BMW Motorsports director Gerhard Berger to retire

[RAiMA]

Gerhard Berger is about to slow down his pace. When his contract as BMW's motorsports director expires on Sept. 30, Berger, 43, will retire. Until then he'll continue to work on the team's future strategy, but will gradually wind down his involvement.
"This decision was not easy for me," Berger said. "My job as motorsports director means a great deal to me, but it was a time and labor intensive job and demands the life of a vagabond. For the future I would simply like more time for my private life, for my family and myself."

In the words of Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport director responsible for technology among other areas, "Gerhard, with his considerable experience, competence and circumspection, has played a crucial role in our successes. His longstanding association with BMW found its natural continuation in his task as BMW Motorsport director, and the two of us have complemented one another superbly." Theissen, 50, will remain as sole BMW Motorsport director after Berger's contract runs out.

Berger, who lives in Monaco with his family, was a Grand Prix racing driver from 1984 to 1997. He was at the same time an active businessman and managed the commercial side of his career himself. He had already cemented a bond with BMW early on in his touring car racing career. His entry into Formula One was accompanied by the BMW 1.5-liter, four-cylinder turbo engine, and in 1986, at the wheel of a Benetton BMW, he celebrated the first of 10 F1 wins. He contested a total of 210 Grand Prix races, made it onto the podium 48 times and claimed 12 pole positions.

Berger took up his position as BMW motorsport director in October 1998. This new managerial task, in tandem with Mario Theissen, turned into a similar success story. In 1999, against the stiffest of competition, BMW won Le Mans as well as the Sebring 12-hour with the BMW V12 LMR.

In March 2000 at Melbourne, in the first race of its F1 comeback, BMW made it into third place. By the end of the season the BMW WilliamsF1 Team had claimed third place in the constructors' points, holding on to this position in 2001. In 2002, BMW and WilliamsF1 advanced into second place in the manufacturers' points.

Overall, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team has secured five wins and 11 pole positions since the F1 return.

"This string of successes can be put down to the fact that we managed to build a genuinely first-rate team that displayed remarkable enthusiasm and commitment,” Berger said. “I will be staying in touch with the BMW brand and the whole team at BMW Motorsport beyond 2003."

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