18 December 2003
Manama (Bahrain).
BMW is promoting driving safety in Bahrain. In time for the first Formula One Grand Prix on 4th April 2004, the BMW Performance Center Bahrain will open its gates in this Arab Kingdom. The entire spectrum of BMW’s renowned Driver Training courses in BMW M3 cars will be on offer here. At the facility adjoining the newly built GP track, racing driver courses with Formula BMW models will also be available.
This particularly fits with the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), which is the first racing circuit of its kind in the Middle East, and will be the most advanced track in the world.
The new BMW Performance Center Bahrain is set to be one of the most modern facilities of its kind in the world and is the first to be opened in the Middle East, a region with a strong affinity to cars and a burgeoning enthusiasm for motor racing.
For the very first time, the BMW Performance Center Bahrain unites the programmes of BMW Driver Training and of the Formula BMW Racing Center under one roof, with the emphasis being placed primarily on driving safety in road traffic. The new building, which boasts conference rooms, a gym, exhibition areas and a restaurant, is being erected right next to the race track. A terrace affords an excellent view of the circuit.
Ehab S. Shouly, Regional Marketing Manager at BMW Group Middle East, said, “We are proud to be the first car manufacturer to support motor sports in Bahrain in this big way, and at the same time contributing to driving safety not just in Bahrain but in the entire Middle East region. “
He added that with the launch of the Formula BMW Racing Center, BMW Group will be initiating the search for the Arab World’s first Formula One driver. “We hope that there will be an Arab F1 driver graduating out of this centre. What better place can there be than the Middle East’s first F1 venue for the nurturing of a home-grown Arab champion?” Shouly said.
This exclusive project has six backers: BMW M GmbH as the organizer of BMW Driver Training worldwide, BMW Group Middle East as the sales office responsible for this region, the Bahrain International Circuit, BMW Motorsport with the integration of the Formula BMW Racing Center, Euro Motors, the exclusive BMW Group importer in Bahrain and a co-owner of the centre, and Spooner Motorsport Development as the operators of the new complex.
“This project could not have been possible without the support and financial contribution of our importer in Bahrain, Euro Motors, who together with Spooner Motorsport Development are shareholders in this venture,” Shouly pointed out.
BMW Driver Training courses will take place on the grounds of the new BMW Performance Center. Training for very advanced participants will involve the GP circuit as well, where the Formula BMW driving courses will also be held. The vehicle fleet will initially comprise BMW M3 models and Formula BMW race cars.
Shaikh Fawaz Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit and President of the General Organisation for Youth & Sport said, “This prestigious association between BIC and BMW is a positive development of the Circuit and another step after the Formula One event for the recognition of BIC as one of the most active circuits.”
BMW Driver Training: car control at any speed.
The driver is, and will remain, at the centre of all activity on the road. Motorists are ultimately responsible for keeping their vehicle under control, despite the growing number of safety systems designed to actively assist them. This principle applies to all speed levels, in built-up areas, off the road and on motorways. BMW has been systematically putting this insight into practice for 26 years now. In 1977, BMW was the first car manufacturer to embrace its responsibility towards motorists by setting up a Driver Training scheme for all-comers. Ever since, BMW Driver Training courses have been teaching drivers to recognize hazardous road situations in good time and to avoid them or, if the worst comes to the worst, prevent them by means of targeted manoeuvres.
In setting up a BMW Performance Center in Bahrain, BMW M GmbH is pursuing the globalization of its BMW Driver Training programme. In addition to the 63,500-square-metre centre at Munich Airport, which was inaugurated in 1997, BMW deploys some 80 highly qualified instructors at various test and race tracks and other suitable facilities in Germany and other countries. These include Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Japan, Canada, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, South Africa and the United States.
The key prerequisite for individual training of participants is to offer a broad range of courses. This ensures that both beginners and experienced drivers at varying levels of skill can get the most out of their training course. The core of BMW’s Driver Training philosophy is a graded training programme that enables driving skills to be perfected step by step. This programme consists of six systematically progressing levels of training:
Compact Training for beginners and less skilled drivers prepares participants for typical situations and hazards in urban traffic.
Advanced Training builds up on these skills and introduces drivers to critical situations, such as driving at the limit with under- and oversteer.
Intensive and Perfection Training on closed-off circuits are aimed at superior car control in critical situations faced in off-road driving and at motorway speeds.
Beyond these levels, there are also the Race Track Fascination and Race Track Experience courses for more ambitious drivers, offering specialist training in dynamic driving.
Special skills are also taught in courses such as All-Road and Off-Road Training with the BMW X5, or the Winter Training programmes held in Austria, Canada and Lapland, as well as courses in economical and environmentally aware driving. Satellite navigation is a further area of tuition, while Adventure Tours through Tuscany and Africa guarantee sheer driving pleasure in the company of professionals.
For motorcyclists, BMW offers on- and off-road training courses at various levels, mainly in Germany. Beginners’ courses are held at BMW’s Driving Safety Center in Munich. More advanced riders can also take training courses in Mainz and outside Berlin, while seasoned sports riders can even train on the famous North Loop of the Nürburgring. Courses in handling the BMW C1 are held at the company’s main site in Munich.
Formula BMW Racing Center in Bahrain.
Experience on the race track has traditionally furnished invaluable insights for BMW’s Driver Training scheme, and indeed BMW’s first chief instructor came from the motor racing world: in 1977, Rauno Aaltonen – known to the rally world as the “Flying Finn” – brought his rich fund of knowledge and experience to bear. Bahrain will similarly witness a symbiosis between safety-conscious driving in road traffic and on the race track when the very first racing driver school in the region is incorporated into the BMW Driving Safety Center. It will follow the example of the Formula BMW Racing Center in Valencia, Spain, and offer a more extensive programme of training. This will range from a sampler course to training towards a racing licence, all the way to intensive courses lasting several days and qualifying sessions for the Formula BMW talent promotion scheme.
BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen said: “With our race series in Germany and Asia, now extending to Britain and the USA in 2004, our Formula BMW talent promotion scheme is going more and more global. The establishment of a further Formula BMW Racing Center in Bahrain is another milestone in this venture. We hope that our involvement will provide a further impulse for the expansion of motor racing in the Middle East. The commitment and success with which Bahrain launched its bid to host a Formula One Grand Prix is evidence of the interest and potential that prevails in this region.”
-Ends-
For further information, please contact:
Matt Jones,
Acting Corporate Communications Manager,
BMW Group Middle East,
Tel: + 971 4 3132600;
Fax: + 971 4 3300120
Or,
Malcolm Ward,
MCS/Action,
Tel: +971 4 390 2960;
Fax: +971 4 3908161.
Email: malcolm@mcsaction.com
Manama (Bahrain).
BMW is promoting driving safety in Bahrain. In time for the first Formula One Grand Prix on 4th April 2004, the BMW Performance Center Bahrain will open its gates in this Arab Kingdom. The entire spectrum of BMW’s renowned Driver Training courses in BMW M3 cars will be on offer here. At the facility adjoining the newly built GP track, racing driver courses with Formula BMW models will also be available.
This particularly fits with the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), which is the first racing circuit of its kind in the Middle East, and will be the most advanced track in the world.
The new BMW Performance Center Bahrain is set to be one of the most modern facilities of its kind in the world and is the first to be opened in the Middle East, a region with a strong affinity to cars and a burgeoning enthusiasm for motor racing.
For the very first time, the BMW Performance Center Bahrain unites the programmes of BMW Driver Training and of the Formula BMW Racing Center under one roof, with the emphasis being placed primarily on driving safety in road traffic. The new building, which boasts conference rooms, a gym, exhibition areas and a restaurant, is being erected right next to the race track. A terrace affords an excellent view of the circuit.
Ehab S. Shouly, Regional Marketing Manager at BMW Group Middle East, said, “We are proud to be the first car manufacturer to support motor sports in Bahrain in this big way, and at the same time contributing to driving safety not just in Bahrain but in the entire Middle East region. “
He added that with the launch of the Formula BMW Racing Center, BMW Group will be initiating the search for the Arab World’s first Formula One driver. “We hope that there will be an Arab F1 driver graduating out of this centre. What better place can there be than the Middle East’s first F1 venue for the nurturing of a home-grown Arab champion?” Shouly said.
This exclusive project has six backers: BMW M GmbH as the organizer of BMW Driver Training worldwide, BMW Group Middle East as the sales office responsible for this region, the Bahrain International Circuit, BMW Motorsport with the integration of the Formula BMW Racing Center, Euro Motors, the exclusive BMW Group importer in Bahrain and a co-owner of the centre, and Spooner Motorsport Development as the operators of the new complex.
“This project could not have been possible without the support and financial contribution of our importer in Bahrain, Euro Motors, who together with Spooner Motorsport Development are shareholders in this venture,” Shouly pointed out.
BMW Driver Training courses will take place on the grounds of the new BMW Performance Center. Training for very advanced participants will involve the GP circuit as well, where the Formula BMW driving courses will also be held. The vehicle fleet will initially comprise BMW M3 models and Formula BMW race cars.
Shaikh Fawaz Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit and President of the General Organisation for Youth & Sport said, “This prestigious association between BIC and BMW is a positive development of the Circuit and another step after the Formula One event for the recognition of BIC as one of the most active circuits.”
BMW Driver Training: car control at any speed.
The driver is, and will remain, at the centre of all activity on the road. Motorists are ultimately responsible for keeping their vehicle under control, despite the growing number of safety systems designed to actively assist them. This principle applies to all speed levels, in built-up areas, off the road and on motorways. BMW has been systematically putting this insight into practice for 26 years now. In 1977, BMW was the first car manufacturer to embrace its responsibility towards motorists by setting up a Driver Training scheme for all-comers. Ever since, BMW Driver Training courses have been teaching drivers to recognize hazardous road situations in good time and to avoid them or, if the worst comes to the worst, prevent them by means of targeted manoeuvres.
In setting up a BMW Performance Center in Bahrain, BMW M GmbH is pursuing the globalization of its BMW Driver Training programme. In addition to the 63,500-square-metre centre at Munich Airport, which was inaugurated in 1997, BMW deploys some 80 highly qualified instructors at various test and race tracks and other suitable facilities in Germany and other countries. These include Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Japan, Canada, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, South Africa and the United States.
The key prerequisite for individual training of participants is to offer a broad range of courses. This ensures that both beginners and experienced drivers at varying levels of skill can get the most out of their training course. The core of BMW’s Driver Training philosophy is a graded training programme that enables driving skills to be perfected step by step. This programme consists of six systematically progressing levels of training:
Compact Training for beginners and less skilled drivers prepares participants for typical situations and hazards in urban traffic.
Advanced Training builds up on these skills and introduces drivers to critical situations, such as driving at the limit with under- and oversteer.
Intensive and Perfection Training on closed-off circuits are aimed at superior car control in critical situations faced in off-road driving and at motorway speeds.
Beyond these levels, there are also the Race Track Fascination and Race Track Experience courses for more ambitious drivers, offering specialist training in dynamic driving.
Special skills are also taught in courses such as All-Road and Off-Road Training with the BMW X5, or the Winter Training programmes held in Austria, Canada and Lapland, as well as courses in economical and environmentally aware driving. Satellite navigation is a further area of tuition, while Adventure Tours through Tuscany and Africa guarantee sheer driving pleasure in the company of professionals.
For motorcyclists, BMW offers on- and off-road training courses at various levels, mainly in Germany. Beginners’ courses are held at BMW’s Driving Safety Center in Munich. More advanced riders can also take training courses in Mainz and outside Berlin, while seasoned sports riders can even train on the famous North Loop of the Nürburgring. Courses in handling the BMW C1 are held at the company’s main site in Munich.
Formula BMW Racing Center in Bahrain.
Experience on the race track has traditionally furnished invaluable insights for BMW’s Driver Training scheme, and indeed BMW’s first chief instructor came from the motor racing world: in 1977, Rauno Aaltonen – known to the rally world as the “Flying Finn” – brought his rich fund of knowledge and experience to bear. Bahrain will similarly witness a symbiosis between safety-conscious driving in road traffic and on the race track when the very first racing driver school in the region is incorporated into the BMW Driving Safety Center. It will follow the example of the Formula BMW Racing Center in Valencia, Spain, and offer a more extensive programme of training. This will range from a sampler course to training towards a racing licence, all the way to intensive courses lasting several days and qualifying sessions for the Formula BMW talent promotion scheme.
BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen said: “With our race series in Germany and Asia, now extending to Britain and the USA in 2004, our Formula BMW talent promotion scheme is going more and more global. The establishment of a further Formula BMW Racing Center in Bahrain is another milestone in this venture. We hope that our involvement will provide a further impulse for the expansion of motor racing in the Middle East. The commitment and success with which Bahrain launched its bid to host a Formula One Grand Prix is evidence of the interest and potential that prevails in this region.”
-Ends-
For further information, please contact:
Matt Jones,
Acting Corporate Communications Manager,
BMW Group Middle East,
Tel: + 971 4 3132600;
Fax: + 971 4 3300120
Or,
Malcolm Ward,
MCS/Action,
Tel: +971 4 390 2960;
Fax: +971 4 3908161.
Email: malcolm@mcsaction.com
© Press Release 2003
