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Making Dreams
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BMW GB,
BMW Dealerships UK & BMW Ireland
A Series of Short Stories, explaining how the
foresight, imagination, wisdom,
generosity, kindness and enthusiasm
of the following English & Irish BMW Franchises and BMW Groups
turned our dream into Guinness World Record Reality.
Making Dreams -
BMW GREAT
BRITAIN
Never in the history of
Motorcycling has a company given so much on the basis of so little
 I had spent
the previous two days making the final alterations to a
“World Record Challenge brief” and I was confident I had not
omitted anything of importance and every little detail had
been accounted for - Border crossings, Route versus weather,
Shipping, Navigation, Tourist Attractions, Photographic
opportunities etc, etc. This morning Monika had
laid out a choice of clothes on the bed, but I was unsure of
what to wear. After all this was a meeting at the head
quarters of corporate company and not just any company but
BMW. What a dilemma when first impressions are so important.
Should we dress formally, shirt, tie, and brogues? Or should
we dress casual or even sportsman like, something akin to
our challenge ahead.
I had no doubt
personal presentation would play a major part in how they
would perceive us; after all they had no idea why I was
riding nearly three hundred miles to talk to them! I
always believed the first three minutes was critical and if
I was to achieve my objectives. I was to impress them from
start. I was unsure how long I would have to convince the
marketing team at BMW GB that this was a serious adventure
and that we was totally committed to achieving are aims. Leading up to
the meeting I had spoken to two people from BMW GB.
The editor of the
“World
of BMW”
magazine, Mr Andrew Dukes and a Marketing and
Financial Director called Kylie. Their enthusiasm and
positive reaction to our record quest convinced me they
would not be disappointed if I turned up smart but casual. I was not
briefed on what facilities would be available to me at BMW
GB and all I knew is that Monika and I had a meeting
scheduled for 2pm. What format should I give the
presentation in? Slides, over head projector, paper
handouts, verbally? Should I talk for 15 minutes, 30
minutes, or one hour? It did not matter, I was ready, next
to the presentation of clothes were three A4 envelopes
titled:-
“BMW World
Record Challenge - SLIDES”
“BMW World Record Challenge – View Graphs”
“BMW World Record Challenge – Powerpoint"
 And if need
be, I could stand in front of the marketing division and
talk from five minutes to five hours such was my enthusiasm
for the adventure ahead. We followed the directions that had
been emailed by the ever so enthusiastic Kylie and arrived
at the head quarters with 20 minutes to spare. The
receptionist greeted us, and two minutes later a member of
the Marketing Staff arrived and said "would you like a tour
of the premises and would you like to see all the BMW bikes
that we keep in the basement"? Our immediate
impressions were, how
friendly and welcoming everybody was, and not as formal as we
had expected. After the tour we entered the building and
were led upstairs into the board room. Monika and I were
invited to sit down and within five minutes we were joined
by four other members of the Marketing team. Kylie dressed
very smartly in a black trouser suit made us feel very
relaxed and offered us coffee. I glanced around the board
room and noticed there was no OHP or Slide projector so I
new in an instant I would have to verbally address the
meeting. I pulled my large Map of the World from my brief
case and stuck it in the middle of the white board that hung
from the north side of the board room wall. I was about to
start, when in walked, from an adjoining room a rather tall
gentleman, dressed in black trousers, white shirt and a
Royal blue cardigan with black glasses that hung from strap
around his neck. He approached Monika first and with a warm
smile and a firm handshake said my name Mr. David Taylor
Welcome to BMW GB and then he repeated the gesture with
me and walked backed into his office leaving his door open
as he went. My signal to
start. Good afternoon ladies and gentleman I am Simon
Newbound, this is my wife Monika Newbound and I am here
today to brief you on our forthcoming World Record Quest ! I
spoke for one hour and believed I spoke with clarity and
left them in no doubt that we had researched properly and
that I had covered all the objectives that we thought
pertinent to the expedition ahead, including our charity Ward 15
of the RMCH. On completion I asked will there be any
questions?
Mr David Taylor
returned from his office and stood at the back of the board
room. There was a pause, a silence which seemed to last for
ever, Then Kylie stood up and smiled and said the
presentation was excellent, but what exactly are you looking
for from BMW GB? I responded - I want you to sponsor our
adventure, I want you to give Monika a BMW F650GS for
the World Record Challenge and we want you to sponsor us
BMW motorcycle clothing and helmets, do you think that
would be OK? Kylie
looked at Mr David Taylor and the rest of the
Marketing division then said would you excuse us whilst we
discuss this in private. They all stood up and retreated to
Mr David Taylor’s office. Ten minutes later they returned.
Kylie said it is only fair we inform you that BMW GB
does not hand out motorbikes as part of sponsorship packages
to individuals. We have a budget that has to cater for all
of Great Britain and as you know it has to last twelve
months and all that you are asking would be a large slice of
our individual sponsorship budget. Kylie looked at me - Can
we ask you a few more questions? Simon how much mechanical
and Service experience do you have – NONE YOUR REPUTATION
FOR EXCELLENCE PRECEDES YOU - THAT'S WHY WE CHOOSE BMW! How many
years have you been riding? ONE! You want to visit
over 100 countries on this adventure how many have you
visited to date on your motorbike – THREE! And then
Kylie turned to Monika – How much mechanical and service
expertises do you have? – NONE.! How many border
crossings have you made on a motorbike? – None. How
long have you been riding motorcycles – I DON’T !
How long have you had your motorcycle licence? – I don’t have a motorbike licence,
I can’t
even ride a motorbike!
 Kylie – Lets
get this right; you want us to give you a BMW F650GS,
clothing and helmets on the basis you will be
challenging on of the World most demanding Guinness World Records with no motorcycling experience, no
experience of over-landing and your wife Monika cant even ride a Motorbike !!
When exactly are you planning on going?
A few months time !
Kylie –
"How do we know when you
experience the Siberia winter or the heat of the desert sun
you are not going to turn round and come back? How do we know you have the aptitude for such a
long adventure? Firstly I was trained by the Royal Navy
and we don't quit challenges and we don't get our planning
wrong, secondly "We give you our
word we will not fail” In the British military if
you give your word you can guarantee it
will happen, its called personal pride, personal
responsibility, personal honour.
Less than one month after Monika passed her motorcycle test,
we were invited
to BMW (GB) were Monika was presented with a gleaming yellow
BMW F650GS
fitted with an array of over landing accessories and
two sets of motorcycle rider equipment
and firm instructions from the team "Bring the World
Record Back to GREAT BRITAIN".
Never in the history of Motorcycling has a company given so
much on the basis of so little
Thank you to Mr. David
Taylor (USA), Kylie and Andrew Dukes, plus
all the staff at BMW GB for providing us
the opportunity to start our dream.
Making Dreams
-
Ron Simpson
SPC
Motorbikes - Lower Farringdon South West London
 The
reason Monika and I first went to SPC Motorcycles was
because we had received a personal invitation from the late
John Deacon to attend his Paris Dakar Presentation
(Thats another story). John even offered to give us a
lift to Lower Farringdon in his transit van but we declined
in favour of riding Simons BMW bike. John Deacons presentations
as one would imagine would always fill a venue and tonight
SPC Motorcycles was no exception. Unfortunately due
to heavy traffic we arrived 30 minutes late. By then John
was already entertaining the crowd with his true life
account of adventure, Paris Dakar riding all famously
delivered with great timing and good humour.
MR Ron Simpson is the Principle owner and manager of SPC
motorcycles. Rons own terms of reference cover every aspect
of providing a fantastic service to his loyal and
vast customer base. He is a hands on type of person and you
can expect to find him at any given time covering a great
range of services to his staff and customers including
making coffee, reception, sales, marketing, mechanics and over
landing advice. It was the latter that most impressed us
about MR Ron Simpson and his depth of knowledge and
experience is readily obvious and there for all to see. He
organises motorcycle tours near and far and has many
adventurous miles under his belt, he understands the needs
of a BMW rider and what is required to make a successful
circumnavigation of the world and breaking World Records.
Monika and I had already received first hand, a sterling
endorsement of Ron Simpson and SPC Motorcycles from
around the world South African adventurers; the "Raucher brothers"
who circumnavigated the world for three years supported and
advised courtesy of Ron Simpson and SPC Motorcycles.
 It
was 10.00 pm before John Deacon finished his presentation
and it was then that Monika and I eventually got to speak
with Ron about our dream and record quest. Ron invited
Monika and I into the service area of SPC Motorcycles and
parked in the far corner was Steve Raucher BMW R1100GS. As
soon as Ron started talking to us about adventure and
preparations for a world tour his whole persona changed from
successful business man, to dare we say - father figure!
The first point Ron made was don't get caught up in all the
purchasing hype. The R1150GS and F650GS are superb bikes
and more than capable of handling the worlds terrain
without any great modifications but there are three
modifications I seriously recommend you make, before you
leave for your adventure.
Remove the catalectic converter and
fit specialist exhaust system called Remus.
Remove the standard shock absorbers and fit specialist
suspension called OHLIN
Fit a Garmin GPS SYSTEM.
If you make these simple alterations i have know doubt your
BMW Motorcycles will take you to every corner of the world.
We didn't talk for as long as we wanted to as time was
pushing on and everybody had to get home including us! We
said goodbye to the other customers and the staff of SPC
Motorcycles and made ready to follow John back to Cornwall.
Then Ron approached us and said now the Raucher world tour
has ended, SPC Motorcycles would now
like to help you, and be there for you as you travel
the world. WHAT EVER YOU NEED now or for the
DURATION OF YOUR RECORD QUEST we will be only to
happy to help! Three weeks later Monika and I were invited by Ron
Simpson to return to SPC Motorcycles. Only four hours after
our arrival our BMW GS bikes were returned with four
modifications, Ohlin Suspension, Remus exhaust
system and Garmin GPS Systems and a complete
courtesy service ! not a lot of people know that underneath
Ron's rugged exterior there lies a passionate and generous
man, who would move heaven and earth to assist you.
Ron Simpson and the staff at
SPC Motorcycles are a great
team with a wealth of knowledge and experience of BMW
motorbikes. Like BMW GB, Ocean BMW of Plymouth, CW
Motorbikes of Dorchester, Cooper reading BMW of London they
are eager to help new and existing BMW riders. Thank you Ron
for the advice, Generosity, kindness, Knowledge and inspiration
- We will never forget
Making Dreams -
Dave
CW Motorbikes BMW - Dorchester
 I
was now the proud owner of BMW R1150GS thanks to Copper
Reading BMW and every spare
moment I had was spent riding it. On a particular Sunny day I
pulled into a petrol station to be greeted by two other BMW
riders. They asked me if I was going to CW Motorbikes in
Dorchester to see off Ted Simon on his second world
motorcycle Tour. Embarrassed, because I did not know who Ted
Simon was I replied yes maybe, it sounds like a great day
out. After some further research and remember I had only
owned a motorbike for a few months I discovered not only was
Ted Simon a really nice person but he was a world wide
motorcycle Icon, a Global Adventurer who had inspired many
thousands of adventures through his legendary book Jupiter’s travels. Was Ted Simon really going to travel
around the world again at seventy years old? You bet he was,
and he was going to do it one specially prepared BMW
motorbike from CW motorbikes. On hearing CW was launching
Ted’s Adventure I decided I could not wait for the big day
so I set to see Ted’s bike seven days before the big launch
I arrived
in Dorchester and spent twenty frustrating minutes trying to
locate CW motorbikes and eventually after two
circumnavigations of the town’s one way system found the BMW
Dealership. I parked outside the main show room and entered
my second ever BMW Dealership. In a small
office at the far end of the show room was Dave the
franchises manager and joint owner.
 My
first impression of Dave is that he relaxed, informal,
courteous and looks like he has been there, seen it, and
done it, probably because he has! Dave can also spot an
enthusiastic "sprog adventurer with a dream" like me from a thousand miles
away. I knocked on the wooden door and sprung into his
office. I asked in a way that portrayed I had known about
Ted Simon for years “Is it true you have Ted Simons
Motorbike here and you have prepared it for his second world
tour” Yes Dave replied– would you like to see it”? YES
PLEASE, I have just rode two hundred miles to see his bike
because I am planning a similar adventure, well to be
precise a world record attempt. "Oh Yeh! When are you
thinking of going?" Inside one year! How much motorcycle experience
do you have? I would say less than 1000 miles! I fully expected him
to chuckle and loose interest, but my lack of motorcycling
experience only galvanised him. He took me into the workshop where
three mechanics were busy servicing bikes. One by one thy stopped
work, smiled, and came over to say hello. Dave spent 45 minutes
walking me through Ted’s bike and told me of all the extra
modifications they had done to prepare it for the long journey
ahead. Dave then took me back into his office bought me a coffee
from the nearby vending machine. He could tell from the look on my
face that the reality of a around the world adventure was not as
simple as I first thought. Dave asked how my bike was running. Great
I replied. If it is OK with you I will have one of my mechanics
check it out for you? Sure-thank you! Whilst the mechanics were
giving my bike a once over Dave offered more advice and strongly
advised me to get a small trip under my belt to gain some experience
and see how the bike handles in different climates and terrains. I
agreed that would be a great idea and in the next ten minutes I had
made my mind up on my next vacation I would ride to North Africa and
into the heart of the
Sahara Desert.
Dave gave
me a list of motorcycle accessories that I should buy and he
told me that even though I live 200 miles away I was to call
if I needed advice or assistance. During the mornings
conversation Dave had mentioned the words "Carnet de
passage" about three times but I was too embarrassed to ask
him what it was! Eventually I plucked up courage and said
Dave I don’t know what a carnet is? He smiled and rummaged
through his office papers and came out with an A4 Document.
Look at this – this is TED SIMON CARNET it arrived this
morning from the RAC. I couldn’t believe it, in my hands was
the motorcycle paperwork belonging to motorcycle legend Ted
Simon. Dave went through the document page by page and
explained the procedures of customs and border crossings.
Dave also told me of his dream to one day cross Russia and
Siberia on his black BMW Paris Dakar motorcycle but his work
kept him from fulfilling his life time ambition – maybe one
day I will do it, who knows?
I could
have stayed at CW motorbikes all day just listening to Dave
talk and I would have if it wasn’t for the queue of
customers at his office door. I said goodbye and thanked him
for his time and for checking my bike. He followed me
outside and with a smile he said “ELECTRICAL CONVERTER – Don’t
forget to fit one if you intend taking a laptop or bring
your bike back here and we will fit it for you - COMPLIMENTS
OF CW”
 Those
few hours in the company of Dave at CW Motorbikes
confirmed what I already new that I would soon be embarking
on a life changing adventure riding my newly acquired BMW
R1150GS motorbike. If Dave didn’t seal my dream then seeing
Ted Simon bike and paperwork did. I was focussed, motivated
and excited and Dave, CW motorbikes and TED Simon with out
being there had lit the fuse that would give me the greatest
years of my life. Dave and the team at CW motorbike
Dorchester are a great team with a wealth of knowledge
and experience of BMW motorbikes. Like Cooper reading BMW
they are eager to help new and existing BMW riders. Dave if
you are reading this and you still want to cross Siberia and
you can wait a couple of more years it will be a honour to
travel with you. Thank you for the advice, kindness and
Inspiration. (Ted
Simon has inspired thousands of motorcycling adventures
because he wrote a fantastic
adventure
motorcycling book called
"Jupiter's Travels" and it is readily available now.
Making Dream - Kevin and Shaun
Rainbow BMW Sheffield
I am not exactly sure how one of the best and most established
dealerships in Great Britain managed to get involved with the
preparation for our Guinness World Record especially as their
geographical location is nearly 300 miles from our home in Plymouth.
What I do know from my conversation with Dave at CW Motorbikes in
Dorchester is that he is great friends with the Kevin and Shaun the
principle owners of Rainbow BMW , so I will assume it was Dave that
made Rainbow BMW aware of our forth coming record challenge. What
we do remember however was responding to an email to contact Rainbow
by phone. Their enthusiasm for our dream and record challenge was
amazing. Kevin and Shaun wanted to know every little detail from the
route to the challenge itself and from time to time during our phone
conversation they would stop me to offer advice or a recommendation
- it wasn’t hard to see why Rainbow BMW has won numerous awards
based on customer satisfaction surveys such was their enthusiasm and
vigour for the challenge ahead. I told Kevin and Shaun that we had
attended a meeting at BMW GB in the hope they we would
sponsor Monika a BMW F650GS and that their response rightly
was to contact them again when Monika could actually ride a
motorbike!
Kevin asked had Monika commenced her riding lessons yet, I replied
she was due to start in a few weeks courtesy of sponsored lessons
from SURE-PASS Riding School in Plymouth. Kevin asked what
bikes do they use at the school I said an assortment of 125cc
motorbikes. There was a long pause then Shaun said “I think it would
be much better if Monika could take her lessons and take her test
riding the same bike that she would be taking on the Guinness World
Record Challenge, don’t you agree?” Yes I replied except they don’t
have BMW F650GS! Another pause “OK this is what we at RAINBOW
BMW SHEFFIELD would like to do for you – we want to help and
be a part of your dream so we are delighted to offer Monika one
of our BMW F650GS that we have here in the showroom. Simon can you
come to Sheffield, to pick up a F650GS from RAINBOW and then take it
to the driving school in Plymouth? This can only be a good thing to
help Monika with her preparation for the World Record what do you
think? Before I could reply, Kevin interrupted! “We will fit new
tires, service the bike, and fill the bike full of petrol, don’t
worry the F650GS will be perfect for Monika!” Only a few weeks
later Monika my wife was starting her Motorbike lessons in Plymouth
on a motorbike supplied and sponsored by company nearly 300 miles
away. It was a tremendous act of faith, generosity and kindness
from one of Great Britain’s Premier dealerships. Monika was now well
on her way to making Sporting history “Total Novice to Guinness
World Record” and it was all thanks to the kindness, generosity
and foresight of the management team of ”Kevin and Shaun from
Rainbow BMW of Sheffield”.
Kevin and Shaun the Management team of Rainbow BMW Sheffield
are a great team with a wealth of knowledge and experience of BMW
motorbikes. Like BMW GB, Ocean BMW of Plymouth, CW
Motorbikes of Dorchester, Cooper reading BMW of London they
are eager to help new and existing BMW riders.
Making Dreams - Bill and Peter
Ocean BMW of Plymouth
 Due
to work commitments, I found my self frequently visiting the
south east areas of England, to be specific Devon and
Cornwall. For a long time these regions had not been covered
by a BMW motorcycle franchise until Ocean BMW of Plymouth
expanded their operations to include BMW Motorbikes. I did
not know of their existence until I started to see “Ocean
BMW of Plymouth” Billboards promoting “BMW motorcycles”
dotted around Cornwall and Devon. I made the decision on my
next visit to the area I would pop in and say hello. This I
did one week later. Ocean BMW, situated on the northern
outskirts of Plymouth Devon is set in a beautiful location
overlooking the city skyline. I parked my bike in the huge
car park and before I could disembark I was greeted by a
rather tall Gentleman who introduced him self as Peter, and
in a strong Devon accent he said “Welcome to Ocean BMW of
Plymouth - How can I help you – fancy a coffee”. I hadn’t
even removed my helmet and this gentleman was greeting me as
if he had known me for years, did he think I was somebody
else?
Peter
escorted me up the concrete stairs and through the sliding
doors of Ocean BMW. I paused at the entrance for a second or
two to enjoy the soothing cool breeze that rushed down my
neck from the buildings air conditioning system. In front of
me was an immaculately dressed receptionist who greeted me
with a smile and a hello. Peter walked me to the west wing
of the large show room passing on my left hand side a
presentation of new and gleaming BMW motorbikes, at the far
corner of the room two desks occupied the apex. Peter
introduced me to another gentleman called Bill. Bill like
Peter is enthusiastic,
charismatic, and
and has a great depth of knowledge of BMW motorbikes.
I told them that I was passing by and I thought I would pop
into say hello. I explained that I would be riding through
the area from time to time and wanted to know if it would be
ok for them to service my bike. Sure no problem here is our
card; call us in advance of your arrival or if you are
really stuck we will fit you in on the day – no problem!
After a few minutes of chatting and a guided tour of the
beautiful premises the conversation got round to my dream to
travel the world and my delight at being the new owner of a
R1150GS. Bill and Peter offered great advice for my forth
coming adventure a by-product of their years of experience
working with BMW motorbikes. I listened enthusiastically and
hung on to every word. I arranged a service on my bike and
scheduled a return in 14 days time.
 I
returned as planned and delivered my bike for a service.
Bill and Peter told me my bike would be ready at 12 noon and
that I could have the use of one of their rental motorbikes
available to customers for free providing that your bike is
being serviced. At 1215 I returned to Ocean BMW. In the show
room was a new salesman called Guy but there was no sign of
Bill or Peter. Guy was looking at me and smiling but I did
not know why. I sat patiently and awaited the delivery of my
motorbike. At 1300 Bill and Peter appeared with sleeves
rolled up high looking very workman like. I asked is
everything all right? Peter and Bill smiled and said is it
true you are leaving soon to visit the Sahara Desert and
that you are hoping to raise money for a children’s charity.
I looked at the receptionist and recalled our earlier
conversation. Yes I am leaving in a few weeks and it is true
I have become associated with a charity that deals with
special children. Bill continued; well we have a surprise for
you, Ocean BMW of Plymouth has sponsored you a Motorcycle
Alarm and we have just given up our lunch break so we can
fit it for you. You wouldn’t make much money if your
motorbike was stolen on the continent of Africa would you! I
was totally over whelmed – they did not really know me and
it was the first time they had my custom. What a fantastic
show of support and generosity from Ocean BMW of Plymouth. Bill
and Peter at Ocean BMW Plymouth are a great team
with a wealth of knowledge and experience of BMW motorbikes.
Like CW Motorbikes of Dorchester, Cooper reading BMW of
London SPC Motorbikes West London, Kevin and Shaun Rainbow -
BMW Sheffield they are eager to help new and existing BMW riders.
Thank you for the advice, kindness and inspiration
Making Dreams
-
Tim Angus
Cooper Reading BMW
- West London
n the Autumn of 2001 with my mind up
that I wanted to challenge one of the most demanding world
records of all. I
happened to be passing a BMW franchise called Cooper
reading of West London. In the showroom window was
beautiful BMW R1150GS and I new in a instant that would be
my bike for our record challenge. On a whim I stopped
my car and entered my first ever BMW dealership to be greeted by a
enthusiastic Sales Manager called Mr. Tim Angus.
Within the first 30 seconds of entering I had introduced my
self and told Tim " If I was to tell you that I want to buy that BMW R1150GS motorbike in your showroom
window, and with no over landing or mechanical experience at all,
circumnavigate the earth and break one
Guinness Endurance World Record would you consider giving me a discount
?" Tim looked up from his chair, paused for a minute,
smiled, and said " You seem sure of your self, but if you
are going to do all what you say you are going to do - I can
promise you a great deal worthy of your world record
challenge". Delighted at Tim's generosity and enthusiasm we shook
hands and went on to complete one of the fastest motorcycle
sales in Cooper readings history. Tim Angus of Cooper
Reading BMW has a wealth of knowledge on BMW Motorcycles, he
his extremely friendly, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and
eager to support new and experienced riders.
Thank you for the advice, kindness and Inspiration.
Cooper
Reading BMW has a wealth of knowledge and experience of BMW motorbikes.
Like CW Motorbikes of Dorchester, SPC Motorbikes West
London, Ocean BMW of Plymouth they are eager to help new and existing BMW riders.
Thank you for the advice, kindness , enthusiasm and inspiration
Making Dreams - Chairman
Maxwell Motors Dublin
Ireland
 Shortly
after submitting our application forms to Guinness stating that we
would be challenging two world records we received from their head
quarters by return post documentation stipulating the official
rules and regulations and our official application numbers. The
documentation not only laid out the rules but stated that the
endurance and countries world records were from place of departure
to place of return. My immediate concern was the health of my mother
“Valerie Newbound” who has a muscle wasting disease and spends every
hour of the day in severe pain. Indeed the only way the doctors
would allow her to see us off was if she was accompanied by a nurse.
I contacted Guinness and made them aware of my mitigating
circumstances and requested that I be allowed to depart from
Ireland. I did not want to be half way through the world record
challenge and then be called home because of family illness and then
have to start the record quest again.
We did not know of any BMW franchises
in Ireland so I did a search on the Internet and quickly discovered
Maxwell Motors Dublin Ireland and their telephone number. I
called them and asked for the motorcycle division and was greeted by
an ever enthusiastic Mr. John Fennel the executive sale
manger of BMW motorcycles. I explained the situation and asked would
it be ok to officially launch not only from Ireland but from their
premises. Their response was enthusiastic and we laid out the plans
for a 10 May 2002 launch.
 We
spoke a few more times and John reassured us everything would be OK
on the day. He even told me his own customers had offered assistance
and one customer called Ian Ross we later found out worked
non stop for 96 hours to ensure every final detail had been
accounted for. A few weeks before the official launch we received a
phone call from BMW IRELAND who said that to celebrate the
start of the BMW MOTORRAD RECORD QUEST they had decided to launch a
new and exciting BMW motorbike called the BMW ADVENTURER at
the same time and location of our departure, namely Maxwell Motors
Ireland. We arrived in Dublin by ferry the night before to be
greeted and hosted by the ever so enthusiastic and likable Ian Ross.
We located BMW Maxwell’s and were taken back by the sheer size of
the premises. I don’t think I had ever seen anything so large
before. Hundreds of new and beautiful gleaming BMW motorcycles and
cars occupied the car park and showrooms of this vast complex. Ian
Ross was there to greet us when we arrived in Dublin from Wales and
he welcomed us to Ireland and not only escorted us to a nearby hotel
but bought us dinner. BMW Riders from the North of Ireland and
England joined us for a special meal in Dublin’s faveroute Chinese
restaurant called Wongs.
 Launch
day was a logistic nightmare for Maxwell Motors as all the cars had
to be moved from the car parks into the surrounding streets. The
show rooms where emptied so that our bikes and the new BMW
Adventurer could be placed on erected stands. Mechanics and staff
spent hours cleaning and polishing all three bikes until every
square centimetre sparkled. A speaker podium was installed on the
east side of the showroom were the Chairman and Mr. John Fennel
would give inspiring speeches not only to us but the waiting press
and crowd. After the press pictures and speeches we were invited
into the chairman’s office. We sat down and he told us about the
history of BMW in Ireland and MAXWELL Motors. He told us a little
about his life, his dreams and his own adventures. We promised
him that we would achieve all our objectives and all this hard work
from his team, staff and BMW Ireland would not be in vain. We
gave our world that on completion of the second world record we
would make Maxwell Motors our next destination to complete
the full circle and give a World Record Presentation to him, his
staff and customers. A lot of People, including the
Chairman, Mr. John Fennel, Ian Ross and BMW Group Ireland went out
of their way to accommodate two un experienced people with a dream.
We were an unknown quantity and the truth is they did not know if we
would achieve 100 Kilometres never mind 160,000 Kilometres but it
did not prevent a mammoth effort to ensure everything would be
alright on the day. They gave us the best possible launch and
everything went exactly as Mr. John Fennel said it would do,
absolutely marvellous.
Mr. Chairman Maxwell Motors, Mr. John Fennel -
Maxwell Motors, Mr. Ian Ross - Maxwell Motors and the Staff -
Maxwell Motors and BMW GROUP IRELAND
have a wealth of knowledge and experience of BMW motorbikes. Like
BMW GB, Ocean BMW of Plymouth, CW Motorbikes of Dorchester, Cooper
reading BMW of London they are eager to help new and existing BMW
riders. Thank you Mr. Chairman, Mr. John Fennel all the staff and
BMW Group Ireland for your kindness, enthusiasm and generosity it
was very much appreciated.
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