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."