BMW Motorrad->ke1398 is giving back to owners of the 2014 and 2015 S1000RR superbikes by offering a $1 million in contingency money to any rider who races his or her S1000RR in a handful of 2015 national race series.

The program is being launched in collaboration with XTRM Performance Network, which BMW tapped to provide real time distribution and management of the aforementioned contingency money payouts, as well as results tracking, and social media marketing.

Eligibility is an important requirement to avail of this money drop and BMW’s making it as strict as possible. Factory-supported teams, for example, are disqualified from entering the program. Only independent riders need apply and even then, BMW Motorrad has laid out a handful of aesthetic and technical rules, including the use of just one bike. Basically, you can qualify for the contingency funds if you’re going to race either a 2014 or 2015 S1000RR superbike. Any other bike and you’re out of luck.

If you do own any one of the two bikes, you can enroll to the program by going to XTRM’s dedicated page.

For now, BMW Motorrad’s umbrella funds covers only riders competing in MotoAmerica, CCS, and the Were National Challenge. Eligibility for other racing series have yet to be announced.

Continue reading to read more about BMW’s $1 million contingency money for independent S1000RR riders.

Why it matters

BMW Motorrad has come up with a lot of interesting programs over the years. This one ranks high up there as one of the best it’s cooked up.

It’s also a smart move considering that the company is basically letting riders develop on their own, and once they’re skills are up to par with BMW Motorrad’s racing standards, the company swoops in with a care package to help these riders get that all-too important funding to help their racing careers.

That creates goodwill between the two sides and could also go a long way in establishing a potential partnership down the road.

The program also falls in line with one of BMW Motorrad’s core principles of establishing its presence in racing series through what can be best described as an interpretation of grassroots racing development. Riders who consistently show good results in races they compete in, including top finishes in these events, are more likely to receive the funding.

You can call it what you want, but at the end of the day, this $1 million contingency funding looks like a well-orchestrated plan to invest on riders who BMW Motorrad thinks has a future the industry. And if it could get its hands on these riders from the get-go, the better chance it has of holding on to them when they’re ready to graduate to more competitive racing series.