BMW Motorrad
BMW NZSBK 2011
UNSTOPPABLE
BMW NZSBK 2011: LEVELS
The Ultimate Riding Machine
RIDER’S BRIEFING
WELCOME
BMW MOTORRAD N.Z. IS PLEASED TO BRING YOU THE FIRST ISSUE OF UNSTOPPABLE Welcome to UNSTOPPABLE, the first newsletter for the BMW S 1000 RR race teams participating in the 2011 New Zealand Superbike Championship.
In the world of Superstock 1000 racing, the S 1000 RR already has an impressive list of successful wins in the World Superstock Championships.
This newsletter will cover the five races in the championship and will give you insight into the teams, riders, circuits, and the championship in general as the NZSBK rounds unfold.
In New Zealand, Sloan Frost and the M1 Motorsport Team, have had fantastic results in the Actrix VMCC Winter Series, as well as the Best Presented Team for M1 Motorsport.
We encourage you to click here to subscribe to upcoming issues of the UNSTOPPABLE newsletter so we can keep you informed of progress and developments in the series. We will also be including some special offers via the newsletter for the later issues.
John Ross from Canterbury has had great results in the BEARS series and is hungry for more this year, so in NZ the BMW S 1000 RR is already making its mark.
In the 2010 World Superbike rounds Troy Corser and Rueben Xaus managed some impressive results with the S 1000 RR. For 2011 with Superbike rider Leon Haslam joining the BMW Motorrad team everyone will be focussed on achieving the S 1000 RR’s first World Superbike win.
The incredible rise of the S 1000 RR shows no signs of slowing. With a riding package which delivers unrivalled performance – out of the crate – many riders are choosing the S 1000 RR for their own championship hopes. We wish the BMW S 1000 RR teams all the best for the series and look forward to keeping you informed of their progress. Ride Safe John Glasswell BMW Motorrad New Zealand
CONTENTS
4
6
8
12
14
18
TEAM
CIRCUIT PREVIEW
TURNING POINT
SLOAN FROST
JOHN ROSS
CALENDAR
Meet riders campaigning BMW machinery in this year’s New Zealand Superbike Championship
Fast and flowing, Levels rewards a combination of balance and power
John Ross and Sloan frost battle during race one at Levels
A promising start, but lady luck delivers setbacks as the flag drops
Confidence grows: Solid improvements at Timaru see John looking forward to round two next weekend
Come and see the action first hand at tracks around New Zealand this summer
TEAM
UNSTOPPABLE
TWO RIDERS WITH ONE GOAL : THE 2011 NEW ZEALAND SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE. SLOAN “CHOPPA” FROST With an off-road background beginning with his first race at eight years old, and continuing with a range of New Zealand and Australian motocross titles, Sloan’s switch to road racing in 2005 saw him walk away with a debut win in the Pacific Motorcycle Club series at Taupo. By 2008 Sloan was competing in his first full New Zealand Superbike Championship, and for 2011 will be headlining the M1 Motorsport team, managed by Robert “Moggy” Ramshaw. Sloan has his sights set on a top three finish this season onboard his BMW S 1000 RR, a New Zealand Superbike Championship title win in 2012, and then future entry into the Australian Superbike and AMA (American Motorcyclist Association)Championships.
JOHN ROSS They say that experience is the best teacher, and with time spent in trials, motocross and speedway racing, Christchurch based rider John Ross has certainly been schooled well for his attempt at the New Zealand Superbike Championship title in 2011. A dream offer from father and son duo John and Dennis Adair to pilot their S 1000 RR racebike this season will see John sure to make an impressive debut in the Superbike class, before his entry into the World Superbike Support races at Phillip Island in February.
CIRCUITPREVIEW
LEVELS
FAST AND FLOWING, LEVELS REWARDS A COMBINATION OF BALANCE AND POWER. First built in the late ’60’s and extended in 1988, Timaru International Raceway (known as “Levels” due its location on the Levels Plain) is liked by riders and always delivers a good crowd when the Superbike Championship hits town. Sloan “Choppa” Frost takes us for a lap.
I select third gear as soon as I can get my foot under the shifter, then it’s head down and right through to the rev limiter in fifth gear. By this time I’ve just passed the 200 meter board, warning me that turn four is coming up very fast!
“I cross the starting stripe, then brake hard into turn one, staying as wide as possible. I let go of the front brake a fraction earlier than I’d like, tipping into the first righthander before flicking back to the left, dropping my body into the dip at the apex.!On the exit of turn two I let the bike run wide and find some traction on the crease of the curbing, propelling me towards turn three as if clipping the tail end of a nice berm in motocross.
Trying to leave the throttle open as long as possible, I brake hard and trail the throttle through turn four, then back on the gas as soon as possible and down the short straight.
I let the bike run a little bit deep into turn three, and with the bike at full lean I get the turning done as quick as possible so I can stand the bike up and back on the gas for a good drive down the back straight. The exit is a bit bumpy so it’s important to be smooth on the throttle to stop the bike from spinning and bouncing on the bumps!
Entering McKissock curve (turn five) I tip in early, hoping the front wheel holds, then it’s a quick squirt and into turn six, a decreasing radius left that seems to keep going and going. A quick flick right, and I’m braking hard into the hairpin. With the bike almost falling over, I’ll run the corner very tight so it sets me up well for the next left. Negotiating the final three-corner chicane is key to a good lap time at Levels; get into the first of them fast then lift your knee so you!don't!clip the curb. Stay close so you can straight-line the left-right section and power out toward the finish line!”
Timaru International Motor Raceway (Levels) Length:
2.4km (includes turn 10-11-12 chicane)
125cc Grand Prix lap record:
1:08.396 @ 125.323 km/h, A. Hoogenboezem, 01/2010
600cc Sport Production lap record:
1:04.809 @ 133.315 km/h, N. Cole, Kawasaki, 01/2010
Production Superbike lap record:
1:03.598 @ 135.853 km/h, A. Stroud, Suzuki , 01/2010
NUMBERCRUNCH
WE SPEEDCHECK SLOAN FROST OVER A LAP AT LEVELS
T3 110 km/h
T4 125 km/h
Max. speed 260 km/h
Finish line 180 km/h
T2 100 km/h
T6 110 km/h T8 65 km/h
*Figures are a guide only
TURNING POINT: JOHN ROSS
Mount Motorcycles Mount Motorcycles proudly selling and servicing BMW Motorcycles for 30 years Pleased to be associated with M1 Motorsport
SLOAN “CHOPPA” FROST
A PROMISING START
BUT LADY LUCK DELIVERS SETBACKS AS THE FLAG DROPS You win some, you lose some! The team arrived at Levels raceway fresh and ready for the start of the NZSBK championship. The challenge was set,!we had high hopes, but it was never going to be too hard to eclipse my results last year at Timaru where I had two crashes from two starts. A top five result would have been acceptable but a podium was our goal. Friday practice went as planned, we started off slow and gradually picked up the pace as we began to tune the BMW S1000RR to suit the tight Timaru track. When Saturday morning rolled around the plan remained on track dropping our times to a point we were happy with before we put fresh rubber on for Qualifying. With the sun shining we laid down some quick lap times to qualify in fifth position, less than 3 tenths of a second off pole. The conditions on Sunday were much cooler than what we had qualified in on Saturday and within three laps of practice we had a seriously torn rear tyre. We were in need of some setting changes, fast! We settled on some changes and headed out for race one.
I got off the line well and slotted into fifth, but the bike was very loose and the changes we had made just were not working. I was down over a second on our qualifying time and I fell into a battle with Craig Shirriffs and John Ross. We were able to secure fifth at the finish - a good result but not a satisfying race. Going back to our qualifying settings for race two we were confident we could hang with the front pack, however our dreams turned to a nightmare on the warm up lap. The bike cut into limp mode due to a mishap with a wheel speed sensor during a wheel change. By the time I realised the problem and isolated the traction control we were a lap down. We circulated for the entire race staying out of the competitor’s way and collecting some very valuable points for eleventh place,!taking seventh place for the round. Bring on round two next weekend! Choppa.
JOHN ROSS
CONFIDENCE GROWS
SOLID IMPROVEMENTS AT TIMARU SEE JOHN LOOKING FORWARD TO ROUND TWO NEXT WEEKEND On Friday morning’s practice we still had a lot of work to do with testing to get the bike where we needed it. Pirelli had provided us a new 200 section tyre, replacing the previous 190 tyre which we were about to try for the first time. It was also the first time I had ridden the BMW S 1000 RR around this track. The new tyre was a hit straight away, and only created improvements for us. My lap times improved quickly in practice, giving me the fifth fastest time, so I was confident I could improve as I headed into qualifying, but only matched my practice time and slipped to ninth spot. In race one I managed to work my way through the field into fifth place, the BMW proving to be all that is promised with power to burn and handling characteristics to match. I finished race one in sixth place after losing a spot on the second-to-last lap where I got tangled up with a lapped rider.
Jeff Gray BMW
In race two once again I managed to work my way through the field and finished in seventh. This coming weekend should see more close racing at the fast and flowing Teretonga circuit, and with ever growing confidence on the unstoppable S 1000 RR, I’m expecting to improve on my performance at Levels.! At the Burt Munro Challenge held at Teretonga last November, we won the B.E.A.R.S. class and established a good base setup with the suspension. The BMW is well suited to Teretonga as it is a horsepower track so we will be expecting big things! We hope to see you there, John
Jeff Gray BMW Motorrad Jeff Gray BMW Group are proud to introduce the BMW Motorrad range of motorcycles to their Christchurch dealership. As New Zealand’s only BMW Kombi dealership we are able to offer the full BMW experience with the ability to trade Bikes on Bikes, Bikes on Cars, Cars on Cars. Jeff Gray BMW and Mini is the only BMW Motorrad dealer located in the South Island for all new BMW Motorcycle Sales along with a genuine parts and service department. Come and see the Jeff Gray BMW Stand at the third round NZSBK Ruapuna Raceway Saturday 12th and Sunday the 13th Feb or visit our fantastic showroom 30 Manchester Street, Christchurch. For more information on any New or Used BMW motorcycles from Jeff Gray BMW Please contact Rodney Faulkner. DDI 03 363 7235 or 027 577 1156. Email: rodney.faulkner@jgbmw.co.nz
BMW Helmet
BMW Motorrad
Jeff Gray BMW are pleased to be able to offer in store specials on the following items. Specials are limited to stock on hand. Don’t miss out on these fantastic deals.
Jeff Gray BMW Motorrad is currently the only authorised service and Parts agents in the South Island. We offer a fully equipped workshop for all your vehicle servicing and repair requirements.
SPECIALS
SERVICE
Our team is dedicated to providing you with quick and reliable service - all our technicians are factory trained to make use of the latest diagnostic technologies to ensure that you ride away satisfied.
BMW Enduro helmet RRP $ 1025
SPECIAL $799
BMW Sport helmet RRP $ 1100
SPECIAL $799
Please contact our service department direct on 03 363 7242 and our parts department direct on 03 363 7241 for all your parts and service inquiries
CALENDAR
BETHERE
COME AND SEE THE ACTION FIRST HAND AT TRACKS AROUND NEW ZEALAND THIS SUMMER The New Zealand Superbike Championship is bringing world class Superbike racing to a track near you this summer, so make sure you get along to see our riders in action. The tracks will be open to spectators for practice and qualifying on Saturday, and two nail-biting Superbike races on Sunday. Between sessions, feel free to drop by the pits and have a chat to our riders - we’d love to see you! You can find out more information about the New Zealand Superbike Championship at www.nzsbk.com
ROUND ONE: Timaru International Raceway (Levels), Falvey Road, Timaru, South Canterbury Nearest airport/accommodation: Timaru, 13km Website: www.southcanterburycarclub.org.nz ROUND TWO: Teretonga Park Raceway, Sandy Point Road, Invercargill, Southland Nearest airport/accommodation: Invercargill, 7km Website: www.teretonga.org.nz ROUND THREE: Powerbuilt Raceway at Ruapuna Park, Hasketts Road, Templeton, Christchurch, Canterbury Nearest airport/accommodation: Christchurch, 10km Website: www.canterburycarclub.co.nz ROUND FOUR: Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, Hampton Downs Road, Waikato Nearest airport: Auckland, 58km. Accommodation at the track, or Pukekohe (35km). Website: www.hamptondowns.com ROUND FIVE: Manfeild Autocourse, Rata Street, Feilding, Manawatu Nearest major airport: Palmerston North, 14km Accommodation at Feilding (1km) and Palmerston North (14km) Website: www.manfeild.co.nz
ROUND FOUR, HAMPTON DOWNS 25th to 27th April 2011
ROUND FIVE, FEILDING 1st to 3rd April 2011
ROUND THREE, CHRISTCHURCH 11th to 13th February 2011 ROUND ONE, TIMARU 29th to 31st January 2011
ROUND TWO, INVERCARGILL 4th to 6th February 2011
BMW Motorrad
BMW NZSBK 2011
The Ultimate Riding Machine
Thanks to our support partners during the 2011 New Zealand Superbike Championship.
Premium partners:
BMW Motorrad Motorsport
MOUNT MOTORCYCLES
Jeff Gray BMW
MOUNT MAUNGANUI, NEW ZEALAND
Rider partners:
www.bmwmotorrad.co.nz Produced by Championship Digital for BMW Motorrad New Zealand, M1 Motorsport, and John Ross Š2011 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied without written permission from BMW Motorrad New Zealand. Click HERE to email for more information on our New Zealand Superbike Championship campaign. View the B.M.W. New Zealand privacy policy HERE