80th birthday of the 'father' of F1 Championship engines

Paul Rosche - the engineer who is highly regarded as the 'father' of Formula One Championship engines - turns 80 today. He developed the turbo unit in the Brabham BMW which propelled Brazilian Nelson Pi-quet to his F1 World Championship title in 1983.

Rosche's wit in engine design was apparent. His influence helped in a number of motorsports ventures, such as the 2.0-litre 16-valve four-cylinder engine which raked in more than 150 race wins and six titles in the Formula 2 European Championship, and the 6.0-litre V12 engine which won the Le Mans race in 1995 and 1999.

In 1973, Rosche was appointed head of the main advanced development and racing engine development division in BMW.

Two years later he moved to BMW Motorsport GmbH, where he initially headed development of production and racing engines for the BMW M1 and, from 1979 to 1996, held the post of Technical Director.

Rosche's service not only saw the Group enter Formula One but also witnessed the development of the engine for the first generation BMW M3. And despite having retired 15 years ago, Rosche's influence lasted for almost 40 years.