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In Class 30 of this year's Baja 1000, one out of three motorcycles never made it across the finish
line. And of those that did, a BMW made it across first.
The more you know about motorcycle racing, the less surprising either fact should be.
On one hand, simply to survive the Baja a motorcycle must hold up to over
700 miles of punishing terrain in what veterans call "the toughest off-road race in the.
world" (Dirt Wheels).
Through freezing mountain passes, choking deserts, and entangling pine
forests. Over silt beds, mudholes, and rocky streams. Running not only by day,
but by night.
On the other hand, the BMW that actually won Class 30 was powered by the same horizontally-opposed twin engine that has swept
to thousands of world records .and international trophies during the
past six decades.
It outran smaller-bore bikes on the flatlands. Its exceptional
lightness and low center of gravity helped it outmaneuver them
on the twisties. And its ingeniously simple design helped &~
it keep on outrunning and outmaneuvering.
In short, what few machines the Baja didn't.
wear down, BMW did. THE LEGEIDARYMOTORC1mSOF GERMAIY.
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