The beginnings of BMW off-road racing

Even before the official premiere at the Berlin Automobile Salon of 1923, the first BMW motorcycle had already lined up at the start of an off-road racing event: chief designer Max Friz participated in the “Ride through the Mountains of Bavaria” on the BMW R 32 which he himself had developed, and finished without any penalty points. The first major international success was achieved by BMW engineer Rudolf Schleicher in 1926 at the famous Six Days in England: as a private rider he won gold on a standard R 37 machine. The praise of the British press culminated in the observation: “The most interesting machine during the entire competition was undoubtedly the German BMW!” The brand with the blue and white symbol had thus established itself internationally.