ETCC - ROUND 9 - OSCHERSLEBEN - PREVIEW

 

Munich, 13 September, 2004. The BMW national teams are heading for home territory in Oschersleben in confident mood. Their aim is to win both the Drivers' and the Manufacturers' Championship titles in the FIA ETCC, and it will take more than a disappointing weekend in Imola to put them off this.

This optimism is helped by the history of the teams at this track. In 2002 BMW Team Deutschland's Jörg Müller (GER) won one of the races and then in 2003 he won race one from pole and BMW Team Great Britain's Andy Priaulx (GBR) won race two. Last year was also good for BMW Team Italy-Spain's Antonio Garcia (ESP) as he got a second and a fourth, and hopefully he will be able to give his team-mate, Alex Zanardi (ITA), some information about the track as it will be the Italian's first visit.

Jörg, who will have a new Schnitzer Motorsport built BMW 320i to replace the one that was destroyed in Imola, considers Oschersleben his third home race. His explanation of this was: "Obviously Hockenheim was the first, and the other was Spa as this is the nearest circuit to where I was born. Without doubt Oschersleben is the one I have the longest journey to get to in Germany, but I have always done well here. In Imola I had forty kilos of ballast and for this weekend I only have five, so I shall make the most of having a light car and if all goes according to plan will be back to forty for the final round in Dubai!"