The BMW M3 returned to the American Le Mans Series winner’s circle with a 1-2 finish by the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team at today’s Time Warner Cable Road Racing Showcase.

 

The No. 90 M3, driven by Joey Hand and Bill Auberlen, achieved the new M3 racing program’s first victory. Teammates Tommy Milner and Dirk Mϋller in the No. 92 M3 scored their fourth podium finish of the season.

 

As the race began, starting drivers Bill Auberlen, in the No. 90 M3, and Tommy Milner, in the No. 92 M3, took advantage of their front row starting positions and opened a lead on the GT2 class. Only 15 minutes in, an early yellow slowed the field, but instead of reducing the BMW M3’s lead to mere feet, it increased it to almost a full lap as both M3s received a wave-by when the pace car picked up the overall leader. Before the race went green again, both M3s were able to pit for fuel, and Milner picked up the lead through pitstop speed.

 

At the one hour mark Milner still held the lead over Auberlen, but as the race’s second caution period occurred a “race within the race” began. Pitting both M3s under yellow, the crew of the No. 90 M3 got Hand serviced just a tick of the watch ahead of Mϋller to take the lead. Unfortunately, too many men over the wall for the No. 92 M3 resulted in a 60 second penalty, putting Mϋller an additional minute behind Hand, but still in second place.

 

Pitting a second time under the race’s third caution period, the M3s cycled through two more fast stops for fuel and new Dunlop tires. Today, able to keep the competition in check, the two M3s stayed in front for the remainder the contest to open another winning chapter in the history of BMW Motorsport.

 

Bobby Rahal, Team Principal:
“It can’t get better than this! Great for the team and great for BMW. Everyone did a super job today!”

 

Martin Birkmann, BMW of North America Motorsport Manager:
“Yesterday I was asked about the best moment of this program and my answer was bringing the new BMW M3s to the grid at Sebring. After today, I would give a different answer. We were fast from the beginning of the weekend and brought home the first victory for the program. We had incredible support from all our partners and especially Dunlop, who continue to deliver for us. We have now arrived at a level where we can fight for top honors and that’s what the program was designed to do. Today was BMW’s day.”

 

Bill Auberlen, No. 90 M3 (first):
“This is what this team has earned. Everyone has worked so hard. Thanks to BMW, RLR, and Dunlop. The win seems long overdue and I can’t be any happier. Road America is where I won my first professional race and now it is where we won the first one for this team. Awesome!”

 

Joey Hand, No. 90 M3 (first):

 

“Bill and I called this win. Babe Ruth style. I told my wife before I left that I knew something really good was going to happen. Bill got the No. 90 M3 out front and I just brought it home. The team knows how to pit like nobody else. Every part of this team pulled together today. We earned this win.”

 

Dirk Mϋller, No 92 M3 (second)
“One – two, oh so nice. Incredible! The No. 92 M3 was fantastic. I am really happy for the team.”

 

Tommy Milner, No. 93 M3 (second):
“A great result for sure! We had one hiccup today, but in the end we overcame it. A great job by Dirk to run for second.”

The FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) is presently enjoying a seven-week break. The series will resume with a two-race event at Oschersleben (DE) on 6th September 2009. Before the series enters its third and last phase, the BMW national team drivers are putting the break to good use by gathering strength, and building up their concentration ahead of the final spurt.

 

BMW Team Germany’s Augusto Farfus (BR), third in the drivers’ classification with 76 points, embarked on a trip to Asia shortly after the races in Brands Hatch (GB). “I headed there on behalf of Formula BMW Pacific and PETRONAS to be involved some young driver development work,” explains the 25-year-old. After his Asian visit and a test in Zolder (BE), he headed back home to Brazil. Here with his friends and family he got ready for the final eight races. He adds: “After my return to Europe I will work hard with the team to ensure that we are best prepared for the final straight.”

 

Test drives, PR appointments and other events equally fill the diary of team-mate Jörg Müller (DE). “It’s hardly a summer break for me, there is something constantly happening,” says Müller, presently sixth in the championship. “The break is more important for the engineers and technicians, as they work on the cars every day in search of more speed. A few days away from the workshop helps to recharge their batteries.”

 

Andy Priaulx (GB) puts his family as top priority during a break. “Quality time with the family is always my priority,” says the BMW Team UK driver. “To get several days together without me flying off for a test or race is bliss. The break will do us all good.” Priaulx enjoyed a boat trip which took wife Jo and their children from their home in Guernsey to St Melo on the French coast during the break. A week before the races in Germany, the triple world champion will visit the Formula One race in Spa-Francorchamps as host to the BMW Sauber F1 Team’s Paddock Club guests.

 

Like Priaulx, Alessandro Zanardi (IT) is attracted to water, saying: “I was fortunate enough to be able to spend the time with friends and my family on our boat. We explored the islands off the Croatian coast. But I still managed to train on the boat. The week after the Oschersleben races I will take part in the Para-cycling World Championships in Bogogno. It will be thrilling to represent my country in another world championship.”

 

Zanardi will return to the cockpit of his BMW 320si WTCC for a test at Adria at the end of August in readiness for the races in the Magdeburg region, scene of the 42-year-old’s first WTCC victory in 2005.

 

His BMW Team Italy-Spain team-mate Sergio Hernández (ES) is another who can’t wait to return to the battle for world championship points. “There is something missing in my life,” says the Spaniard, presently relaxing on Ibiza. “I just need to race. Were it up to me, we would head for Oschersleben immediately and get the free practice session underway.” However, until then Hernández will enjoy his second-biggest passion: diving on the popular holiday island. “I instruct at a diving school. I really enjoy that. To be under water is pure relaxation, although obviously every day I devote a lot of time to the fitness studio. After all, I intend being really well prepared when it starts again.”

 

Race Calendar:

 

Date Location
8th March Curitiba, Brazil
22nd March Puebla, Mexico
3rd May Marrakech, Morocco
17th May Pau, France
31st May Valencia, Spain
21st June Brno, Czech Republic
5th July Porto, Portugal
19th July Brands Hatch, Great Britain
6th Sept Oschersleben, Germany
20th Sept Imola, Italy
1st Nov Okayama, Japan
22nd Nov Macau, China

Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand raced their No. 90 BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team M3 to a third place GT2 class finish in today's American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park.

 

The duo completed 166 laps around the Lime Rock circuit to record their first podium and best result of the season. The team has now scored three podiums in the first five races of their inaugural season to keep BMW of North America's perfect record of always finishing on the podium in a race at Lime Rock Park.

 

The No. 92 M3 of Tommy Milner and Dirk Mϋller finished 10th in class after running as high as third.

 

Lime Rock fans got exactly what they came for. As the green flag waved, Bill Auberlen moved the No. 90 M3 immediately to third from his fourth place starting spot. Tommy Milner, in the No. 92 M3, moved from fifth to fourth, and then later was able to glue himself to the rear of the second place competitor for the duration of his stint.

 

The race's only caution flag flew on lap 61 just before the one hour mark and both M3s pitted six laps later. The crew of the No. 90 M3 executed a brilliant stop to send Joey Hand back into the race in second. Dirk Mϋller hopped into the No. 92 M3 and rejoined the race in fourth place.

 

Hand and Mϋller raced hard, but a spin by Hand dropped the No. 90 to fourth, promoting Mϋller to third. On lap 109 Mϋller was sidelined for repairs and Hand regained third. Hand needed fuel in the closing stages of the race, and another quick stop by the team kept him in front of the fourth place competitor by some 14 seconds at the checkered flag.

 

Bobby Rahal, Team Principal:
"Today was an eventful day. The No. 92 car was having quite a race. They got hurt on the first yellow because we had gotten lapped by the overall leader and the GT2 class leader had not, losing us an entire lap. Joey and Bill did a great job."

 

Martin Birkmann, BMW of North America Motorsport Manager:
"There is still a gap to the GT2 front runners, but it's getting smaller and smaller. We will continue to whittle it away. We promised to give our fans a good show and I think for the majority of the race we did exactly that. The team worked very hard to give us our 10th podium in as many times BMW of North America has raced at Lime Rock. I think everyone can feel extremely proud of our result today."

 

Bill Auberlen, driver No. 90 BMW M3:
"It was a dogfight today, but Scott (Roembke) called a perfect race. His strategy was flawless. I came into the pits in fourth and Joey went out in second. He dropped back a little and made it up with a great race and here we are on the podium. Thanks to everyone who worked so hard today. Hopefully you'll see us up on the podium a lot more soon."

 

Joey Hand, driver No. 90 BMW M3:
”As I had hoped, today we were as strong as we have ever been. We fought some adversity but kept the M3 in good position. The crew helped us get two positions in one pit stop! Outrageous! At one point, I ended up somewhere way out in the grass where I shouldn't have been, but somehow got the car back on track. I didn't want to let this team down. Today was a great day for us."

Thanks to his third win of the 2009 FIA World Touring Car Championship, BMW Team Germany’s Augusto Farfus (BR) successfully reduced the gap to championship leader Yvan Muller (FR). At Brands Hatch (GB) the 25-year-old won the 16th round of the year. As Farfus’ team-mate Jörg Müller (DE) finished second, BMW was able to celebrate its third one-two finish of the season. Andy Priaulx (GB) of BMW Team UK was BMW driver number three on a podium, after coming third in the first race of the day.

 

In an eventful race one, Priaulx took the chequered flag behind Chevrolet’s race winner Alain Menu (CH) and Robert Huff (GB). Müller finished sixth and collected three points, while Farfus notched up one point for eighth – and made sure of pole for race two. .The two BMW Team Italy-Spain drivers, Alessandro Zanardi (IT) and Sergio Hernández (ES), however, left Great Britain empty-handed.

 

As championship front-runner Muller only managed to score two points this weekend, Farfus closed in on the SEAT driver and now lies just six points adrift in third. Between these two, Gabriele Tarquini (IT) is second on 77 points. In the Manufacturers’ Championship BMW also gained ground on SEAT, and is now second with 201 points, just ten points behind the leaders.

 

Moments before the start of race one’s formation lap a brief rain shower hit the 3.703-kilometre circuit. Fortunately this was the only shower of the morning, and the race started without any delay. Nevertheless, it was just a matter of seconds until the first incident occurred. Farfus was hit by Muller, and dropped back to 24th. While Farfus was about to start an impressive fight back, Priaulx successfully defended his third on the grid. Müller benefited from the turmoil at the start, improving from 13th to eighth.

 

Towards the end of lap 6 the safety-car was deployed again, after another accident involving several cars had pushed Hernández to the back of the field. At this stage, Priaulx had lost third to Tarquini, while Farfus was running in 20th. Following the re-start, the BMW drivers made up some lost ground: Priaulx gained third back from Tarquini on lap 11, then started to put Huff under pressure. But the local hero couldn’t find a way past his fellow countryman and brought his BMW 320si WTCC home in third. Müller moved up into sixth, Zanardi held 12th after being passed by a storming Farfus, who went on to pass two more cars. When Nicola Larini (IT, Chevrolet) dropped back due to a technical problem, the Brazilian improved to eighth, making sure of a single point and pole position for race two. Hernández crossed the line in 16th.

 

Thanks to excellent starts the BMW Team Germany pairing laid the foundation for their one-two finish in the second round. Farfus defended his lead, Müller improved from third to second. This order remained unchanged to the chequered flag. Farfus finished 2.061 seconds ahead of his team-mate and celebrated his 12th career victory in the WTCC.

 

Priaulx was involved in an exciting fight with SEAT’s Tarquini, who he had battle with in race one. Over the course of the complete race he put his rivals under pressure, but couldn’t find a way to get past. Priaulx had to make do with fifth.
Zanardi was running in seventh, when another collision saw him losing several positions. The Italian got sandwiched by Huff and Tiago Monteiro (PT, SEAT), went off the track and ultimately finished 12th again. Hernández worked his way up from 16th place on the grid, but just missed out on points by making it over the line in ninth.

 

Augusto Farfus (BMW Team Germany):
“This has been a complicated weekend for me. In race one I got hit and lost a lot of positions. For fractions of a second I thought: That’s it. But then I kept on pushing hard and fortunately made it to eighth. In race two I lead the way along with Jörg Müller, and together we celebrated another one-two finish. This success to a huge degree belongs to my team-mate and the entire crew, who once more did a great job. After the summer break I have to keep on scoring points consistently, in order to keep the title fight open.”

 

Andy Priaulx (BMW Team UK):
“I really wanted a win today and I had a car that was faster than the guys in front in both races. I had some good battles with Rob Huff and Gabriele Tarquini and was faster, but I could just not make any of my moves stick. I tried on many occasions but they defended heavily and it is difficult to overtake round this track. I have the speed this year to win, but if just hasn’t happened to date. Hopefully that will come later in the season.”

 

Jörg Müller (BMW Team Germany):
“Everyone is trying to get the most of each race for the championship fight. I’m glad that Augusto and I scored the best-possible result for BMW today. My car was just fantastic. Following our good starts I was really confident we would be able to keep the one-two right to the finish. And fortunately that’s exactly what happened.”

 

Alessandro Zanardi (BMW Team Italy-Spain):
“After a disappointing first race I managed to work my way into the points’ positions in race two. But then, on lap 10, the track was just too tight for three cars running side by side. It’s a pity as the team deserved to be rewarded with points today.”

 

Sergio Hernández (BMW Team Italy-Spain):
“The races didn’t favour me. In race one I was involved in a collision which wasn’t my own fault. Then I finished ninth in round two, which is a thankless position as you don’t get points for it. We will work hard during the summer break to come back more competitive in Oschersleben.”

With only one-thousandth of a second between their qualifying times, the two BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team M3s will start fourth and fifth in the GT2 class for tomorrow’s American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park.

 

Joey Hand, driving the No. 90 M3, qualified fourth, with a 55.049 second lap around the 1.5-mile circuit. Just a tick of the watch behind, Dirk Mueller qualified the No. 92 M3 in fifth with a 55.050 second lap.

 

Second and fourth in this morning’s one-hour practice session; the team continued to have a strong second session immediately before today’s qualifying. Five solid weeks of preparation for BMW’s “home” race have paid dividends as both M3s will start only .385 seconds from the front of the GT2 grid.

 

“We are closing the gap to the class leaders and that is a definite sign of good things to come,” said Hand. “We’ve made progress today and I’m able to trail brake into the corners and carry the speed all the way through. With almost no straight line braking here that will really pay off in the race.”

 

Mueller added, “I could not seem to clear slower traffic to warm up my tires so I didn’t have my pressure to the perfect number needed to put in my best lap. I knew I had to try, but this was not my best effort.”

The BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team is well-prepared to continue the momentum made in the first half of its inaugural season following the traditional two-month break in American Le Mans Series action. Adding to the excitement of getting back on track, the July 18 ALMS Northeast Grand Prix will be held at BMW of North America’s “home” track Lime Rock Park, in Lakeville, CT.

 

BMW of North America M3s have raced at Lime Rock Park in nine previous seasons in five series – never failing to reach the podium - taking six wins, including 1-2-3 GT class finishes in 1997 and 1999.

 

“Lime Rock Park provides the perfect stage for an excellent handling car and the BMW M3 has always had an affinity for the track,” said Martin Birkmann, BMWNA Motorsport Manager. “We believe the progress made during the break will help us continue to close the gap to our competition and give the fans at Lime Rock an excellent show. The “mountain season” has begun! Up to this point, we have not seen any elevation changes but, starting with Lime Rock, every track will include up and down hill sections that better suit the balance and handling strengths of the BMW M3.”

 

BMW stands fourth in ALMS GT2 Manufacturer point standings. Finishing a two-day test at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last week, Joey Hand and Dirk M?ller shared time behind the wheel of the No. 90 M3 to run through final checks and optimize suspension settings for the latest Dunlop tires.

 

The Bill Auberlen/Joey Hand combination in the No. 90 M3 is an especially strong one at Lime Rock Park. Auberlen is one of the most dominant drivers in track history, with more wins at Lime Rock in a BMW than any other driver.

 

“I can’t put my finger on exactly what it is, but Lime Rock is like a close friend,” said Auberlen. “It may sound strange. I just seem to know what the track is thinking. And in a BMW everything becomes just that much more focused.”

 

Hand said, “Lime Rock is a track where the first priority is to get a good qualifying result. The circuit is quite narrow and starting up front allows for a much more refined race strategy. Passing is difficult and often not in traditional places. I’ve found that you can make a pass stick on the outside of Big Bend and don’t be surprised to see drivers take to the grass on the inside of Turn Three.”

 

Dirk Miller, driver of the No. 92 M3, echoed Hand’s comments. “A race at Lime Rock can quickly become a traffic management issue. With fewer prototypes in the field this year perhaps we will be able to focus more on our race, but you must always drive with your mirrors there.”

 

Two one-hour official practice sessions are scheduled for 11:15 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Friday. A single 20-minute qualifying session is scheduled to begin at 3:35 p.m. that afternoon. The two-hour-and-forty minute race is scheduled to start at 2:05 p.m. Saturday and will be broadcast on SPEED television beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET.

The fight for the 2009 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) enters its next stage in Brands Hatch (GB) this weekend. The 3.703-kilometre Grand Prix Circuit will host rounds 15 and 16 of the series. A look to the past proves the track suits the BMW 320si WTCC: In 2007 local hero Andy Priaulx (GB) claimed victory for BMW Team UK there, last year BMW Team Germany’s Jörg Müller (DE) made it to the top step of the podium.

 

Following his 2008 pole position, Müller’s team-mate Augusto Farfus (BR), currently ranked third in the drivers’ classification, is fired up to score his maiden win at this classic circuit. Sergio Hernández (ES) has fully recovered from the foot injury he suffered in an accident in Porto (PT). He and his team-mate, Alessandro Zanardi (IT), equally want to improve the points’ tally of BMW Team Italy-Spain. The BMW 320si WTCC cars with the H-pattern gearbox will carry the same compensation weight (40 kilograms) as their main rivals, the SEAT León TDIs. Zanardi contests the eighth event of the year with no ballast onboard his vehicle with its sequential transmission.

 

Andy Priaulx (BMW Team UK):
“I am looking forward to another great weekend in Brands Hatch. It is always a huge challenge to race on the Grand Prix circuit. It is not simple to overtake there, and it is easy to make mistakes. The immense motor racing tradition which Brands Hatch can look back on is everywhere.”

 

Jörg Müller (BMW Team Germany):
“My performance in Brands Hatch has constantly improved. In 2006, I had to retire. Then I scored points, and last year I celebrated victory there. Apart from these results, I just like the track a lot. It’s nicely embedded in the landscape and a true classic on the calendar.”

 

Augusto Farfus (BMW Team Germany):
“Last year I claimed pole position in Brands Hatch, but couldn’t use it to celebrate a big points’ finish. Now I’m fired up to improve my tally on this great circuit. It will be crucial to score another strong result. Only then I will be able to keep the pressure up on the guys who are in front of me in the drivers’ standings.”

 

Alessandro Zanardi (BMW Team Italy-Spain):
“I had a strong weekend in Brands Hatch last year and brought home 11 points from Great Britain. I don’t see any reason why this shouldn’t again be a successful weekend for us. After the races on Porto’s street circuit, I’m now happy to return to a proper race track.”

 

Sergio Hernández (BMW Team Italy-Spain):
“I’m glad that I can take the start in Brands Hatch. In 2008 I scored a point there as a privateer. That shows that I cope really well with this circuit. My accident in Portugal is a thing of the past.”

BMW Team Germany’s Augusto Farfus (BR) claimed victory in the 14th round of the 2009 FIA World Touring Car Championship. At the “Circuito da Boavista”, the 25-year-old took victory in front of the two SEAT drivers, Yvan Muller (FR) and Rickard Rydell (SE), who finished second and third respectively. In the 100th WTCC race since 2005 Farfus celebrated his 11th career win, thus topping the all-time winners’ list in the series. BMW Team UK driver, Andy Priaulx (GB), became the only driver to have contested every WTCC race to date and scored two points by finishing seventh. Farfus’ team-mate Jörg Müller (DE) came eighth.

 

The first sprint race of the day had to be stopped shortly after the start following a mass collision. Before the red flag came out, BMW Team Italy-Spain’s Sergio Hernández (ES) was involved in a heavy accident, when he was pushed into the wall by another competitor. The 25-year-old suffered a bruised left foot, but was able to leave hospital after a thorough medical check. After the 30-minute interruption followed by a re-start, Farfus crossed the line in eighth, and secured one point and pole position for race two, which he then used perfectly to his advantage to score his second victory of the 2009 season.

 

As championship leader Muller scored two podium finishes in Porto, Farfus failed to close the gap in the Drivers’ Championship despite his success. He now has 65 points under his belt and is third in the standings, 15 points behind the defending champion. In the manufacturers’ classification, BMW has 174 points to its tally, lying second behind SEAT (191).

 

In the early stages of the first race, Priaulx defended fourth on the grid, while Farfus moved from seventh to sixth. Müller made a good start and improved to ninth, Zanardi dropped back to 13th. Then the events started to pile up: First LADA’s Jaap van Lagen (NL) crashed into Hernández, then Farfus touched Alain Menu’s (CH) Chevrolet car under braking. Menu spun and blocked the track, causing a mass collision involving no less than nine cars, which brought out the red flags.

 

After the re-start behind the safety-car, Priaulx stayed fourth and put third-placed Muller under pressure. Müller and Zanardi were running in eighth and 11th respectively. Due to the collision with Menu, Farfus was penalised with a drive-through penalty that saw him dropping back to 13th on lap six. After he overtook SEAT’s Tom Coronel (NL) for 12th, the four BMW drivers ahead of him let Farfus pass, thus letting him finish eighth. Priaulx, Müller and Zanardi crossed the line in ninth, 11th and 12th respectively.

 

The second race also saw two incidents with serious consequences: On lap three four drivers retired after accidents within a few seconds, and again the safety-car was deployed. On lap ten, WTCC’s 100th race was red-flagged, after BMW privateer driver Franz Engstler (DE) and Menu crashed. All this could not distract Farfus from celebrating a lights to flag victory. He finally finished 2.295 seconds ahead of Muller after 13 laps. Priaulx collected two points and finished seventh, Müller picked up the final point in eighth. Zanardi had to make do with tenth.

 In qualifying for the 13th round of the 2009 FIA World Touring Car Championship, BMW Team UK’s Andy Priaulx (GB) secured a place on the second row of the grid. The triple world champion clocked a lap time of 2:09.563 minutes in the decisive second session and finished fourth at Porto’s “Circuito da Boavista”.

 

Augusto Farfus (BR) of BMW Team Germany also managed to claim a top-ten result in the 50th qualifying in WTCC history. He will start seventh in the first of the two sprint races on Sunday. SEAT’s Gabriele Tarquini (IT) took pole position, running 0.255 seconds quicker than Priaulx. Chevrolet driver Robert Huff (GB) and Yvan Muller (FR/SEAT) came second and third respectively.

 

Alessandro Zanardi (IT) narrowly missed out on the second part of qualifying for BMW Team Italy-Spain after finishing 11th in the first phase. BMW Team Germany’s Jörg Müller (DE) followed in 12th. After hitting the barriers during his second outing, Zanardi’s team-mate Sergio Hernández (ES) had to make do with 17th in “Q1”

 

“The saying goes: He who dares wins. Today we dared, but didn’t quite win,” said Priaulx after the two exciting sessions at the 4.720-kilometre street circuit. “I pushed a bit too hard on my second run. Without a little off towards the end of the session, we could have qualified even further up on the grid. Nevertheless it’s great to make it onto the second row considering where we came from after the test and the two practice sessions. My team did a fantastic job and the set-up was perfect.”

 

Following promising lap times in the practice sessions, Farfus had hoped for a better grid position for the WTCC’s second visit to Porto. “But we just couldn’t exploit the peak of the tyres,” the 25-year-old explained. “We will analyse this problem now, in order to be more competitive tomorrow. In general my car was great, but I was not able to make full use of its potential. However, coming from seventh on the grid, a good result is still possible, especially regarding the reverse grid for race two.”

 

In the first phase of qualifying two runs were enough for Priaulx to set the fourth-fastest lap time and to easily advance into the top-ten shoot out. Farfus qualified for “Q2” on his ninth lap by improving to ninth. In the all-important second leg, both BMW drivers pushed hard, especially during their final outings. But Farfus’ chances for an improvement were virtually over when he hit the barriers at the wheel of his BMW 320si WTCC in turn 8. Priaulx also missed the opportunity to set a better time than the one posted on lap 2 during his very last attempt.

The FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) this weekend travels to Porto (PT) for the 99th and 100th races since the series made its comeback in 2005. BMW has unquestionably been the most successful manufacturer in the championship. Eighteen years after BMW driver Roberto Ravaglia (IT) scored the first WTCC title in 1987, Dirk Müller (DE) registered a hat-trick (pole position, fastest lap and overall victory) for BMW on 10th April 2005.

 

To date the manufacturer has claimed a further 37 wins, with Sergio Hernández (ES) adding his name to the winners’ roll by occupying the top step of the podium in Brno (CZ) for BMW Team Italy-Spain. BMW Team UK’s Andy Priaulx (GB) was crowned world champion three times after winning consecutive titles between 2005 and 2007. While the driver from Guernsey in the Channel Islands won his first title with a BMW 320i, it was with the BMW 320si WTCC, introduced in 2006, that he won the others. Priaulx is the only driver who crossed started every race to date.

 

“BMW has an excellent record in the World Touring Car Championship,” says BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen. “Over the past five years 12 drivers have represented the BMW national teams, and celebrated innumerable successes. Naturally our world titles in 2005, 2006 and 2007 were the highlights, and we will do everything in our power to add another chapter to our success story this year. The series provides a good platform for our Customer Sport programme, as BMW privateers are able to race wheel-to-wheel against our national teams. It is surely no coincidence that a BMW driver has won the privateer classification three times since 2005.“

 

A glance at the statistics proves that BMW has stamped its authority on the WTCC like no other manufacturer. BMW drivers have claimed 16 race one pole positions and set fastest lap times in 45 of the 98 races to date. 1277 racing laps have been completed thus far – of which 527 were led by a BMW driver. No less than 68 races saw at least one BMW driver on the podium, with 115 top-three places falling to BMW teams. 1411 Points have been scored by BMW’s drivers to date. In 14 races, a BMW driver set the fastest lap, claimed pole position and secured the victory.

 

Only four drivers have been able to score ten career victories in the history of the WTCC – three of which were in a BMW. Beside Augusto Farfus (BR) and Priaulx, Jörg Müller (DE) has crossed the line as the winner ten times. 14 fastest laps mean Müller tops this category, while Farfus’ nine pole positions mean he started the first race of the weekend from the prime spot more often than any other driver.

 

The BMW national teams have not been alone in ensuring WTCC glory. Privateers, too, have been able to celebrate great success thanks to BMW race cars: Marc Hennerici (DE) won the 2005 Independents’ Trophy; Stefano d’Aste (IT) and Hernández, the current BMW Team Italy-Spain driver, managed the feat in 2007 and 2008.

 

The successes posted by the BMW national teams since 2005.

 

Beside winning three drivers‘ titles via Andy Priaulx, in the 98 FIA World Touring Car Championship races to date, BMW drivers have…