THREE BMW DRIVERS QUALIFY FOR TOP-TEN GRID POSITIONS IN IMOLA

Imola, 20th September 2008. In qualifying for the 17th round of the FIA World
Touring Car Championship, BMW Team Germany’s Jörg Müller (DE) was the quickest
driver in the ranks of the BMW national teams. He set a personal best time of
1:55,226 minutes at Imola’s “Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari”, claiming eighth on
the grid for the first of the two sprint races held on Sunday. SEAT’s Rickard
Rydell (SE) was 0.465 seconds quicker and claimed pole position at the
4.909-kilometre circuit.

Müller’s team-mate, Augusto Farfus (BR), and BMW Team UK’s Andy Priaulx (GB)
share the fifth row of the grid after qualifying ninth and tenth respectively.
Local hero Alessandro Zanardi (IT) had to make do with 12th. His fellow BMW
Team Italy-Spain driver, Félix Porteiro (ES), finished 15th on the timesheets.

“The free practice sessions gave us an idea of what to expect from the
front-wheel driven cars here in Imola,” said Müller following the 30-minute
session. “This is a circuit where power and torque are essential, and the SEAT
diesels especially have plenty of that. However, we should look stronger over
the race distance. But the crucial question is, will we have a chance to
overtake. It will certainly be tough.”

In what was the first qualifying session of any FIA World Championship
following the extensive renovations of the classic circuit, many drivers were
struggling with the relatively slippery conditions. “Today it was difficult for
all of us to find a perfect lap due to the low grip level,” commented Farfus. “
In addition, handicap weight has a major impact at this track. I carry 68
kilograms this weekend – so I should be happy with this result. Who knows what
might happen in the second race tomorrow, considering the reversed grid.”

During most of the session, Priaulx had problems with the radio, so was not
able to keep in close contact with Team Principal Bart Mampaey (BE). However,
the triple World Champion identified other reasons for not qualifying further
up the grid. He said: “I knew fairly early on it didn’t look like it was going
to be a BMW weekend. There are too many kerbs for our car and you just cannot
get on the power. However, at least I’m not too far away from P8.”

Race one at the “Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari” will start on Sunday at
12:20hrs (11:20hrs BST), the second race will get underway at 15:35hrs
(15:35hrs BST). The two rounds will be televised by Eurosport. The rounds will
also be streamed live on the internet, at www.bmw-motorsport.com.