Castrol Revs Up Bmw Race Series

Media information
18 July 2008

Castrol Revs Up Bmw Race Series

The New Zealand BMW Race Series today welcomed Castrol New Zealand as its primary sponsor.

Castrol has committed to a three-season sponsorship of the amateur racing series, New Zealand’s biggest-ever single-make series. The announcement marks a further step in Castrol’s involvement in the series, which it has supported from its very beginning.

Beginning on September 13 and 14 at Pukekohe Park Raceway, drivers in the series will compete over six rounds at the Pukekohe, Manfield and Taupo racetracks. This year’s season will also see a major inaugural meeting at the soon-to-open Hampton Downs racetrack.

Jayne McEwan, Castrol’s Consumer Marketing Manager, says Castrol and BMW have a long and successful heritage of working together in motorsport both in New Zealand and overseas.

“Together we have set records, won race championships and helped develop the careers of some of New Zealand’s best race drivers. Internationally, we have won world championships together and taken historic victories at some of the world’s most testing and best-loved races. Castrol backed the NZ BMW Race Series from the outset and we are pleased and proud to now step up to a role as primary sponsor.”

The BMW Racing Series focuses on the iconic E30 BMW 3 Series, a car that in M3 form helped BMW win the first ever World Touring Car Championship and sparked the runaway success of the 3 Series.

This main E30 class is for 3 Series cars manufactured between 1984 and 1991 and using either 1.8-litre four-cylinder engines or 2.0-litre six-cylinder engines.

In addition, the “open” class allows a wide range of classic and current-model BMWs onto the track to race in a separate category within the series. The open class is for any BMW running original, standard specification engines.

NZ BMW E30 Race Series founder and committee member Colin Briscoe says the BMW and Castrol brands have long been synonymous with motor racing success at the highest levels.

“We are thrilled to have Castrol alongside BMW to support the racing series which brings a tremendous level of qudos and credibility to our sport,” he said.

In New Zealand, the BMW race heritage extends back through the New Zealand Touring Car Championship to the launch of the BMW New Zealand Race Team, run by Lyall Williamson’s International Motorsport, and to Castrol’s support of the all-conquering Schnitzer factory-supported team when it raced E30 M3s at the Wellington Street Races in the 1980s.

Castrol and BMW were together in motorsport as Craig Baird and Brett Riley took factory-specification E36 3 Series Coupes to an unprecedented run of New Zealand Touring Car Championship titles.

The relationship continued as the cars became four door E36 3 Series, then four door E46 3 Series, netting further titles for Brett Riley and Jason Richards.

The NZ BMW Race Series has its own television coverage package and has grown rapidly in size and popularity, with more than 100 competitors in the North Island alone, 70 of whom race in the E30 class.

Many series members also compete in their BMWs in other track races and the Targa road rally series.

Existing sponsors of the NZ BMW Race Series include BMW New Zealand, Radio Sport, Toyo Tyres, Koni Shocks and King Springs; the series is supported by the BMW Car Club of New Zealand.

BMW uses Castrol lubricants in the assembly of all new BMW cars, Castrol is the specified lubricant for use in BMW’s range of high performance M cars, and throughout New Zealand Castrol lubricants are available from the BMW dealer network.

Internationally, Castrol and BMW continue their touring car relationship in the FIA World Touring Car Championship.

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