ALPINA Returns to Racing after 20 Years
To Enter B6 GT3 in 2009 FIA Championship
After 20 years out of racing, ALPINA GmbH + Co KG, purveyors of BMW ALPINA automobiles, will field a factory team, running the B6 GT3 race car in the 2009 FIA GT3 European Championship, based on the BMW ALPINA B6 S road car.
Well-known F1 and Touring Car drivers such as Niki Lauda, Jacky Ickx, Hans Stuck and Dieter Quester have all driven an ALPINA on their way to winning three European Touring Car Championships. ALPINA pilots also won the Nürburgring 24 Hours several times, as well as the 24 Hours of Spa in 1970.
The BMW 6 Series – especially with the super-charged, torque-laden 4.4-litre V8 ALPINA engine from the B6 S (530 HP, 725 Nm) – provides the ideal basis to challenge pure-bred sports cars such as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin within the framework of GT3 regulations.
ALPINA will field its team in the FIA GT3 European Championship, as well as racing in selected important endurance races.
With ten distinguished automotive marques, the GT3 Championship is the crème de la crème in its category, with starting grids of 45 cars in the European Championship and multiple national championships.
Bovensiepen, who has been the initiator of the new GT3 project from the very beginning, sees the benefit racing can bring to ALPINA.
By re-entering the racing arena, ALPINA will be able to raise awareness of its brand, especially in new markets. We see a well thought-out concept at relatively reasonable cost.
ALPINA will also sell BMW ALPINA B6 GT3 race cars to private parties, collectors and race teams. This motor sport engagement will be ALPINA’s fourth business venture marking another milestone in its strategy of consistent, enduring growth. In addition to the race cars, ALPINA have been manufacturing road-going BMW ALPINA automobiles for over 40 years.
A new state-of-the-art engineering centre, in terms of its machinery and capabilities, will soon be completed by Autumn 2008, allowing ALPINA to export its products to the market and to offer its engineering services to third parties.
