BMW R 1300 R Superhooligan revealed for Daytona 200.
BMW Motorrad has unveiled a one-off BMW R 1300 R Superhooligan custom ahead of the 84th Daytona 200 weekend – marking 50 years since Steve McLaughlin’s historic Daytona Superbike win on a Butler & Smith BMW R 90 S.
BMW Motorrad will showcase the striking new custom build – the BMW R 1300 R Superhooligan – at the 84th Daytona 200 weekend from 5-7 March 2026, celebrating two defining moments in the brand’s US racing story.
The project honours Steve McLaughlin’s victory in the very first Superbike race at Daytona on 6 March, 1976, along with Reg Pridmore’s win in the inaugural AMA Superbike Championship. Both riders competed on BMW R 90 S machinery run by the Butler & Smith team, with BMW describing the period as one of the most remarkable milestones in its more than 100-year history.
Adding a modern on-track tie-in, BMW Motorrad brand ambassador Nate Kern will also line up in the Mission Foods Super Hooligan series presented by Roland Sands, riding the BMW R 1300 R Superhooligan as part of the MotoAmerica Daytona 200 program.
Custom Speed Shop tribute
BMW says the Superhooligan is a “highly dynamic” Custom Speed Shop project, created by a small group of BMW Motorrad employees. Philipp Ludwig led the project as project manager, working with Katrin Torge, vehicle designer Andreas Martin and colour and graphic designer Theresa Stukenbrock, alongside prototype builders Paul Summerer and Thomas Becker.
Built from the 145hp (107kW) BMW R 1300 R, the Superhooligan retains key stylistic and technical elements of the production roadster, while pushing them into what BMW calls the design language of a “naked superbike”. Visual cues include wide handlebars and starting-number fields, with a deliberate nod to the almost-naked superbikes of 50 years ago.
R 90 S references – right down to the number
The tributes to 1976 run deep. The Superhooligan wears the starting number 83 and features painted components inspired by the BMW R 90 S colours used at the time, including the front fenders and tank side panels.
BMW also highlights colour links to current M models, with the blue used on BMW M 1000 RR brake calipers appearing on the aluminium rear frame and on the fixed fork tubes of the fully adjustable Wilbers upside-down front fork. That fork has been extended by 30mm to increase lean-angle clearance. The fully adjustable Wilbers rear suspension strut also carries a spring finished in a matching blue tone.
Carbon, titanium and a 275km/h brief
BMW says the custom roadster targets a “superbike-level riding experience”, with a stated top-speed capability of up to 275km/h.
To meet those performance aims, the build features a lightweight BMW M 1000 RR carbon front wheel, plus a broad use of lightweight, high-strength carbon-fibre parts sourced from BMW Motorrad’s own program and Ilmberger Carbon Parts. Fully adjustable hand levers from Advik, a titanium exhaust system with carbon end silencer from Akrapovič, and milled BMW Motorrad footrests round out the supersport-focused spec list.
Displayed alongside the original Daytona hero
BMW will display the R 1300 R Superhooligan alongside its historic predecessor – the BMW R 90 S raced by the Butler & Smith team – as Daytona marks the 50th anniversary of the iconic 200-mile race weekend.
BMW says that when the AMA Superbike Series launched in 1976, Butler & Smith immediately recognised it as an ideal platform to strengthen the sporty image of the BMW R 90 S. The bikes required race-ready chassis modifications and a significant jump in engine performance, with Udo Gietl brought in as chief mechanic and engine tuner, and Todd Schuster responsible for chassis optimisation.
The Butler & Smith rider line-up included Reg Pridmore, Steve McLaughlin and Gary Fisher, with BMW noting the machines were meticulously prepared by Gietl and Schuster. In the Daytona race on 6 March, 1976, McLaughlin took victory in a photo finish ahead of Pridmore for a BMW one-two, while a gearbox failure for Fisher ended the chance of a three-bike clean sweep. BMW’s 1976 season ended with another first: Pridmore became the inaugural AMA Superbike Champion.
Fifty years on, BMW says the protagonists of that era will reunite in Daytona, with Steve McLaughlin, Reg Pridmore, Gary Fisher’s daughters Heidi and Kimberly, and Udo Gietl among the guests of honour. The display will also include the original BMW R 90 S race machine provided by BMW Group Classic from the BMW Museum, which BMW says has been specially prepared in its in-house racing workshop for use at the Daytona 200.
