Jimmy Lewis Bio

Former Jobs: Firewood company owner, Professional Rider for KTM, Kawasaki, Honda and BMW, Editor of Dirt Rider magazine, Off-Road Editor for Cycle World Magazine, Development rider for motorcycle companies, Owner of www.dirtbiketest.com

Hobbies: Ultra running and running for beer, Mountain Biking Tandem with Heather, Surfing and Stand Up Paddling, Trail and Adventure Riding

Favorite Food: Mexican

Favorite Drink: Coke and water, Cheap Beer, Tequila

Favorite Music: Anything

This bio was originally run on the official BMW race team web site in 2000 and translated loosely to English. Enjoy!

Jimmy Lewis actually loves three things: his home state of California, riding a motorcycle and the deserts of this world. “I guess I just like to be free. To ride a bike and be at one with nature is the greatest thing I can imagine.” For those who have seen Jimmy Lewis, the American from Santa Monica, tackling the sand dunes on his BMW R 900 RR, it’s almost as if the bike were part of him.

Jimmy discovered his love of motorcycles at the tender age of eight. I used to roar around the neighborhood for as long as I was allowed!” His mother wasn’t very keen on the idea, but she hesitated before depriving him of what was obviously his favorite hobby. “My parents imposed just one condition. If my school grades were OK, I could stay out as long as I liked. That was what took me through the school leaving exams so successfully!”

Since that time, Jimmy Lewis has developed into an experienced rally rider and technical expert. Last year he was third in the Paris-Dakar Rally, on a BMW R 900 RR. It was a notable success for him and a splendid return to motor sport for the BMW ‘Boxer’ flat-twin. Jimmy feels content in the German BMW team: he values its good organization and the fact that many tedious tasks are taken off his hands.

This is Jimmy Lewis’s fourth entry for the world’s toughest desert rally, and he’s determined to pull off a victory this time: “I shall be riding to win. The R 900 RR is terrifically good, it’s developed tremendously and is even more reliable than before. But I shall be biding my time: the Dakar is a very long event. I may not be the fastest, but I understand technical matters and I’m a good navigator.” Jimmy, who is 32 years of age, demonstrated that he’s already in top form in November 2000 by winning the four-day UAE Desert Challenge event through the sands of the Arab Emirates, with a supreme demonstration of riding and navigational skills.

Jimmy Lewis keeps fit with every possible form of sport that he can pursue in California. He feels just as much at home on the surfboard as on the snowboard, the skateboard or the mountain bike. Professionally too, Jimmy Lewis is often to be seen on two wheels: he edits the off-road magazine “Cycle World”, which will publish an article about him next February.