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Casey Yarrow to race Pikes aboard a BMW

The 84th annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is something of an American institution in the same way that the Daytona and Indianapolis event are part of USA racing folklore. For the 2006 event, which takes place on Saturday 1 July, motorcycle entries have increased by more than 60 per cent compared to last year, with BMW Motorrad showcasing two riders on HP2 Enduro machines. The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is a long-standing tradition in Colorado Springs and the second oldest motorsport event in the United States. The hill climb itself started in 1916 and is run on a 12.4-mile (20-km) course that begins at 9,200 feet (2,804 metres) and rises to 14,110 feet (4,300 metres) up a tight twisty Colorado Rockies mountain road with 156 corners including numerous tight hairpins. On one side is the mountain, on the other cliffs of 2,000 feet (600 metres) and no safety rails. This historic race certainly separates the men from the boys; spectators have been known to suffer from altitude sickness, so just imagine what it´s like for the competitors!

This year BMW Motorrad will send two HP2s to take on the challenge of the Race to the Clouds on 1 July for the first time. The two riders will be Simo Kirssi and Casey Yarrow and both are hoping that the combination of a powerful 105 hp Boxer engine with a unique air suspension system should prove the perfect answer to the challenges that this famous road will present them with.

Of the two riders Simo Kirssi will be the most familiar to BMW fans outside the US. The ´flying Finn´ has already achieved an impressive list of results on BMW´s high-performance off-road machine in 2006, including winning the inaugural Snow Speedhill race (up a ski slope in Germany), and the infamous Erzberg Iron Road Prologue.

The other rider is Casey Yarrow. The 26 year-old Californian currently races in the AMA National Supermoto series but for this race is stepping aboard an HP2 to take on ´America´s Mountain´. The California Supermoto Schools instructor started racing at the age of four and has plenty of experience riding high-powered off-road bikes on loose surfaces, winning numerous awards and championships in Flat Track racing and Supermoto.

BMW Motorrad Team Manager Wolfgang Fischer believes the team´s experiences at the Erzberg Iron Road Prologue will act as great Peak so the experiences we learnt at Erzberg will be crucial," he explained. "I think it will be a thrilling experience and our aim is to come close to the track record for bikes, although this will be very hard I think."

With the HP2 Enduro having proven its undoubted off-road pedigree, there is no doubt it will be suited to the challenge of Pikes Peak but Wolfgang and the team still believe that further fine-tuning will be necessary. "During the training sessions we will have to decide whether to run with 18 and 21-inch off-road wheels or the 17-inch supermoto style wheels. We´re expecting the Pikes Peak surface to be a lot smoother than Erzberg was."

Despite never having seen the Pikes Peak course before Simo Kirssi will arrive at the event with plenty of optimism after his recent performances and will certainly have his eye on the top spot while Casey is sure to use his vast experience to equally good effect on the HP2 Enduro.