It’s not an overstatement to say BMW Motorrad took the performance motorcycle by storm with its S 1000 RR.

When released in 2009, the motorcycle not only rode its way into rider’s hearts, but performed on the track, where it dominated national superstock and superbike championships all over the world, winning no less than 13 titles and well over 120 race victories in its first full year of competition.

Improving a machine that made such a huge impression in the Supersport segment was never going to be easy, but the new RR is already being called a revelation by those who have been lucky enough to ride it. With a whole host of technical improvements and visual design updates, the 2012 RR promises to be an even harder act to follow than its predecessor.

BMW took a moment recently to ask RR Product Manager and former racer Sepp Mächler a few questions and reflect on the success of the S 1000 RR, as he prepared to unleash the new RR to the world’s media at the Valencia circuit in Spain.

The first thing obvious in the interview is just how proud Mächler is about the performance motorcycle, from its power to rider’s satisfaction.

“There are many things to be proud of with this project, right from the beginning,” Mächler said, “Firstly, I’m proud that we delivered the horsepower that we always promised with our RR. I’m also delighted at how successful we have been with the RR in comparison tests which are the real ‘benchmark’ for potential customers.”

All the titles that RR racers won in national championships worldwide, he notes, is the ‘icing on the cake’.

“After the first comparison test at Almeria circuit in Spain in December 2009 I knew that the original RR could become very successful with customers, he says, “But what was more important to me was that this success would continue throughout its second year on sale.’

With around 20,000 RR’s sold worldwide so far, the model as come off the starting line well.

Speaking of coming off the starting line the RR’s success in racing championships worldwide wasn’t too much of a surprise for Mächler.

“We knew that a good rider could just take it and win, he explained, “The first time we raced the stock bike was at the Barcelona 24 Hours at Catalunya circuit in July 2009. We finished in first and second place in the Superstock class – an amazing result considering that one of the RRs used in this race had already completed 25,000 kilometers of hard use by our team of test and development riders!”

The moment was further enhanced by the little fact that the RR claimed the first win on a bike with ABS and DTC.

Riders should expect that innovation to continue with BMW’ development team promising to give the rider a better feeling in every situation that they encounter, be it on the road, on the track, or even in the rain.

“To give a rider the feeling of control is the best way to improve their confidence and help them relax,” Mächler says, “This way, they will always ride better.”