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BMW is official automotive partner of the Dragon World Championship in Weymouth. BMW Yachtsport ambassador Markus Wieser aims to exact revenge in the Olympic waters of 2012.
Wed Sep 04 13:53:00 CEST 2013 Press Release
The concluding highlight of a high-octane season for the international Dragon crews comes in the form of the bi-annual World Championship of this blue riband event, held from 5 to 13 September off England’s south coast. On Monday, 8 September, 78 crews of three from 16 nations will gather for the first race in the Olympic waters off Weymouth. As the newly-crowned Gold Cup winner at Douarnenez (FRA), BMW Yachtsport ambassador Markus Wieser ranks among the top favourites. Two years ago in Australia he suffered a last-minute defeat at the hands of title-holder Lawrie Smith of Great Britain, but is now hoping to exact his revenge. Following the European Championship, the German Grand Prix and the Gold Cup, BMW is now also the official automotive partner of the Dragon World Championship, and as such supports all the elite regattas for the prestigious keelboat class.
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Munich/Weymouth. The concluding highlight of a high-octane season for the international Dragon crews comes in the form of the bi-annual World Championship of this blue riband event, held from 5 to 13 September off England’s south coast. On Monday, 8 September, 78 crews of three from 16 nations will gather for the first race in the Olympic waters off Weymouth. As the newly-crowned Gold Cup winner at Douarnenez (FRA), BMW Yachtsport ambassador Markus Wieser ranks among the top favourites. Two years ago in Australia he suffered a last-minute defeat at the hands of title-holder Lawrie Smith of Great Britain, but is now hoping to exact his revenge. Following the European Championship, the German Grand Prix and the Gold Cup, BMW is now also the official automotive partner of the Dragon World Championship, and as such supports all the elite regattas for the prestigious keelboat class.
“Since 2013, both in Germany and internationally, the BMW name has been inextricably linked with the Dragons,” says Eckhard Wannieck, Head of BMW International Sponsoring, Cooperations and Product Placement. “We had good reason to consolidate and expand our partnership because the image and reputation of the Dragon class and its protagonists, along with the elegance, dynamics and heritage of the boat, are a unique match for the values and aspirations of our company.” Dorset with its exceptional landscapes and the heart of Britain’s successful sailing tradition in Weymouth and Portland offers a fitting venue for the World Championship title competitions.
There is a special prize lined up for the new world champion and the winner of the Corinthian amateur trophy: a BMW Driver Training Snow and Ice in Austria’s winter sports resort of Sölden. But before then there are eight races to be completed in the challenging waters of Weymouth Bay. Eleven German crews are determined to make up for a medal-less showing in the 2012 Olympics, among them the co-favourites Thomas Müller, Vincent Hoesch and Michael Lipp. “More than half a dozen crews have realistic title prospects,” says Markus Wieser, who will be competing under the Ukrainian flag of owner Sergey Pugachev and helmsman George Leonchuk. As well as the reigning world champions Smith/Stewart/Tavinor, the line-up of crews includes European champion José Matoso of Portugal, whose helmsman Gustavo Lima familiarised himself with these waters in the Olympic Men’s Laser.
Under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, sailors from Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates will assemble in Weymouth. Their partnership with BMW will be displayed on the main boom of their Dragons. The support programme, including a World Championship Dinner on Wednesday, 11 September, will be graced by a BMW 640d Gran Coupe as well as BMW 730d and a BMW X5 3.0d courtesy of BMW dealership Westerly Dorchester. The prize-giving ceremony will take place after the final race on Friday, 13 September, in the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy, which was the venue for the 2012 Olympic sailing events.
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