Milestones and models that have made history in 50 years of BMW Motorsport

The current BMW M was born as BMW Motorsport, which celebrates 5 decades of birth and in which the engineering and technology applied for racing later transfers to street models

The current BMW M was born as BMW Motorsport, so to celebrate its 50th birthday, we continue its
best models and their most special milestones on the circuits of the world during this time as the engineering and technology applied for racing are later transferred to street models.

The CSL laid the foundation stone for a great tower of success in competition and road models from BMW M, which was born in 1972 as BMW Motorsport GmbH, and created this racing version based on the 3.0 CS. Manufactured by Karmann, the addition of the L to the name meant lighter weight, with a slimmer body and with aluminum as the element for the doors and hoods, and a custom aerodynamic package was designed, with that spoiler giving it the nickname of the “batmobile”. Over time, the engine got more and more displacement and therefore power, reaching almost 210 hp.

In competition, he was the undisputed king of the European Touring Car Championship, winning six consecutive years from 1973 to 1979. But he not only dominated sprint races, in endurance he took overall victories in 1975 at the Sebring 12 Hours, the following year in the 24 Hours of Daytona, and three wins in its category at Le Mans in 1973, 74 and 77. In addition, it has the honor of being the first BMW Art Car, in particular the car numbered 93 that entered Le Mans in 1975 and which arranged for the story Alexander Calder.

Designed to be a race car from birth, the mid-engine BMW M1 quickly became a legend for breaking the mold. The 3.5-litre straight-six M88 engine went from 277 hp to 500 hp in the 1978 Group 4 spec M1 Procar, with 0-100 km/h in 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 300 km/h you.

He was a clear dominator in the US IMSA GTO Championship, with a season-closing first and second place in 1981. Only one driver in the top 10 that year did not drive an M1. In addition, in 1979 and 1980, the Procar Series was held together with F1, where 19 renowned touring car drivers competed against the 5 fastest F1 drivers in Friday practice, with Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet as winners of both years, whose prize could not be other than a street M1. A total of 399 street M1s and 56 Procars were built.

The first BMW M3 was born to homologate competition tourism, a compact coupe that soon began to win titles. The naturally aspirated 2.4 liter engine produced 300 horsepower, up to 380 in its final versions. The suspension was fully adjustable and the powerful brakes provided precision on the track for the drivers.

The BMW M3 E30 can be considered the most successful Group A touring car of all time. In 1987 Roberto Ravaglia won the WTCC and in the European Championship the first two places were for an M3. The DTM conquered it from 1987 to 1989. But the key year was 1988, the E30 took first and second place in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, the same result as in the famous Macau race.

Since its arrival, the BMW M3 E46 has become a race car just like its predecessors. However, BMW Motorsport created a special version to win the ALMS Championship in North America, the BMW M3 GTR. This version, among other things, changed the traditional six-cylinder in-line engine for a V8, a block called P60B40, derived from the Formula 1 V10 block, which reached up to 500 hp.

In 2001, the BMW M3 GTR toured North America, winning six of the eight races in which it entered, securing the constructors’ title. The regulations were changed for the following year, but history could no longer be rewritten. The BMW M3 GTR officially left the competition, but made an impression for the last time with two one-two finishes at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in 2004 and 2005.

BMW Motorsport is not only fueled by touring cars, in its history there are success stories in single-seater categories, such as the queen of all, Formula 1, as well as its electric sister, Formula E.

Between 2000 and 2005, BMW was responsible for the production of the engines for the BMW Williams F1 Team. The BMW E41 engine was a naturally aspirated 3.0-litre V10 and debuted at the Australian Grand Prix with a third-place finish in the race. It was the best start for an F1 engine manufacturer in 30 years.

During these six seasons, BMW achieved, among its most relevant successes, two third places and two second places in the F1 Constructors’ Championship. In addition to nine Grand Prix victories with drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher.

After several years as an engine supplier, BMW Sauber was born in 2006, the first official team of the house. Starting in the era of naturally aspirated V8s, it competed in the BMW F1 0.6, F1.07, F1 0.8 and F1 0.9 until 2009, taking a total of 17 podium finishes with drivers such as Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica, including the win over the Canadian general practitioner in 2008.

BMW has been present on the street circuits for electric single-seaters for 7 exciting seasons. The first four as a partner of the Andretti Formula E team and from the fifth season as an official brand. This is where BMW Motorsport’s first 100% electric single-seater, the BMW iFE.18, the second generation of the 370 hp Formula E racing car, lighter and more compact, made its debut. The drivers achieved several victories and podiums, and the engineers gained a lot of experience and information for the future sustainable mobility of BMW i.

BMW has been a Formula 1 motorist and had also given his heart to the innovative and outstanding McLaren F1 in 1992. The block is the famous S70/2, 12 cylinders in V with 6.1 liters displacement that delivered 630 hp and 650 Nm, coupled to a manual six-speed gearbox. Three years after its debut, the F1 premiered at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the GTR version, with 600 hp according to regulations, and after an intense and eventful race, the F1 GTR #59 with a BMW engine won on its debut after an exhibition pilots and reliable mechanics.

Le Mans, the race of races, should be among the winners of BMW Motorsport, a feat accomplished in 1999. That year, the BMW V12 LMR, a prototype boat equipped with a naturally aspirated 580 hp V12, won the Le Mans 24 Hours, with drivers Pierluigi Martini, Yannick Dalmas and Joachim Winkelhock at the wheel of the #15 car. The V12 LMR also took six wins in the two seasons it contested in the American Le Mans Series. On a technical level, it marked a before and after with the design of a single roll-over protection hump that improved aerodynamic flow as subsequent Le Mans prototypes featured that design until 2006.

BMW Motorsport and GT3 are synonymous with victories. In 2010, the BMW Z4 GT3 was introduced, the weapon for endurance racing and GT championships. It had a hardtop and the 4.4 L V8 engine that produced up to 535 horsepower, leaving the six-cylinder for the street model. It was lighter and shorter than its rivals, with a transaxle configuration and highly studied aerodynamics. He won the Dubai 24 Hours, came second in the Spa 24 Hours, won the Japan Super GT and was heavily used by private teams even when his replacement arrived.

That replacement was the BMW M6 GT3, which was presented in 2015. BMW returned to using the 4.4 L V8 biturbo engine, and BMW once again demonstrated its experience and level with a hat-trick in the 2016 VLN Endurance Championship race at the Nürburgring, a 24 Hours of Spa victory and a second place in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in 2017. His record doesn’t stop there, in 2018 he conquers the Asia Le Mans Series, he makes a first and second place in Spa, but it will be in 2020 when he finally finishes the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring. Nürburgring wins, including third place. In 2021 he will say goodbye with a third place at the Nürburgring.

Now it’s the turn of the latest generation BMW M4 GT3, offering BMW M Motorsport drivers from around the world the opportunity to compete for wins and titles with the new GT3 model based on the latest M4. Compared to its successor, it is easier to drive, cheaper for the teams and performs better in the race. The BMW M4 GT3 also takes on international GT3 competition in the new GTD-PRO class of the IMSA series. It uses the P58 block of six-cylinder in-line biturbo that can reach up to 590 CV according to the regulations.

Following the end of the original DTM in 1993, BMW Motorsport returned to the German Touring Car Championship nine years later, coinciding with the presence of the E90 generation of the M3. Based on the bodywork of the E92 coupe, the M3 DTM used the same 4.0-litre naturally aspirated V8, but with 480 hp. In 2012, Bruno Spengler of BMW Team Schnitzer took the win that year with six podium finishes, four of which were victories, also taking the constructors’ title for BMW. In 2013, BMW finished second in the title race and its drivers second and third in the championship.

In 2014, however, a new generation of M3 arrived, the F80, now with the coupé model differentiated in terminology, with which the M4 was born. That foundation was used to create the M4 DTM, which kept the V8 racing engine. That season he was won by Marco Wittman and his BMW, with four wins and a second place.

The BMW M8 GTLM or GTE, presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2017, was the successor to the successful M6 GTLM, with the Gran Tourer DNA for competition, but with the difference that it was not part of the M8, but was developed in parallel. . in addition to the road model, the first BMW Motorsport model to be completely redesigned with LM/GTE homologation. The transmission was transaxle and the central engine in the front was the V8 biturbo with a maximum of 600 hp.

The BMW M8 GTLM debuted flawlessly at the 24 Hours of Daytona and its first podium finish comes at the 12 Hours of Sebring, a perfect preparation for the 2018 WEC season. Its first win comes in Virginia as part of the IMSA Championship, and the second in Laguna Seca, in the GTLM category. The M8 competes simultaneously on two continents, with podiums in Fuji and Road Atlanta, demonstrating its potential and level, and a year after its debut, it wins the Daytona 24 Hours. In 2020, the M8 GTE will win the drivers’ title and record in the GTLM category of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, and will retire in 2021 with another round of podium finishes in the Americas.

BMW M Motorsport returns in 2023 to a favorite ground, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, in the hands of the BMW M Hybrid V8, but not only that, this powerful hybrid hypercar will also compete for the WEC top category in 2024, in the Hypercar class, including the racing race, Le Mans.

The M Hybrid V8 is designed to be recognized as a model of the brand, but takes full advantage of the championship regulations. It is an imposing racing car that also honors 50 years of BMW M with its test colours. It uses a V8 derived from the DTM, biturbo, and integrated into an efficient and powerful hybrid system to reach the maximum power in the category, almost 700 hp.

Source: La Verdad

Ida

I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.