BMW will not run Adelaide

[marcus]

the BMW V12 LMR has run its final race as they are not going to be taken to the Adelaide race on new years eve.

BMW have announced that the planning for 2001 is why they will not go and apparently they will spend december developing their new car the "E46".

It was a good run with this car and I for one will be sad to see it go but i hope they return to the top class in the next few years..we will have to wait and see.

[BMWRacerITS]

Originally posted by marcus
It was a good run with this car and I for one will be sad to see it go but i hope they return to the top class in the next few years..we will have to wait and see.

I too, as a BMW fanatic and racer, will be sad to see the car go. Unfortunately, I don't look for BMW to be back into SportsCar racing anytime soon. The F1 program is taking up the bulk of the racing budget. The E46 program is run more or less by PTG, and BMW does little in the development of those cars.

Oh well, maybe the BMW's and P-cars will go at it again for the overall win at LeMans at some point before my life is over.

Until then, I'll just keep giving those 911's hell in my little 2.5 liter BMW!

[BobN]

Originally posted by BMWRacerITS

I too, as a BMW fanatic and racer, will be sad to see the car go. Unfortunately, I don't look for BMW to be back into SportsCar racing anytime soon. The F1 program is taking up the bulk of the racing budget. The E46 program is run more or less by PTG, and BMW does little in the development of those cars.

Oh well, maybe the BMW's and P-cars will go at it again for the overall win at LeMans at some point before my life is over.

Until then, I'll just keep giving those 911's hell in my little 2.5 liter BMW!

Team Schnitzer (sp) is running ALMS in 2001 with the E46 in GT as a full factory effort.

Bob

[BMWRacerITS]

Huh, oh well, glad to see BMW is staying in Sportscar racing. The last I heard was that they were handing everything over to PTG like they did with the E36. Guess things have changed.

[marcus]

I may be wrong but isnt the new E46 a GT class car being built to try and compete with the BMW M3..what i was refering to was the top class of the ALMS instead of the usual mobile chicanes that the BMW's and porsches seem to be ????

[BobN]

Originally posted by marcus
I may be wrong but isnt the new E46 a GT class car being built to try and compete with the BMW M3..what i was refering to was the top class of the ALMS instead of the usual mobile chicanes that the BMW's and porsches seem to be ????

I was just pointing out (for BMWracerITS) that the E46 will not just be run by PTG with little or no factory involvment, but will in fact be a full factory effort campaigned by Team Schnitzer in ALMS and at Le Mans.

I agree that it would be better to have them in the proto class, hopefully they won't stay gone too long.

Bob

[BMWRacerITS]

Marcus...the BMW E46 running in GT IS AN M3.

It is simply the new E46 bodystyle M3 that will be available to the public soon. In street form, it will be a fairly nice car, heavier than the E36 M3, but with 333hp in both U.S. and Euro form.

[marcus]

oh ok ..I was under the impression that it was a whole new car..I wondered why they wanted to build a car to challenge their own car..guess i read it wrong somewhere.

CHEERS

[BMWRacerITS]

Marcus-

I see where you are confused now...I'll see if I can try to explain.

E36 is the code given to the bodystyle that dominated Sportscar racing for quite a while. Within the E36 line-up, there was the 318, 318ti, 316d, 325i, 328i, and the M3, which is the car that was raced.

Now, the E46 is the newest 3 series bodystyle for BMW. There has been a 323, 328, 325, and 330 produced in this bodystyle so far for the public (at least here in America). BMW is also producing an M3 version for the E46 bodystyle as well.

It is a whole new car in the sense that the two M3's, E36 and E46, share NOTHING in common. They are two seperate generations of the car simply called by the same name.

The first M3 was in the E30 bodystyle, and had a high-revving 4 cylinder. It dominated Touring Car racing during its peak.