BMW yesterday threw its considerable weight behind an American bid to win the America's Cup in 2007.
In a deal second only to its involvement with the Williams Formula One team, the German motor manufacturer will pump up to £50 million ($145 million) into the Oracle team headed by the software company's billionaire owner, Larry Ellison.
It is sending three structural engineers, specialising in carbon fibre, from the Research and Innovation Centre in Munich, to the Seattle design office. The team will have a new identity, hull decorations, logo and clothing, reflecting the hugely increased role from when BMW backed the Oracle challenge in Auckland in 2002-03, when they made the final of the Louis Vuitton challenger series.
BMW backs Oracle challenge
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.