BMW M-1 / C
The BMW M-1 / C was a racing car prototype from 1981. It was equipped with a mid- engine and designed for the races in the IMSA-GTP series .
BMW North America drove BMW M1 Procars in the IMSA series as early as 1980 , but these cars had no chance against the large prototypes. That is why BMW decided to build a GTP sports car for this racing series. The chassis was developed by March Engineering , a British racing car manufacturer with whom BMW already worked in Formula 2 .
The vehicle was one of the most futuristic of its time. The rear wheels were completely covered by the chassis and the front section was reminiscent of a catamaran . March had to rebuild the chassis, internally referred to as the 81P , several times before the car was ready for racing. For example, the side covers for the wheels have been omitted. The North American motorsport department of BMW hired the British all-round driver David Hobbs , the Swiss Formula 1 driver Marc Surer and the Australian Vern Schuppan as drivers . The car had to be rebuilt again for the great David Hobbs, as the car was not high enough for the Briton. Initially, the racing car started the championship with a 3.5-liter, 6-cylinder naturally aspirated Procar-M1 engine. In the middle of the season, the team switched to a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbo engine, which was originally developed by BMW for Formula 2 vehicles, but was later also used in Formula 1 and the European Touring Car Championship .
After testing at Silverstone , the M-1 / C made its debut at the Riverside 6 Hours . In the race, the Hobbs / Surer duo finished sixth, eleven laps behind the winners John Fitzpatrick and Jim Busby in a Porsche 935 K3 / 80 . After another sixth place in Laguna Seca , Hobbs put the M-1 / C on the front row of the grid at the next two training events. Hobbs had an accident in Lime Rock and finished fifth in Mid-Ohio .
The turbo engine was used for the first time at Sears Point, but Hobbs dropped out after twelve laps and was unable to provide any reasonable information about the engine. The best result for the Turbo-M-1 / C came in fourth in Portland.
At the end of the season, BMW discontinued its motorsport activities in the USA. The M-1 / C was no longer driven in 1982 but served as the basis for the successful March 82G .
literature
- JA Martin and Ken Welles: Prototypes - the History of the IMSA GTP Series . Bull Publishing, Phoenix 2000, ISBN 1-893618-01-3 .
