Team BMW’s trio of 330i M Sport race cars will sport a new livery for the 2021 British Touring Cars Championship, all of them bearing the iconic ‘M’ colours as they compete for more silverware.
Colin Turkington, Tom Oliphant and Stephen Jelley will form the three-pronged attack on the UK’s leading motor racing series; their vehicles designed, built and run by West Surrey Racing team.
Inspired by the classic BMW Motorsport liveries of the 1970s, the instantly recognisable M stripes, resplendent in Bavarian blue, dark blue and red, adorn the cars’ sides on a menacing matt-black base, creating a sharp and modern look.
The BMW 3 Series has enjoyed a stellar life in the BTCC since it was debuted in April 2019. A win on its maiden weekend was the start of an incredible season that delivered a one-two finish in the Drivers’ Championship and a record-equalling fourth title for Turkington.
The Manufacturers’ title capped off a magnificent double; and there were two more championships secured in 2020, as BMW equalled the BTCC record of five consecutive Manufacturers’ successes and Team BMW scored a fifth Teams’ title in seven years.
As in 2020, all three entries will proudly carry the BMW FIRST logo throughout the season to promote the brand’s aftercare subscription service that offers customers exclusive access to a range of benefits and products to enhance the BMW ownership experience.
The cars will also promote My BMW, the all-new app designed to offer a full connected-car experience for BMW drivers, with features ranging from remote locking and unlocking of doors, vehicle locator, remote status, remote charging for electrified vehicles and trip-planning capabilities. BMW M Performance Parts and BMW Original Motor Oil also feature prominently as part of the livery.
The new livery will make its track debut as two days of pre-season testing get underway at Brands Hatch on Wednesday 23 March.
All three cars will attend the BTCC season official launch event at Silverstone on April 22 and the first race at BMW UK’s local circuit, Thruxton, on May 8-9.
Graeme Grieve, Chief Executive Officer, BMW Group UK: “It’s always exciting during the build-up to a new BTCC season and 2021 feels no different. Seeing the new livery on the BMW 330i M Sport instantly evokes memories of decades of BMW achievement on the racetrack, and the target is to add yet more chapters to an incredible story this year. Building on 2020’s outstanding double-championship success will be a huge challenge given the intense competition provided by the BTCC – which seems to go up every year – but in Colin, Tom and Stephen we have three excellent drivers who know how to get the job done, a 3 Series that is an extremely competitive package and a team that has won twice as many races as any other during the past two seasons.”
Dick Bennetts, Team Principal, Team BMW, said: “It’s been an intensive winter for WSR and Team BMW, but despite the 2020 season concluding a month later than we’re used to, we’ve still been able to work through a comprehensive development programme for the BMW 330i M Sport. We began our 2021 test programme at Silverstone last week and were pleased to see that most of the upgrades we’ve added to the car have had the desired effect. The new livery, created by Nick Moss Designs, looks fantastic and I can’t wait to see all three cars in formation when we continue our pre-season testing at Brands Hatch next week.”
