BMW’s Fourie and Cronje aiming for good results at Killarney

Midrand. Former production car champion Johan Fourie and BMW M Performance Parts team-mate Gavin Cronje are confident on building on their performances in the opening round when they line up their ADF Motorsport-prepared BMW 335is for round two at Killarney in Cape Town on Saturday, 29 March 2014.

Capetonian Fourie will be counting on his loyal and vocal local supporters to provide that extra boost, while both drivers will be happy to be competing at sea level where they can give full rein to their cars’ turbo power.

“We had to work hard for our results at Zwartkops,” said Fourie, who is in his second season with the team. “I was happy with my third place in the opening sprint race after only qualifying fifth. The longer feature race, which was held in wet conditions, was a disappointment after we were forced to make an unscheduled pit stop to clear a misted windscreen. This cost me any chance of a good result and fifth place was not a true reflection of our capability.  With better luck, we’ll make up for this at Killarney.”

Cronje, who campaigned the ADF Motorsport-run Castrol MINI John Cooper Works in class T last year, revelled in the extra power of the powerful, rear-wheel drive BMW and was rewarded with third fastest qualifying time at Zwartkops.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take full advantage in the short opening race in which we finished fifth. Thanks to the inverted grid format of race two I found myself in pole position for the double-points feature race and was looking forward to a good result. Overheating problems put paid to this, so I am looking forward to better luck this weekend. I love the Killarney layout and I reckon the power/handling combination of the BMW will be hard to beat.”

“We are still looking for a principal sponsor,” said team principal Donovan van Heerden. “We have the continued support of our current partners, for which we are grateful, but we do need to find a new team naming right sponsor if we are to sustain a championship-winning challenge this season.”

ADF Motorsport enjoys support from BMW M Performance Parts, EPS Courier Services, Powerbrake and Sony Playstation. In addition, ADF has secured a deal with one of the world’s leading sponsorship and brand engagement agencies, Octagon.

Ends

For questions on this press release, please contact BMW South Africa’s Group Communications and Public Affairs Division as follows:

Edward Makwana

Manager: Group Automotive Communications

BMW South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Tel: +27-12-522-2227

Email: edward.makwana@bmw.co.za   

The BMW Group

The BMW Group is the leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 28 production and assembly facilities in 13 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2013, the BMW Group sold approximately 1.963 million automobiles and more than 115,215 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2012 was 7.82 billion euros, turnover amounting to 76.85 billion euros. On 31 December 2012, the BMW Group employed a workforce of 105,876 .

The economic success of the company is based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as integral elements of its strategy.

BMW Group websites:

www.bmwgroup.com

www.bmw.co.za

www.mini.co.za

www.bmwmotorrad.co.za

www.bmwdrivertraining.co.za

Social Media Pages:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BMWGroup (BMW South Africa, BMW Motorrad SA, MINISouthAfrica)

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BMWGroup (@BMW_SA, @BMWMotorradSA and @MINISouthAfrica).

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BMWGroupview (BMW South Africa and BMW Motorrad SA