BMW assists in driving European Ryder Cup victory

BMW, the Official Car to The 2006 Ryder Cup, announced its delight with its involvement in this stunning event, which saw Europe defeat the United States by a record-equalling 18 ½ - 9 ½ at The K Club, Straffan, County Kildare, last month.

BMW was responsible for providing the VIP Courtesy Cars to the players and families of both teams, The Ryder Cup officials and the partners and sponsors of the biggest sporting event staged in Ireland.

The smooth running of the BMW fleet contributed to the success of a contest seen by an audience of over one billion people worldwide. BMW provided 70 cars in total, which helped to make the running of the event seamless and effective.

Of the 70 cars, 40 were 5 Series Tourings used as the Courtesy Car for VIPs to get to and from the Airport, hotels, and The K Club; 15 were X5s, which were used by The European Tour staging team at The K Club. An additional five cars were allocated to the leading executives to move freely at The K Club and around County Kildare.

Preparations for the event started in the summer of 2005 when BMW agreed to sponsor this event. Forty Irish drivers were selected, vetted, and trained on the finer points of the BMW 5 Series Touring as well as upholding the standard of driver etiquette appropriate to BMW.

BMW worldwide has established a very good and complimentary relationship with The European Tour in recent years, working together on events in the United Kingdom, United States and Asia. BMW focuses on the pursuit of golf and sees golf as a refined sport that requires complete dedication to mastering technique.

Sean Green, Managing Director, BMW Group Ireland, said: "Despite the best attempts of the Irish weather to wreak havoc with the event, we were delighted with the overall result. Logistically, the whole process worked extremely smoothly with Tracker's fleet management system providing us with real-time information on our courtesy vehicles. This proved invaluable during the peak traffic periods. The atmosphere the Irish crowds brought to The K Club was fantastic and it was an honour to be involved in one of the country's greatest sporting events."

Richard Hills, Ryder Cup Director, said: "BMW has a deserved reputation for quality and prestige and we are delighted with the service BMW provided for our players, their families, the Ryder Cup executives and our partners and official sponsors. While the road closure plan was in operation, moving people around County Kildare was a challenging logistical exercise and the BMW drivers achieved this with a minimum of fuss."

In addition, BMW also provided ten BMW Cruiser bikes from the Lifestyle Collection, which assisted The European Tour staging team in getting around quickly while the event was in progress.