M1 Motorsport BMW S1000RR Début

[CHOPPA]

About 4 weeks ago I had a meeting with Robert, the owner of M1 Motorsport. He came to me with the idea of starting a superbike team aboard the new BMW S1000RR. Within a couple of weeks we had the bike organised and it was decided even though the team or bike would not be ready in time we thought it would be important for the championship and development that we would attend the first round of racing.

We managed to find all the required parts to turn the bike into a race bike without to many problems but thanks to a volcano, getting them delivered has been quite the task! Lucky for us one of the most important components was in the very capable hand of Mr Robert Taylor so needless to say the suspension made its way on to the bike with very little hassle. So aside from suspension the bike was raced as you would buy the bike from the showroom floor.

We completed a few laps on the friday and without to much effort we found a very stable base setting. Well I say it wasnt much effort for me, RT was flat out all day, revalving shocks, forks changing springs etc etc. I have been using RT for a while now and he does put a lot of time into tuning my suspension but I can assure you if you use CKT to purchase suspension he will deliver the same service to you. I know this as from the first time I started racing road bikes I realised the benefits of having good suspension, i purchased the usual from CKT and from that moment on Robert and Dennis have allways had time for track side revalves spring changes etc etc all as part of there service to there valued customers.

Saturday rolled around and so did the weather! I was under strict instructions to keep the road fairings mint as we will be selling them on to further fund the project. Fortunetly a lot of the regular riders are in contract negotiations so I was able to concentrate on testing different set ups etc.

I did just what i had to, to take pole in the wet qualifying.

Race 1 was restarted due to a several bike pile up at the haipin. I got the holeshot and with the use of the traction control I was able to pull away to a 30+ second lead and set a time of 1.085 on a semi damp track

Race 2 was much the same, we had tried a new spec in the fork that was showing some great characteristics but it just needs a bit of fine tuning to really make it work well.

All in all a very good weekend, the results were a bonus but the main point is that we are already heading in the right dirction with the BMW S1000RR and early indications suggest with some more development this is going to be a potent superbike.

Thanks VMCC

[Kickaha]

Excellent to hear Sloan and good to see another brand out there

So was the traction control a major benefit? would you have gone as fast without it?

[KS34]

Great to see you out there Choppa doing an awesome job, best of luck for the season and getting the bike sorted and accepted into NZSBK.

[CHOPPA]

Excellent to hear Sloan and good to see another brand out there

So was the traction control a major benefit? would you have gone as fast without it?

I think in places i would have gone faster without it but it did make life easier in that i didnt have to worry if there was a damp part out of a corner etc because I could just leave the throttle wide open and let the TC sort if out

[CHOPPA]

Great to see you out there Choppa doing an awesome job, best of luck for the season and getting the bike sorted and accepted into NZSBK.

Ah well if they dont want another bike in the field then thats there problem. ..

I might have a buyer for your bike..... How much do you want?

[Matt Bleck]

Congrats to you and the team Choppa!!!

[woodyracer]

Great to watch choppa, you were kicking ass out there.

[Kickaha]

Ah well if they dont want another bike in the field then thats there problem. ..

Is there a homologation issue with the TC and quickshifter or not enough bikes sold?

[CHOPPA]

Is there a homologation issue with the TC and quickshifter or not enough bikes sold?

There is enough bikes sold but it is an issue over the TC and quickshifter.

The bike should be homologated as it is though, the TC model is the only model that has so far been sold in NZ and that is the model that will be making 90% of the sales so it should instantly be eligible.

The ducati 1198 S is homologated and that has traction control and full ohlins.

The rsv R is homologated and that has full ohlins

[Kiwi Graham:Me]

Well chuffed you had a good run mate.
I'm sure if they (MNZ) had an issue with the TC and quick shifter, by disabling them you would be good to go eh! (easy to tell if you didn't ).

Didn't get down there myself this time but looking forward to seeing it in action next time.
Open practice at Puke on the 29th for more testing?

[CHOPPA]

The quickshifter is also on the base model, its not an option that you have. If a bike comes with it from the factory and it should be homologated and whatever model makes up the majority of the sales should be the model that is homologated.

I can understand the Ducati 1098r not being homologated but this is a very special model and this would only make up about 1% of there sales

[CHOPPA]

Well chuffed you had a good run mate.
I'm sure if they had an issue with the TC and quick shifter, by disabling them you would be good to go eh! (easy to tell if you didn't ).

Didn't get down there myself this time but looking forward to seeing it in action next time.
Open practice at Puke on the 29th for more testing?

I just wont use the quickshifter and ill disable the TC.....

Yeah man if the race gear is sorted by then i need all the practice I can get!!

[Tony.OK]

Good shit Chop..............of course your new bike should be allowed, standard equipment is just that!, Yamaha was the first to do the fly by wire throttle, no probs with that was there. Did Honda have the ABS on track?

Here's hoping the other factories will take the next step as well when they release new models, if the technology is available ya may as well use it.

Gutted to hear the track was damp, that makes those times of yours even better hahaa, no chance for me to get near ya then..

[Movistar]

Great news Sloan.

Will be keeping a close eye on developments over the coming season.

You, and the bike, are more than capable. Unfortunately, the Tall Poppy Syndrome may prevail.
But, as with any advancement in design and technology, the rest of the field have to lift their game. And this can only be beneficial to the sport in general.

The bike is enough of a weapon on the street, but obviously it's even more at home on the track.

Look forward to your future reports also.

[KS34]

Ah well if they dont want another bike in the field then thats there problem. ..

I might have a buyer for your bike..... How much do you want?

Cheers for keeping it in mind mate, I've been talking to Shaun and he made sense I hadnt really considered ( develop as a rider first) so its off the market.