Strong partners for the winter: BMW and MINI Driving Experience Partnership

The winter training courses provided by the strong partnership of BMW and MINI Driving Experience have always been closely associated with Austria. 27 years ago, a handshake between Josef Bücherl, one of the developers of BMW driver training courses, and Hans Falkner, head of the 5-star hotel “DAS CENTRAL – ALPINE . LUXURY . LIFE”, sealed the launch of the BMW Snow Experience in Sölden. Last Friday, Bücherl and members of the Falkner family met up again at BMW Welt in Munich, where they were joined by representatives from BMW M GmbH, the BMW and MINI Driving Experience, and winter training venues in Ötztal and Pitztal to celebrate the start of the next phase of this successful cooperation.

One core aspect of the partnership is the continuation of the success story in Sölden. In addition to the BMW Snow Basic Training and BMW Snow Intensive Training courses, Sölden is also primarily a venue for corporate and customer events. The cooperation with Pitztal is also being increased. Located 1,700 metres above sea level, the training facility there offers dynamic fields, a drift oval and a handling track for the BMW Snow Drift Training course and BMW internal driver training courses. As of the coming season, which begins in December 2017, the area will be available exclusively for BMW.

“The BMW winter training courses in Austria have a long tradition, which we enjoy celebrating together with all those who have made this success story possible,” says Frank van Meel, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW M GmbH. “I am particularly pleased that we will significantly increase our cooperation with the Pitztal tourist board, which began in 2016.” Robert Eichlinger, Head of the BMW and MINI Driving Experience, adds: “The winter training courses in Sölden and Pitztal are very popular with our customers, and it is no longer possible to imagine the BMW and MINI Driving Experience portfolio without them. That is why we have added the events in Pitztal to our range of courses. It would not be possible to handle the large number of courses without outstanding organisation and perfect teamwork. I would like to thank those responsible in the Ötztal and Pitztal regions for this fantastic partnership.”

The guests at BMW Welt included Jack Falkner, Managing Director of Bergbahnen Sölden, Angelika Falkner, owner of the 5-star hotel “DAS CENTRAL – ALPINE . LUXURY . LIFE”, and hotel manager Michael Waschl. Representatives of the Pitztal region were Gerhard Gstettner, Managing Director of the Pitztal Tourism Association, and Bruno Füruter, Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Pitztal Tourism Association. As part of the gathering, the guests were treated to a tour of BMW Welt.