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BMW getting ready for the season

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For three days, from Tuesday 22 to Thursday 24, five teams tested in Monza in view of the 2005 FIA WTCC. Most of the first day was lost due to a hard snowfall; the weather improved on Wednesday and Thursday, however temperature remained very low. BMW Team Deutschland’s Dirk and Jörg Müller took turns behind the wheel to test the 2005 spec BMW 320i.

“Our engineers are working quite hard to improve the car. The regulations are really tight, meaning that nobody can do big steps forward compared to last year. Our car was nearly at the maximum in 2004 and now it’s getting difficult to find something more. We are working on the details, modifying bits and pieces here and there. Finally the car won’t look different, but we expect it to be a bit quicker than last year,” declared Dirk Müller. According to unofficial timing, Jörg Müller set the fastest time of the three days, with a lap in 2:00.0, while Dirk’s best time was 2:00.2.

BMW drivers get in to shape

BMW Motorsport drivers are spending a few days in Italy, getting into shape for the new season at the BMW fitness camp.

Since last Friday the five works drivers who will be defending BMW’s colours in the 2005 FIA World Touring Car Championship – Jörg and Dirk Müller, Antonio García, Andy Priaulx and Alessandro Zanardi – together with Pedro Lamy and Duncan Huisman who will complete the team for the Nürburgring 24 Hours, are working hard to get fit in the beautiful country around Grosseto, in Tuscany.

Under the orders of Doctor Vincenzo Tota, director of the camp, and his staff, the drivers are sustaining an intensive training programme, from 8.00 AM to 7.00 PM every day until Wednesday. Different disciplines and excersises alternate each other: stretching and body building in the gym; mountain bike, jogging and trekking outdoor; aqua gym in the pool. Reaction time tests, psyhological training, physiotherapic treatments and sauna complete the programme.

A mechanical throttle for Zanardi

While BMW Team Deutschland are refining the new car, BMW Team Italy-Spain are still working on the 2004 spec car with Alessandro Zanardi and Antonio García. Team manager Roberto Ravaglia said: “Last year we were in trouble on the tracks where you need to jump over the kerbs, like Monza, Magny-Cours and Imola. Because we are going to visit all these tracks at the beginning of the season, we have worked a lot for improving our car’s handling over the kerbs, and the feedbacks of Alessandro and Antonio after the testing we have done in Monza were very positive.”

García’s best time (2:00.3) was only one tenth of a second slower than Dirk Müller’s 2:00.2 in the 2005 BMW. In Monza Alessandro Zanardi has also tested a mechanical hand-operated throttle on his BMW. “He had used an electric one so far, meaning that there was always a short gap between his action and the moment when the butterfly valve was operated,” explained Ravaglia. “The mechanical solution presents a new problem: the handle is very hard and requires a great energy to be operated. In the next test we’ll work on both options, before taking a decision on which way to go.”