As I can
only imagine how glorious those BMW V-12 lumps sounded at full “Chat” upon
thoust Mulssane Straight!
Another story waylaid
in the mountainous driftwood piles upon thoust Isle ‘O Nofendersville.
Shipwrecked some five years Mateys…
As it seems apropos to
uncork this No Fenders yarn now that BMW M Team RLL has just been victorious at
the Battle on The Bricks this fall.
Although I didn’t
painstakingly go thru the two prior years Le Mans results. I did manage to
discover that a total of three BMW 328 2.0-liter Inline six cylinder racecars
contested the 1939 24 Heurs du Mans. With
All three finishing in the top ten overall. With the top BMW entry finishing fifth
overall and first in class.
Reportedly this was the
Bavarian Motor Werks’ initial automobile racing car, in what’s ultimately
become a long, storied Motorsports activity, which includes winning the 1983
Formula 1 World Championship. Whilst it’s hard to believe it’s now a quarter
century since they won at Circuit de la Sarthe!
Hardcore Sports Cars
enthusiasts will presumably know that the BMW V-12 LM Prototype racecar, a
collabouration between BMW and Williams Grand Prix Engineering, owes it’s
linage to McLaren’s F1 GTR.
Although the McLaren F1
GTR was a development of the initial Gordon Murray designed McLaren F1 road car,
which utilized a BMW S70/2 naturally aspirated V-12 lump’ at just over six
litres.
After much pressure
from aspiring privateer racers, Murray relented and produced the McLaren F1 GTR
racing version, which sported an updated BMW S70/3 DOHC 6.0-litre normally
aspirated v-12 lump. Competing in such series as the BPR Global GT Series,
which then became the FIA GT Championship amongst others. With these GT1 racecars being the top class at
le 24 Heurs du Mans in the mid-1990’s.
Suffice it to say,
without rehashing the entire McLaren F1 GTR’s history. The #59 car won the 1995
24 Heurs du Mans at the hands of JJ Letho, Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya.
Yet by 1997 was deemed “obsolete”, with McLaren withdrawing from Sports Car
racing.
Yet BMW wasn’t ready to
Pull-the-Pin’ upon Sports car racing, and hence hired Sir frank’s (Williams)
outfit to design a full blooded LMP1 spec prototype racecar utilizing it’s V-12
engine.
Thus Williams produced
the BMW V-12 LM racecar for the 1998 24 Heurs du Mans. With two prototype
chassis being built. Campaigned by longtime BMW Factory team Schnitzer
Motorsport, although entered under the banner of Team BMW Motorsport.
No idea how the
numbering sequence was done, unless these were just the first two LMP1 entrants
that year? As car No. 1 featured Hans-Joachim Stuck, Steve Soper. And somebody
then relatively unknown named Tom Kristensen, then just a single winner of the
race…
The No. 2 entry saw
Pierluigi Martini, Jochim Winkelhock and Johnny Cecotto behind it’s keyboard.
Making it’s debut
during the Le Mans test day, the BMW V-12 LM’s were slower than the Werks’ LMGT1
entries of Porsche, Toyota, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz. Reportedly clocking in at
11th behind the likes of the Porsche 911 GT1, Nissan R390 GT1, Toyota GT-1 and
Mercedes-Benz CLK-GT, which claimed Pole.
Pierluigi Martini
qualified the No. 2 entry in sixth place, with Tom Kristensen putting the No. 1
in a distant 12th.
The first BMW V-12 LM
to retire from the race was car #2 at a meager 43-laps. While it’s Seester
#1 was retired shortly
after, at 60-laps. As both cars suffered from “harmonic: vibrations in their
drivetrains and were retired in order to prevent catastrophic detonation!
Subsequently it was
determined that the chassis suffered from lack of aerodynamics, and more
importantly. It suffered cooling issues. Prompting BMW to discard the two V-12
LM chassis in favour of a total redesign for the next year’s competition.
On a somewhat
interesting sidenote, or going down another Wabbit’ Hole; You make the Call! Having
surfed thru Bill Auberlen’s extensive racing career. Whom I’ve long taken to
calling Him Bimmer Billy’, due to His longtime BMW affiliation.
Auberlen, Steve O’Rourke
and Tim Sugden were that year’s highest finishing powered BMW entry at Le Mans.
With their #40 Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren F1 GTR finishing fourth overall.
While interestingly, part
of Bimmer Bily’s extensive racing exploits – which I’ve previously scribbled
about in,
http://www.nofenders.net/2023/03/reminiscing-briefly-over-great-bimmer.html
Includes being half of
the driving Duo that won BM's lone World Sports Car (WSC) victory overall at
the 1998 Monterey Sports Car Championship.
With Auberlen and
Belgium co-driver Didier de Radigues taking the cheqered flag aboard Team
Rafanelli’s BMW Motorsport backed Riley & Scott Mk III BMW 4.0-litre V-8
during the Laguna Seca IMSA GT Championship’s season finale. Forbearer of the
American Le Mans Series. (ALMS)
Reportedly Italian Team
Rafanelli (Rafanelli Engineering) was running it’s Riley & Scott prototype that
year in the FIA International Sportscar Racing Series (ISRS) as part of BMW’s
preparations for racing it’s BMW V-12 LM chassis fulltime in 1999.
Yet Rafanelli was replaced
by Schnitzer Motorsport instead, racing the BMW V-12 LMR. Including two cars in
the ALMS.
Yet Team Rafanelli
persevered another season with it’s updated Riley & Scott Mk III chassis.
Now sporting it’s own aerodynamic revisions, along with switching to a Judd GV
4.0-litre V-10. Winning the 1999 Grand Prix of Atlanta, albeit the Werks BMW
V-12LMR’s weren’t present…
