BMW pulls works team out of WTCC

The FIA World Touring Car Championship remains an important Customer Racing platform for BMW, enabling private teams and drivers to demonstrate the potential of the BMW 320 TC at the highest level.

The BMW 320 TC will compete for victories and titles in the Independents’ Trophy of the WTCC. Private teams and drivers will campaign the car – based on the successful BMW 320si WTCC, but fitted with the new 1.6-litre four-cylinder (DI-) turbo engine. The “TC” in its terminology stands for “Touring Car”. Therefore this car will represent BMW in the WTCC in 2011, although a works campaign is not planned.

Saturday in Munich, during the traditional end of season party, BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen confirmed that: “The BMW 320 TC, powered by the newly-developed 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo engine, will expand our Customer Racing offering and be entered in the World Touring Car Championship.”

To date BMW Motorsport has delivered over 60 BMW 320si WTCC racing kits to customer teams across the world and they hope to repeat this success with the new 320 TC (the acronym stands for Touring Car) that will be propelled by the same 1.6 litre unit to be used by the MINI in the World Rally Championship.

WTCC promoter Marcello Lotti commented: “We are pleased that BMW has borne our expectations out, granting continuity to their traditional commitment to production-based touring car racing, a category that has always been part of the company’s DNA and gave a major contribution to promote the BMW brand worldwide.”

Talking about the world championship’s near future, Lotti added: “Our priority was to saveguard the grid and the level of competition on track. BMW’s decision to offer to their WTCC teams a two-year upgrading package is a big boost for the championship that from 2011 welcomes Volvo in addition to the three brands already represented.”