BMW’s announcement came shortly after Audi unveiled their A5 DTM concept car, and the Munich-based carmaker is set to go head to head with traditional rivals Audi and Mercedes-Benz in the 2012 Deutsch Touring car Masters (DTM) championships.
"It is good to see how our DTM project is picking up speed," said Dr. Klaus Draeger, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for development, "Next year, BMW returns to the DTM after two decades. We will be facing our main competitors in the premium sector - and are already looking forward to this challenge. The DTM comeback sees BMW return to its roots. We have enjoyed great success in production car racing in the past, and I am convinced we will follow on in 2012 where we left off. Everyone at BMW Motorsport is working hard to ensure we get off to a successful start next season."
BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt added: "Getting a new racing programme up and running is a bit like doing a jigsaw. New pieces are added almost every day, and we must put them together to create the big picture. The BMW M3 DTM Concept Car is an important milestone on our route to the start of the 2012 season. The roll-out of the car was successful, and we are now starting our test programme out on the track. Drivers Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus are also involved and will form part of our driving line-up in 2012. Their impressive performances in touring car and GT racing make them ideally suited to the DTM, and we are sure they will leave their mark on this series too. It is obviously just as important to have strong partners on board, and we were able to present some of them today. The pieces are fitting together perfectly, so we can definitely say: our preparations for the 2012 season are going according to plan."
The BMW M3 DTM concept was unveiled at BMW Welt in Munich, and is powered by an air-restricted V8 engine, as dictated by the regulations. The unit produces 473bhp, and allows the car to go from 0-100km/h in 3 seconds, and reach a top speed of 300km/h. BMW also announced their driver line-up for the 2012 DTM season, with ex-BMW Motorsports World Touring Car Championships (WTCC) drivers Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus helming the M3 for 2012.
"It is good to see how our DTM project is picking up speed," said Dr. Klaus Draeger, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for development, "Next year, BMW returns to the DTM after two decades. We will be facing our main competitors in the premium sector - and are already looking forward to this challenge. The DTM comeback sees BMW return to its roots. We have enjoyed great success in production car racing in the past, and I am convinced we will follow on in 2012 where we left off. Everyone at BMW Motorsport is working hard to ensure we get off to a successful start next season."
BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt added: "Getting a new racing programme up and running is a bit like doing a jigsaw. New pieces are added almost every day, and we must put them together to create the big picture. The BMW M3 DTM Concept Car is an important milestone on our route to the start of the 2012 season. The roll-out of the car was successful, and we are now starting our test programme out on the track. Drivers Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus are also involved and will form part of our driving line-up in 2012. Their impressive performances in touring car and GT racing make them ideally suited to the DTM, and we are sure they will leave their mark on this series too. It is obviously just as important to have strong partners on board, and we were able to present some of them today. The pieces are fitting together perfectly, so we can definitely say: our preparations for the 2012 season are going according to plan."
The BMW M3 DTM concept was unveiled at BMW Welt in Munich, and is powered by an air-restricted V8 engine, as dictated by the regulations. The unit produces 473bhp, and allows the car to go from 0-100km/h in 3 seconds, and reach a top speed of 300km/h. BMW also announced their driver line-up for the 2012 DTM season, with ex-BMW Motorsports World Touring Car Championships (WTCC) drivers Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus helming the M3 for 2012.
