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MAGURA HC3 1/8 Mile Sprint

The 1/8-mile races of the Sultan of Sprint series are known for brutal acceleration and tremendous speed – but also for the finest precision engineering and of course excess adrenaline in the starting gate. We took a look at the special aspects of the sport together with sprint pilot Amelie Mooseder.

                                                                             Cover (c) Marc Holstein / BMW Motorbike

Amelie often gets astonished looks when she takes off her helmet after the 1/8-mile sprint. A woman competing in this racing class is still a relative rarity – but Amelie was riding on her Dad’s fuel tank as a child, she was never one for dolls! Today, Amelie calls her passion “early childhood imprinting”. Instead of going to the children’s play areas, she went to the BMW Museum with her dad almost every week. You could say she was born with a miniature motorcycle in her cot.

Nowadays, Amelie competes in the 1/8-mile Sultan of Sprint series throughout Europe. In the top races, speeds of over 220 km/h are reached in just 5.5 seconds! Yes, it certainly sounds brutal – but it actually involves precision work at the highest level. Victory or defeat is mainly decided by the start and a feeling of precise control on the part of the rider. Amelie has to operate the clutch, accelerate and hammer her BMW Spitfire along the route keeping perfect control, all in a matter of milliseconds. Launch control simply doesn’t come into it.

Gallery (c) Andri Margadant / Photocab

Amelie’s working equipment is at least as impressive as the sport itself. Her monster bike by VTR Customs mirrors its builder’s past. Before Daniel became one of the most sought-after motorbike customisers in the world, he worked on World War II aircraft. The Spitfire is completely wrapped in aluminium and it even spits fire for show, just like the old radial engines! It’s difficult to see what the BMW R 1200 R is actually based on – 

– and that in itself makes it clear that the machine’s optics, brimming with brute force, must be matched by the technical engineering of the bike. The close link between rider and machine has been reserved for the MAGURA HC3 for many years – and the name MAGURA has a very special place in the Mooseder family. Amelie’s father Sepp still recognizes MAGURA accelerator handles by their smell alone – and he pours lavish praise on the Swabian master cylinder milestones that he used as a young man. The products are so familiar to Sepp that he recognises them with all his senses, even with his eyes shut. That’s pure, unadulterated passion!

Guests of MAGURA – the ancestors of the HC3.

Tradition is written in capital letters at MAGURA. All of our technologies today stem from many years of engineering work and pride in our four generations of company history.

The milestones in MAGURA’s history are carefully stored in our own museum. Products from 1923 onwards are on display, including the straight pull control lever, the rack of which still adorns the MAGURA logo today. With its straight pull actuation, the lever ensured the particularly low friction and the long-lasting operation of machines. It was a real hit during its lifetime and blazed a path for later developments in braking and clutch technology.

When Amelie and her father visit our museum, they instantly recall their motorcycle rides of days gone by; but what makes MAGURA clutch masters so special today?

What makes today’s clutch master cylinders so special?

The heart of today’s HC3 is its 90° radial design and HCT technology.

The push rod and cylinder lie at a 90° angle to the handlebars, resulting in reduced transmission losses.

Operating the clutch gives riders a feeling of active control and this feeling can also be individually adjusted thanks to the patented, 3-way adjustable lever bearing point. The adjustment is similar to a +/- 1 mm change in piston diameter, giving a harder or softer feel to the clutch, perfect for adapting it to your preferences and to the bike. The low-friction 90° design is retained in all settings.

Like the MAGURA clutch master on her father’s motorbike, Amelie’s HC3 impresses riders with the lowest-friction clutch operation of its era – and that’s an important component for the very special performance of her BMW Spitfire Sprint machine.

More Stories about MAGURA HC3: @magura_powersports