TT-winner Michael Dunlop joins forces with BMW Motorrad UK for a BMW Motorrad Motorsport supported road racing team.
Michael Dunlop, seven-times TT winner, will be racing BMW motorcycles for the 2014 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy as well as other international road races.
The 24-year-old, from Northern Ireland, is joining forces with BMW Motorrad UK and Hawk Racing, who also operate the Buildbase BMW Motorrad BSB team, with the support of BMW Motorrad Motorsport for an assault on the 2014 road-racing programme.
The joint effort – BMW / Hawk Racing – has the support of BMW Motorrad Motorsport via the global sports programme, as the team seeks to emulate the great BMW victory of Georg Meier in the Isle of Man Senior TT exactly 75 years ago.
The team will be running both a Superstock BMW in Dunlop Racing livery and a Superbike BMW S 1000 RR in BMW Motorsport livery. Dunlop will compete on the roads for 2014 with the highlight being the prestigious Tourist Trophy races on the Isle of Man.
Michael Dunlop said: “I’m really pleased to have signed for such a strong and competitive team. The BMW S 1000 RR certainly has the speed for the TT and, with my experience, the support from BMW Motorrad Motorsport and Hawk Racing, I know we have a race-winning package. I really thought about sitting out this year, but I have found a team that I am really comfortable with and the support from BMW Motorrad Motorsport will make us a force to be reckoned with this year.”
2014 is the 75th anniversary of Georg Meier’s historic win at the Senior TT in 1939, where BMW secured their first TT win. Georg became the first ever foreign winner of the Senior TT race; with team mate Jock West finishing second, on their Boxer-powered 500cc RS 255 Kompressors.
The BMW / Hawk Racing team will be jointly managed by BMW Motorrad UK and Stuart Hicken, fresh from the Buildbase BMW Motorrad team’s best ever performance in the 2013 British Superbike Championship. Building on their strong relationship and experience with BMW, the team has secured BMW Motorrad Motorsport support for the 2014 road racing programme.
Stuart Hicken, BMW / Hawk Racing Team Principal, said: “We are extremely pleased to have assembled such an experienced racing team. We have been working on it for a while and I genuinely believe that with Michael, the technical expertise from BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the BMW S 1000 RR, we have secured all the elements we need to be at the sharp end, challenging for a great result at the TT.”
Lee Nicholls, BMW Motorrad Marketing Manager, said: “We are so pleased to have secured Michael Dunlop to ride for BMW / Hawk Racing. His record speaks for itself and we are confident that, on a BMW S 1000 RR, he can dominate on the roads this season. Creating a team that will focus all its efforts on Michael will present BMW with a realistic chance of replicating our famous victory 75 years ago at the TT.”
To keep up to date with the latest news from the team, follow @BMWMotorradTT on Twitter.