Long Way Round - on a BMW R1150 GS Adventure

Actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, will depart this green and pleasant
land in April to start an around the world adventure on a BMW motorcycle. The
trip will see McGregor and Boorman cover almost 20,000 miles over some of the
most difficult and diverse terrain on the planet.

McGregor's love of all things motorcycling is well known. The global odyssey
will not be anything remotely approaching a holiday because - just to add to
the challenge - Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman will make a film of their
experiences en route.

This almighty wanderlust is not being promoted as a challenge to Michael
Palin's travel credentials although it is - what film and television industries
call - "a project". David Alexanian of Los Angeles based Elixir Films and Russ
Malkin of London based Image Wizard TV, along with Ewan and Charley, are
producers of the project, entitled "Long Way Round". Appealing to a global
audience, their entire journey, Long Way Round, will also be filmed for a
unique television series which will be broadcast on major networks in key
markets including the UK, US and Australia. Ewan and Charlie will also be
keeping personal diaries and on their return they will publish their personal
journals and pictures in a book.

BMW Motorrad Great Britain has provided its all-terrain motorcycle, the R1150
GS Adventure, plus a considerable amount of technical help and practical riding
equipment for McGregor, Boorman and the support team. The big BMW has an
enviable reputation, based on relentless reliability and unmatched versatility,
as the definitive globe-busting machine. Many world adventurers, such as double
Guinness world record holders Kevin and Julia Sanders, have used the big enduro
motorcycle and relied on its legendary horizontally-opposed twin to complete
the trip for them.

The choice of machine was deliberate and arrived at after extensive testing of
several manufacturers' best offerings. Many technical advantages mean that the
bike can be used straight from the showroom for such trips. Arguably, the high
build quality and such essential features as a maintenance-free drive shaft,
long-travel suspension, large capacity fuel tank, adjustable seat and
comprehensive rider ergonomics, meant that the R1150 GS Adventure was the most
suitable bike for the project.

BMW's worldwide network of dealerships will also ensure that McGregor and
Boorman receive excellent technical and indigenous support (if needed) and a
ready availability of parts in the event of a mishap. They won't get lost
either. Each machine will be equipped with a BMW Navigator II, Global
Positioning System, which is probably the most advanced automotive product of
its type, and is accurate to within 15 metres.

To protect their valuable bodies, and presumably to satisfy the BMW Group
insurance company, McGregor and Boorman will be kitted-out in BMW's ultra-safe
advanced rider clothing including Rallye 2 suits and gloves, as well as
Thermokomfort undergarments.

Although extremely competent riders, the two friends have also received
invaluable rider skills and technical training at BMW's Off-Road Skills
facility in South Wales. Their instructors were Simon Pavey and Nick Plumb, who
are only handful of riders who have completed the infamous Paris Dakar Rally.

Leaving Britain in April, McGregor and Boorman will travel across the Continent
into East Europe and onto the Ukraine. From there, the planned route takes them
to Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Alaska, Canada, and the USA before returning
home late in summer.

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