M3 Back in the ALMS

atombfield

atombfield

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The American Le Mans Series is going to get a dose of Bavarian brilliance in 2009, as Bobby Rahal and David Letterman are teaming up to bring the fourth-generation M3 to the racing series. To properly battle the best competition in ALMS, BMW bumps the power quotient of its high-revving 4.0L V8 from 414 to 485 ponies, but brute force is just one facet of the M3's attack plan. The already outstanding chassis of the M3 has been further enhanced for the track, and weight has been reduced to make the deadly M even more nimble.

BMW also employed its extensive F1 knowledge into the M-racer, including computational fluid dynamics and wind tunnel analyses to make the carbon fiber-winged M3 slip freely through the air. BMW Motorsport is still tweaking the M3 racer in advance of the 2009 season, and the car will be taken through its paces by Andy Priaulx, Jorg Muller and Augusto Farfus of FIA World Touring Car Championship fame. Since the previous two generations of M3 hold six manufacturers championships in nine years of US sports car racing, we're guessing this baddest M3 ever will continue to be a handful for the competition. If it drives as well as it looks, Mr. Rahal should be a happy man.
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Source:http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/06/chicago-2008-bmw-back-in-alms-with-rahal-letterman-racing-m3/

Hopefully they will find a better livery by 2009!
 
Great now the GT2 :evil:
 
Very nice! I loved those wheels and I can't wait to hear it!
 
Great news, I am tired of only seeing Ferraris and Porches in GT2.:p
 
so i was considering missing the limerock round but i uh... guess that not going to happen
 
vikiradTG2007 said:
Ahem... Spyker and Panoz? The latter actually managed to beat all the Ferraris and Porsches at Le Mans in 2006 to score the class win.
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Bah that was over a year ago, you expect me to remember that far back. :p But yes Panoz did win in 2006, if I remember correctly it was pretty close between it and a 911 with mechanical issues.

Still GT2 is dominated by 911 and to a lesser extent Ferraris, the more variety the better.
 
Autosport confirms it, but is also talking about a 2008 debut for the car:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/65034

BMW to return to ALMS this year

By Steven English Thursday, February 7th 2008, 17:23 GMT


BMW will return to the American Le Mans Series this season with its latest generation M3 coupe in the GT2 class.

The car is currently being developed by BMW Motorsport in Munich and a pair will be run on their behalf by Rahal Letterman Racing.

The team made their ALMS debut last season, running a Porsche 911 RSR for Tom Milner and Ralf Kelleners.

Team boss Bobby Rahal said: "This is an important move for us and we're eagerly anticipating playing a lead role in returning BMW to the sharp end of the ALMS grid."

"We've had a phenomenal start to 2008 and this news from BMW adds to our momentum," said series boss Scott Atherton. "They represent one of the cornerstones on which ALMS was built and we are thrilled to embrace this effort from Rahal Letterman."

The ALMS season kicks off with the Sebring 12 Hours on March 15.
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Bobby needs to think about bringing his son along to be a driver. he did a DAMN great job at Daytona. but he does have a full Champ Car schedule with the Panoz.
 
Hard pressed to find a better touring car driver than Andy Priaulx though.
 
Wasnt the whole point of the new M3 being V8 so their LeMans racer could be more competitive? I think they maxed out the performance of the I6 on the E46 version racecar and it wasn't cutting it versus their rivals in the same class.
 
edkwon said:
Wasnt the whole point of the new M3 being V8 so their LeMans racer could be more competitive? I think they maxed out the performance of the I6 on the E46 version racecar and it wasn't cutting it versus their rivals in the same class.
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old M3 GTR also ran a 4litre V8, AFAIK no E46 M3 GTR ran the LeMans with their inline 6 engine.

i dunno whether BMW maxxed their full performance or not, but they certainly poesklapped just about everyone. Winning 2004-2005 both 1-2 places.
 
Colossal bump, but this sheds a lot of light on the car's racing programme and on its drivers:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72187

Auberlen, Hand lead BMW's return

By Matt Beer Wednesday, November 19th 2008, 15:44 GMT

Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand will rejoin BMW next season as the German manufacturer returns to the American Le Mans Series after a two-year absence.

Rahal Letterman Racing will run two of BMW's latest generation M3s in the GT2 class, and have announced Americans Hand and Auberlen - who both raced for BMW's previous GT2 project - as their first driver pairing.

Sportscar veteran Auberlen has been a BMW stalwart for most of his career and was part of the company's last Le Mans prototype programme, while 29-year-old Hand switched from junior single-seaters to GT racing four years ago.

"If you are going to start a new BMW team in the United States, it is nearly impossible to find a pair of drivers with more success or more experience with BMWs than Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand," said team boss Bobby Rahal.

"Bill is one of the most successful American sedan drivers of the decade and Joey has more than displayed his ability to run right with him, so we expect this driver pairing to be a strong one for the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team."

The new M3 GT2 has been developed by BMW Motorsport in Europe, and is testing at Road Atlanta this week with BMW's World Touring Car Championship drivers Andy Priaulx, Jorg Muller and Augusto Farfus, who will also drive the car for two days at Sebring later this month.
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Auberlen and Hand.... Now where have I heard those names before...

Oh, now I remember, they both have had the most spectacular accidents in BMWs.

Auberlen:
[YOUTUBE]lzQECDLqf_w[/YOUTUBE]

Hand:
[YOUTUBE]YqM9KXkkRnQ[/YOUTUBE]

I wonder what they'll manage once teamed up :D
 
argatoga said:
Great news, I am tired of only seeing Ferraris and Porches in GT2.:p
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You know Panoz, Dodge, and Aston Martin also all run in GT2 as well, right? Actually I just saw an offer for a seat in the Viper Comp. Coupe for 2009 valued at 1.5 mil. You could also buy both cars for 800 grand each.

You'll see Corvettes in there next year as well.

Maybe Audi R8s, too? Definitely at LeMans. Maybe then afterward, too? But ze question is, GT1 or GT2 for the R8?

The only problem I see with the M3 is that the old M3s and the 3 series' in Koni are really, really hard on the tires. I hope they fix that.
 
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485 hp in an M3... with those looks...
 
NooDle said:
485 hp in an M3... with those looks...
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Eh, I think it looks like something from Fast and the Furious. Just looks a bit too "pretty boy" for a racing car.

Hopefully the final livery will have some more color to make it look more businesslike.
 
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