Wendlinger and BMW Motorsport

note: the O in Jorg and U in Muller are spelled with umlauts


26 July 2001

Karl Wendlinger joins the BMW M3 GTR team

Munich. Austrian driver Karl Wendlinger (32) will be joining Team BMW 
Motorsport in October for the 'Petit Le Mans' endurance race held at Road 
Atlanta in the US state of Georgia. The seasoned sports car racer and former 
Formula 1 driver will be the third man at the wheel of the BMW M3 GTR next to 
the established duo of JJ Lehto (FIN) and Jorg Muller (D). 

The race on this very challenging circuit will cover 1,000 miles or a maximum 
of ten hours and is one of the seasonal high points of the American Le Mans 
Series (ALMS). Wendlinger has competed twice before in this long-distance 
race, winning the GTS class in 1999. Last year his team held the lead for a 
long time and, despite a technical problem, finished fourth in their 
category. 

"I had the opportunity to test the BMW M3 GTR and was very impressed," said 
the new team member from Kufstein in the Tyrol. "I'm really looking forward 
to driving this car at Road Atlanta. JJ and Jorg are strong partners and the 
Team is known for its good strategies and fast pit stops, which are crucial 
factors in an endurance race." 

Karl Wendlinger lives in Monte Carlo with his wife Sophie and two children. 
His first major international triumph was winning the German Formula 3 
Championship in 1989. He gleaned his experiences in endurance racing early 
on, gaining podium places in 1990 and 1991 for Mercedes in the Sports Car 
World Championship as the team-mate of Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harald 
Frentzen. 

From 1992 to 1995 he was a Formula 1 driver for March and Sauber. His best 
results out of 42 Grands Prix were three fourth-place finishes. Following a 
serious accident during practice in Monte Carlo in 1994, his Formula 1 
involvement in 1995 was limited to six races.

In 1996 and 1997 he competed in touring car events for Audi before switching 
to a Chrysler Viper with which he became runner up in the 1998 FIA GT 
Championship and clinched an early title in 1999. The 1999 ALMS saw him come 
second in his class. Last year he claimed outright victory in the 24 Hours of 
Daytona (USA) in a Dodge Viper, along with the GTS title in the ALMS. 2001 
sees Karl Wendlinger contesting the V8 Star series.



BMW Corporate Communications: Guido Stalmann, Tel +49 (0) 89 382 23401, 
Fax +49 (0) 89 382 27563, E-mail: Guido.Stalmann@bmw.de

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Sylvia Proudfoot
spur07@cs.com
403 287 3945