Procar series
The BMW M1 Procar Championship , also known as the Procar Series , was held with BMW M1 Procars in 1979 and 1980, largely as part of the supporting program of European Formula 1 races. The first race took place on May 12, 1979 in Zolder, Belgium.
In the Procar series, the five fastest Formula 1 drivers from the training runs with works vehicles of the BMW M1 competed against a maximum of 19 sports car and private drivers of this type of vehicle. Apart from the team bosses from Ferrari and Renault - themselves manufacturers of road vehicles - all Formula 1 racing teams gave their drivers permission to take part in the Procar races.
The race distance was around a third of the Grand Prix distance of the respective Formula 1 race. The races of the Procar series on the Formula 1 weekends were always held on the Saturday after the final practice of Formula 1. With the races of the Procar series, the spectators were able to get an idea of the driving skills of the best drivers in comparable vehicles.
The winner of a race received 20 championship points, the following placements received 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point. The driver with the most points at the end of the season won the Procar championship and was awarded a street version of the BMW M1 and his team a second. The second-placed driver and his team each received a BMW 528i, the third-placed driver and his team each received a BMW 323i. After each run of the Procar series in 1979, first place was paid $ 5,000, second place was $ 3,000, and third place was $ 1,000. The first season in 1979 was won by three-time Formula 1 world champion Niki Lauda , while Nelson Piquet won the second and final season in 1980 .
On the occasion of the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim there was on 19./20. July 2008 a Procar Revival, in which ten BMW M1 racing cars took part. Led by Jochen Neerpasch in the Andy-Warhol - Art Car with co-driver Frank Stella , drivers such as Christian Danner , Harald Grohs , Helmut Kelleners , Christian Klien , Jacques Laffite , Niki Lauda , Sepp Manhalter , Jörg Müller , Dieter Quester , Marc Surer and Leopold Prinz graduated from Bavaria two show races.
vehicles
For the racing series, which was practically a one-make cup, the three Procar producers produced a total of 44 racing cars (other sources speak of 48 vehicles), with the vehicles intended for Formula 1 drivers being built exclusively by BMW Motorsport GmbH in Munich . The pre-assembled BMW M1s were completed either directly at BMW Motorsport GmbH or at the racing car manufacturers Osella in Italy or Project Four in England, with the Munich-based company selecting and providing the parts. Jochen Neerpasch , then managing director of BMW Motorsport GmbH, hoped that this diversification would create healthy competition in the endeavor to achieve the best possible results. Private drivers could buy the race-ready M1 in Procar version, which accelerated from 0 to 100 km / h in 4.5 seconds and was just over 300 km / h, for 150,000 DM . All race cars had 345 kW / 470 hp at 9000 min -1 and were technically largely identical. There were only minor differences in the chassis settings and the position of the spoilers. To ensure that all Procars actually had the same output, a rev limiter set to 8,500 in −1 was combined with an on-board rev measuring and storage system in order to be able to precisely determine deviations.
In addition to the vehicles built by BMW , Osella and Project Four, other racing cars were prepared and used by well-known racing teams. Teams known from touring car racing such as Tom Walkinshaw Racing , Eggenberger Motorsport , Ëcurie Automobile Arvor and Schnitzer Motorsport as well as sports car teams such as Team Konrad and GS-Tuning also took part in the Procar races.
1979 season
The racing calendar for the first season of the Procar Championship provided for events from May to September, with eight runs taking place parallel to the Formula 1 races in Europe. A ninth run took place in Donington Park as part of the Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy - a charity event for the Gunnar Nilsson Cancer Foundation - but no championship points were awarded for this.
The first five starting positions in one of the Procar-M1 from BMW Motorsport were reserved for the five best Formula 1 drivers from Friday training. Over the course of the season, these were Mario Andretti , Patrick Depailler , Emerson Fittipaldi , James Hunt , Jean-Pierre Jarier , Alan Jones , Jacques Laffite , Niki Lauda , Nelson Piquet , Didier Pironi , Clay Regazzoni and John Watson . Teo Fabi , Tiff Needell , Hans-Georg Bürger and Michael Bleekemolen also drove for the works team, although they were not Formula 1 drivers at the time. After the first race, a place became available for Hans-Georg Bürger in one of the works Procars, as Niki Lauda drove a BMW M1 from Project Four from the second race. This team was headed by Ron Dennis , who was McLaren's team principal in 1984 when Niki Lauda became world champion with this team.
Race results
| No. | date | event | Racetrack | winner | team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12th of May |
 Belgian Grand Prix
|
Circuit Zolder |
 Elio de Angelis
|
Osella Squadra Corse |
| 2 | May 26 |
 Monaco Grand Prix
|
Circuit de Monaco |
 Niki Lauda
|
Project Four Racing |
| - | 3rd of June |
 Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy
|
Donington Park |
 Nelson Piquet
|
BMW Motorsport |
| 3 | June 30th |
 French Grand Prix
|
Circuit de Dijon-Prenois |
Nelson Piquet
|
BMW Motorsport |
| 4th | July 13th |
Great Britain Grand Prix
|
Silverstone Circuit |
Niki Lauda
|
Project Four Racing |
| 5 | July 28th |
 Grand Prix of Germany
|
Hockenheimring |
Niki Lauda
|
Project Four Racing |
| 6th | August 11th |
Grand Prix of Austria
|
Österreichring |
Jacques Laffite
|
BMW Motorsport |
| 7th | August 25 |
 Grand Prix of the Netherlands
|
Circuit Zandvoort |
Hans-Joachim Stuck
|
Cassani Racing |
| 8th | September 8th |
Italian Grand Prix
|
Autodromo Nazionale Monza |
Hans-Joachim Stuck
|
Cassani Racing |
Championship ranking
The table shows the drivers' standings after eight championship races. Niki Lauda won the first championship, where he contested the first race with a works Procar. In the other seven races he drove a Project Four car.
1980 season
In the second season of the Procar Championship, the racing calendar was changed and expanded so that the races were no longer exclusively held in conjunction with Formula 1 races. This allowed the championship season to start earlier in April, as the first European Formula 1 race in 1980 did not take place in Zolder until May.
The race at Donington Park was now part of the championship. There were also two races in Germany, the Avus race and the 200 miles from Nuremberg as part of the German racing championship . Six Formula 1 Grand Prix remained in the racing calendar.
In the Procar races, which were not held as part of a Grand Prix, there were no Formula 1 training runs, so the places in the racing cars of the BMW works team had to be allocated differently. So five Formula 1 drivers were nominated directly for these races. These were Alan Jones , Jacques Laffite , Nelson Piquet , Didier Pironi and Carlos Reutemann . In addition, Formula 1 drivers Mario Andretti , Derek Daly , Jean-Pierre Jarier , Riccardo Patrese and Alain Prost qualified on the Grand Prix weekends . However, in contrast to the previous year, the first five starting positions were no longer automatically reserved for the Formula 1 drivers in the 1980 season, but the Formula 1 drivers had to qualify for the starting grid. The start numbers of the Grand Prix drivers were identical to their start numbers in Formula 1 .
The vehicles of the works team received new paintwork in 1980. During the race in Monaco the works cars were white with a diagonal red horizontal stripe, later the works racing cars were painted with a light green horizontal stripe.
Most of the teams from the previous year were there again in 1980, for example Project Four, GS-Tuning , Eggenberger Motorsport , Cassani Racing and Schnitzer Motorsport . The newcomers were the teams of Arturo Merzario , Dieter Quester and Helmut Marko as well as the Swiss sports car racing team Sauber Motorsport .
Race results
| No. | date | event | Racetrack | winner | team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26th of April |
International Procar Meeting
|
Donington Park |
Jan Lammers
|
BMW Holland |
| 2 | May 11th |
Avus race
|
AVUS |
 Manfred Schurti
|
Cassani Racing |
| 3 | 17th of May |
Monaco Grand Prix
|
Circuit de Monaco |
Hans-Joachim Stuck
|
Project Four Racing |
| 4th | June 22 |
200 miles from Nuremberg
|
Norisring |
Hans-Joachim Stuck
|
Project Four Racing |
| 5 | July 12 |
Great Britain Grand Prix
|
Brands Hatch |
 Carlos Reutemann
|
BMW Motorsport |
| 6th | August 9 |
Grand Prix of Germany
|
Hockenheimring |
Didier Pironi
|
BMW Motorsport |
| 7th | August 16 |
Grand Prix of Austria
|
Österreichring |
Nelson Piquet
|
BMW Motorsport |
| 8th | August 30th |
Grand Prix of the Netherlands
|
Circuit Zandvoort |
Nelson Piquet
|
BMW Motorsport |
| 9 | 13.september |
Italian Grand Prix
|
Autodromo Dino Ferrari |
Nelson Piquet
|
BMW Motorsport |
Championship ranking
The table shows the first 10 places in the drivers' standings after nine championship races. Nelson Piquet won the second and final championship, being victorious in the last three races of the championship.
| Item | driver | team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Nelson Piquet
|
BMW Motorsport | 90 |
| 2 |
 Alan Jones
|
BMW Motorsport | 77 |
| 3 |
Hans-Joachim Stuck
|
Project Four Racing | 71 |
| 4th |
Jan Lammers
|
BMW Holland | 69 |
| 5 |
Carlos Reutemann
|
BMW Motorsport | 64 |
| 6th |
Manfred Schurti
|
Cassani Racing | 48 |
| 7th |
Hans Heyer
|
GS tuning | 41 |
| 8 = |
Jacques Laffite
|
BMW Motorsport | 37 |
| 8 = |
 Marc Surer
|
Sauber motorsport | 37 |
| 10 |
Didier Pironi
|
BMW Motorsport | 34 |
Post-Procar era
Due to the sluggish demand for the street version despite the Procar series, the homologation requirements for Group 4 could not be achieved until April 1, 1981. But meanwhile the competition hadn't slept, and so the BMW M1 was no longer used in the racing category for which it had once been designed. In addition, BMW announced on April 24, 1980 that the company would be involved as an engine supplier for Formula 1. Therefore, no more funds were made available for the further development of the BMW M1. Therefore, BMW decided, not least because of its Formula 1 activities, not to continue the Procar series in 1981.
The BMW M1 was not only used in the Procar races, but also in the 24-hour races of Le Mans and in national championships from 1979 to 1986 . In some cases, crashed racing cars served as the basis for this in the Procar series. One example of this is the BMW M1 with BOSS / adidas advertising. The vehicle was built in 1981 by Obermaier Racing with a new frame for the DRM and used until 1986. In 1980 the car drove with Jürgen Lässig in Hockenheim, the Nürburgring and the Salzburgring, among others . In 1983 Leopold Prince of Bavaria is said to have driven the car.
Web links
- Overview of the Procar races in 1979 and 1980. bmw-m1-club.de, accessed on September 26, 2015 .
- Procar BMW M1. racingsportscars.com, accessed August 20, 2013 .
- Race results for 1979 and 1980. classicscars.com, accessed June 17, 2013 .
- BMW M1 Procar Revival 2008. Press release BMW Group. 7-forum.com, July 18, 2008, accessed June 17, 2013 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Marcel Kühler: The comeback of the year! In: BMW Scene Live . No. 5 (September / October). Kroom Verlag, 2008, ISSN 1610-9902 , p. 94-97 .
- ↑ a b c d e f BMW M1 - Procar series and group 5 . In: BMW Group Mobile Tradition (Ed.): Mobile Tradition live . M1 special. 2003, p. 14-19 ( BMW Group Archives - Search - Mobile Tradition live ).
- ↑ a b c d e Niklas Drechsler: The Procar series - unique to this day . In: BMW Classic live . M1 special. 2008, p. 32–39 ( BMW Group Archives - Search - BMW Classic live ).
- ^ Marlboro British Grand Prix, Official Program. racingsportscars.com, June 12, 2010, accessed August 23, 2013 .
- ^ Charis Whitcombe: Return of the BMW M1 Procars. classicdriver.com, July 24, 2008, accessed August 23, 2013 .
- ↑ Max Bauer: Standing ovations for the M1 Procars . In: BMW Group Classic (Ed.): BMW Classic live . No. 2 , 2008, p. 10–15 ( BMW Group Archives - Search - BMW Classic live ).
- ↑ Mattijs Diepraam, Tom Prankerd: The fan car raced twice. Forix.com, December 2000, accessed August 20, 2013 .
- ↑ BMW M1 Procar 1979 Season. QV500.com, archived from the original on January 9, 2010 ; accessed on August 20, 2013 .
- ^ Jochen von Osterroth: Privilege, prestige and high tension: Procar 1979! In: Automobilsport - Racing, History, Passion . No. 2 (October / November / December). Sportfahrer Verlag, 2014, ISSN 2199-1278 , p. 76-83 .
- ↑ a b Procar BMW M1 - final positions and tables. World Sports Prototype Racing, archived from the original on February 11, 2012 ; accessed on August 20, 2013 .
- ↑ Avus Race Winners. (No longer available online.) Motor Racing Circuits Database, archived from the original on July 24, 2011 ; accessed on August 20, 2013 .
- ↑ a b German Racing Championship 1980. World Sports Racing Prototypes, April 15, 2008, archived from the original on September 16, 2008 ; accessed on August 20, 2013 .
- ↑ BMW M1 Procar Series 1980 Season. (No longer available online.) Motor Racing Circuits Database, archived from the original on February 19, 2012 ; accessed on August 20, 2013 .
- ↑ a b BMW M1 Procar 1980 Season. QV500.com, archived from the original on July 20, 2008 ; accessed on August 20, 2013 .
- ↑ Procar Monaco 1980. racingsportscars.com, April 13, 2007 Retrieved on October 9, 2013 (English).
- ^ Procar Championship Brands Hatch 1980. racingsportscars.com, June 12, 2010, accessed October 9, 2013 .
- ↑ Title win in record time. bmw-motorsport.com, archived from the original on April 10, 2009 ; accessed on August 23, 2013 .
- ↑ BMW (E26) M1 Part 3: M1 Group 4 Procar Championship 1979-80. QV500.com, archived from the original on May 14, 2008 ; accessed on August 20, 2013 .
- ↑ James Knowles, Josef Hintner: The history of the M1 in Le Mans. (No longer available online.) Bmw-m1-club.de, archived from the original on May 15, 2013 ; Retrieved August 22, 2013 .
- ↑ a b Sebastian de Latour: Living Legend. (PDF; 1.3 MB) (No longer available online.) Bmw-m1-club.de, formerly in the original ; Retrieved August 22, 2013 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )