BimmerWorld adds Richmond for Laguna Seca

Matt Richmond Returns to BimmerWorld for Laguna Seca SPEED Touring Car Finale

BimmerWorld fixture Matt Richmond prepares to join Clay and Thomas behind the wheel of his familiar #37 BimmerWorld BMW in Monterey.

10/12/07, Dublin, VA -- BimmerWorld owner/driver James Clay was proud to announce the return of a familiar name to the BimmerWorld fold for the season-ending race at Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, October 19th-21st.

Matt Richmond, back in his familiar #37 BimmerWorld BMW, is set to resume his World Challenge activities paired with his good friends James Clay and Seth Thomas. Richmond, a former winner of the B&M Holeshot Award and the Hard Charger Award, knows exactly what's required to succeed in the highly competitive Touring Car series.

Richmond can barely wait to catch his flight out to the west coast. "Man, I'm fired up! I've been ready to drive again for BimmerWorld for a long time. When James called and asked if I was available, I told my wife and she said to do it without any hesitation. That's always a good sign."

While he's been out of the saddle for a while, Richmond's entering into the event with realistic expectations. "I'm going with the goal of having fun. The new E90's are awesome--if i can relax and get in the groove, the speed will come naturally. If I can get settled quickly, I really feel like I can run with my team mates and challenge for a win."

Matt was a fixture in World Challenge with BimmerWorld, but where has he been hiding of late? "I opened two businesses last year and have had no time race other than at my indoor kart track, Grand Prix Greensboro!" Despite his absence from the team, he's kept in contact with James Clay as the BimmerWorld-built E90's have progressed to the front of the field. "I am proud of these guys for keeping their chin up throughout the last couple of seasons. Mid-Ohio was a long time coming, but was also long overdue and just scratched at the surface of what they're capable of doing."

With the 2008 season coming quickly, has Matt thought about returning for another assault on the championship? "If everything goes according to plan, I will be there. We're working hard to secure a great sponsor to join us."

Joey Hand, pilot of the Mid-Ohio winning #37 BimmerWorld BMW, has been forced to step aside as the time commitments to his American Le Mans program have proven too much to allow him to continue racing in both the ALMS and in SPEED Touring Car on the same weekend.

"It's been really hard to run back and forth between both series with the sessions so tightly packed. The Panoz program is a full season commitment, and unless I can give 100% of my focus to whatever I do, I didn't want to risk not being able to give PTG or BimmerWorld everything I have. It's sad for me because I love the E90's BimmerWorld have built--we all saw what their BMW is capable of now; I'll be cheering for Seth, James, and Matt to fill the podium at Laguna!"

-credit: bimmerworlds