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BMW Motorsports News Summary - 01/23/2002
Motorsport programme for 2002 targets F1, touring cars and Formula BMW
Source: BMW Press Club
BMW's motorsport programme for the 2002 season has been finalized. Apart from the Formula One involvement of the BMW WilliamsF1 Team and the talent promotion scheme of the revised Formula BMW ADAC Championship, the company will be directing greater attention to the FIA European Touring Car Championship (ETCC).
With this in mind, the longstanding BMW Team Schnitzer will shift its sphere of deployment and field two 320i's in the ETCC under the competitive title BMW Team Germany. Last year already saw several teams backed by national BMW dealers contending the series. Dutchman Peter Kox, for example, won the 2001 drivers' championship in a BMW entered by former touring car world and European champion Roberto Ravaglia. Last season, the 320i was fielded in accordance with the Superproduction (SPC) regulations.
This year, the European Championship for near-production touring cars will be carried out according to the new Super 2000 regulations introduced by the FIA world motor sport council, based on the previous SPC regulations. It specifies near-production four-door cars with 2-litre engines and, by contrast with the SPC, allows for more scope on the engine, chassis and aerodynamics front.
"As before, we do not regard our participation in the European Championship as a classic factory involvement," explains BMW Motorsport Director Gerhard Berger, "though the targets have been raised by the entry of other manufacturers." BMW will be producing at least six Super 2000 parts kits from which the national teams can assemble their racing cars. Talks on the involvement in the championship of BMW factory drivers Jörg Müller (D), Dirk Müller (D) and Fredrik Ekblom (S) are ongoing, but JJ Lehto (FIN) will no longer be available.
No show at the ALMS
BMW will no longer be participating in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) this season. The M3 GTR had dominated the GT category of the US series in 2001. Notes BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen: "Unfortunately, in December, the M3 GTR was affected by a change in the regulations which would have a radical impact on the vehicle's competitiveness." Neither Team BMW Motorsport nor the BMW North America-backed Team PTG will be deploying the M3 GTR this year.
"We would have had to invest major staff and technical resources to try to compensate for the ensuing disadvantage," Theissen elaborates, "but our main focus on our Formula One involvement means we can't spare the capacity."
That brings to a close the M3 GTR's success story after just one year. This sports machine enabled BMW to make an immediate breakthrough in last season's GT class with seven wins out of ten races. Jörg Müller won the drivers' classification in the M3 GTR, BMW took the manufacturers' title and BMW Motorsport the team title. There are no plans to compete in the GT category of the ALMS with another BMW model in 2002.
New Formula BMW for up-and-coming talent
A further pillar of the BMW motorsport programme has traditionally been the promotion of young talent. With a new car and a modified series concept, the successful talent promotion scheme initiated by BMW and ADAC now enters its twelfth year. BMW has developed a highly modern Formula vehicle that allows aspirants as young as 15 to enter into Formula racing.
Says Berger: "Subsidized costs for an up-and-running car along with a comprehensive education programme that includes training in technology, fitness, nutrition and rhetoric make this scheme by BMW and ADAC unique." The Formula BMW ADAC Championship races will largely take place within the framework of the German Touring Car Masters (DTM). The highlight of the season will be the race held in conjunction with a Formula One event - the European Grand Prix at the Nürburging on 22/23 June.
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