Aussie goes dirt racing for BMW

From the Bimm bunker: BMW Motorrad USA and BMW XPLOR have signed Australia riding ace Glenn Kearney for 2008.

Glenn (pictrured in the yellow shirt) will pilot the all-new BMW sports enduro - the G 450 X - in the XC1 Class in the US Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Racing Series.

BMW's XPLOR Race Team is led by Scott Summers, a pioneer of professional off-road racing, who recently signed with BMW for the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons, after racing very successfully for American Honda for nearly two decades.

"I'm looking forward to working with Scott on a professional level; we have been friends for a number of years now and get along great," Glenn said.

"I'm looking forward to racing the new BMW and making the transition from 2 stroke backto 4 stroke machines. I had some of my greatest successes on 4 strokes in Australia before leaving for the US.

"The BMW I feel will help make this transition an easy one because it is designed to be so user friendly," Glenn said.

Joining Glenn in the BMW XPLOR Race Team is another experienced rider Gordon Crockard.

"The 2008 season holds a lot of challenges for me as a professional racer," Gordon said.

"I will be learning an entirely new style of racing, on a brand new motorcycle. In the past months, I've been able to spend time with Scott Summers riding the new BMW 450 bike and I'm confident in both the motorcycle and Scott's ability to help me make the transition a success.”

"We are very excited to welcome Gordon and Glenn to our race team. They are tremendous competitors, and will definitely make BMW a formidable contender in the GNCC race series," said Arturo Pineiro, head of BMW Motorrad USA.

"Scott Summers has played a significant role in making the GNCC what it is today - the most competitive cross country class in the world. Now, with the addition of these accomplished riders, BMW XPLOR Race Team is certain to energize the 2008 GNCC series, and make us even more competitive," added Dirk Biehler, Manager of Marketing at BMW Motorrad USA.

BMW Motorrad's sports enduro prototype made its first US appearance at the GNCC (Grand National Cross Country) race in Crawfordsville, Indiana in late October, 2007. Former motocross world champion Simo Kirssi - the lone BMW entrant - crashed during the event on the second day. The talented Finn rode the sports enduro to its first-ever victory in the final round of the 2007 European Cross Country Championship, held in Schefflenz, Germany, on 6-7 October, 2007.

BMW web: motorcycles.bmw.com.au