Updated BMW RR wins top MCN award for 2012

The BMW S 1000 RR has been named by Motorcycle News as its 2012 ‘Machine of the Year’.
It is the second time the RR has scooped the top gong in the MCN Awards. The RR also won the ‘Best Sportsbike Unlimited’ award for supersports machines with engines of any capacity.
This latest accolade makes it the fifth MCN Award for the S 1000 RR. Previous wins include the 2010 ‘Machine of the Year’ and ‘Sportsbike over 751cc’ awards in its first year, as well as the 2011 ‘Best Sportsbike over 601cc’ award and this year’s ‘Best Sportsbike Unlimited’ title.
Complementing the S 1000 RR, Motorcycle News said: “The incredible and class-redefining BMW S 1000 RR has once again scooped the Machine of the Year crown. It’s the second time the staggeringly capable superbike has won the award. BMW entered the hardest class in the world and led it at the first attempt in 2010. It scarcely seemed possible to improve on the original, but do it they did. MCN hailed the 2012 model as being as great a leap over the outgoing bike as the first S 1000 RR was over the Japanese competition.”
In addition, the BMW K 1600 GT won the coveted ‘Tourer of the Year’ award for the second consecutive year; which itself took the title from BMW’s lauded R 1200 RT in 2010. The K 1600 GT and GTL variant have been a big sales success, re-emphasising BMW Motorrad’s dominance of the touring sector.
Revealing the K 1600 GT’s second consecutive category honour, MCN said: “BMW’s six-cylinder tourer is the stuff of concept model fantasies and boyhood dreams. With the performance of a sports car and the comfort of a Range Rover it’s just as special in real life. 160bhp, 24 valves, those corona headlamps and every extra you can think of, many of them included as standard, the imposing K 1600 GT continues to set the standard for trans-continental cruising.”
Adrian Roderick, BMW Motorrad General Manager, said: “It’s a real endorsement for the UK’s biggest motorcycle publication to confirm that the S 1000 RR and the K 1600 GT are still the undisputed kings of their respective classes.
“To be recognised as the leader in two vital sectors, one which BMW Motorrad has been at the forefront of for decades, and one which it has entered and dominated immediately, proves that the pioneering work of BMW continues to pay off.
“With motorcycles like the K 1600 GT and S 1000 RR we are pushing the boundaries of innovation and performance for riders; while models such as the high-tech HP4 with semi-active suspension, and the C evolution electric maxi-scooter, represent the future for BMW Motorrad and of motorcycling itself.”