Munich. On April 21st 2007, the legendary 24-hour motorcycle race in Le Mans, France begins - the "24 heures moto". On this day, everything will be as it has been in past years - except for one historic difference: after an absence of 50 years from competitive road racing, a BMW Motorrad factory team will be lining up for the start.

The team BMW Motorrad Motorsport will be entering the first race of the Endurance World Championship with a sports boxer on the technological basis of the BMW R 1200 S. Due to the bike's 1200 cc capacity, the it's registered in the Open Class. The long-distance bike will be ridden by professional racers with BMW experience. The team consists of Stéphane Mertens, Thomas Hinterreiter and Rico Penzkofer, with Marcus Barth as substitute.

In the 2007 season, the team will enter a total of four 24-hour races. In addition to the "24 heures moto" in Le Mans (4/21-4/22) the program also includes the 24-hour races of Barcelona (7/7-7/8), Oschersleben (8/11-8/12) and Magny Cours (Bol d'Or, 9/15-9/16).