BMW S1000RR under £1000 more than R1

BMW’s long-awaited S1000RR superbike looks set to break yet another BMW tradition – by being less than a grand more expensive than its number one rival.

US prices just announced peg the 190bhp machine at $13,800, just £858 more than Yamaha’s class-leading R1.

It’s not certain the gap will be so slender in the UK as final specs are still being decided. But the fact it looks certain to be more Japanese than Italian in price is excellent news.