[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”21753″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow_border”][vc_column_text]
Munich/Spielberg. 37 years after its premiere on the race track, the BMW M1 will once again generate a fantastic atmosphere among motor-sport fans in the warm-up for the Formula 1 World Championship race. BMW Group Classic is staging a revival with the racing cars in the Procar Series just before the race for the “Austrian Grand Prix” at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. Races with these cars were enthusiastically received in the supporting programme on Formula 1 weekends in Europe. When the first Procar Race was held at Zolder, Belgium, in May 1979, contemporary Formula 1 racing drivers competed in identical racing versions of the BMW M1 against national sports-car professionals, private drivers and talented upcoming drivers. Some of these drivers are now taking the opportunity to get back into the cockpit of the BMW M1 at the Legends Parade in Spielberg – including the three-time Formula 1 World Champion Niki Lauda, who won three Procar Races in 1979 and also succeeded in claiming the overall placing.
Lauda from Austria will be campaigning against a number of former rivals at his historic home competition, driving the BMW M1. Hans-Joachim Stuck (DE), runner-up in the overall placings in 1979 and in third place in 1980, is returning to the cockpit of his successful car. Jochen Mass (DE), Christian Danner (DE) and Marc Surer (CH) are also behind the wheel of precisely the models of the BMW M1 in which they raced during the Procar Series. Austrians Dieter Quester and Sepp Manhalter, and Markus Hotz from Switzerland will also be rekindling their memories of exciting battles for position in Procar races. Gerhard Berger (AT), Jos Verstappen (NL) and Jan Lammers (NL) are three other former Formula 1 racing drivers who will be taking part in the Legends Parade. The field of celebrity drivers is completed by Harald Grohs (DE), who won races in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) driving the BMW 635CSi and the BMW M3, and BMW brand ambassador Leopold Prinz von Bayern (DE). Both drivers once lined up on the grid in a BMW M1 for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and they are being joined by multiple Touring Car Champion Johnny Cecotto from Venezuela.
The sporting spirit of yesteryear is being reawakened with the comeback of the Procar Racers in Spielberg. Today the focal point will continue to be the BMW M1, as it was then. This was the first vehicle designed from scratch by BMW Motorsport GmbH to compete in racing. The series version generating 204 kW/277 hp was propelled to a top speed of almost 265 km/h and delivered the fastest road-going German sports car of its time. The Procar Series not only provided the perfect stage for the first super sports car from BMW, but at the same time created an entirely new form of competition on the race track. The trial of strength in the racing versions of the BMW M1 constructed in conformity with the Group 4 regulations and each generating 345 kW/470 hp turned into a big success with spectators. And today the drivers, too, continue to eulogise about the handling characteristics of the mid-engined coupé, the sound of the legendary inline six-cylinder engine and the sporty appeal of a race series that was all about the skills and abilities of the drivers…..
Continue to read the article here[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]:::::::::::::
RRT is the leading BMW, Mercedes, Audi & Porsche performance, service and racing center in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. Founded in 2002, RRT offers a full-range of repairs, maintenance, and performance services completed by highly experienced technicians at reasonable prices. RRT also offers state-of-the-art suspension services and development. RRT is proud to be a authorized Dinan dealer and direct with the premier manufacturers around the world.
Please visit www.rrtautomotive.com and www.fb.com/rrtracing and www.instagram.com/rrtracing/ for more information on RRT’s & RRT Racing’s services.
Shop online anywhere at rrtracing.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
