The greatest BMW M race victories.

Only half finished.

That was tough: not even half of the field saw the chequered flag at the 1965 edition of the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps. Only 19 of the 46 touring cars that started crossed the finish line in Belgium. And the winners – after 3,813 kilometres at top racing speeds – were Pascal Ickx and Gérard Langlois van Ophem. They drove their BMW 1800 TI/SA around the 14.1-kilometre course at an average speed of 158.85 km/h – 271 times. In the end, they were two laps ahead of the second-placed Alfa Romeo. Hubert Hahne, who dominated the 1964 German Circuit Championship with 14 victories in 16 races, was disqualified with his second driver, Willy Mairesse, in the second BMW: After a pit stop, mechanics illegally gave his BMW 1800 TI/SA a push because the starter had broken.

The BMW 3.0 CSL: Instant champion.

The legendary BMW 3.0 CSL from 1973 was the first in many respects: prototype for the Art Cars or lap-time champion on the Nürburgring. But above all, it was the car to beat on the track. The Coupé Sport Leichtbau, as the “CSL” stands for, was so successful on the racetrack that it won the European Touring Car Championship title on its very first attempt in 1973, with its drivers, Toine Hezemans and Dieter Quester, winning the drivers' championship. This car was also the first BMW Motorsport GmbH project; the company was founded in 1972. The BMW 3.0 CSL competed in a total of 17 races in 1972, winning nine times and finishing second and third twice. By 1979, the BMW 3.0 CSL had won six European championship titles.

Victorious tactics.

When competition is tough, you have to be creative. After the oil crisis in 1973 and the cancellation of the race in 1974, it was unclear whether the race in Sebring could even take place in 1975. The track, grandstands, fences, simply everything was in disrepair after two years without maintenance. But this did not discourage the BMW team with their two 3.0 CSLs. The tough competition of local hero Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team was more of a problem. So, a promising tactic had to be found: pole-sitter Hans-Joachim Stuck and second driver Sam Posey were instructed by BMW team boss Jochen Neerpasch to go at full speed right from the start, while the second BMW 3.0 CSL with Brian Redman and Allan Moffat at the wheel would be easier on the car and go more slowly. The competition took the bait, resulting in the fiercest rivals dropping out halfway through the almost 2,000-kilometre race. The BMW with Stuck/Posey also had to drop out because of a defective oil pump. The second BMW 3.0 CSL thereby drove, as planned, to its first endurance triumph at Sebring. Fun fact: because Stuck and Posey also drove the second car, there were four winning drivers instead of two.

The run-up to Formula 1.

In 1979 and 1980, there was a special treat for Formula 1 spectators: the rounds of the BMW M1 Procar Championship, also known as the Procar Series, which usually started in the run-up to the actual race on Saturday. The five fastest Formula 1 drivers from the practice runs competed against a maximum of 19 private drivers. The cars were technically identical BMW M1s in the Procar version, which, unlike the standard M1, had 470 hp. This meant that the racing cars reached 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds and could reach a good 300 km/h. You had to pay DM 150,000 for a race-ready vehicle. Jochen Neerpasch, managing director of BMW Motorsport GmbH at the time, wanted the standardised cars to really have to fight for the best positions—which is exactly what he got. The series gave the captivated audience an insight into the driving abilities of the drivers on the track. The 1979 season started on the 12^th of May in Zolder, Belgium, and comprised eight rated races, all of which took place in Europe. In the end, Niki Lauda and Hans-Joachim Stuck fought a tough battle for first place, for which a production BMW M1 was awarded. As Lauda was only barely ahead at the finish line, they both received a private M1 as first prize. In the second and final season in 1980, the future Formula 1 world champion, Nelson Piquet, secured the championship.

Champions in 1984, 1987 and 1989.

The German Touring Car Championship (DTM) is a success story: it increased the number of spectators for German motorsport as a whole and promised exciting races. In the first two years, it was still called the German Production Car Championship (DPM). In contrast to other racing series, racing cars were not divided into classes. Equal power ratios were achieved by slowing down cars that were too fast or too strong with additional weights or different tyre sizes. Depending on the engine capacity, a racing car with 2,000 cubic centimetres had to weigh at least 880 kilos and was allowed to run tyres no wider than 25 centimetres. In comparison, a car with more than 4,000 cubic centimetres: 1,425 kilos minimum, tyre width 28 centimetres. The reason for the founding of the DTM was that the Group C races, taking place at the same time, were prohibitively expensive for many participants and was why mainly only car manufacturers competed there. In the DTM, on the other hand, customer teams or private drivers could also participate. A BMW 635 CSi with Harald Grohs at the wheel won the very first race of the season. Volker Strycek also secured the championship in a BMW 635 CSi. These victories were not alone: BMW also won the titles in 1987 and 1989 with the BMW M3.

The DTM is not the World Touring Car Championship, which was held in 1987. The first race started on the 22^nd of March and the championship ended on the 15^th of November after eleven races were held around the world. The champion was the Italian BMW M3 driver Roberto Ravaglia, one point ahead of his Ford rivals.

Fuelling for success.

Long before the start of the Le Mans race in 1999, there was a decisive change: the LMGTP class replaced the GT1 class. This meant that no road cars had to be built for homologation, which gave the racing car much greater freedom. BMW took advantange of this freedom and decided to enter an open-top car in accordance with the LMP class regulations. This had one significant advantage: the fuel tank was slightly larger than that of closed GT-LMP class cars and, as a result, the BMWs were able to stay in the field two laps longer. Although not the fastest, the BMW V12 LMRs of the Schnitzer team briefly took the lead after the first pit stops. Several spectacular accidents involving Mercedes ultimately ensured that the last remaining racing car of the Swabian rivals was taken out of the race. According to several experts, the cars lifted off and flipped over due to aerodynamic lift. This happened three times in practice and in the race. A duel then took shape between the fast Toyota and the BMW. Ultimately, it was not only the high reliability of the BMW V12 LMR but also the time savings that enabled BMW to claim victory: While the second-placed Toyota spent 47 minutes in the pits during the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 33 minutes were all that were needed for the BMW.

The 2001 season of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) turned out to be a triumph for a BMW that didn't even exist. At least not at first. After BMW enjoyed success in America with the open-top V12 LMR and won Le Mans, the company decided to switch to the GT class for the 2001 season. The problem: The BMW M3 GTR required for this was not ready. So, the start of the season had to be contested with the previous year's M3. Third place in the first race was still a respectable result for drivers Hans-Joachim Stuck and Boris Said. The M GmbH crew had been working on the BMW M3 GTR since September of the previous year. It made its debut at the 12-hour race in Sebring on the 17^th of March. The car had not even completed a single race lap or undergone a full test; it had only undergone a functional test beforehand. Nevertheless, the car performed around the clock and finished in a respectable third place. The GTR improved over the next few races, and by the end of the season it had won four double-victories in a row. The result was clear: in its debut season, the team won the drivers'- (Jörg Müller), team- and manufacturers' championships with the BMW M3 GTR, thus winning every category.

Decision in the last race.

Briton Andy Priaulx knew that the 2004 European Touring Car Championship would be a close one. The BMW 320i driver had the championship in his sights the previous year, but ultimately only managed to get third place. Strong competition and unpredicatable placements, retirements, and accidents characterise the 2004 season. But ultimately, BMW proved to be strong and consistent. Before the last race in Dubai, Priaulx was twelve points behind his BMW teammate Dirk Müller. He had won at Magny-Cours, Hockenheim, Brno, Donington and Oschersleben and scored three points in almost all but one of the other races. The title would not be easy for him, although BMW claimed the constructors' title three races before the end of the season. In the end, Piraulx tied on points with Dirk Müller, who retired once and finished fifth once, thanks to two second places. Andy Priaulx became champion because he—with five victories—had more victories to his name than Müller, who crossed the finish line in first place three times. It doesn't get any tighter than that.

A prestigious victory at Sebring.

In 2009, BMW decided to re-enter the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) with the M3. BMW enjoyed success and titles here through 2001, but withdrew in the same year to focus on Europe. The BMW M3 GTR achieved triple success in the ALMS: Jörg Müller won the drivers' championship, BMW Motorsport won the team classification, and BMW became brand champion in the important foreign market of the USA. In 2009, the BMW works team opted for the BMW M3 GT2, which was powered by a powerful V8 engine. In the GT2 class, BMW battled against strong competition, including Porsche and Ferrari. Nevertheless, the BMW team managed to perform well that season. The highlight was the victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring, one of the most prestigious endurance races in the USA. Over the entire season, BMW finished third out of nine in the manufacturers' standings, which is considered a success for a debut season.

Success after a 20-year break.

After an almost 20-year break from the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), it was announced in 2012: BMW was coming back. Together with rivals Audi and Mercedes, BMW revised the DTM regulations. What initially looked like a slow start for the BMW team, the Bavarians slowly made up for after four races. And things got even better, as working with Canadian Bruno Spengler, who had come over from Mercedes, continued to pay off over the course of the season. Spengler: "It was very exciting to sit in a BMW DTM car for the first time. The entire development phase was a great time, in which we all worked together as a team to develop a winning car." Pairing Spengler with BMW M3 DTM was the sensation of the first year: Spengler became drivers’ champion, his BMW Team Schnitzer won the team title, and BMW secured the manufacturers' championship. The trio was complete. In the 2014 season, the BMW M4 DTM replaced the BMW M3 DTM and dominated again. BMW retired from the DTM in 2020 after nine years, and could do so with satisfaction: 140 races, 40 victories, 124 podium finishes, three drivers' titles and three more manufacturers' titles.

Holding out in heavy rain.

The fact that it rains often in the Eifel is nothing new. But nobody expected what came in 2020. In the 50-year history of the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring there had only been seven total weather-related interruptions. For BMW, the bad weather was compounded by pressure: if BMW won this race, a BMW would once again—in the 50^th anniversary year—be at the front of the field. And it would be the 20^th victory ever for the brand in the "Green Hell". However, things started rather badly for the three drivers Nick Catsburg, Alexander Sims and Nick Yelloly. In its farewell year, the Rowe BMW M6 GT3 was unable to maintain the pace after the start. Yelloly: "When it was really wet, our opponents had a clear advantage. But when it got drier, the advantage was ours, especially with the drying-wet tyres." But first it got worse. It got so bad that the race had to be stopped from 10:32 Saturday evening until 8:00 Sunday morning. Then came the restart. It dried up and the BMW M6 GT3 pulled away. Sims was able to make up position after position. Sims: "The tyres worked and suddenly we were the fastest in the field. I overtook one car after another and felt good again." Then the leading Audi came into view and later it started to rain again. The BMW Rowe Racing team reacted faster than the Audi team and immediately switched to rain tyres, with the leading Audi only coming into the pits one lap later. This gave them a lead of 18 seconds, which Catsburg could use: “Stress naturally increases when you keep being told over the radio that the competition is catching up and you have to push harder. You're already giving all you’ve got." But the last 15 laps went better than the start and BMW was able to win this memorable race.

Victory through disqualification.

The GTP era started in 2023 and with it the new top class of the US IMSA series. Launching there has been a BMW M tradition for decades. The BMW M Hybrid V8 entered in 2023 is a completely new car and only had its roll-out 188 days before the start of the 24-hour race in Daytona. This was the shortest development time of any competitor, and BMW M Motorsport with Team RLL regarded the race as a test. Which they passed successfully: The BMW M Hybrid V8 with starting number 24 finished sixth overall and in the GTP class. The sister car, number 25, finished ninth in the GTP category after a long repair break in the early stages of the race. And the next classic in US racing was already waiting: the 12 Hours of Sebring. From eighth on the grid, Nick Yelloly crossed the finish line in second place as the final driver for BMW M Team RLL. During the race, he took turns at the wheel of the new GTP prototype with Connor De Phillippi and Sheldon van der Linde. At first it looked like another second place in the 6-hour race at Watkins Glen: Connor De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly crossed the finish line in second place after a dramatic final phase, but a retrospective penalty imposed on the first-placed Porsche for a technical infringement after the race meant a historic first victory for the BMW M Hybrid V8. Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport, had reason to celebrate: "Of course we would have preferred to win on the racetrack, but this success is the result of a lot of hard work and the well-deserved reward for the great achievements of everyone involved in this programme. I am most pleased that our pace was very strong throughout the weekend and that we set the top times."