BMW Motorsport News – Issue 11/12

Whether it’s in the DTM, the American Le Mans Series or in countless other racing series, BMW Teams and drivers are on the hunt for points, victories and title wins, week after week. What’s more, the members of the large BMW Motorsport family are also making headlines around the world even when they aren’t on the track. “BMW Motorsport News” summarises the events for you in a compact and informative package, meaning you’ll always stay right up to date. 

World Championship Final in Macau: BMW Driver Michelisz wins the Independents’ Trophy.  

Despite dropping out of the race twice during the spectacular season finale of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) in Macau (MO), Norbert Michelisz (HU) from the Zengö Motorsport Team has won the title in the Independent Drivers’ class. In the penultimate round, Michelisz and his two major competitors for the Independents’ trophy – Pepe Oriola (ES, SEAT), and BMW driver Stefano D’Aste (IT) of Team Wiechers Sport – all dropped out of the race after a collision at the start. During the 24th and last round of the season, Michelisz was in a podium position when he touched the crash barriers during a tussle with Oriola, and this accident finally saw him dropping out for the second time. Oriola wasn’t able to carry on either, however, and D’Aste also had to retire. This meant Michelisz was able to keep a hold on the lead in the overall rankings. The 28 year-old won with a total of 139 points. Oriola and D’Aste followed behind in second and third with 126 and 122 points respectively. Behind the wheel of his BMW 320 TC, Franz Engstler (DE) managed to get onto the Independent Drivers’ podium twice in Macau and so managed to push himself into fourth place. Chevrolet Driver Robert Huff (GB) became the new Touring Car World Champion. 

Three questions for Norbert Michelisz.  

Norbert, what was the key aspect that helped you win the Independents’ Trophy in your second year with a BMW 320 TC in the WTCC?  

Norbert Michelisz: “There are two major differences in comparison to my first season in a BMW 320 TC. Firstly, I became more used to driving the car, and secondly, the team had a lot more experience with setting it up. All in all, it was our consistency that was the key element of our title win. We managed to win some victories and podium places by the ninth weekend in Sonoma (US), and this luckily meant my lead in the Independents’ Trophy was large enough for me to remain at the top, despite a great deal of bad luck on the last three weekends. I’m very happy.” 

Do you have a special highlight from the season? 

Michelisz: “The whole season has been a unique highlight for me and Zengö Motorsport. You’ll have seen we’ve been developing continuously, a trend that has manifested itself in our pole position and our victories. Continuous development is always the most important aspect for me. If you can make progress, then success will eventually come to you automatically. If I have to name a particular highlight from the season, however, then it would naturally be my home victory on the Hungaroring. Winning in front of my home crowd was a very special experience.” 

Your career started very unusually – as a computer gamer…

Michelisz: “That’s right. I fell in love with Motorsport from the very first time I played a racing game on my computer. At that time, however, I didn’t have the chance to get in the driver’s seat of a real racing car. This meant the computer games were a good way to indulge my passion. They were also a good platform to get myself noticed. I had a great deal of luck that some people recognised my racing talent based on how I played the games and, through this, gave me a chance to drive a real racing car. That’s six years ago, now – I can hardly believe what we’ve managed to achieve since then!” 

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Fans in Munich get a “Visit from Bruno”.

On 22nd November, Bruno Spengler (CA) will make his way to take part in an extraordinary promotional campaign. The DTM Champion will drive a BMW 1 series in the same matt black look as his BMW Bank M3 DTM on a tour through the centre of Munich to visit his fans at home. Fans have been able to apply for the “Visit from Bruno”, the official name of the promotion, on BMW Motorsport’s Facebook page since15th November. You can also find information about the exact route of the promotion on the Facebook page. 

You can find all information about the "Visit from Bruno” at:

http://on.fb.me/UFJm8K 

Spengler: Guest at the Motorsport fair in Cologne.

Bruno Spengler visited the “Professional Motorsport World Expo 2012” fair in Cologne (DE) from Tuesday to Thursday. He was a guest at the stand of his personal sponsor, Hermann Spengler GmbH & Co. KG. Bruno Spengler and his namesake, whose company not only creates concrete barriers for road traffic safety, but also manufactures products for the world of racing, have had a close partnership for many years. “I was there to hold a face-to-face dialogue with interested guests to talk about my personal experience as a racing driver on the theme of driving safety,” said Spengler. 

BMW Team RBM Drivers in a Promotion Back Home.

Andy Priaulx (GB) gave a speech back home on Friday on the Channel Island of Guernsey (GB). During the annual dinner of the Guernsey Sports Commission, the three-time Touring Car World Champion spoke to the most successful sports people from the Channel Islands about teamwork and the success that it creates. His team-mate at BMW Team RBM, Augusto Farfus (BR), made a sporting appearance in Curitiba (BR) on Sunday. After doing intensive training, he took part in a marathon in his hometown. Farfus finished the first marathon of his life successfully in 4:21 hours.