450cc sports enduro prototype back in WEC

Having now participated in both the Spanish and Italian rounds of the 2007 World Enduro Championship the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team will make its third and final outing in this series at the eighth and final race of the year in France this weekend. The Grand Prix AMV of France takes place in Noiretable on Saturday and Sunday and this particular championship round is of significant importance, because in the four main categories no title has yet been secured.

In the Enduro 2 class - where BMW Motorrad Motorsport's Joel Smets will be competing on the 450cc sports enduro prototype - current championship leader Mika Ahola only needs to finish in sixth place on day one to secure the first title of his career. After five final second places (1997, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2006) the 32-year-old Finn is close to realising his goal.

The main goal for BMW Motorrad Motorsport at Noiretable, however, is the ongoing development of the 450cc sports enduro prototype in the toughest conditions imaginable and against the best riders. This is the third time this year that BMW Motorrad has participated in a world championship round and the first time the team has been in action since Simo Kirssi competed on the sports enduro at the beginning of July in the German Cross Country championship at Mernes, near Frankfurt.

Since then the team has been developing and testing new parts for the sports enduro prototype, with riders Joel Smets, Sasha Eckert and Markus Barth all helping supply BMW Motorrad engineers and technicians with the vital feedback necessary for the 450's ongoing development. With Sasha Eckert busy at an important suspension test, it will be down to Belgian motocross legend Joel Smets to fly the flag for BMW Motorrad this weekend at Noiretable. However, even he won't be as busy as Head of Motorsport Berti Hauser, who will be putting in appearances at both world championship events this weekend.

"I'm certainly going to be doing a lot of driving this weekend," said Hauser. "I'll be at Magny-Cours for the Bol d'Or qualifying and practice, then I'll drive to Noiretable to see how things are going with the team in the World Endurance Championship before returning to Magny-Cours for part of the race. On Sunday, I'll be back in Noiretable for the WEC, so I think I'm going to be just as tired as the riders! We're looking for a good result and have new parts to try out at Noiretable. There's plenty more to come this year as well, because we'll be at two German Cross Country events, as well as the Grand National Cross Country round in the USA in October and we'll also participate in the Barcelona Indoor Enduro event in December."

Another title that will be decided at Noiretable is the BMW Motorrad Xtreme Test Award. This 'race within a race' takes place during the extreme tests that form part of each 2007 Grand Prix. For each racing day, a classification is issued in which the lap times for each individual 'Xtreme' are added together. The first 20 riders score points according to the World Enduro Championship regulations and the rider who has scored the most points by the end of the season is declared the winner. As a further incentive, the winner of the BMW Motorrad Xtreme Test Award will also receive a brand new BMW G 650 Xchallenge worth $8,500.

With 266 points, Mika Ahola is currently favourite to win the BMW G 650 Xchallenge, with Juha Salminen just ten points behind him. Due to the broken collarbone he suffered in August, Salminen missed the Slovakian Grand Prix, which allowed his compatriot, Mika Ahola to take the lead in the standings. However, everything will be decided in Noiretable in front on an expected crowd of more than 50,000 enduro fans. One thing is certain - the winner of the BMW G 650 Xchallenge will be Finnish!