BMW M1 Procar revival tijdens GP van Hockenheim.

BMW M1 Procar revival at Hockenheim.

Past masters roll back the years.

Munich, 30th June 2008. The F1 German Grand Prix programme this year will see
the revival of the most spectacular single-make competition in motor racing
history. The BMW M1 Procar series will be back at Hockenheim on 19th and 20th
July as a field of ten cars.

BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen, for one, is looking forward to the
event: “The M1 was unveiled 30 years ago as the first car created independently
by the then BMW Motorsport GmbH. It was a racing car which BMW customers could
also drive on the road, a unique project which had to overcome some tricky
administrative hurdles before getting off the ground.” In order to gain Group 4
homologation, 400 units of the super sports car had to be built within a period
of 24 months. As Theissen continues: “The idea of organising a single-make
series was born out of necessity – i.e. the requirements of homologation.
Nobody expected the BMW M1 Procar series to go down quite so well. Just a
mention of it today still triggers an enthusiastic reaction. This revival
serves as a ‘thank you’ to the fans.”

“There hasn’t been a series as attractive as this before or since,” says Marc
Surer. Now working as a Formula One expert on TV, Surer is well placed to
judge. As a young Formula 2 driver, he conducted testing and set-up work for
the prototypes at the time. “With its mid-engined layout, the M1 was a bit of
an animal to drive and had an outrageous soundtrack. The series fed off the
appeal of the cars and the opportunity for young drivers to measure themselves
against the leading Formula One stars at the time.”

The five fastest drivers from Friday practice for the Formula One Grand Prix
earned themselves a drive in the M1 race. The 15 remaining 500 hp machines were
piloted by hungry young hopefuls. “You were really somebody if you got to drive
in one of those races,” recalls Surer. “It was a unique opportunity to pit your
skills against the F1 drivers – and they were certainly pretty quick in the M1.
The handling of the mid-engined car suited them down to the ground. Plus, in
1979 – the first of the two years the series was held – they always started
from the front and were given works cars. That made it pretty tough for us
junior drivers in the independent teams. We had to look after our car, but at
the same time did everything we could to make our mark.”

The idea of developing the BMW M1, however, was the brainchild of Jochen
Neerpasch, the head of BMW Motorsport GmbH at the time, and it was he who
initiated the single-make series with Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley within
the relatively relaxed structure of F1 three decades ago.

A handful of past masters are set to line up once again for the two show races
at Hockenheim. Surer will be joined by Jacques Laffite, Dieter Quester,
Christian Danner, Harald Grohs and Prince Leopold of Bavaria. Jochen Neerpasch
will also be there, at the wheel of the BMW M1 turned into an Art Car by Andy
Warhol. His co-driver will be none other than Frank Stella, who also created an
Art Car – a BMW 3.0 CSL which raced at Le Mans in 1976. The 72-year-old remains
a keen motor racing fan.

Media contact at the circuit: Benjamin Titz, +49 179 743 8088