24h-Race Nürburgring 2005 - Press Kit.

1. Return to the place of victory. 3 2. Farewell to the BMW M3 GTR.
5 3. Profile of Team BMW Motorsport. 7 4. Hans-Joachim Stuck. 10 5.
Dirk Müller. 13 6. Jörg Müller. 15 7. Duncan Huisman.
17 8. Pedro Lamy. 19 9. Boris Said. 21 10. Andy Priaulx. 23 11.
Technology of the BMW M3 GTR. 25 12. Schedule, circuit, regulations.
30 13. Facts and figures. 33 14. BMW successes in 24-hour events. 34
15. Partners and sponsors. 37 16. Press contacts. 39 1. Return to
the place of victory. Showdown in the "Green Hell". When you
get 210 cars pitting their skills against each other on a
25.378-kilometre-long twisting track, every motor racing fan knows the
24 Hour Race is on again at the Nürburgring. BMW Motorsport will
again be fielding two BMW M3 GTRs in the 33rd edition of this endurance
classic, which starts at 15:00 hrs on 8th May 2005. Following their
triumphant one-two victory last year, the two powerful GT sports cars
are returning to the Nordschleife to contest their farewell race. When
it came to selecting the drivers, Team BMW Motorsport espoused the adage
"Never change a winning team". And so last year's three
winners - Dirk Müller (GER), Jörg Müller (GER) and
Hans-Joachim Stuck (GER) - are part of the line-up, along with Duncan
Huisman (NLD), Pedro Lamy (POR) and Boris Said (USA), who crossed the
finishing line in second place in 2004. The reigning European Touring
Car Champion Andy Priaulx (GBR) joins the team as driver number seven.
Whereas the 30-year-old marks his debut on the Nordschleife, the
competition car of Team BMW Motorsport - the BMW M3 GTR - will be
making its final appearance in the Eifel. Last year, the 500 bhp power
pack put in a compelling performance with its invincible combination of
speed and reliability. In 2005, the seasoned crew of Schnitzer
Motorsport from Freilassing - BMW's partner on the Nordschleife once
again - will be pulling out all the stops to deliver an error-free
race. In order to achieve this goal, the team headed by manager Charly
Lamm has undergone intensive preparations for the endurance marathon
through the Eifel forests. BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen
knows the strengths of the team only too well, but he also takes their
rivals very seriously. "After our one-two victory in 2004, many
naturally regard us as the favourites for this year as well", he
says. "But there is serious competition and they are fired up to
deny us victory. It will be difficult to repeat an error-free race like
last year's, but we will be doing all we can to offer the BMW fans
another good show in this classic event, which is at the same time the
final race for the BMW M3 GTR."