Launch of the BMW M3 DTM Concept Car
Just two weeks after the official roll-out of the new racing car for the 2012 DTM season, BMW presented the BMW M3 DTM Concept Car. Dr. Klaus Draeger, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for development, and BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt unveiled the car on Friday evening in the Double Cone building at Munich’s BMW Welt. As part of the DTM event in the Olympic Stadium, the BMW M3 DTM Concept Car will be on show to motorsport fans and visitors to BMW Welt at the weekend.
The car offers an initial impression of what the BMW M3 DTM will look like when it lines up at the start of the 2012 season. However, the vehicle was not the only star of the evening at BMW Welt: BMW Motorsport also presented the first two drivers to be confirmed as wearing the company colours in the DTM as of next season - Andy Priaulx (GB) and Augusto Farfus (BR). Furthermore, the first partners of BMW Motorsport for 2012 were introduced.
“It is good to see how our DTM project is picking up speed,” said Dr. Draeger. ”Next year, BMW returns to the DTM after two decades. We will be facing our main competitors in the premium sector - and are already looking forward to this challenge. The DTM comeback sees BMW return to its roots. We have enjoyed great success in production car racing in the past, and I am convinced we will follow on in 2012 where we left off. Everyone at BMW Motorsport is working hard to ensure we get off to a successful start next season.”
Marquardt added: “Getting a new racing programme up and running is a bit like doing a jigsaw. New pieces are added almost every day, and we must put them together to create the big picture. The BMW M3 DTM Concept Car is an important milestone on our route to the start of the 2012 season. The roll-out of the car was successful, and we are now starting our test programme out on the track. Drivers Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus are also involved and will form part of our driving line-up in 2012. Their impressive performances in touring car and GT racing make them ideally suited to the DTM, and we are sure they will leave their mark on this series too. It is obviously just as important to have strong partners on board, and we were able to present some of them today. The pieces are fitting together perfectly, so we can definitely say: our preparations for the 2012 season are going according to plan.”
Successful drivers from within the own ranks
Priaulx and Farfus have been confirmed as the first drivers to take to the track with the BMW M3 DTM in the 2012 season and during the intense test phase. Both drivers arrive in the DTM with impressive wins and titles to their names. Priaulx won the 2004 European Touring Car Championship for BMW, and followed that up with three World Championship titles between 2005 and 2007. The racing driver from the Channel Island of Guernsey (GB) has also proven his class in GT racing, with victory at the 2005 Nürburgring 24 Hours (DE) and first in the GT class at this year’s 12-hour race at Sebring (US).
“The DTM will be a big challenge for us all,” said Priaulx. ”Together with BMW, I have celebrated success in many different disciplines and behind the wheel of some fantastic racing cars in recent years. I am more than confident that this will also be the case in the DTM. The BMW M3 DTM looks fantastic. I can hardly wait to get to know the car better in the coming tests, to contribute to its development, and ultimately to sit in the cockpit for the first DTM race in 2012.”
Farfus can also look back on a successful career with BMW. This is proven by 15 wins in the World Touring Car Championship, the triumph at the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2010, and many more successful races in BMW racing cars: the Brazilian has all the essentials to be successful in the DTM. “I am delighted BMW is giving me the opportunity to race in the DTM,” said Farfus. “You always need new challenges in life. That is why I cannot wait for my debut in this series. The opposition is tough and has more experience in recent years, but BMW Motorsport is working fantastically to ensure we should be competitive right from the word go. We want to learn as quickly as possible. Who knows, maybe we can already challenge the established manufacturers a bit in 2012.”
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