During the 24-hour marathon at the 3.667 kilometer circuit, both bikes hardly skipped a beat on their way to their best results of the year so far. The number 17 R 1200 S ridden by regulars Thomas Hinterreiter, Rico Penzkofer and Marcus Barth finished fifth - with only a minor problem during 873 tortuous laps - while the number 71 bike ridden by Richard Cooper, Peter Ottl and Jose-Luis Nion went from the start of the race to the finish without any problems whatsoever.

Although drizzle and damp conditions greeted the riders at the start on Saturday, the weather soon improved for the rest of the 24-hour world championship race, which was won by the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team of Vincent Philippe, Matthieu Lagrive and Julien da Costa. Despite suffering from a couple of minor crashes, the Team Kawasaki France outfit of Steve Plater, Gwen Giabbani and Julian Mazuecost fought its way up to second place, albeit 12 laps adrift. Third place went to Yamaha Austria (Igor Jerman, Sebastian Scarnato and Steve Martin), while Team Bolliger Switzerland (David Morillon, Patric Muff and Horst Saiger) finished fourth.

Coming home in fifth overall and taking outright victory in the Open Class was the number 17 BMW R 1200 S ridden by Thomas Hinterreiter, Rico Penzkofer and Marcus Barth.

"That was a perfect race for us and I must say that I am a bit surprised by the result," said Hinterreiter. "I didn't expect such a good result - especially when you consider that we were fighting against riders from the world championship. So to get fifth overall against such high-level teams is a fantastic result for us. In the Open Class, I sort of expected us to win - if we had no problems - but fifth overall in the race is amazing!"

Teammate Rico Penzkofer was just as delighted at such a great result in only the second world championship race that the team has contested: "Before the race, I never believed such a result would be possible and I'm almost speechless, as I thought tenth place would be good! Our overall performance on both our bikes is more important than any one result this weekend and I want to say thank you to all the mechanics and everybody concerned for doing such a great job. This track is quite technical and physically demanding, but the R 1200 S was easy to ride and I really enjoyed myself out there."

This was a view shared by third team member Marcus Barth: "I'm surprised about how good our result is, though secretly I thought a top five could be possible if it rained, but to get a fifth place in the dry is great! I've ridden many endurance races at this track before, but riding the BMW has been the least difficult and the most fun of them all, as it changes direction so well. It's a very good package and I found it easy following the top guys and keeping up with them."

Contributing to a great weekend of race success for BMW Motorrad Motorsport was a second team consisting of Richard Cooper, Peter Ottl and Jose-Luis Nion, who finished ninth overall in the race, and second in the Open Class behind their teammates.

"I'm very happy because all I had expected was a good top 15 finish, so to end up ninth in a world championship event is fantastic" said British rider Cooper, who was competing in his first 24-hour race. "This track doesn't give you much time to rest, but the bike is easy to ride and I didn't find it tiring at all - in fact, it's surprising what you can do with it! The team has been perfect to work with and they made my job so much easier."

Veteran racer Peter Ottl was tired but very happy at the team's excellent result at Oschersleben: "I had a feeling that we would get a good result if there were no problems, and that's the way it worked out. I was very confident in the whole team and their experience this year was so valuable this weekend. At the end of the race, our bike was running just like it was at the start. It's an easy bike to ride and that's important in endurance racing. It has been a pleasure working with all these BMW guys and I hope to do it again!"

Spanish rider Jose-Luis Nion was also delighted to share in the team's success at the German circuit: "I am very happy with our result and it's been great working with the team. I was a bit nervous at the start, but after a while I began to relax and then started to enjoy myself. I managed a good rhythm in the night and had no problems throughout the race at all. I didn't think we'd finish as high as we did and I'm happy that we got such a great result."

BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team Manager: Berti Hauser had the final say on what has been a fantastic weekend at Oschersleben: "I am absolutely delighted for the whole team. They've worked so hard since Barcelona and their will to get a good result has been so strong. To get fifth and ninth overall competing against the best teams and riders in the World Endurance Championship is a fantastic achievement and to get first and second in our class is also pretty special. These results are better then we dreamed about and it's all down to the way we worked together as a team - and I'm talking about both bikes.

"Everybody here pushed hard to get the best possible result for BMW Motorrad and I feel proud to be part of this team. Bike number 71 ran like a Swiss clock throughout, while bike number 17 had a minor problem with the rear drive. Thomas (Hinterreiter) heard a noise coming from the rear end, so we changed the rear drive just as a precaution. The mechanics did a superb job, worked very quickly and we were back on the track without losing any places! Overall, it's been a fantastic weekend and I can say no more!"

Oschersleben results
1. Suzuki Endurance Racing - 905 laps
2. Kawasaki France - 893 laps
3. Yamaha Austria - 885 laps
4. Bolliger Switzerland - 878 laps
5. BMW Motorrad Motorsport (Hinterreiter, Penzkofer, Barth) - 873 laps
6. Raffin Motos - 871 laps
7. Diablo 666 Bolliger - 870 laps
8. Jadoul Motosport - 868 laps
9. BMW Motorrad Motorsport (Cooper, Ottl, Nion) - 868 laps
10. Endurance Moto 38 - 866 laps