"What the bikes lacked in horsepower against the Kawasakis and Ducatis, they more than recovered in stability and handling. On March 6, 1976, Butler & Smith rider Steve McLaughlin crossed the line first in the inaugural AMA Superbike Championship Series race, with teammate Reg Pridmore a photo finish behind him."
"Gietl shortened the boxer's horizontal cylinders to buy lean angle clearance, fitted titanium connecting rods, and replaced the stock twin rear shocks with a custom Koni monoshock adapted from a Formula 1 car."
"BMW Motorrad has now built the R 1300 R Superhooligan to mark that half-century anniversary, and if there is a more appropriate way to honor a chapter of racing history, it is hard to imagine what it would be."
Fifty years ago, BMW's US importer Butler & Smith entered three R 90 S motorcycles at Daytona against favored Japanese inline-four competitors. Aerospace engineer Udo Gietl, formerly with NASA and Polaris submarines, modified the bikes by shortening cylinders for lean angle clearance, installing titanium connecting rods, and adapting a Formula 1 Koni monoshock. Despite lower horsepower, the BMWs dominated through superior stability and handling. Steve McLaughlin won the inaugural AMA Superbike Championship race on March 6, 1976, with teammate Reg Pridmore finishing second and winning the season championship. BMW Motorrad now celebrates this historic achievement with a custom R 1300 R Superhooligan, featuring orange and carbon livery referencing McLaughlin's original #83 race bike.
#bmw-racing-history #motorcycle-engineering #1976-daytona-victory #custom-motorcycle-design #ama-superbike-championship
Read at Yanko Design - Modern Industrial Design News
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]