BMW Signs Ruben Xaus, Boldly Enters World Superbike Racing
Hotshoe racer Ruben Xaus (pictured here heedlessly hooning it on a Ducati Hypermotard) has signed with BMW to race their highly anticipated superbike, the S1000RR. Peter Mueller, BMW's Executive Vice President of Development & Model Lines, calls Xaus "a strong and combative rider, full of enthusiasm and with a passion for racing. This fits our philosophy completely and together we will take on this new challenge."
Xaus has taken 34 podiums and ten victories in World Superbike, and the move is yet another intriguing expansion of the BMW brand. Says Xaus, "It is not often that you get the chance to start a completely new project, but I am really looking forward to the challenge."
Whether or not Xaus and the S1000RR take off with a bang, BMW's entry into the superbike realm should be entertaining for race fans and bike buyers alike.
Photo © Ducati
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Comments
Xaus rode as well yesterday at Misano (he won race 2) as anyone has ever seen. The first year will be devoted to development, but if BMW is serious about WSBK, their entry will add to an already fabulous series taking the manufacturers to 6. If MV Augusta jumps in that’ll be 7.
As brilliant as MotoGP is, the simple fact is WSBK is far more fun to watch and far more competitive. Xaus was trading paint with Biaggi - who’s no slouch either…the team owner must have needed Oxygen!
I didn’t catch the Misano race, but did tune in to the last five laps of the Assen GP, which were actually pretty awesome.
I won’t spoil it this time, in case you haven’t seen it yet…
It’s a shame Rossi made a mistake…very uncharacteristic (he apologized nicely to De Puniet). Would’ve been fun to see him battle with Stoner because Pedrosa wasn’t up to it. The best race was watching Edwards pick people off on his way up to 3rd.
Fear not! I no longer open suspicious e-mails from friends or check blogs until I’ve seen the race!!
I was surprised Xaus opted to jump to an unproven team. He seemed to have been aiming squarely at regaining a seat on the factory Ducati Corse team. Both he and Biaggi appear to be battling for one or both of the factory team’s seats with Bayliss’ impending retirement and Fabrizio’s lack of results.
Not sure MV can afford to race in WSBK but it would be grand. Don’t forget about Aprilia and KTM.
Aprilia, BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, MV Agusta, Suzuki and Yamaha… now that is a grid.
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