BMW Motorsports Party and Sports Trophy 2000
BMW Motorsport Party in Kitzbühel. Fun and games with Schumacher, Montoya & Co. Kitzbühel (AUT), 7/8 December 2002. BMW along with its racing drivers and a host of celebrities gathered in Kitzbühel on Saturday to celebrate the end of the 2002 season with some sport, fun and showbiz. BMW WilliamsF1 Team drivers Ralf Schumacher (Germany) and Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia), as well as Formula One test driver Marc Gené (Spain) and BMW¹s two touring car works drivers Jörg Müller and Dirk Müller from Germany, larked about in the afternoon snow along with 550 invited guests. Partying in the Emporium, a specially built retro-style glass palace, went on until the small hours. In his address that evening, BMW Motorsport Director Gerhard Berger paid tribute to the efforts and successes of the past motorsport season. Mario Theissen, also BMW Motorsport Director, confirmed that development of the 2003 BMW Formula One engine was progressing on schedule in Munich, while WilliamsF1 team owners Frank Williams and Patrick Head expressed confidence regarding preparation work on the Formula One chassis for the forthcoming season. On Saturday afternoon, Schumacher, Montoya & Co. turned up in Kitzbühel for some sporting competition this time also without the support of any BMW brake horsepower. The disciplines covered Wood Sawing and Milking, Archery and Tyre Changing on the Formula BMW. There was also a challenging course to cover with remote-controlled cars. 35,000 euros for the world¹s most successful private BMW driver. Kitzbühel (AUT), 7 December 2002. Dutchman Duncan Huisman is the winner of the historic BMW Sports Trophy 2002. As the world¹s most successful BMW racing driver in the private realm, the 31-year-old was presented with a cheque for 35,000 euros at the BMW Sports Trophy award ceremony in Kitzbühel on Saturday. Huisman collected a total of 454 points to win the Sports Trophy. In second place with 380 points was Massimo Pigoli of Italy, winner of the Italian Touring Car Championship based on Superproduction regulations. Claudia Hürtgen (Aachen) took third place with 344 points. She came third in the German Touring Car Challenge. A total of 20 BMW private drivers were awarded prize money. The BMW Sports Trophy has been held annually for almost four decades and carries a purse of 241,000 euros. Even the tail-ender in the rankings can look forward to 5,000 euros. Private drivers make the BMW 320i Europe¹s most successful touring car. "Committed private drivers all over the world," stressed BMW Motorsport Director Gerhard Berger in Kitzbühel, "represent important BMW ambassadors on our behalf. Thanks to them the BMW 320i has once again emerged as the most successful touring car in Europe. We extend our congratulations on the numerous successes against powerful competition in the front-wheel-drive camp." Huisman won the Dutch Touring Car Championship with a BMW 320i for the third time this year following victories in 1997 and 2000, and even raced a BMW 320i in the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC). His best ETCC result was second place in the penultimate race at Donington. Having collected sufficient points through these achievements to win the BMW competition for private racing drivers, Huisman went on to claim another brilliant feat in November by triumphing in the spectacular touring car event in Macau, China for the second time in succession. Duncan is the younger brother by five years of multiple Porsche Super Cup winner Patrick Huisman. In 1998 the two brothers together won the Belcar Championship. Duncan Huisman profile: Born: 11 November 1971 in Doornspijk (NLD). Marital status: single. Motorsport debut in winter 1991/92. Attended a racing driver school. Major successes: Dutch Touring Car Champion in 1997, 2000 and 2002 with a BMW 320i, winner of the Touring Car race in Macau in 2001 and 2002 with a BMW 320i. www.huismanracing.com/duncan All placings BMW Sports Trophy 2002: Driver Vehicle Points Successes 1. Duncan Huisman (NLD) BMW 320i 454; 1st place Dutch TCC 9th place ETCC 2. Massimo Pigoli (ITA) BMW 320i 380; 1st place Italian TCC, Superproduzione I 3. Claudia Hürtgen (GER) BMW 320i 344; 3rd place DTC, three races Nürburgring Endurance Championship 4. Michael Bäder (GER) BMW M3 343; 2nd place Nürburgring Endurance Championship Tobias Hagenmeyer (GER) BMW M3 343; 2nd place Nürburgring Endurance Championship 6. Norman Simon (GER) BMW 320i 336; 2nd place British TCC 7. Tom Coronel (NLD) BMW 320i 330; 7th place ETCC 8. Thomas Winkelhock (GER) BMW 320i 314; 2nd place DTC 9. Michael Gerhardt (GER) BMW 320i 311; 4th place DTC 10. John Nielsen (DNK) BMW 320i 282; 3rd place Danish TCC 11. Jordi Gené (ESP) BMW 320i 270; 8th place ETCC 12. Grigory Komarov (RUS) BMW 320i 269; 1st place Russian TCC 13. Donald Molenaar (NLD) BMW 320i 246; 3rd place Dutch TCC 14. Stefano Valli (ITA) BMW 320i 240; 3rd place Italian TCC Superproduzione 15. Alberto Cerrai (ITA) BMW M3 207.5; 1st place Class N1 Campionato Italiano Velocità Turismo 16. Mikhail Ukhov (RUS) BMW 320i 196; 2nd place Russian TCC 17. Mike Legarth (DNK) BMW 320i 190; 11th place Danish TCC Giancarlo Storti (ITA) BMW 320i 190; 4th place Italian TCC Superproduzione 19. Franz Engstler (GER) BMW 320i 183; 11th place DTC 20. Roland Wanek (GER) BMW M3 179; 4th place FIA European Hillclimb Championship for Touring Cars TCC = Touring Car Championship DTC = German Touring Car Challenge ETCC = European Touring Car Championship In brief: 2002 BMW successes outside the Sports Trophy. - The BMW WilliamsF1 Team took second place in the FIA Formula One Constructors¹ World Championship. - Jörg Müller (BMW 320i) and BMW Team Germany came second in the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC). - Franz Tschager (Osella BMW) won the FIA European Hillclimb Championship for Sports Cars ahead of Otokar Krámsk_ (Osella BMW). - Niko Pulic came second in the FIA European Hillclimb Championship for Touring Cars in a BMW M3 (E36). - Gregoire de Mevius/Alain Guehennec (Team Sven Quandt) claimed overall victory in the International ADMV Baja Deutschland with a BMW X5 prototype. - Herbert Stenger (Stenger BMW) won the International German Hillclimb Championship. - Mario Merten secured overall victory in the Nürburgring Endurance Championship by taking seven class wins in the production car category with his BMW 318iS. With a total of 63 class victories in the 2002 season, BMW is the most successful manufacturer in this championship held on the famous Nordschleife of the Eifel circuit. Press contact: Heike Bartsch, tel. +49 (0) 89 382 33115, heike.bartsch@bmw.de. Photo material of press conference, Christmas market and the BMW Motorsport Party is downloadable from www.press.bmw.com. TV footage is available from Markus Appelhans +49 (0) 170 850 1897.