WTCC - ROUNDS 19 AND 20 - SHOWDOWN IN MACAU - PREVIEW

2006 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC)
Rounds 19 and 20 - 17th/19th November 2006 - Preview

Showdown in Macau: Three BMW drivers fight for the WTCC title.

Munich, 14th November 2006. This weekend, the FIA World Touring Car
Championship stages its season finale at the "Guia Circuit" in Macau (CHN).
Three drivers of the BMW national teams have the chance to win the drivers'
title in rounds 19 and 20 of the series. Furthermore, BMW (221 points) is
leading SEAT in the Manufacturers' Championship prior to the races at the
former Portuguese colony by ten points.

An impressive total of nine drivers still can be the 2006 World Champion.
Defending champion, Andy Priaulx (GBR) of BMW Team UK, is currently ranked
second in the drivers' classification, having 59 points under his belt. For the
season finale, the 32-year-old gets a team-mate: Jan Magnussen (DEN) will
support BMW in the title fight at the wheel of the BMW 320si WTCC.

The two BMW Team Germany drivers, Jörg Müller (GER) and Dirk Müller (GER), are
also hoping to emerge as the 2006 champion. Jörg Müller is on equal points with
Priaulx and holds third position in the championship. Dirk Müller is set to
leap to the front and make up the seven-point gap to championship leader,
Augusto Farfus (BRA). BMW Team Italy-Spain's Alesandro Zanardi (ITA) and Duncan
Huisman (NLD) also want to score a good result in Macau, thus aiding BMW to win
the title.

Andy Priaulx (BMW Team UK):
"I cannot say it too often: I love Macau. It's a very special circuit, and
driving there is good fun. I just like everything about this track. This place
is a buzz. The many casinos make for a unique atmosphere. Imagine racing in
downtown Las Vegas... On the one hand, it will be crucial to have a good
qualifying. In the races, you need to be self-confident and highly focussed. Of
course it will be an advantage to be rather light in Macau. Nevertheless, I
expect an exciting finale."

Jörg Müller (BMW Team Germany):
"I have got a special relationship with Macau. I was able to win the Fomula 3
race as well as the touring car event. For the 2006 WTCC final, I will have 75
kilograms of ballast onboard my car. But I don't care about this. Over the
course of the season, we saw many drivers winning on a high handicap weight. I
know the track well and feel comfortable there. Therefore, I'm really confident
for the two races."

Dirk Müller (BMW Team Germany):
"I'm looking forward to the races in Macau. The circuit is another tremendous
challenge at the end of the WTCC season. Everybody is well-advised not to take
this track lightly. It's important to race very maturely there. So many drivers
can still be champion. That's why the excitement will be extremely high.
Therefore, it will be even more important this year to have some luck on your
side, if you want to be at the top of the pack. Macau has always turbulent
races to offer."

Alessandro Zanardi (BMW Team Italy-Spain):
"Last year I experienced that everything is possible in Macau. Following a
really difficult qualifying, I started race one from 24th position. Over the
course of two races, however, I managed to benefit from the many incidents on
the track, thus gaining ground. Finally, I was able to finish the second race
in fourth place, which was a satisfying end of the season. I'm highly motivated
to do this again in 2006. It's my goal to score many points for BMW in the
final races of the season, in order to bring the Manufacturers' Championship
home."

Duncan Huisman (BMW Team Italy-Spain):
"Macau is the most exciting track in the world. For me it's a mixture of Monaco
and the infamous Nürburgring-Nordschleife. We reach the highest top-speeds of
the season there - and on the other hand, overtaking is prohibited in the
extremely slow Melco hairpin. That's unique. I have won in Macau four times. So
it's not necessary to mention that I like this circuit. The crucial corner is
Lisboa. There have been some accidents in 2005 as well. It will be all about
keeping out of all the turmoil - although that's hardly possible in Macau."

Jan Magnussen (BMW Team UK):
"I can hardly wait to return to Macau. I'm curious, if the circuit is as
interesting in a touring car as it was at the wheel of a Formula 3 racer back
in 1994. I know how it feels to take part in an exciting finale. In the 2006
Danish Touring Car Championship I had a tough but fair fight with my rival for
the title. Unfortunately, I didn't win. But now I'm even more determined to
deliver a strong performance for BMW this weekend."

History and background:
Since 2001, a BMW driver has always succeeded in claiming victory at the famous
Macau's "Guia Race". Between 2001 and 2003, Duncan Huisman scored three
consecutive wins at the wheel of a Carly Motors BMW 320i. In 2004, it was Jörg
Müller who celebrated victory for his BMW Team Germany, thus making himself a
double Macau winner, after winning in the Formula 3 race in 1993. Last year,
Huisman claimed victory in the 20th and final WTCC round. No other driver can
look back at such a successful tally in Macau as the 35-year-old. Andy Priaulx
finished second in each of the two 2006 races, thus winning the title.

Nine drivers are in the position to become the 2006 World Champion. WTCC leader
Augusto Farfus has 60 points to his tally. Ninth-placed Peter Terting (GER) is
12 points behind. 20 points are up for grabs in the two Chinese rounds. Farfus
is also the heaviest among the title aspirants, carrying 80 kilograms of
ballast. Runner-up in this ranking is Jörg Müller, who will take 75 kilograms
onboard his BMW 320si WTCC. Andy Priaulx is contesting the Macau rounds with a
handicap weight of 45 kilograms, Dirk Müller is taking 35 kilograms with him.

Macau will also see the appearance of a BMW Sauber F1 Team member this year:
Sebastian Vettel (GER). The team's test and reserve driver fights for victory
in the 53rd Macau Grand Prix. He will contest his second Formula 3 world final
at the wheel of a Team Carlin Dallara-Honda.

"Macau is one of the best and most challenging circuits in the world" an
ecstatic Sebastian says. "Because of this the race generates enormous attention
and is one of the most important ones for a young driver. Many who have been
successful there made it into Formula One. Last year I finished third in Macau
behind a guy called Robert Kubica. If you go to this race for the second time
you want to win it. Therefore the goal is clear. However, in Macau you always
need a little luck as well."

Prior to his Formula One debut with the BMW Sauber F1 Team, Robert Kubica (POL)
took part in the prestigious Formula 3 race three times and finished as
runner-up in 2004 and 2005. He says: "Macau is my favourite race track off the
Formula One calendar, and it is a very difficult and challenging track. This is
simply because it is a street circuit, and I like these tracks the most.
Everything is very special as you drive Formula 3 there with really low
downforce because there are the long straights and then you have to manage to
be quick through the corners, which are really challenging. The corners are
always changing, especially in the mountain. I have raced there for three
years, unfortunately for the last two years always coming second. Anyway I have
good memories."

Motorsport in Macau has a long tradition: This year will see the 53rd running
of the legendary Formula 3 race. The WTCC's season finale is just one of the
many highlights in the event's programme. Among other things, the 40th Macau
Motorcycle Grand Prix will also be staged this weekend.

Macau consists of a peninsula and two more islands, which are connected via
bridges. The majority of its 500,000 inhabitants live on the bigger peninsula.
Macau comprises a space of 25.4 square kilometres. The official languages
spoken in Macau are Chinese and Portuguese.
The final qualifying session of the season will be of utmost importance, as the
twisty circuit doesn't offer too many overtaking opportunities. Last year, Andy
Priaulx was the fastest driver and claimed pole position. In 2:31.712 minutes
he set a new lap record for touring cars in Macau, thus laying the foundation
stone for his title victory.

In 1516, the Portuguese landed in Macau and gradually extended the small
fishing village to be the centre of their presence in Asia. The sovereignty,
however, remained with the Chinese. In 1849, the Portuguese colonists tried to
gain full control over Macau, some small fights with the Chinese followed. Only
in 1887, the Mandschu government granted the Portuguese the right for a
permanent occupation. In 1999, Portugal returned the sovereignty back to China.

The two WTCC rounds will both be 9-lap races, representing a total distance of
55.053 kilometres per race. Race one will start on Sunday at 11:05hrs local
time (3:05hrs CET), the lights go off for race two at 12:15hrs (4:15hrs CET).