TT legend Ian Hutchinson shared his Tyco BMW S1000RR with us on the famous Jerez racetrack.
Riding competition winning bikes is a dream come true for every racing enthusiast. I had the opportunity to ride Ian Hutchinson’s Isle of Man Superstock winning machine – the Tyco BMW S1000 RR. Let me tell you a bit about the things you can’t see on TV.
The experience was part of a whole day event where I managed to ride six astonishing machines:
Street legal BMW S 1000 RR – Equipped with reverse gear shift
CEV SBK Championship (Targobank EasyRace SBK Team) – SBK
Isle of Man TT STK Class Winner (Tyco BMW Team) – STK
FIM STK 1000 (Althea BMW Racing Team) – STK
WorldSBK (Althea BMW Racing Team) – SBK
WorldSBK (Milwaukee BMW Team) – SBK
The Street legal BMW S1000RR
Today I’m going to tell you about the Isle of Man TT STK Class Winner. But before that, let’s talk about the base model.
The S1000RR is the base model for a lot of private teams that race either on track or road. It is one of the most race-intended one liter sports bike. The S1000RR package is filled with racing features. The quick-shifter that works both ways or the state-of-the-art traction control are just a few from a long list of rider aids.The bike is highly competitive from the moment it leaves the factory floor. Even if you are talking about Superbike or Superstock, the S1000RR proved to be a top choice since its debut.
Three laps of ecstasy
When I started riding the TT bike, I was on cloud nine. The Tyco team allowed me to run three laps on the Jerez racetrack in Spain. The weather was perfect the tires were sticking to the tarmac, and I was smiling like a kid on Christmas Day. The bike felt highly responsive, and we were best friends after just three corners. It was an incredible bike. Many thanks for indulging me with the ride.
The Tyco BMW S1000RR
The Tyco team is well-known due to their racing on the road and in the British Superbike. TT legend Ian Hutchinson is one of Tyco’s riders. This year, Hutchinson managed to win the Isle of Man TT Superstock race on his S1000RR. The bike is very close to the stock model due to the competition regulations. Here is a list of the main changes made to the original bike:
- Lighter front and rear frame
- Light HP Wheels
- Full Racing Exhaust
- ABS – removed
- Electronic suspension replaced with Bitubo
- Stock fairings replaced with carbon fiber fairings
- Stock brake pads replaced with Brembo Racing pads
- Stock plastic controls replaced with metal controls
- Racing rear sets and handlebars
- A lot of sensors added for a precise bike monitoring
- Racing Throttle
- Stock quick-shifter sensor replaced
What you don't see on TV
The bike is eye-catching from every angle. When I got enough of its shiny looks, some details caught my attention.
Although the stock bike should be very common, I couldn’t find… the rear brake. We all know that race bikes come fitted with different foot pegs and rear-sets, but the rear brake was completely missing. At a closer inspection, I found it: it was a small thumb pedal mounted underneath the clutch lever.
There was another cable with a control positioned on top of the clutch lever. I found out later this was a remote adjuster for the front brake. It is used to help the rider adjust the consistency of the front brake lever while still running on track.
The stock semi-active suspension was removed, and it seemed to be dubbed by another small piston on the left side. The engineers revealed to me the secret of the second piston: it was a suspension travel sensor that helped the team fine-tune the bike.
The saddle was nothing close to any race bike I had seen before. The tank had an extra small cushion to push the rider back on the saddle. The riding position was specially designed for Hutchy’s height.
In the paddock
When it comes to TT or any kind of road racing, I go nuts. I always thought the riders have super-human abilities. These guys ride at speeds over 200 km/h on public roads. It was a great surprise for me to find Ian Hutchinson himself in the paddock. I had a lot of questions, and he was kind enough to fill me in with answers.
The stock bike was equipped with Bitubo suspensions. I asked Ian why he went for Bitubo instead of Öhlins suspensions. He told me that he wanted a softer damping and Öhlins is pretty stiff for road racing.
As for the brakes, Tyco’s S1000RR uses Brembo stock HP braking system. Ian says that this one is good enough and they also had to comply with the regulations.
I was curious if they were allowed to make any engine modifications and ask the team about it. The engine remains all-stock, they only added the Power Kit from BMW to make the engine run at his maximum.
I found out after a chat with the guys at the paddock that the bike was left untouched after the round at Brands Hatch. So it was plain power for this one.