HP motor racing, Tollwitzer Talkessel, D

BMW Motorrad celebrated its successful return to off-road sports with its brand new HP 2 enduro motorcycle, on Saturday, 10 April, when it took part in the first heat of the German Cross Country Championship (GCC) in Tollwitz, near Leipzig.

The BMW Motorrad Feil Enduro team selected Simo Kirssi, winner of last year`s GCC, to enter the Class 1 (professionals) race. The HP 2 enduro immediately demonstrated its competitive confidence, despite the fact that the other motorcycles participating in the event were around 70 kilograms lighter.

The start of the race in Le Mans fashion was compromised somewhat due to a jammed wooden slat, and a loose cable in the first lap also resulted in a considerable time loss.

But this was not enough to worry Kirssi, and once the repair had been completed, he rejoined the race from behind, racing along the sandy ground surface.

Altogether, he had around 80 (!) other riders to overtake over the two hours of the race. And in the end, the three minutes lost in the first lap unfortunately proved too much to afford him a place in the first ten.

The "Flying Finn" was the eighteenth to cross the finish line, but he nevertheless managed to complete the course ahead of a number of other international stars (including the European Enduro Champion 2003, Werner Müller).

The winner of the race was the Frenchman, Arnaud Demester, who finished ahead of the Swede, Thomas Benipson and Valeriy Doczenko from the Ukraine.

Altogether, a total of almost 600 riders, both men and women, had lined up at the start of the course in Tollwitz. The climax came with the Class 1 and 2 heats on the Sunday afternoon.

For further information and to view the results lists, please go to: www.german-cross-country.de.