2010 BMW Sports Trophy goes to Richard Göransson

• 04.12.2010
• Press Release

Munich, 4th December 2010. Richard Göransson (SE) has crowned his successful 2010 season with another trophy. At Saturday's BMW Sports Trophy Award Ceremony in Munich, the 32-year-old was presented with a winner's cheque for 30,000 Euros by BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen. Göransson, who won the 2010 Swedish Touring Car Championship (STCC), scored 474 points in the traditional BMW privateer competition over the course of the season. This proved enough to clinch the coveted title, ahead of the Japanese duo of Nobuteru Taniguchi and Masataka Yanagida, who finished tied in second place having won the Super Taikyu Series in their BMW Z4 M Coupé. Fourth place went to BMW M3 driver Thomas Biagi (IT), who won this year's Superstars Series.

Since its introduction in the 1960s, the BMW Sports Trophy has been awarded each year to the most successful private BMW drivers around the world. This year's record entry figures – 214 drivers from 25 countries – are emphatic proof of the huge interest in BMW Motorsport's Customer Racing programme. Over the course of the season, success reports were submitted to the company headquarters in Munich from 32 racing series across the globe. The 2010 competition once again boasted a total prize purse of about 250,000 Euros.

“Congratulations to Richard Göransson on winning the BMW Sports Trophy,” said BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen. “Richard has consistently been one of the most successful BMW privateers. He won the competition back in 2004 and has since been a worthy representative of the BMW colours, winning countless races. This year's triumph with the BMW 320si in Sweden deserves the greatest respect. My compliments go to all 214 BMW Sports Trophy participants. Thanks to their performances in a wide range of BMW racing cars, they have played a significant role in the presence of BMW in international motorsport.”

Göransson claimed three race victories and seven further podium finishes in the STCC. These results earned him his eighth successive invitation to the BMW Sports Trophy Award Ceremony. His incredible record in the competition includes six top-three finishes. He said: “The title in Sweden means an awful lot to me. To come out on top at the BMW Sports Trophy as well makes it twice as nice. I really like the atmosphere at the Award Ceremony in Munich. It is fun meeting and chatting to the other drivers from around the world, and to be able to do that as the winner is fantastic. I would like to thank BMW for its support.”