BMW Motorsport www.press. Sheer bmwgroup-sport.com Driving Pleasure BMW MOTORSPORT. MEDIA GUIDE 2011. BMW MOTORSPORT MEDIA GUIDE 2011. Contents. Introduction. ..................................5 Customer Racing. ......................126 Foreword BMW Motorsport BMW 320 TC: Director Mario Theissen. ..................... 5 The new challenger. ........................ 128 Hunters and the hunted: BMW Team RBM in profile. ............ 136 BMW Motorsport in 2011. .................. 6 BMW Z4 GT3: Interview with Mario Theissen. ..........12 Even stronger for 2011. .................. 142 Interview with Jens Marquardt. .........16 BMW M3 GT4: Successful model for close-to-production racing. ............ 150 Endurance Racing. .......................18 BMW Sports Trophy: A guarantee for victories: More than a sports competition. ... 156 The BMW M3 GT in profile. .............. 18 Extra know-how with every lap. ........ 28 History. .......................................160 BMW Team Schnitzer in profile. ....... 32 BMW M3 History. ............................. 162 BMW Team RLL in profile. ................. 38 At home in touring car racing. ........ 164 The BMW Motorsport drivers. .......... 44 The 24 Hours of Le Mans. ................. 86 Partners. ....................................166 American Le Mans Series. ................ 96 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. ...... 116 Service. ......................................170 3 FOREWORD. BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen. It is with great anticipation and excite- The highlight of the ILMC season is the ment that we embark upon the 2011 24-hour race in Le Mans. Following our season, once again offering BMW fans return to the ‘Circuit de la Sarthe’ last around the world an extensive and year, we are now aiming for a top finish in attractive programme of motorsport. At the GTE category. the heart of this is the BMW M3 GT, the car which we will again use to compete At the same time, Customer Racing in classic endurance races and presti- remains a core feature of our program- gious championships. me. A number of private teams will compete in the 2011 World Touring Car As in 2009 and 2010, BMW Team RLL Championship with the new BMW 320 will line up with this car to contest the TC. I am certain this car will be pushing entire American Le Mans Series (ALMS). strongly for victories over the course of Last year, Bobby Rahal’s team won both the season. With victory in the 24-hour the Team and Manufacturer Champion- race in Dubai, the BMW Z4 GT3 has ships in the hard-fought GT class. We been proving its competitiveness since now want to continue this success. The the start of the year, and will be in action drivers in particular are also keen to in several different championships in target the Drivers’ Championship title. 2011. The close-to-production BMW M3 GT4 completes our offer for private Two races in the ALMS will count to- BMW teams. wards the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC), in which BMW Motorsport will For me personally, this will be my last again be competing this year. BMW season start as BMW Motorsport Team Schnitzer is responsible for racing Director. From 1 July, Jens Marquardt the two BMW M3 GT cars in Europe and will take over responsibility for the at the series Asian leg in China. Fol- motorsport activities of BMW. I would lowing its victory at the 2010 ILMC finale like to take this opportunity to thank you in Zhuhai, the team has shown just what for your positive collaboration over the can be achieved with our car in this years and wish you all a successful specification. 2011 season. Sincerely 5 » SEASON 2011 HUNTERS AND THE HUNTED. BMW MOTORSPOrt IN THE 2011 SEASON. 6 7 » SEASON 2011 hard-fought championship races in to defend its titles – and add the Drivers’ Cup celebrated its debut last year with APPETITE FOR ­North America, Europe and Asia. BMW Championship to its list of honours. By three exciting races. In the season finale Motorsport starts not only in the Ameri- scoring a one-two in this year’s 12 Hours in Zhuhai (CN), BMW Team Schnitzer MORE. can Le Mans Series (ALMS) but also in of Sebring (US), the team took the first drove to victory in the LM GT2 class. the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup step towards this goal. This season, there will be a total of seven (ILMC). In the ALMS, BMW Team RLL races on the programme, including the will wear the brand’s colours, as it did in In the two races which simultaneously f amous 24-hour race in Le Mans (FR). In the 2011 season, BMW Motorsport is 2009 and 2010. count towards the ILMC, RLL will also looking to continue its long history of be looking to pick up points and victory Andy Priaulx (GB), Augusto Farfus (BR) success in GT racing and push its com- The goal for this season was set by last in the new GTE class. BMW Team and Jörg Müller (DE) are the main dri- mitment to this discipline into even more season’s results: after winning the Team Schnitzer starts for BMW in the four vers for BMW Team Schnitzer. Priaulx territories. The BMW M3 GT will be and Manufacturer Championships in the European ILMC races and the race in and Farfus will also compete in the North competing in endurance classics and GT category, BMW Team RLL is looking China. The Intercontinental Le Mans American ILMC races for BMW Team 8 9 » SEASON 2011 RLL. They support their fellow BMW dri- New for the BMW Customer Racing This year, the BMW Sports Trophy cele- vers Dirk Müller (DE) and Dirk Werner programme. brates a milestone anniversary: at the (DE) and the two Americans Bill Auber- Customer Racing is also a central pillar end of the year, BMW will honour the len and Joey Hand, who will compete for in the motorsport programme of BMW most successful private racing drivers in points and victories throughout the enti- in 2011. The year began with a bang: in BMW cars for the 50th time and award re ALMS season. Like last year, Uwe mid-January, the Schubert Motorsport an overall prize fund of 250,000 Euros. Alzen (DE), Pedro Lamy (PT) and Dirk Team won the 24-hour race in Dubai In countless racing series around the Adorf (DE) complete the strong BMW (AE) with the BMW Z4 GT3. There world, participants can earn points for Motorsport driving contingent in 2011. shouldn’t be long to wait for more wins: the BMW private driver rankings. In an upgrade kit will be made available by 2010, the record field of 214 drivers Marathon outing. BMW Motorsport Distribution, which will from 25 different countries were an While it is consistency that counts over make the racing car more competitive. impressive proof of the huge interest in the course of the ALMS and ILMC the BMW Motorsport Customer Racing seasons, all of the excitement and Preparations for the season with the programme. tension of motorsport come together in new BMW 320 TC, powered by a 1.6-lit- Le Mans within just 24 hours. re turbo-charged four-cylinder engine with direct injection, have also proved On 11 and 12 June, Team BMW Motor- successful. A strong complement of sport will head to the “Circuit de la private drivers will compete in the FIA Sarthe”, where the open-top prototype World Touring Car Championship with BMW V12 LMR celebrated overall victo- the successor to the BMW 320si WTCC, ry in 1999. Last year, the Jeff Koons with which Priaulx won the world title in designed BMW M3 GT2 Art Car caused 2006 and 2007. Teams are not only able a sensation in Le Mans. After finishing to compete in the WTCC with the BMW sixth in the rankings in the 2010 LM GT2 320 TC, but also in many other series category, the team under manager held according to FIA Super2000 regu- Charly Lamm (DE) is looking to do even lations. The BMW M3 GT4 remains the better this year. ideal car for close-to-production motor- sport in 2011. 10 11 » SEASON 2011 INTERVIEW. Mario Theissen. Mr Theissen, what expectations does What is so attractive about the Inter­ BMW Motorsport have going into the continental Le Mans Cup? season? “The Intercontinental Le Mans Cup “The expectations depend very much celebrated a successful debut in 2010 on the respective area of involvement. In – and we were immediately able to the American Le Mans Series, BMW triumph in the LM GT2 class in the Team RLL has worked its way to the top season finale in Zhuhai. We would like to and reaped the rewards of this labour in continue to support this young series 2010 by winning titles in the GT class. It and send two cars to the starting grids. is clear we also want to be at the very The ILMC brings the fascination of the top this season in the finale in Road At- Le Mans 24 Hours to race tracks around lanta. The highlight of the Intercontinen- the world.” tal Le Mans Cup is the 24-hour race in Le Mans, in which we are looking to per- How did the new vehicle description form better than we did in 2011. At the of the BMW M3 GT come about? same time, we are supporting our BMW “Since the debut of the race version of private drivers across the world to notch the BMW M3 in 2009, the GT racing up victories for BMW.” environment has changed – including the descriptions of the different classes. With the ALMS and ILMC, the BMW In that sense, there is no longer any M3 GT will be featuring on three single GT2 class. For that reason, we’ve continents. How important is this stripped back the description of the international focus to you? BMW M3 to its essentials: this car is the “The tight dove-tailing of the American BMW M3 designed to be raced suc- Le Mans Series and the International Le cessfully in the GT category – the BMW Mans Cup means our racing program- M3 GT.” mes in North America and Europe have moved even closer together.