Lewis or Helge Pedersen, a trackside lunch or a pool party. It’s a chance to hang out with fellow motorcycle riders without having to endure the crowds at Froggy’s.
This year was no exception.
Daytona gave us good reason to celebrate. On the first weekend, Nate Kern (sponsored by BMW of Atlanta) and Richard Cooper (riding for Morton’s BMW) contested very well in the ASRA (1st. and 2nd. place) and Moto-ST (3rd. place, on Nate’s street bike, after their Moto-ST race R 1200 S was totaled during practice by Thomas Hinterreiter, whose hand was very badly injured). BMW Motorrad’s Motorsport division brought four HP2 Sport race bikes to compete in the Formula Xtreme, the first time in thirty years that BMW has competed at Daytona in an AMA series. Better yet, two of the riders were our own Brian Parriott and Nate Kern. On top of that, noted dirt track motorcycle designer Dale Lineaweaver fielded an F 800 FT (FT for “flat track”) at Volusia Speedway with rider Bryan Hazel coming in 5th out of 93 contenders.
So it seemed fitting for the XPLOR Pool Party on Friday, March 7, at the Marriott Residence Inn (BMW HQ at Daytona) to have a “BMW Performance” theme. Naturally, this being a BMW event, it rained cats and dogs, so all 250+ attendees were packed indoors. Besides hosting an excellent Mexican dinner we raffled off about 80 tickets to the Formula Xtreme races taking place the following day and a bunch of BMW Motorrad racing apparel that you can’t buy at any cost. Two race bikes were also on display: Nate’s HP2 Sport and Dale’s F 800 FT, the latter generating a lot of comments as it appears BMW riders are also big dirt track fans.
The forty+ members of the BMW Motorsport Formula Xtreme Team joined us, creating a small sea of blue and white race shirts in the hotel lobby. Race manager Bertie Hauser (you remember him from BoxerCup days) gave a short speech and introduced the team. The four racers, Brian Parriott, Rico Penzkofer, Richard Cooper and Nate Kern then sat down at a long table to sign autographs for the horde of fans. To mark the occasion, every BMW owner was given a free copy of the new book BMW Racing Motorcycles: The Mastery of Speed and this is what everyone lined up to get signed.
For a half hour the rain finally let up and Chris “Teach” McNeil took over, performing a manic stunt show in the back parking lot that ended with his trademark extreme wheelie shattering off the rear brake light. The pavement was very wet and slick, but this didn’t dampen his act or the enthusiasm of the crowd, some of whom had seen Christian Pfeiffer perform at this same location a year ago. BTW: Chris Teach and Christian Pfeiffer although rivals are also good friends and it was at Christian’s recommendation that Teach approached BMW to ride the F 800.
Despite the uncooperative weather, a good time was had by all. Undoubtedly the good wishes of BMW fans helped, because the following day Richard “Mini” Cooper and Brian Parriott finished fifth and sixth in the Formula Xtreme, a much better result than the team had dared hope for. Nate had to abort the race due to a hand injury incurred during practice, and Rico was knocked out by a collision with another rider, but both while disappointed were not seriously injured, and that’s a good result, too.
Brian, racing for San Jose BMW, and Nate, racing for BMW of Atlanta, will each participate in one or two more of the Formula Xtreme races in their territories. Daytona with its high banking and long straightaways does not inherently favor the BMW twins; so we might dare to hope for good results later this year, too. Richard Cooper may continue to drop by the U.S. to compete for Morton’s BMW in upcoming ASRA races.
Please join us in wishing Thomas Hinterreiter a full recovery. He’s back in Austria now and will require extensive surgery on this left hand, hopefully not keeping him out of racing for too long.
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