BMW Ambassador Alessandro Zanardi Defends Para-Cycling World Title

BMW Brand Ambassador and living legend, Alessandro Zanardi, managed to defend his world title in the the MH5 category (men’s hand-cycle) time trial event this Thursday, in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, where the 2017 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships are currently taking place. Leaving aside the fact that Alessandro is still the champion, this is the ninth world title that he has won in his para-cycling career to date.

The time trial was the first of three competitions that Zanardi is taking part in at the Pietermaritzburg world championships. The para-athletes completed three laps on a 7.75 kilometer long circuit, a total distance of 23.3 kilometers. Zanardi continued where he had finished at the previous world championships held in Switzerland two years ago – with winning ways. He completed the distance in 37:47.96 minutes and was 2.6 seconds faster than his rival and friend, second-placed Tim de Vries (NED). In doing so, Zanardi secured his fourth consecutive world title in the discipline.

“I am very proud of this result and I want to thank everybody in my team, including my wife Daniela, who contributed to it,” said Zanardi. “It was a very long race, pretty technical, and the interpretation of the unfolding race was the key to finishing with a smile on my face. On the first lap I was fourth, then second on lap two, and on lap three I was ahead. I guess I not only had what it took to win the gold medal but I also used it in the best possible way.”

“When you win by only two seconds after over 37 minutes of competition you have to admit that you were not stronger than the guy who finished second but that you were just a little luckier,” Zanardi continued. “But I was certainly as strong as my rivals and, as I am approaching the age of 51, I think it is quite remarkable, given that some of these guys are in their mid-twenties. So I am proud of it and I take it.”

On Saturday (2^nd September) Zanardi will compete in the 60.7 kilometer individual road race and on Sunday (3^rd September) the team-relay is scheduled for him and the Italian national team. Zanardi is also the reigning world champion in both of these disciplines.

The article BMW Ambassador Alessandro Zanardi Defends Para-Cycling World Title appeared first on BMW BLOG

from BMW BLOG http://ift.tt/2vxQPiY

Roger Daltrey and Rolls-Royce Donate Wraith for Teenage Cancer Trust

Last year Rolls-Royce partnered with Rogen Daltrey, the frontman of British brand The Who, to bring out two bespoke cars showcasing the rich history of the band which would later on be auctioned off with the proceeds going to charities. Yesterday, the money raised for ‘the Tommy’ car – a bespoke Rolls-Royce Wraith – went to the Teenage Cancer Trust, with Daltrey being the man handing off the check.

The check for £208,945 was handed over to Teenage Cancer Trust’s Chairman David Hoare. Daltrey is Honorary Patron of the charity, which supports young people aged 13-24 diagnosed with cancer, and the driving force behind Teenage Cancer Trust’s annual fundraising concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. Roger Daltrey CBE commented, “Seven young people are diagnosed with cancer every day in the UK, and these vital funds will help Teenage Cancer Trust take a huge step towards its goal of providing specialist support to every young person with cancer in the UK. This car has become an incredible collectors’ item, and it’s gratifying to know that the proceeds of the sale will support such a worthy cause.”

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said, “The designers and craftspeople at Rolls-Royce were truly engaged in Roger’s vision to create a car which celebrated The Who’s musical legacy in such a creative, original way. Knowing that the sale of the car would help the charity to support thousands of young people affected by cancer made it all the more worthwhile.”

Rolls-Royce revealed its series of nine remarkable Wraith ‘Inspired by British Music’ cars in March 2017, each created hand-in-hand with some of British music’s most revered rock and vocal artists. Each of the nine cars has now been sold, with all proceeds from the sales donated to charities of the artists’ choosing. For the ‘Tommy’ car Roger Daltrey worked with Rolls-Royce in collaboration with Mike McInnerney, the artist responsible for the famous album artwork of The Who’s seminal 1969 album, ‘Tommy’.

McInnerney worked with Rolls-Royce’s surface finish experts to create an extraordinary expression of the rock opera’s iconic sleeve design – this truly unique car features the cover artwork of the album applied to the bonnet. Daltrey and McInnerney sought to express other elements of the album artwork throughout the car, with the ‘Lyrical Copper’ exterior paint finished with a blue coachline of a bird in flight, a reference to the album cover art.

Each of the four headrests were stitched with unique design motifs from the album artwork, while the song ‘Pinball Wizard’ inspired the embroidered design of the rear cabin leather waterfall, featuring a tone-on-tone depiction of a pinball machine with contrasting pinball and flippers. The copper door flights are engraved with lyrics from ‘Tommy Can You Hear Me?’ and ‘Listening to You / See Me’. A truly individual piece of music memorabilia, the ‘Tommy’ car has been sold to a Rolls-Royce customer.

The article Roger Daltrey and Rolls-Royce Donate Wraith for Teenage Cancer Trust appeared first on BMW BLOG

from BMW BLOG http://ift.tt/2epF0Av

Video: Russian BMW M2 Commercial Is Confusing

Lately BMW’s marketing team has been hitting home runs. They did it first with the new hilarious and unapologetic BMW M commercials and then with the new spots shown on TV networks across the US. While we were enthralled with these new clips we somehow forgot that other countries around the world also have different marketing teams working on standalone commercials. However, that doesn’t mean they are always up to par with the ones we’ve been seeing lately. One such example comes from Russia and it focuses on the BMW M2.

The BMW M2 doesn’t really need a commercial to start with. The car has been exceptionally received due to its impeccable handling and great performance, combined with a price tag that makes it by far the best buy in BMW’s current line-up. And yet, for obvious purposes we do have various other commercials aired around the world and the Russian spot posted below is a little off. Or shall we call it weird?

It kicks off with a woman preparing for what looks like her morning run. Stretching and doing all sorts of movements in tight running gear definitely will get people’s imagination running but at the same time, a man is touching a BMW M2 in all the right places, running his hand across its generous curves. And while the two sets are intertwined and suggesting the M2 is just as beautiful to a gear head as a pretty lady that’s about to go on a run, we still don’t get exactly what the director wanted to portray.

The end is even more confusing, as the woman gets inside the car and they both drive off. Now, if the whole thing was a comparison between a woman’s shapes and the BMW M2, why would the commercial end with the woman hopping in the car? As I said, terribly confusing but an interesting approach nonetheless.

The article Video: Russian BMW M2 Commercial Is Confusing appeared first on BMW BLOG

from BMW BLOG http://ift.tt/2epxYf3

MINI Supercar Rendered, Would Never Happen, Still Looks Cool

The officials in Munich promised over 40 new models to come out in the following years when they celebrated BMW’s 100th anniversary last year. Their vision for the next 100 years includes keeping up with the times and that scope reaches out to all the brands under their umbrella, including MINI. The British marque is now getting ready to launch its first electric car, alas in concept guise, at the Frankfurt Motor Show this month but some people thought they could go in a different direction too.

The peeps over at the Jennings Motor Group, a company from the UK, specialized in selling cars from a variety of manufacturers, decided to take a walk on the wild side and put together a couple of renderings of proper supercars of the future. The one that caught our eye first was the MINI supercar, a two-seater with generous curves and probably a killer engine under the hood.

Considering that the BMW brand itself doesn’t have a supercar, chances of something like this happening are nonexistent but it is a good imagination exercise though. Chip in the fact that the Brits don’t have a two-seater anymore in their line-up after the slow-selling Coupe and Roadster models were pulled out of production, we get the feeling that this sort of vehicle won’t be making a comeback too soon with the winged logo on the bonnet.

The guys also took a stab at rendering other peculiar supercars, based on other run of the mill cars. From a Fiat 124 Spider to a Toyota GT86, both of them looking the part. But if we were to bet money of any of these becoming reality, the Kia would be the safest bet. At the rate the South Koreans are advancing and fighting for a place at the table with the big boys, this one is the most likely to become reality.

The article MINI Supercar Rendered, Would Never Happen, Still Looks Cool appeared first on BMW BLOG

from BMW BLOG http://ift.tt/2wp8S9Q