BMW sets its sights on the Nürburgring 24 Hours again.

Munich, 18th February 2005. One more time: BMW will again be fielding
its two BMW M3 GTRs in the Nürburgring 24 Hour Race on 7th/8th
May. It will mark the final season for the two muscle cars with their
500 bhp V8 engines that claimed a one-two win in 2004. The seven-man
BMW squad for the marathon on the legendary Nordschleife has been
named: the winners of 2004, BMW works drivers Dirk Müller (Burbach)
and Jörg Müller (Hückelhoven), along with Hans-Joachim
Stuck (Ellmau/AUT) are in the team, as are last year's three runners-up
- Duncan Huisman (NLD), Pedro Lamy (PRT) and Boris Said (USA). Team BMW
Motorsport led by Charly Lamm gets notable backing from Andy Priaulx
(GBR), the reigning European Touring Car Champion and BMW works driver
in the 2005 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). BMW Motorsport
Director Mario Theissen: "The Nürburgring 24 Hours is unique
in terms of sport and atmosphere. 220 cars racing on a 25.4-kilometre
twisty labyrinth before a crowd of 200,000 - this is a spectacular
event. In 2004 we defied the most appalling weather conditions to take
a one-two win, which caused great excitement among the public and
in-house. In 2005, our preparation programme is much shorter due to the
event having been brought forward by five weeks and because of the
relatively harsh winter. Nevertheless, we hope to be able to continue
the BMW success story on the Nordschleife with the last major
appearance of the M3 GTR, though we know only too well that with this
kind of distance on what is arguably the world's most challenging
circuit, things don't always go according to plan. That is also part of
the attraction of this 24-hour event." With 17 overall victories
- including seven one-two wins - since the event was inaugurated in
1970, BMW has been by far the most successful manufacturer involved in
the race. Hans-Joachim Stuck was behind the wheel for three of BMW's
overall wins. He won the debut race of 1970 in a BMW 2002 ti and was
also at the controls in 1998 when the BMW 320d became the first
diesel-powered touring car to win an endurance event of this kind.
Before the BMW touring car aces rise to the challenges of season 2005's
24 Hour Race and FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), they will
be meeting up at the BMW Fitness Camp in Principina Terra, Grosseto
(Italy) from 25th February to 2nd March. Contact: Heike Bartsch,
BMW Communications Motorsport, phone: +49 89 382 33115, mobile +49 172
8485998, heike.bartsch@bmw.de Press information and pictures are
available to download from www.press.bmw.com