BMW MOTORRAD BOXERCUP 2004
23 June 2004 - BMW Motorrad GB

BoxerCup’s young Brits go Dutch

Assen – a name to stir the blood of any true motorcycle racer. According to many racing legends, Holland’s ultimate racetrack is the definitive challenge. Waiting for the flag to drop in the Dutch cauldron transforms tension into a wall of unbearable expectancy. The sport’s true warriors draw on it for inspiration and then glory in it when they win – and what racer doesn’t want to win at Assen?

Last year, BMW Motorrad Great Britain’s Barry Burrell very nearly did. After grabbing the lead on his International BMW Motorrad BoxerCup debut, and riding the BMW R1100 S for the first time, the precocious young Brit then set the circuit’s lap record for the series. Only bad luck – the race was stopped because of rain – prevented a proud start to his international career. This year, 17-year-old Barry and his team-mates Richard Cooper (21) and Calvin Hogan (19) are more determined than ever to receive the acclaim they will, one day, undoubtedly earn.

At the moment the trio are relative rookies and perhaps one of them winning the series is only an outside possibility. However, their exuberant and sometimes incandescent performances of last year have inspired the series organisers to create a championship for young riders. This is integrated into the BoxerCup and called the “YoungStar Championship”. This accolade will go to the “best rider in the series under the age of 21” and the overall winner will receive a Mini Cooper at the end of the series. The GB team’s own mini-Cooper (Richard Cooper) is currently in second place with Barry Burrell and Calvin Hogan in third and fourth respectively.

Run as a support race just prior to MotoGP, and with a BMW M3 coupe as the championship top prize, the 2004 International BoxerCup is as compelling as ever. In the main series, after three rounds (of eight), the experienced Continental riders are proving to be tough nuts for the young Brits to crack. The wily and race-hardened Austrian Thomas Hinterreiter leads the championship on 61 points, America’s hard-charging Brian Parriott is seven points adrift in second, and experienced German Markus Barth (46 points) is third. Richard Cooper stays just in touch in ninth place, while Barry Burrell and Calvin Hogan are 11th and 19th respectively.

Youthful confidence and optimism owe nothing to lost causes and these are two qualities the GB team has in abundance. Team Manager Mark Fisher of Pidcock BMW reflected the mood of his young guns: “We love Assen,” he said. “It’s the type of fast flowing circuit that suits our riders’ weight, technique and attitude. Barry was most disappointed that he didn’t get a win last year but perhaps we’ll get the right sort of breaks this time. Richard and Calvin are also in good form and optimism runs right through the team. Truthfully, we can’t wait for the flag to drop!”

Let’s just pray that it doesn’t rain this year at Assen’s “cathedral of racing”.

Official (EU) scheduled times

Friday 25 June

16:10 – 16:40 – first qualifying session

17:40 – 18:10 – second qualifying session

Saturday 26 June

11:15 – International BoxerCup race (12 laps)

Footnote
The 2004 BoxerCup is Richard Cooper’s third year in a series that is staged alongside the elite MotoGP championship (excluding the opening round at the Daytona 200). Richard’s impressive riding ability, while still a teenager, helped him secure a race win in his debut year at Spa. He then repeated the feat at the UK round of the 2003 series at Oulton Park. Last year Richard finished sixth overall – ahead of many world-class riders.

Barry Burrell had his first taste of international racing when he joined the BoxerCup series last year and showed his youthful ability by taking the race lead at the Oulton Park and Assen rounds. Impressively, he also set the lap record at Assen. With 14 championship points, Barry is now third in the BMW YoungStar championship for the “best rider in the series under the age of 21”. The winner will be presented with a Mini Cooper at the end of the series.

ACU Academy graduate, Calvin Hogan is the GB team’s new recruit and is excited about testing his precocious racing talent on the international stage.

www.bmw-motorrad.com/boxercup

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