Simo Kirssi showed once again that he’s the man to beat in the German Cross Country Championship. The BMW factory rider completely dominated round five of the series, held at the beautiful Goldbach circuit. In front of 5,000 spectators Kirssi posted yet another impressive start-finish victory aboard his BMW 450 X, as his fiercest competition came from fellow countryman Samuli Aro during the early stages of the two-hour moto.

Conditions couldn’t have been better on race day. Temperatures were around 26° Celsius and some recently added technical sections to the course guaranteed a fabulous race.

With his latest victory, the Finn now leads the championship by 32 points over his closest rival Stefan Svitko, meaning that the penultimate round at Mühlhausen could see Kirssi claim the 2010 title with one round still left to run. All he and his Team BMW Husqvarna Motorsport need is a top five finish to make it happen.

Simo Kirssi: “Goldbach proved to be a superbly organised event once again. I like the atmosphere and the enthusiastic fans – it’s pure fun to come here racing. My day was just perfect, so was the bike. The team had everything well prepared and I managed to control the field. What else can you wish for?”

German Cross Country Championship, Rd. 5, Goldbach results

1. Simo Kirssi (FIN), BMW Husqvarna Motorsport, 24 laps
2. Samuli Aro (FIN), KTM, 24
3. Hans Vogels (NED), Husaberg, 24
4. Mickael Musquin (FRA), BMW, 24
5. Christian Weiß (GER), TM, 24
6. Steffen Albrecht (GER), Yamaha, 24
7. Maurizio Micheluz (ITA), TM, 24
8. Marco Straubel (GER), KTM, 24
9. Stefan Svitko (SK), KTM, 23
10. Jens Getteman (BEL), KTM, 23

German Cross Country Championship, Point standings (after five rounds)

1. Simo Kirssi, 140
2. Stefan Svitko, 108
3. Samuli Aro, 107
4. Marco Straubel, 94
5. Steffen Albrecht, 93

Simo Kirssi keeps going from strength to strength. The BMW Husqvarna Motorsport factory rider has claimed victory in the first-ever Battle-X event. Following five consecutive wins in Cross Country races across Europe, 30-year-old Kirssi used the new Extreme Enduro competition to determine his abilities in such events and as a preparation for the gruelling Roof of Africa event in November.

The two-day Battle-X was held at the Waffenrod amusement park in Thuringia, Germany, in very warm conditions. The inaugural Battle-X was characterised by a combination of eight large and five smaller artificial obstacles and the participants included some recognised German pro riders, who not only had to deal with the brutal heat, but also with four gruelling qualifying heats.

Kirssi kept a low profile during the first three of them. The talented Scandinavian rider finished second in the ‘Torture Test’, the ‘Sudden Death’ and Sunday morning’s ‘Rising Sun’, before making short work of his rivals in the ‘Final Destination’, where he scored seven straight start-finish victories to win the overall event in dominating fashion.

“Races like the Battle-X do certainly have a future – they’re good for the riders to display their talent and good for the fans who are close to the action. I believe the difficulty level could be somewhat higher, though,” said the Finn, who regularly trains with a trials motorcycle.

Overall classification Battle-X 2010

1. Simo Kirssi, BMW Husqvarna Motorsport
2. Daniel Hähnel, KTM
3. Ralf Scheidhauer, Husqvarna
4. Thomas Günther, Husaberg
5. Matthias Weichselmann, Yamaha
6. Phillip Storz, Yamaha
7. Seppo Suttner, KTM
8. Reini Rauch, KTM
9. Thomas Arnold, KTM
10. Andre Engelmann, KTM

Round four of the German Cross Country Championship (GCC) clearly belonged to Simo Kirssi. The BMW Husqvarna Motorsport factory rider never left a shadow of a doubt who would be winning Sunday’s race held at Mernes (Hesse).

Kirssi rode a lonely race in front of 2,500 spectators to capture his third straight victory in what’s considered to be Europe’s biggest motorcycling off-road series. The Finn led the two-hour moto almost from start to finish, as he increased his championship lead to 18 points.

The humid and very warm weather may have hurt Kirssi’s competitors, but not the 30-year-old Scandinavian. Kirssi steered his BMW 450 X masterfully around the demanding and varying Mernes track and made short work of his fellow countryman Samuli Aro in the opening lap. Neither Aro, nor Dutchman Hans Vogels or even five-time Motocross World Champ Joel Smets were able to keep Kirssi in sight, who pitted for fuel with a commanding lead. Kirssi’s crew even posted a new record when they sent their rider back into the action after only 14 seconds.

Simo carried on like clockwork to claim one of his most dominant series victories ever, taking the win over two minutes ahead of Hans Vogels and three minutes in front of Samuli Aro.

Simo Kirssi: “Usually I don’t like this track a lot as I’ve had problems here in most of my recent visits, but today it went very well. Everything was perfectly prepared and the team did a great job, but so did the bike! I felt excellent and being out there came easy. I knew by the end of lap one that the competition would find it hard to catch me today. Now we’re in a great position for the rest of the season.”

German Cross Country Championship, Rd. 4, Mernes results

1. Simo Kirssi (FIN), BMW Husqvarna Motorsport, 18 laps
2. Hans Vogels (NED), Husaberg, 18
3. Samuli Aro (FIN), KTM, 18
4. Marco Straubel (GER), KTM, 18
5. Steffen Albrecht (GER), Yamaha, 18
6. Mickael Musquin (FRA), BMW, 18
7. Christian Weiß (GER), TM, 18
8. Joel Smets (BEL), Husqvarna, 17
9. Jan Zulauf (GER), KTM, 17
10. Andreas Schulz (GER), KTM, 16

German Cross Country Championship, Point standings (after 4 races)
1. Simo Kirssi, 110
2. Stefan Svitko, 92
3. Samuli Aro, 82
4. Marco Straubel, 77
5. Steffen Albrecht, 75

Kirssi started with number twenty-one, following a late decision to participate. This meant having a not-so-favourable position on the grid. The Scandinavian nevertheless passed a bunch of riders immediately after the Le Mans-style start procedure. Kirssi came in fifth around the first corner, where he stayed until mid-race to study the track and his competition.

Once the 30-year-old European champ felt fully accustomed to the technical, woody and rather muddy Türnitz course, he started to twist the throttle a bit further and increase his speed. Once out in front, there was no stopping Kirssi and by the time the race was over, Simo had increased his lead to two minutes over second-placed challenger Markus Tischhart.

Simo Kirssi: “That was a fabulous race today – a real nice Enduro terrain with lots of difficulties included, pretty much like at all the ACC rounds. I needed to find a way to the front, but then I was able to ride my own race and control the field. Some of the root sections were extremely slippery, which was completely opposite to the German Cross Country round in Germany a fortnight ago, when the ground was rock-hard. This proves that my BMW works perfectly on all types of track.

“I’d like to add a special thanks to my brother Juho and everyone on the team – they’re all doing a fantastic job. This has been my fourth consecutive cross country victory and we’re back in Germany for a round at the beginning of July, so hopefully this winning streak will continue.”

ACC Rd. 3, Türnitz results

1. Simo Kirssi (FIN), BMW Husqvarna Motorsport, 21 laps
2. Markus Tischhart (AUT), KTM, 21
3. Daniel Stocker (AUT), KTM, 21
4. Rudi Pöschl (AUT), BMW, 21
5. Markus Auer (AUT), KTM, 20

BMW Motorsport team rider Andreas Lettenbichler has claimed a superb runner-up result at the 10th running of the Erzberg Rodeo’s Red Bull Hare Scramble. Beaten only by four-times winner Taddy Blazusiak from Poland, Letti produced a solid start-to-finish performance to place his BMW G 450 X on the second step of the podium after an extremely difficult race. Completing the gruelling event in a time of just under two hours, Letti was one of only 16 finishers.

Qualifying ninth during the prologue, Letti secured an all-important first row starting position for the main Hare Scramble event. Because he didn’t get a great start, his progress during the early stages of the race was slowed due to thick dust. However, Letti pushed hard to move into a top three position well before the halfway stage of the race. Once in a podium position, and knowing that his chances of catching winner Blazusiak were slim, he settled into a steady pace and battled his way up and through the many near impossible climbs.

An experienced Erzberg competitor – having now finished as runner-up on three separate occasions – Letti made light work of one of the hardest ever circuits around Austria’s ‘Iron Giant’ and was more than pleased with his performance.

Andreas Lettenbichler: “I made a real mess of the start, which made things really difficult for me because I was stuck in the dust. That made things really tricky because you couldn’t attack the first section of the track. The guys at the front were able to really push hard, but I had to be really careful. After that I just pushed as hard as I could.

“At the first checkpoint I think I was behind Graham Jarvis and in front of Dougie Lampkin, I think I was about third. After the second check point I fell down and lost some time. That allowed Graham and Dougie to pass me. I just rode my own race after that and tried to keep my mistakes to a minimum. For me the race was a little harder than last year because there were some new tracks. The second part of the track was tough, like it is every year. Even with a better start there was no way I could have won, as Taddy was incredibly fast. I’m more than happy with second though – I rode well and my bike was incredible. It was tough but a great race, I enjoyed it.”

Erzberg Rodeo, Red Bull Hare Scramble results

1.Taddy Blazusiak (KTM) 1.45:43
2.Andreas Lettenbichler (BMW Husqvarna Motorsport) 1.56:26
3.Dougie Lampkin (Beta) 2.02:26

On the first weekend in June, thousands of off-road enthusiasts will make their way to Eisenerz in the heart of Austria for the 16th Erzbergrodeo – the world’s biggest motorcycle off-road event that attracts many of the top riders from the worlds of Enduro, Motocross and Trials, as well as enthusiastic amateur and hobby riders from four continents.

Among them will be BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s Andreas Lettenbichler, who finished the gruelling event in third place last year and is looking to go even better on the BMW G 450 X sport enduro in 2010.

Riding for Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport, ‘Letti’ raced onto the podium of the famous Hare Scramble, arguably the world’s toughest one-day Extreme Enduro. Interestingly, out of 1,500 riders that tried to qualify for the Hare Scramble, and the 500 who made the start line, only 21 made it to the mountaintop. It took ‘Letti’ two hours, 25 minutes and 17 seconds to complete the treacherous course and he finished in third, behind Poland’s Taddy Blazusiak and Britain’s Graham Jarvis. However, the popular German had special reason to be satisfied with his result, as his BMW G 450 X was by far the best four-stroke performer among a sea of lightweight two-strokes.

This year, the highly anticipated Hare Scramble will start at its usual time of 12 noon on Sunday 6 June and ‘Letti’ will be hoping to use his formidable trials skills, high fitness levels and the excellent traction of his G 450 X to achieve his goal of another podium finish.

“It’s my fifth start at the legendary Erzberg,” said the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team rider. “Before such an event, I always make sure I train as much as possible – not only on my Enduro bike, but also on a Trials bike because of the skills you need for success. For sure the Erzberg is the most popular extreme Enduro challenge in the world and the media coverage of the event is amazing. You’ll see all kinds of expert riders participating, many of whom have a Trials, Motocross or Extreme Enduro background, and the level of competition is very high, even from the amateur riders. I have a very clear target for Erzberg 2010 – there is no other option than to win the Hare Scramble and I will give all I can to be on top.”

In addition to ‘Letti’, who will surely be starting as one of the favourites for the victory, there will also be two other BMW riders taking on the challenge of the Hare Scramble. Gerhard Forster has finished in the top ten twice in the past two years and for three-times Austrian Cross Country Champion Rudi Pöschl, his main goal this year is to win at Erzberg. Don’t bet against any of these guys doing the business on their BMWs.

So popular is the Erzbergrodeo that all the starting places were sold out within two weeks of them being released. This has helped establish it as not only Austria’s biggest motorsports event, but also one of the world’s premier Extreme Enduro events as well. Off-road enthusiasts from all over Europe, Australia, Africa, South America and the USA and Canada will travel thousands of kilometres just to get a taste of the unique atmosphere and to take up the challenge of the ‘Iron Mountain’.

For more information on this amazing event, visit www.erzberg.at or to watch a selection of video footage, just enter ‘Erzberg’ in the Search option on YouTube, choose a clip and enjoy the action.

BMW Husqvarna Motorsport’s Simo Kirssi re-established himself as a title contender at round two of the German Cross Country Championship last weekend. Following his average start to the campaign four weeks ago, the Finn responded at Walldorf with a convincing victory. As the former series champ powered away aboard his BMW G 450 X, his fellow competitors were left battling for the remaining positions.

Kirssi wasted no time on the deep Thuringia soil and immediately made it clear who would be in command. Having opened a decent gap on the first lap, Kirssi powered away and increased his lead with each lap. The 30-year old dominated the difficult course, characterised by plenty of up and downhill sections, and only briefly surrendered the lead after coming in for fuel. Following this, Kirssi was dominant for the second part of the two-hour moto and crossed the finish line nearly two minutes ahead of round one winner Stefan Svitko, who maintained his championship lead.

Several thousand fans came to see the racing at Walldorf and were eventually greeted with improving weather conditions and even some sunshine during the closing stages of the race.

Simo Kirssi: “That’s how I like it – right from the start! Everything was plain perfect today: the bike, the team and the track. I do enjoy riding at Walldorf – it’s a challenging track, sort of Enduro style with lots of fans, but this year things were particularly tricky. Because of the rain there was a very limited choice of lines, and the cross section was difficult also. Fortunately I made no mistakes and even had some reserves left. There was only one moment when Stefan came close, but I was pretty much in control the whole time.”

German Cross Country Championship, Rd. 2, Walldorf, XC Pro class results

1. Simo Kirssi (FIN), BMW Husqvarna Motorsport, 16 laps
2. Stefan Svitko (SLO), KTM, 16
3. Marco Straubel (GER), KTM, 16
4. Steffen Albrecht (GER), Yamaha, 16
5. Chris Weiß (GER), TM, 16
6. Andy Boller (GER), KTM, 15
7. Hans Vogels (NL), Husaberg, 15
8. Erik Müller (GER), Kawasak, 15
9. Samuli Aro (FIN), KTM, 15
10. Andreas Weber (GER), Kawasaki, 15

No fear, no limit is the daunting description of one of the most challenging enduro events on the European racing calendar – and it did not disappoint competitors at the Akrapovic Offroad Weekend in Istrien, Croatia. Not all would complete the 35km stretch of unforgiving terrain on 7 March, but one rider finished way ahead of the competition: three-times Austrian Cross Country (ACC) Champion Rudi Pöschl and his BMW G 450 X.

His victory at the eighth annual Akrapovic Offroad Weekend is a positive sign for the start of the 2010 enduro season. It follows a successful 2009 for the BMW rider, in which he achieved 24 podium finishes, including 13 wins, five second places and six third places. “With last year’s overall win in the Austrian Enduro Trophy and third place overall in the ACC, the performance of the Rudi Pöschl/BMW G 450 X combination was clearly proven,” says Friedrich Reichl, Motorcycle Manager at BMW Motorrad Austria.
But Pöschl wasn’t the only rider looking for his first podium finish of 2010 at the Akrapovic Offroad Weekend. The standard was high on the Saturday’s Hobby and Expert Cross Country Races, in which a total of 200 riders took part. Pöschl was beaten by Werner Müller on the 10km, two-and-a-half hour Expert course, and finished ahead of Markus Tischart and Mario Hirschmugel in fourth.

This left Pöschl in second place to start the No Fear, No Limit Hard Enduro Race on the following day. However, Müller was unable to start the race due to a torn clutch cable/lead, which allowed Pöschl to take full advantage. After almost two hours, the BMW rider completed the course ten minutes ahead of second-place Bernd Jagersberger and 37 minutes ahead of Erich Brandauer.

“For me, it went perfectly,” says Pöschl. “I got away well at the start and during the race I had no difficulties whatsoever. The BMW G 450 X ran like clockwork.”

Pöschl has been competing with the BMW sports enduro motorcycle since 2009, after he was initially persuaded by Reichl to switch manufacturers in autumn 2008. “The technical innovations of the G 450 X quickly convinced him that it was the right decision,” says Reichl. “The bike’s reliability, engine performance, handling, chassis and outstanding traction give Rudi the best technical conditions in which to improve on last year’s achievements,” he adds.

After the win in Croatia, Pöschl will continue to focus on his main goals for 2010: the ACC and the Austrian Enduro Trophy. Reichl believes he has the potential to win both series, as well as compete in additional enduro events such as the Erzberg Harescramble and the Grantibeisser-Light in Schrems.

“The key to Rudi’s success is his professional attitude to sport, his strong desire to win and his clever racing tactics,” says Reichl. “Although he works full time, he uses every spare minute to improve himself physically and technically. He is extremely disciplined and professional. That also makes the co-operation between Rudi and us so successful,” he adds.

First prize at this year’s extreme enduro event in Croatia was a complete exhaust system provided by leading manufacturer Akrapovic. The brand is renowned for producing high-quality motorcycle exhausts and works with several factory teams. It not only has a presence in all racing categories, but also associates itself with 32 world championship titles. It is perhaps the start of another promising partnership for the Austrian rider and his BMW motorcycle, not least a deserving reward for his latest achievement.

“This is the first time that I’ve taken part in this race,” says Pöschl, “and I really enjoyed it. I’ll definitely do it again.” No fear, no limit? No problem, it seems.

When BMW riders Max Richard, Robert Czerucki and Aaron Sprague sit down to breakfast in North London on 17 April, it will mark the end of months of preparation for a unique motorcycling adventure across Europe, Central Asia and Western China. After a full English fry-up, the British property investor, Polish entrepreneur and American businessman will board their BMW motorcycles to start a ten-week, 17,000km journey that few riders have done before: London to Beijing, via Tibet.

From south-east England, the riders will travel through France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and into Turkey within the first week. Then they will join the historic Silk Road, which threads through Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and China. After crossing the border, they will head south to Tibet, reaching Everest Base Camp. Then it’s onward to Lhasa, before travelling north to Beijing, where they are due to arrive on 2 July.

Max, Robert and Aaron will be led by Kevin and Julia Sanders, owners of UK-based motorcycle adventure expedition company, GlobeBusters. “This is the first time we have taken a group on this route,” says Julia. Aside from the potential problems with paperwork, considering the numbers of borders they will cross, the ride poses geographical challenges, too.

“We are the first motorcycle company to take a group to China that travels though Tajikistan and across the Tibetan Plateau, known as the ‘Roof of the World’,” explains Julia. “It’s a groundbreaking new route and is in keeping with the pioneering spirit of GlobeBusters. The majority of the route through far Central Asia and Western China is on unpaved dirt roads and at altitudes of between 4,000m and 5,000m. In addition to freezing temperatures, the riders will be sleeping at remote locations, with little or no tourist infrastructure.

But camping in cold mountain climates and discovering Tibet on two wheels, is all part of the appeal for the group’s youngest rider, Max. “Life’s about adventure,” says the 30-year-old from south-east England, who now lives in Andorra. “I try to have a big adventure every year. I’ve driven all the way down to the Sahara in a camper van to go surfing, and travelled across land to Bali, Bangkok and Singapore. What I’m most looking forward to on this trip is visiting Tibet – it seems quite a mysterious yet peaceful place.”
London to Beijing will be Max’s first long-distance bike ride and his first experience of off-road motorcycling. “I’ve been riding since the age of 16, so I’ve done lots of road biking and I’m a keen mountain biker, so it seems like a natural progression for me to try off-roading,” he says. Max bought his F 800 GS especially for the trip after a recommendation from GlobeBusters. “They told me it’s the only bike that can go around the world,” adds Max.

So what is he most looking forward to about the trip? “Getting away from the internet and Western life in general, where everyone is concerned about what they’re wearing or what car they’re driving. I’m looking forward to going back to basics, where all I’m concerned about is getting from one point to the next.”

Escaping western culture is also part of the attraction for American rider Aaron. “I like to go places that are as extremely un-American as possible,” he explains, “I don’t want to see a McDonald’s anywhere! I want to see countries in real life, not as a typical tourist. And you get to see so much more on a motorcycle than by any other form of transport.”

The 36-year-old from Tampa, Florida, runs a national healthcare company and is responsible for the development side of the business. As the economic downturn has slowed the progress of future projects, it has given him more time to fulfil some personal ambitions, such as travelling the world on his F 800 GS.

After completing the six-month Trans Americas ride from Alaska to Argentina with GlobeBusters in 2009, Aaron quickly signed up to take part in the London to Beijing expedition. “I had looked at several different South America rides, but some weren’t challenging enough. I want a significant amount of dirt, a ride that really pushes you,” he explains.

The GlobeBusters trips provide the perfect balance of experience and organisation, allowing experienced off-road riders like Aaron to do the day-to-day riding themselves. “Julia and Kevin are the best team in the world,” says Aaron. “Julia is extremely organised in the management of the trip and Kevin has great off-road riding experience.”

Introduced to off-road riding at the age of eight, Aaron’s considerable experience helped him to choose the F 800 GS, which he bought in March 2009 and has already done 34,000 miles (55,000 kilometres). “I had the R 1200 GS Adventure and used it for off-roading round the US, but it was too big for lots of off-riding. I think the F 800 is a better dirt bike – I find it easier to manoeuvre. If it comes to a street bike that can do off-roading, or an off-road bike that is capable of going on the highway, then I’ll choose the latter.”

Like Max, one of the highlights of the London to Beijing ride for Aaron will be reaching Tibet. “I’ve been denied entry twice already,” he explains. “Once was during the Olympics in China and there was an uprising in Tibet. The second time was an anniversary of when the Dalai Lama left, and they weren’t letting anyone through. So, I’m hoping it will be third time lucky!” he says, laughing.

The thought of travelling through the former Soviet-ruled countries, such as Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, is also intriguing for Aaron. “It’s amazing we can go through these countries to get to Tibet. They are places I’d never go to on my own, so this is a great opportunity for me.”

If there are any problems understanding local people in any of the former USSR states, then Polish rider Robert will be able to help his fellow motorcyclists. Born in Warsaw, the 41-year-old remembers when Poland was under Soviet rule and learnt Russian at school.

“The other former Soviet-ruled countries such as Georgia and Azerbaijan are interesting for me,” he says. “I can communicate in Russian, which I think will be useful in these countries, but we’ll see!”

His wife also believes he might find it easier to cope with the less than luxurious accommodation throughout the trip than his fellow American and English riders. “She says that it will probably be a bit easier for a Polish guy to live without good food and high standard of facilities, compared to an English guy!”

The father of three has other motivations for taking part in the London to Beijing motorcycle ride. An experienced traveller, he has organised rides by himself around Europe, Russia and the Ukraine. The longest was a three-week trip from Warsaw to Egypt. “I find all countries with different cultures and religions exciting. I look forward to meeting people, seeing how they live, what they eat. It’s not just about seeing lakes, mountains and the geography for me,” he explains.

This won’t be Robert’s first visit to China, however, as he lived there as a child for four years, while his father worked for a shipping company. “Since then I’ve been back to cities in the east, like Shanghai and Taiwan on business, but everything is modern there. Now I want to see the countryside in the west, and compare the differences between the two.”

Robert also hopes the GlobeBusters expedition will help him to improve his English. Although he speaks it regularly for business, as CEO of a European company that distributes consumer electronics, he wants to improve his understanding of the language for social situations. “Travelling with an English-speaking company will help me to understand accents, and also technical words for motorcycling,” he says.

Robert will complete the ride on a BMW R 1200 GS Adventure. “It’s the perfect bike for trips like this,” he says. “It can carry luggage, and has good suspension on- and off-road. The powerful engine is also universal for different types of gasoline – it even performs well on poor-quality fuel, found in some remote countries.”

Despite their different backgrounds, varying levels of riding experience and diverse expectations of the trip, Robert, Aaron and Max do have some things in common, not least a sense of adventure and a love of BMW motorcycles. And all agree that one of the greatest challenges will be riding in high altitudes of 5,000m and above. “The things that are out of your control are most challenging,” says Max. “There’s nothing you can do about altitude sickness, except turn around and drive back down.”

You can track the GlobeBusters Silk Road East expedition as it happens on “Tales from the Road” at www.globebusters.com or by becoming a fan of the GlobeBusters Adventure Motorcycle Expeditions page on www.facebook.com Maybe you’ll even be tempted to join the next Silk Road East trip – it takes place from April to June 2011.