Motorsport: Martin Bürki buys Bergmeister car

This optimal vehicle is the BMW 318i E36 STW with which the Germans Jörg Weidinger and Dieter Rottenberger won the popular KW Mountain Cup in the past three years. At least with Jörg Weidinger at the wheel, who was European mountain champion in the touring cars in 2005 and 2006, the competition in the class with the largest number of participants with up to 40 cars could not do anything under normal circumstances.

Martin Bürki wants places on the podium
From now on, the three-time slalom champion and two-time mountain cup winner from Uetendorf wants to show what is possible with it. A direct comparison will be seen in Oberhallau, where Jörg Weidinger set a new two-liter record in Group E1 in 1'23.46 in 2015. Martin Bürki has no more and no less in mind everywhere, although he's still keeping his head down: "I see this as a new challenge after I've reached the end of what's possible with the front-wheel-drive Polo. I'm confident that I can drive at the front, and that's probably what's expected of me. But I can handle this pressure."

BMW 318i E36 produces 290 hp and weighs 790 kilos
Only after consulting his family did Martin Bürki decide to make this major investment, although this top car will certainly not lose any of its value. The BMW E36 contains state-of-the-art racing technology with racing ABS, Holinger racing gearbox, five-way adjustable magnesium chassis, etc. The aerodynamics have been optimized in BMW's wind tunnel. For the sake of stability, the engine output is only 290 hp, whereas the Opel Kadett C driven by Patrik Nickel from Vorarlberg, who has won several races in Switzerland, delivers 333 hp. The unladen weight is only 790 kilos.

Stars at selected slaloms in planning
Martin Bürki has plenty of experience with rear-wheel-drive cars. Years ago, he bought Johnny Cecotto's former factory BMW 320 STW. He only drives this car, which has been left in its original condition, for fun during test drives to keep himself and the car in good shape. "Besides, only a rear-wheel drive car is a real racing car," says Martin Bürki - and by no means sarcastically.

The progress made by his customer Jürg Beiner with an M3 GTR can also be attributed to Martin Bürki's tuning work and coaching. Those who know the clever fox suspect that the newly acquired car will also be seen at the start in selected slaloms. So he can compete directly against his title rival Danny Krieg in the also optimal Audi A4 STW (runner-up in 2015 behind Martin Bürki) and take points away from him. The Swiss fans can look forward to this!

www.mb-motorsport.ch
Photos: Peter Wyss, Jürg Kaufmann