BMW of North America Adds Support to RRDC Evening with Brian Redman

BMW of North America Adds Support to RRDC Evening with Brian Redman
 
HILLIARD, Ohio (April 16, 2013) - BMW of North America, LLC, will support the RRDC Evening with Brian Redman presented by Firestone at the Road Racing Drivers Club's fifth annual West Coast banquet on April 18, held prior to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (Calif.).
 
Redman raced for BMW in 1975 and '76, winning the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1975 (with co-drivers Hans Stuck, Sam Posey and Allan Moffat), the first year of BMW's official foray into American sports-car racing. He also won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1976 (with Peter Gregg and John Fitzpatrick). "The BMW CSLs were fabulous machines, and the Sebring and Daytona wins remain the highlights of my career," said Redman, who actually drove eight of the 12 hours to the '75 Sebring victory.
 
At the Riverside (Calif.) 6-hour race in 1975, driving with Sam Posey in a CSL, Redman recalled a spirited race alongside teammates Hans Stuck and Dieter Quester in a second CSL. "Early in the race we pitted with low oil pressure. After 15 minutes, it was found to be the gauge. We then drove absolutely flat-out and finished the race in second place to Stuck/Quester, on the same lap and gaining. You remember the 'great' races, and many times the ones where you didn't win but tried your utmost were more satisfying than an easy win."
 
Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO, BMW of North America, LLC., said, “At this year’s RRDC banquet we are delighted to honor Brian Redman, one of the great drivers who earned BMW of North America its first racing victory, and won at Sebring right after our company’s incorporation in 1975. We have always considered Brian a good friend of the BMW brand and look forward to hearing his stories about our cars whenever we can.”
 
"The members of the RRDC are privileged to have BMW of North America support the RRDC Evening with Brian Redman in Long Beach," said RRDC president Bobby Rahal, whose Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Team campaigns BMW Z4 GTEs in the American Le Mans Series. "BMW has a long history of successes in sports-car racing throughout the years, including those landmark Sebring and Daytona races won by our honoree."
 
Born in Burnley, Lancashire, England, in 1937, Redman was a member of World Championship for Makes winning teams in 1968, ‘69, ‘70 and ‘72, a three-time U.S. F5000 champion (1974-76), and the 1981 IMSA Camel GT and 1971 South African Springbok champion. He is a past president of the RRDC and remains active in historic racing and as a motorsports consultant.
 
The dinner's proceeds will help support the RRDC’s young driver initiatives, including its groundbreaking www.SAFEisFAST.com program and the Team USA Scholarship, which the RRDC has backed since 1997. Previous banquets have honored Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Roger Penske and Jim Hall, drawing fans and luminaries from all forms of motorsports.

The RRDC Evening with Brian Redman presented by Firestone will be held on Thursday, April 18, at the Hilton Hotel, 701 West Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, Calif., with cocktails at 6 p.m., and dinner at 7:15 p.m. Very few seats remain, at $180 per person, and MUST be purchased in advance by contacting Jeremy Shaw at rrdc2@cox.net.
 
About BMW Group in America:
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 117 MINI passenger car dealers, and 34 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at: www.bmwgroupna.com.

Journalist note: Information about BMW and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.com

About the RRDC:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The Road Racing Drivers Club was formed in 1952 as a way to give champion drivers a say in their sport, particularly in the areas of safety, and has evolved to serve the future of road racing by mentoring new drivers on both amateur and professional levels. The Club’s membership includes leading industry professionals, race officials and motorsports journalists, in addition to prominent racing names.

In 2011, the RRDC launched a free on-line training seminar –  www.SAFEisFAST.com – featuring more than 30 RRDC members and other industry experts in high-quality videos covering subjects from physical and mental preparation to driving techniques, driver safety to car setup and sponsorship. The videos are updated regularly. Each week, a professional from the world of motor racing answers readers' questions on the site in a feature called “Ask a Pro."

President Bobby Rahal is the 1986 Indy 500 winner and is co-owner with David Letterman and Mike Lanigan of the 2004 Indianapolis 500-winning Rahal, Letterman, Lanigan Racing team. Ten-time SCCA National champion John Fergus (who also has three Pro Sports 2000 crowns and one IMSA championship) is the Club’s Vice President/Treasurer, and five-time SCCA National champion Tom Davey is the Secretary.

In addition to RRDC members lending their expertise to up-and-coming drivers, the Club presents three annual awards: the Phil Hill Award for rendering outstanding service to road racing; the Mark Donohue Award for personal spirit and performance at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs; and the Bob Akin Award – the top award presented to amateur and semi-professional racers – for speed with style, passion, sportsmanship and contribution to motorsports.

The RRDC also supports the Team USA Scholarship, which has been assisting young Americans in the early stages of their careers since 1990. Membership in the RRDC is by invitation only. Additional information on the organization may be found at www.rrdc.org.

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Dusty Brandel

President of the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association, Inc. Worked with Mike Hollander since Tapsis, Compuserve, etc. and has posted to the website since the beginning. First Female photo-journalist to be given a garage and pit pass for the NASCAR garage, 1972 at Ontario Motor Speedway. One of first seven female writers, photographers given access to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway garage and pits in 1971. Past President of Greater Los Angeles Press Club, 1992-96, and first female editor of the 8-Ball publication for the Press Club

Read More on Sports Car press releases
Volume 2012, Issue 10, Posted 6:28 PM, 04.16.2013