One-off custom honors the brand’s 1976 Superbike breakthrough as Nate Kern joins the Super Hooligan action with BMW for the Daytona 200
BMW Motorrad will use the 84th Daytona 200 weekend, running March 5–7, 2026, to debut a one-off custom: the BMW R 1300 R Superhooligan. The build is intended as a rolling tribute to BMW’s landmark moment at Daytona—Steve McLaughlin’s win in the first-ever Superbike race at the venue on March 6, 1976—and to Reg Pridmore’s title in the inaugural AMA Superbike Championship. Both riders campaigned Butler & Smith–backed BMW R 90 S machines, helping cement the brand’s American racing legacy.
BMW says its brand ambassador Nate Kern will also take part in the Mission Foods Super Hooligan series presented by Roland Sands during the MotoAmerica Daytona 200 event, riding the R 1300 R Superhooligan.
A modern roadster built to echo a Daytona-era racer
The project comes from a small team inside the BMW Motorrad Custom Speed Shop, led by project manager Philipp Ludwig with Katrin Torge, designer Andreas Martin, color and graphics designer Theresa Stukenbrock, and prototype builders Paul Summerer and Thomas Becker. Starting with the 145 hp (107 kW) BMW R 1300 R, the team reworked the platform into what BMW describes as a “naked superbike” silhouette—leaning into visual cues associated with stripped-back superbikes of the mid-1970s, including prominent number plates and wide handlebars.
The most direct nod to McLaughlin’s Daytona victory is the bike’s racing number, 83, and paint details that reference period BMW R 90 S colors, applied to elements such as the front fender and tank side panels. Additional blue accents—matching the hue used on BMW M 1000 RR brake calipers—appear on the aluminum rear frame and fork components, extending to the rear shock spring.
Carbon, suspension and speed-focused hardware
BMW positions the custom as a high-performance “Custom Roadster” aimed at a superbike-like experience, with the company citing capability up to 275 km/h. Key components include a fully adjustable Wilbers upside-down fork extended by 30 mm for added lean-angle clearance, a fully adjustable Wilbers rear shock, and a BMW M 1000 RR carbon front wheel. The build also incorporates carbon-fiber parts from BMW Motorrad’s catalog and Ilmberger Carbon Parts, along with adjustable Advik hand levers, milled BMW Motorrad footrests, and an Akrapovič titanium exhaust with a carbon end cap.
At Daytona, BMW plans to display the R 1300 R Superhooligan alongside its historic counterpart: the Butler & Smith BMW R 90 S, supplied by BMW Group Classic from the BMW Museum and prepared in the brand’s in-house racing workshop for appearance at the event.
Reuniting the names behind BMW’s 1976 breakthrough
BMW is also framing the Daytona weekend as a 50-year reunion of the figures tied to its 1976 success. That season marked the launch of the AMA Superbike Series as a national U.S. championship—an opportunity Butler & Smith seized to reinforce the performance reputation of the R 90 S. The effort required chassis upgrades and meaningful power gains, led by chief mechanic and engine tuner Udo Gietl, with chassis development handled by Todd Schuster.
The Butler & Smith roster featured Pridmore, McLaughlin, and Gary Fisher on works-prepared R 90 S race bikes. On March 6, 1976, McLaughlin edged Pridmore in a photo finish for a BMW one-two, while Fisher’s run ended with a gearbox failure after he had led for several laps. By season’s end, Pridmore delivered the ultimate result for the program, becoming the first AMA Superbike Champion.
BMW says Daytona will bring together McLaughlin and Pridmore, along with Fisher’s daughters Heidi and Kimberly, Gietl, and other guests of honor—this time around the original R 90 S racers and the modern R 1300 R Superhooligan created to honor them.
