PressClub United Kingdom · Article.
BMW brings all-new 3 Series to Britain's premier motorsport championship.
Wed Feb 27 17:08:59 CET 2019 Press Release
• BMW’s best-selling car to return to BTCC grid in 2019 • Legendary Bavarian model synonymous with touring car success • Reigning champion Colin Turkington to spearhead charge
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Chris Overall
BMW Group
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Author.
Chris Overall
BMW Group
The 3 Series will return to Britain’s premier motor racing series
this year, with BMW confirming it is to bring its best-selling model
worldwide back to the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship (BTCC).
A prolific winner virtually from the outset, the story of the
BMW 3 Series in the BTCC is a long and distinguished one, yielding
five Drivers’ titles and two Manufacturers’ crowns between 1988 and
2009, from Frank Sytner’s success with the M3 to Colin Turkington’s
triumph with the 320Si E90. In-between, there were back-to-back
championships for Will Hoy (1991), Tim Harvey (1992) and Joachim
Winkelhock (1993).
The 3 Series was superseded by the 125i M Sport in 2013; since
then, BMW has clinched two further Drivers’ trophies (both with
Turkington – in 2014 and 2018), three more Manufacturers’ laurels and
Teams’ honours in each of the last three seasons. Now, the
class-leading 3 Series is back, with a refreshed driver line-up for
Team BMW and designs on future glory.
Complementing the launch of the seventh-generation road-going
model in March, the race-tuned 330i M Sport will join the fray in the
2019 BTCC curtain-raiser around Brands Hatch’s Indy Circuit on 6/7
April. It will be piloted by three-time title-winner Turkington – the
most successful driver in the brand’s illustrious BTCC history – and
new signing Tom Oliphant, who impressed over the course of his rookie
campaign in the series last year.
Turkington is one of the most decorated touring car drivers in
the world, with 31 of his 46 BTCC race wins coming in Bavarian
machinery – including BMW’s milestone 100th victory at
Thruxton in 2017. With race-winning pedigree in the British GT
Championship and Ginetta GT4 SuperCup, Oliphant is widely considered
to be one of the sport’s rising stars and tallied 12 points-scoring
finishes in the BTCC in 2018.
The cars will be fielded by long-time BMW partner West Surrey
Racing, with a third 330i M Sport for 2013 BTCC Champion Andrew
Jordan, who will run out of the same WSR stable but under the BMW
Pirtek Racing banner in deference to his title sponsor.
Helmed by the legendary Dick Bennetts, WSR was founded almost
four decades ago and played an instrumental role in the formative
careers of such motorsport luminaries as Mika Hakkinen, Rubens
Barrichello and three-time Formula 1 World Champion Ayrton Senna.
The Surrey-based outfit has masterminded BMW’s BTCC challenge
since 2007, and is hard at work behind-the-scenes prepping the new 3
Series ahead of its anticipated track debut at the Season Launch test
at Brands Hatch on 27 March.
Graeme Grieve, CEO, BMW UK, said: “The BMW 3 Series has a rich
and successful history competing in the BTCC and we are extremely
proud to see that tradition continue. This all-new BMW 3 Series is the
road-going dynamic benchmark and we have a great track record working
with our partners at West Surrey Racing, so 2019 looks set to be a
very exciting year for us in the BTCC.”
Dick Bennetts, Team Principal, West Surrey Racing, said: “We are
delighted to be bringing the BMW 3 Series back to the BTCC. We
achieved a great deal of success with the fifth-generation model
between 2007 and 2012, so we are hugely excited to see what the latest
version is capable of. A lot of hard work and countless hours lie
ahead, but we are all confident of turning this car into a winner and
reinstating it in its rightful place – at the front of the field in
Britain’s premier motorsport series.”
Colin Turkington, 2009, 2014 and 2018 BTCC Champion, said: “As
far as pre-seasons go, it doesn’t get much better than this! Back in
2009, I clinched my first Drivers’ title in a BMW 3 Series, and to
commence a new chapter with the new model for Team BMW is a dream come
true. This exciting project has delivered a potent dose of motivation
into an already dedicated team and we are inspired to get going. It’s
a very busy time for the engineering team back at base as they build
and develop the cars for the new season, but the expertise is there to
get the job done. The new-look road car is stunning and the race car
will be something else! It’s an amazing time to be involved and I’m
honoured to have this role.”
ENDS
The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI,
Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading
premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides
premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production
network comprises 30 production and assembly facilities in 14
countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.
In 2018, the BMW Group sold over 2,490,000 passenger vehicles
and more than 165,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in
the financial year 2017 was € 10.655 billion on revenues amounting to
€ 98.678 billion. As of 31 December 2017, the BMW Group had a
workforce of 129,932 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established
ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain,
comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to
conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.
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