BMW Motorsport 2004 Season Review.

2004 Season Review. 3 Interview with BMW Motorsport Director Mario
Theissen. 4 Formula One. Australian GP. 8 Malaysian GP. 8 Bahrain
GP. 8 San Marino GP. 9 Spanish GP. 9 Monaco GP. 9 European GP.
10 Canadian GP. 10 USA GP. 11 French GP. 11 British GP. 11
German GP. 12 Hungarian GP. 12 Belgian GP. 13 Italian GP. 13
Chinese GP. 13 Japanese GP. 14 Brazilian GP. 14 Results and
statistics. 15 Did you know?? 18 24 Hour Races. BMW celebrates its
17th overall victory on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. 20
Nürburgring winners successful at Spa-Francorchamps too. 22 FIA
European Touring Car Championship. BMW takes Manufacturers' and Drivers'
ETCC titles. 23 ETCC Champion Andy Priaulx. 27 Results and
statistics. 28 Formula BMW. Formula BMW goes global. 30 Germany:
Summary - Champion profile - Statistics. 31 Britain: Summary -
Champion profile - Statistics. 34 USA: Summary - Champion profile -
Statistics. 37 Asia: Summary - Champion profile - Statistics. 40
2004 Season Review. Triumphs in touring car sport, difficult Formula
One season, Formula BMW goes international. Munich. Whereas for the
first time in its five-year involvement the BMW WilliamsF1 Team failed
to meet its targets in the FIA Formula One World Championship of 2004,
there were major victories to celebrate in touring car racing: BMW won
the Manufacturers' and Drives' title in the FIA European Touring Car
Championship, took overall victory in the 24 Hour Race at the
Nürburgring and a class victory at the 24 Hours of Spa. Formula
BMW, meanwhile, spread beyond its successful series in Germany and Asia
to establish itself in the USA and Britain as well in 2004. The BMW
WilliamsF1 Team had entered the 2004 season with great expectations.
The FW26 with its striking nose cone had acquitted itself superbly
during winter testing, but in the first races it soon became clear that
the competition had made a greater leap forward in terms of
development. Although the BMW P84 engine once again made its mark as a
leading power unit in terms of performance and reliability, the gap on
the chassis front could no longer be closed despite intensive work and
design modifications. The situation worsened when Ralf Schumacher had
to miss out on six Grand Prix races after a serious accident in
Indianapolis. During this time, test drivers Marc Gené and
Antonio Pizzonia drove the second FW26 alongside Juan Pablo Montoya.
One pole position (Schumacher in Canada) and three podium places
(Montoya two, Schumacher one) remained for a long time the best results
posted during the season. It wasn't until the final in Brazil that
Montoya claimed his first win of the season to end it on a more cheering
note. Even so, after the team had exceeded its targets for four
consecutive years and been in contention for the title up until the
final in 2003, fourth place in the Constructors' Championship in 2004
was the worst result since the partnership began in 2000. By contrast,
it was success all the way in touring car racing. BMW swept the board
with the 320i in the FIA European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) and
took the BMW M3 GTR to overall victory in the 24 Hour Race at the
Nürburgring as well as a class win in the 24 Hours of Spa. In the
Manufacturers' standings of the European Touring Car Championship, BMW
had carved out an unassailable lead with three races to go before the
end of the season. In the final events in Dubai, Andy Priaulx (GBR, BMW
Team Great Britain) managed to secure the Drivers' title.