may19 golfersatbrandshatch

Two of Europe’s top golfers, Spaniard Miguel Āngel Jiménez and England’s Oliver Wilson were given a master class in driving at Brands Hatch Race Circuit today, ahead of the BMW PGA Championship which begins on Thursday at Wentworth.

Ryder Cup teammates, Jiménez and Wilson, who battled for the 2008 BMW PGA Championship title in a play-off, won by Jiménez, went head to head again one year on at the Kent race circuit. 

FIA Triple World Touring Car Champion and BMW UK driver Andy Priaulx gave the golfers the ultimate driving lesson in a powerful BMW M3 after which Jiménez and Wilson had the chance to put their driving skills to the test on the well known race track.

Later this week, reigning champion Jiménez will bid to become only the third man to successfully defend the BMW PGA Championship title, after England’s Nick Faldo and Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie. Meanwhile Wilson, currently in sixth position in the inaugural Race to Dubai rankings, will be looking to go one better than last year and win his first event on The European Tour.

Jiménez, known as ‘The Mechanic’ for his love of cars, lived up to his nickname while at Brands Hatch, helping to change the wheel of a BMW Z4 in the pit lane.

The Spaniard commented on his day, ‘Like a lot of the players on the tour, I am a big car fan, so it was a great experience to enjoy a master class with a world champion. I’m looking forward to returning to Wentworth for the BMW PGA Championship. Winning last year was one of the highlights of my career and it would be brilliant to retain the title.’

Wilson added, ‘The high speed lap of the circuit with Andy Priaulx was awesome!  Obviously I was disappointed to lose in the playoff at last year’s BMW PGA Championship, but I am pleased with my performance so far this year and I am looking for a good result this week.’

Triple FIA World Touring Car Champion and BMW driver, Andy Priaulx commented: “These two may be world class drivers on the golf course but it was clear from today that they are both skilled at this type of driving too. It’s always great to come back to Brands Hatch and we’ve had a lot of fun this morning. ” 

The BMW PGA Championship always attracts a high class international field and with a €4,500,000 prize fund, the tournament is a major event in determining the make-up for the Dubai World Championship.

Many of the world’s best players will be in action, including 2009 Masters Champion Angel Cabrera, World Number Seven Paul Casey of England, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and winner of The 2009 Players Championship, Swede Henrik Stenson, all pursuing the €750,000 cheque for first place, which will have a significant impact on the Race to Dubai rankings.

*To purchase tickets to the BMW PGA Championship, visit www.europeantourtickets.com