BMW Shutters Factory FIM Superbike Team

News this morning out of Munich that BMW Motorrad will end its factory racing team efforts in FIM World Superbike. This, as part of a larger reorganization of BMW's motorsport efforts. Full factory support for private teams wishing to run BMW equipment will continue, but BMW will cease to field a team of its own.

Video: BMW HP4 vs. BMW R 1200 GS

There\'s an old adage in performance: it\'s not how much power you have, it\'s how much power you can use. For all its off road and world exploring street cred, the BMW R 1200 GS is still a 1.2L, finely tuned motorcycle with a top notch suspension. In the right hands, the big GS can be ridden to extraordinary limits. Take for example this video, pitting the 125 hp BMW R 1200 GS against what ought to be no contest: the track-bred, fire-breathing, 194 hp HP4 variant of the BMW S 1000 RR.