[LM24] Why didn't the BMW M3 race at Le Mans?

[H16]

I figured with all the money that BMW were putting into their GT car, they would race at Le Mans, but we only saw the Callaway and a bunch of Porsches.

Will BMW consider racing at Le Mans next year with the V8 or are they confined to the ALMS again?

[Aysedasi]

As far as I'm concerned, the M3 is a touring car, not a true sports car. I'd love to have one, but I don't want to see M3's at Le Mans.

[Aysedasi]

......having said that, they might provide some relief from all thosde 911's......

[Heeltoe6]

at the time, I believe BMW was still perfecting the cars and did not want to race le mans with a product still going through development. i think they might have surprised even themselve with how fast they were up to speed, and maybe if they had knwon that, they would've gone. but by the time the cars won at Jarama, it was too late to go to LM.

[cybersdorf]

Originally posted by Aysedasi
As far as I'm concerned, the M3 is a touring car, not a true sports car.

My sentiments exactly. However, it does comply with the rules (which leads me to the conclusion that the rules need fixing) and it is without a doubt a d*mn good race car.

That was the good thing (maybe the only good thing...) about the old Gp.5 rules - you could base your silhouette racer on any GT or Tourer homologated in Gp.1 to 4. The old "but is it a true GT"-question was not an issue. Maybe this should be reintroduced.

[Simon Pullan]

What I heard was that they weren't racing because they weren't allowed. The ACO didn't let them in because they hadn't built enough/any(!) road cars.

[H16]

How many Callaways have you passed on the street? How about Saleens?

[Aysedasi]

Originally posted by H16
How many Callaways have you passed on the street? How about Saleens?

True enough, but then we've had the same discussion regarding Porsche GT1's, Nissan R390's and, of course, the glorious Toyota GT-One. But at least they all (including the Callaways and the Saleens) look like sportscars.

[cybersdorf]

Originally posted by H16
How many Callaways have you passed on the street? How about Saleens?

I can proudly say that none have ever passed me!

[cybersdorf]

Thing is, the ACO has always had this rule of "1 road car". That's enough for them, but it must exist - "we're going to build one soon, honest" won't do. There is one street legal Saleen S7, and one (or more?) Callaway C12, but there was not even one M3GTR at the time of Le Mans last year.

[H16]

And also the Dauer Porsche 962...

[BobN]

Originally posted by Simon Pullan
What I heard was that they weren't racing because they weren't allowed. The ACO didn't let them in because they hadn't built enough/any(!) road cars.

That can't be true because the M3GTR ran in ALMS/ELMS before Le Mans and the car had to be homolagated before they could run in ALMS. The Gunner Racing Lola is a perfect example. It wasn't allowed to run Sebring because it didn't receive ACO homolagation.

Bob

[Simon Pullan]

I'm confused now.

I thought that the ACO were only involved with Le Mans and Don had his own form of organisation for ALMS.

I think that the people organising Le Mans said that because no cars had been built the M3 couldn't race.

[cybersdorf]

Yes the ALMS runs to ACO rules but it is still at the ACO's discretion who runs at Le Mans and who doesn't.

[rdjones]

Another reason that BMW will not race the M3 @ Le Mans, is something to do with there other little project over in Formula One. That is why they pulled the LMP900, so that they could out all there resouses into F1. But it would be nice to see the M3 at Le Mans next year giving the 911 GT3 a run for there money.

[BobN]

My understanding is that Panoz's licensing agreement requires ALMS/ELMS to run the races to ACO specs. ALMS is not allowed to change any rules without approval of the ACO. Another car not allowed to race in ALMS (Petit Le Mans) was the Lola/Mazda of Dennis Spencer, again due to not receiving ACO homolagation.

There may be some grey area in rules application. The BMW received a smaller restrictor for Laguna Seca but not for Petit Le Mans (Petit being an automatic bid race). The ACO is who came up with the restrictor change, but maybe left Petit the same as other automatic bid races to keep that part of things stable. But I believe ALL cars that race in any ALMS/ELMS event have been homolagated by the ACO.

Bob

[Aysedasi]

Originally posted by rdjones
Another reason that BMW will not race the M3 @ Le Mans, is something to do with there other little project over in Formula One. That is why they pulled the LMP900, so that they could out all there resouses into F1. But it would be nice to see the M3 at Le Mans next year giving the 911 GT3 a run for there money.

Alright (he said, grudgingly), but just ONE........