BMW 320si to make BTCC debut

Following back-to-back FIA World Touring Car Championship Driver and Manufacturer titles in 2005 and 2006, BMW is pleased that the 320si WTCC saloon, which propelled Britain’s Andy Priaulx to double world champion status, is now set to challenge for honours in the 2007 British Touring Car Championship under the banner of Team RAC run by West Surrey Racing (WSR).

Inspired by the model’s dominance on the world stage, Dick Bennetts’ Sunbury on Thames-based team has secured two BMW 320si WTCC cars to carry the Team RAC BTCC challenge in 2007, spearheaded by 24-year-old Ulsterman, Colin Turkington, who finished as third placed driver in 2006.

The BMW 320si WTCC, piloted by Andy Priaulx, Dirk Muller, Jorg Muller and Alex Zanardi, was the first across the line in no less than eleven of the 2006 WTCC’s twenty rounds. This year, BMW will be hoping that Team RAC can replicate the car’s WTCC success at top British circuits including Brands Hatch, Thruxton and Oulton Park.

Peter Walker, General Manager - Sports Marketing, BMW (UK), enthuses:

‘The BTCC is a series renowned for its close, competitive racing and last year’s championship, with eight different race winners was no exception.

‘We are delighted that in the hands of WSR the BMW 320si WTCC will be entering the fray on the domestic front, whilst we endeavour to secure a hat-trick of world championships internationally through our continued works team involvement in the WTCC.’

The success of the 320si in 2006 was not just limited to the track. Launched in May, the entire UK allocation of five hundred limited edition 320si’s, featuring race-derived bespoke wheels and carbon trim, had raced off dealer forecourts in the hands of eager Priaulx-wannabees by the end of the year.