Photo: screenshot
It sounds like an old cliché but it’s actually a verifiable fact that if you do what you love, you won’t work a day in your life. When it comes to Ludwig Willisch, the man in charge of BMW’s North American branch, this rings truer than ever.
He started off working for BMW back in 1996 and back then he was just a salesman. Ok, to be more precise, he was heading the sales office of BMW in Dusseldorf, Germany, a position that would allow him to see how things are working inside the German group from the ground up.
Later on he graduated to oversee the sales of cars in Europe and he was even the head of the Motorsport division before moving to the US in 2011, taking over from where Jim O’Donnell left off. Working close with the M people he’s caught the bug, that pesky ‘illness’ that has you on the ropes unless you drive a car real fast on a track at least once in a while.
So you’d expect him to be driving the newest M car on the track and be kept all cooled down while going at it, right? Wrong. He’s an old fashion man and his take on driving and the sensations it should bring is vastly different from anything you would expect.
Therefore, for him, driving the 1975 Sebring 12-Hour Race winning 3.0CSL car is the epitome in track days. In an interview with Forbes he shared his view on how racing and heading the second biggest market in the world for BMW are the same.
“Regardless of whether it’s a vintage or current car, racing is a dynamic sport and running BMW of North America is just as dynamic. On the track, you always are facing new obstacles, the car evolves and the driver must be constantly learning and improving. Same for the CEO—constantly finding new ways to improve the business and staying focused on the goal, which is to win!” he said.
However, nothing is more important than having a team behind you that works flawlessly. No driver in the world could win his titles without the help of his team. That’s something that needs to be recognized more as when success is achieved, it’s the group’s merit not one man alone’s.
Speaking more about the 3.0CSL car, Willisch also points out that it’s not as sharp as today’s cars and it might not be as comfortable but it is more fun nonetheless, keeping you on your toes at all times, to be able to control it first and push it hard second. Check out his take on the thing in the video below.
Later on he graduated to oversee the sales of cars in Europe and he was even the head of the Motorsport division before moving to the US in 2011, taking over from where Jim O’Donnell left off. Working close with the M people he’s caught the bug, that pesky ‘illness’ that has you on the ropes unless you drive a car real fast on a track at least once in a while.
So you’d expect him to be driving the newest M car on the track and be kept all cooled down while going at it, right? Wrong. He’s an old fashion man and his take on driving and the sensations it should bring is vastly different from anything you would expect.
Therefore, for him, driving the 1975 Sebring 12-Hour Race winning 3.0CSL car is the epitome in track days. In an interview with Forbes he shared his view on how racing and heading the second biggest market in the world for BMW are the same.
“Regardless of whether it’s a vintage or current car, racing is a dynamic sport and running BMW of North America is just as dynamic. On the track, you always are facing new obstacles, the car evolves and the driver must be constantly learning and improving. Same for the CEO—constantly finding new ways to improve the business and staying focused on the goal, which is to win!” he said.
However, nothing is more important than having a team behind you that works flawlessly. No driver in the world could win his titles without the help of his team. That’s something that needs to be recognized more as when success is achieved, it’s the group’s merit not one man alone’s.
Speaking more about the 3.0CSL car, Willisch also points out that it’s not as sharp as today’s cars and it might not be as comfortable but it is more fun nonetheless, keeping you on your toes at all times, to be able to control it first and push it hard second. Check out his take on the thing in the video below.
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