Source: BMW

Munich, Germany
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Posted: 01 Dec 2008

THE WORLD'S FASTEST MAN BECOMES EVEN FASTER
11/26/2008

Olympic Champion Usain Bolt tests the BMW M3 / "Love at first sight".

Munich. The world record in the men's 100 meters stands at 9.69 seconds, whilst a BMW M3 Coupe is capable of reaching 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds. Starting today, three-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt knows what it feels like to travel at both speeds because the 22-year old Jamaican was able to experience the outstanding driving characteristics of his future sports car while driving it to its limits at the BMW Vehicle Test Facility in Aschheim near Munich. "It was a fascinating experience", comments the athlete par excellence, following almost three hours of BMW Driver Training. He was greatly impressed by the tremendous power and the full sound of the engine. Usain Bolt had obviously thoroughly enjoyed driving the 414 horsepower sports car across the handling course in wintry road conditions - fully aware that he was taking the vehicle to its physical limits - under the professional guidance of a BMW driving instructor.

World record holder Usain Bolt describes his first encounter with a BMW M3 Coupe in Jamaica as “love at first sight”. Even as a young boy he never missed a single opportunity of joining his uncle for a ride in his BMW. The passion remained – and so did the dream of owning his own BMW M3, a dream his chief sponsor PUMA finally fulfilled in special recognition of three gold medals at the Beijing Olympics. The black BMW M3 Coupe destined for the fastest man in the world is currently on its way to Kingston and is scheduled to be handed over to Usain Bolt before Christmas.

His enthusiasm for everything that travels fast was rekindled during his visit to BMW Welt. Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, and Dr. Kay Segler, Head of Region Importers BMW Group, introduced their athletic guest to the entire BMW portfolio. He was particularly interested in BMW motorcycles and the various versions of the BMW M3. Prior to that, he had signed the BMW company guestbook.

Usain Bolt, who stands 6 feet 5 inches tall, won the sprint over 100 meters at the Olympic Games in Beijing in the record-breaking time of 9.69 seconds, beating his own previous world record from May 2008. The giant athlete was also unsurpassed in the 200 meters, in which he set a new world record of 19.30 seconds. He seized his third gold medal by winning the 4x100-meter relay race together with the Jamaican team, likewise in a new world record time of 37.10 seconds. The Jamaican quartet improved on the previous world record set by the USA in 1993 by three tenths of a second.