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After an interval of 18 years, BMW will once again be bidding for a world championship title in touring car racing. Yesterday the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) 2005 was presented to the public at the Hotel de Paris in Monaco by FIA President Max Mosley. The WTCC is the successor to the FIA European Touring Car Championship, in which BMW managed to win both the Drivers' and the Manufacturers' title in 2004.
The only World Touring Car Championship that has been held to date was in 1987. Roberto Ravaglia (ITA) drove a BMW M3 to take the championship title. Next to Formula One and the Rally Championship, the WTCC is the third discipline for which the FIA has sanctioned a world championship title.
"The world championship title means a significant upgrading of the series," emphasizes BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen. "More manufacturers and famous drivers will ensure a growing interest." International touring car racing has by tradition been a strong pillar of BMW's motor sport activities. With the two trophies won in 2004, BMW now has a tally of 20 European Touring Car Championship titles. Theissen adds: "The BMW 320i will again undergo further development in Munich. We also want to be able to offer our national teams a racing kit for the WTCC that has winning potential."
BMW is fielding three national teams in the ten World Championship rounds. For the fourth consecutive year, Dirk Müller (Burbach) and Jörg Müller (Hückelhoven) will be flying the flag for BMW Team Deutschland - Schnitzer Motorsport. Apart from these two seasoned competitors, 2005 will see a third man as a BMW works driver, namely Andy Priaulx (GBR). The reigning FIA ETCC Champion aims to continue his successful run of the last season with BMW Team Great Britain - RBM.
Lining up on the grid for Ravaglia's BMW Team Italy-Spain will again be Antonio Garcia (ESP) and Alessandro Zanardi (ITA). Zanardi, who lost both legs in an accident in 2001, will be driving a BMW 320i specially adapted for him, as he did last year. For the innovative special developments which have enabled the ex-Formula One driver to make a comeback to the race track, BMW Motorsport was presented with an honorary award by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) on November 30th on the occasion of the Motorsport Engineering Conference in in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. In 2005, the creative engineers will provide Zanardi with another significantly improved steering system.
Dates of the FIA WTCC 2005:
10 April, Monza (Italy)01 May, Magny-Cours (France)15 May, Silverstone (England)29 May, Imola (Italy)26 June, Puebla (Mexico) 30 July, Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)28 August, Oschersleben (Germany)18 September, Istanbul (Turkey)02 October, Valencia (Spain)20 November, Macau (China)
