The 2013 BMW HP4 is the track-ready version of the manufacturer’s already impressive S1000RR, which puts the bike at the very top of BMW’s two-wheeler mountain, while the R1200GS is intended to be a somewhat more utilitarian machine. Capable of conveying both rider and gear over great distances and uncertain terrain, the GS is the Swiss army knife to the HP4’s rapier. Or at least that’s what we thought. BMW’s recent footage during some press launch show us that the R1200GS is actually no slouch when it comes to having fun around a road course.

The company threw both bikes on Spain’s Circuito de Almeria for a little sparring match, and wonder of wonders, the HP4 didn’t just get up and walk away from the R1200GS. Instead, the two stay tightly matched through most of the course before something surprising happens. Watch it now!