Condor Articles

In some of his more famous photos, Joachim Winkelhock could be perceived as a party animal from a time when racing drivers’ personalities were at their most flamboyant. And while he was undoubtedly great company off the track, his true demeanor was calm, tactful, and calculating. His chain-smoking habit and playful racer persona often overshadowed his immense driving talent and hard-working racing spirit, which is precisely why we chose him to launch our series celebrating BMW’s most legendary racing drivers.

At its peak in popularity, it’s hard to overstate just how important touring car racing was to motorsport enthusiasts. In the 1980’s and 90’s, series like the DTM, BTCC, ITCC and ETCC held a place in racing fans’ hearts rivaling even Formula 1. Manufacturers such as Mercedes, Volvo, Alfa Romeo, Audi and Ford all fielded factory teams in that time period, battling for supremacy against perhaps the most iconic touring car brand of all time, BMW.