BMW GTP

BMW was no newcomer to IMSA GT Racing, with many attempts at winning the overall crown. It started in 1975, when the CSL fought the unbeatable Porsche Carrera RSRs, then in 1977-1979 with the boxy 320 Turbo and in 1981, with the March born BMW M1C. Then, the Bavarian make would be represented only by privateers, mainly with M1s. The return of the works team was to take place by the end of 1985, when a new prototype entered the Daytona Finale. Hans Riedel, BMW North America sales and marketing chief, appointed Erik Wensberg to organise the racing program in the USA. There would be no support from BMW AG, except for Motors and technical advice. McLaren North America would be in charge of engine Development and race preparation, as it was the case in 1977-1979. A two-car team was set up, with a senior and junior line-up. David Hobbs and John Watson had Mark Scott as crew chief, while Davy Jones and John Andretti had Kurt Roehrig, former McLaren NA member and occasionally team owner as their crew chief. BMW had high hopes with the engine, which derived from Formula One. It had been repackaged as a 2,0L and was fed by a Garrett turbocharger. It would produce as much as 800 hp at 9000 rpm. BMW purchased the four March 86G chassis and installed the powerplant into them all. The very First car to run had a very ungainly appearance and was nicknamed Donald Duck. At the Daytona Finale, David Hobbs qualified the car in second place but did not finish the race. The team worked hard to get ready for the two very First races of the 1986 season. The First car caught fire while testing at Road Atlanta. The car was written off and the damage was so extensive that the team had to situeras from the 24 Hours of Daytona. Bob Riley then was brought in and improved the car dramatically. A ninth place was taken at Miami with the senior team, with the junior having a dnf. Bobby Rahal was part of the team when he had a spectaculaire accident at Sebring, when the engine cover blew off. BMW retired from the race. It looked like the engine produced some vibrations, which led to parts being broken. The Road Atlanta race was another failure for the team. It was a period which drove the team to search for new people, men that would be able to improve things in a consistent way. At Lime Rock, the cars were to be withdrawn because BMW did not want to experience another failure, in the wake of the Brabham BMW F1 cars, which were very unreliable. So it wasn't until the first Watkins Glen race that the team got its first good results. Davy Jones and John Andretti took a fifth place, with David Hobbs and John Watson following in sixth place. The elders took a fourth at Portland while the youngsters had a fifth at Sears Point. The next race was another great disappointment with Davy Jones, who took the pole, being sent into the guardrails. The orner team's car led until it retired with fuel feed problems. The next race was to become the only success by this car, with Davy Jones and John Andretti winning easily the race while the orner car retired with overheating. It was a clean sweep, as the team also took the fastest lap, as well as the Norelco Cup. Yet, many were to think that a new step had been reached. Factory support was the key to success for the future, but it was not to come by. The next race was another disappointment when both cars retired. When the team arriv?©e at the Daytona Finale, it was clear that the team's fate was already sealed. David Hobbs however took the pole, and was leading the race when he retired. After this very last race, BMW once again announced its withdrawal from GTP Racing. It was a shame to see such potential being utterly wasted. The cars really proved they coule win the Championship, had they been properly developped and maintained. Erik Wensberg was utterly to lay arms, because of management change. It was purely strategic, and nothing coule be done to prevent this to happen. The cars were the fastest on most of the courses, and 1987 was to be theirs. But decisions were taken in another direction, and BMW would never win a GTP Championship. Many people certainly moaned at this fact.

BMW GTP would be running in 1986 for a single season