Although the first round of the 2008 Maxxis FIM World Enduro Championship (WEC) in Östersund, Sweden, doesn't take place until mid-March, the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team has a full schedule of activity in preparation for its busiest and most important season to date. In an exclusive interview, team manager Wolfgang Fischer brings us up to date with all the latest news: Now that the team has been officially presented in San Marino, what's on the agenda from now until the first round of the WEC championship? It's a very busy time at the moment. Joel Smets, Andi Lettenbichler, Gerhard Forster and Jean-Francois Goblet have just spent two weeks in Faro, Portugal at a BMW Motorrad dealer convention to present the new G 450 X bikes in action shows to the dealers. Simo Kirssi, Bert Meyer and Anders Eriksson are currently in Spain training and suspension testing. Additionally, before the first round of the WEC in Sweden, all four of our WEC riders will go there one week earlier to prepare for the special conditions that they will encounter, such as racing on snow with spikes. Wolfgang Fischer How much involvement does the factory team have with Scott Summers and the Grand National Cross Country series in the United States this year? Interestingly, Scott Summers and his technician have actually been in Germany this week to learn more about preparing their own race equipment with our support. Additionally, new GNCC rider Gordon Crockard will also be joining the Öhlins suspension in Spain next week. Are your three new riders excited about the challenges they face in the World Enduro Championship? Yes, Jean-Francois Goblet's challenge is to adapt to the four-stroke engine, and it will be his first year as a 'full professional'. Our 'junior' rider Bert Meyer will need to adapt and gain the required experience on an international level, so he will learn a lot just by training with the experienced guys. Anders Eriksson is super motivated and will also be riding in the Swedish Enduro Championship as well as the WEC! Is Simo Kirssi fully motivated for his role in trying to win this year's GCC series? Simo is training very hard, is physically fit and incredibly motivated for the year ahead. Although his main focus is on cross-country racing, he is also now training for enduro riding, so we will see how he can finish in the WEC! Jean-Francois Goblet on the factory sports enduroWhich races do you envisage Andi Lettenbichler riding in this year? Andi should be participating in the Erzberg Rodeo this year, as well as the Red Bull Romaniacs, Roof of Africa, and Last Man Standing events - together with Gerhard Forster, our other 'Extreme' specialist - as well as selected indoor enduros. Will Chris Pfeiffer have a chance to ride the factory 450 also? Chris may well be riding at Erzberg, but his main focus is on stunt riding on the F 800. What will be the team's toughest challenge this year? The team has to compete in several different series like the World Enduro Championship, German Cross Country and USA Grand National Cross Country Series. Obviously, the goal is for success in all of these championships, but at the same time, parts of the team are also pushing towards a proper start of serial production of the G 450 X. All together, it's quite a tough challenge, but everybody is highly motivated and prepared to do all this properly. What has been the view from the paddock about BMW's involvement in the WEC? Are they glad to see you there? So far, it seems that everyone is glad about our participation in the series, and we hope that we are bringing lots of interest and many more fans to the sport through BMW Motorrad competing in this area of motorsport. Anders Erickson on the G 450 X in San RemoWhat would be a dream season for you in 2008, in terms of what is realistically achievable? It would be great to be able to reach top five positions in the second half of the WEC season, as well as winning the German cross country championship! World Enduro Championship WEC 2008 dates15/16 March - Sweden (Östersund)29/30 March - Portugal (Vale de Cambra)5/6 April - Spain (Sitges)14/15 June - Poland (Kwidzyn)19/20 July - Wales / UK ( Llanidloes)26/27 July - France (Uzerche)27/28 September - Italy (Piediluco)11/12 October - France (Alès)German Cross Country Championship 2008 dates12/13 April - Tollwitz24 /25 May - Walldorf28 /29 June - Mernes12 /13 July - Goldbach9/10 August - Mühlhausen20/21 September - Schweinfurt3/4 October - Schefflenz