New race series
A one-make series set James Toseland on the path to WSB glory and 25 years later BMW are hunting for his successor with the F900R Cup
The best one-make series always seem to involve inappropriate bikes – Triumph’s Speed Triple Challenge of 1994 was a cracker and Honda’s CB500 Cup was won by a 17-year-old James Toseland in 1997. So the omens are good for the BMW F900R Cup, which will support eight rounds of British Superbikes next year. The naked roadster is prime one-make material, having a thrashable but not overly powerful motor, a sweet-handling chassis and an image that could do with perking up. ‘A few years ago we were at a BMW track event in Spain and I rode an F900R – it was brilliant fun,’ BMW’S UK marketing chief Scott Grimsdall tells Bike. ‘It’s got the same diameter forks as an S1000RR, big front discs and handles neutrally. That got me thinking…’ Last year Scott put an F900R into race trim, with K-tech suspension, an Arrow exhaust and rearsets to see if the idea might work. ‘That confirmed it – I was only lapping two seconds or so slower than I did on an S1000RR and it was everything entry-level production racing should be. Plus, at 105bhp it sits nicely below the really hardcore race classes. ‘Then I gave it to a pro racer or two to see what they thought, and to find out if it was robust enough to handle a production championship. After 1250 miles on UK tracks it passed.’
So far 160 people have registered their interest for the race series – four times the size of the grid. That gives the option of selecting younger riders, which appeals to Scott. ‘These naked one-make production series always seem to throw up young talent that perhaps wouldn’t have come through traditional routes. Decades ago I raced in [the Honda 500 Cup] and that was a springboard for people like Richard Cooper (BSB and Superstock winner), Dennis Hobbs (top Superstock 1000 racer) and James Toseland (two-time WSB champ). Modern racing is fantastic, but you need a lot of money to get in at the lowest level, which is why we’ve kept the price so low.’ The race-ready F900R will cost £11,400 and you can register for the series at tinyurl.com/mwysj6k2
‘The naked roadster is prime one make material’