10 Sep The Buccinis affinity with BMW
Karlie and Paul Buccini have surprised many so far this Hi-Tec Oils APC Enduro Championship season in their BMW 340i, but are eager to surprise when the title ends at Winton.
The daughter-father combination were among the outright contenders in their Class B1 BMW, which even led for much of the opening race at the 2 Days of Thunder.
Still in an early phase of its development, the BMW has provided the perfect grounding for the two Buccinis to team up together.
“It certainly is awesome to team up,” said Paul.
“It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a while, but then you actually do and you realise how much it means.
“Once you do it, you know it’s pretty cool and not many fathers have teamed up with their daughters let alone get some success.
“Karlie’s times are comparable to mine, which is fantastic as normally there’s a disparity in times.
“It’s been fun to set-up the car to suit us both and to race alongside each other.
For Karlie, it’s been about gaining experience and she has done just that by being up the front in the outright battle.
“I’ve been enjoying being up the front and trying to get among the outright competitors rather than the class placings,” said Karlie.
“Our little B1 Class BMW is not really meant to be mixing it with the outright contenders, but it is and it’s been fun.
“I’ve really enjoyed learning by following the fast drivers. I’ve already learnt so much this year already and being up there rather than getting stuck in the mid-pack has been great for me.”
Winton completes the season and the pair have limited experience there, but are confident of shaking up the established runners.
“I’ve got a bit of a read on how to set the car up, which is good because that’s the key to what’s making the BMW fast and so nice to drive,” Paul explained.
“Karlie and I discussed the goals to end the year, with the first being to win Class B1 as we lead it at the moment, but it’d be nice to get a bit higher up in the outright points.
“I don’t think our bigger rivals will have a great time at Winton, so I think we can push for a strong outright result.”
The Buccinis also have two BMWs for sale, ready to race and provide the perfect introduction to production car racing.
“Its had a second and a first in class at Bathurst in addition to success in Australian Production Cars, so it’s certainly well developed.
The fourth and final round of the Hi-Tec Oils APC Enduro Championships is at Winton Motor Raceway on October 31-November 1.