It emerged as the procar bmw m1 championship, with selected teams preparing. Worlds only streetable bmw m1 procar to grace pebble beach. They knew only too well that here, in the home city of bmw, walls have earsand the executives were trying to dig their way out of a hole almost as. Ducati sporting club desmodue championship, indycar series, renault clio cup, bmw m1 procar championship, gp2 series. In fact, it was customdesigned to race in a singlemake racing series, helpfully called the bmw m1 procar championship. So bmw gave it its own dedicated racing series, the the m1 procar championship, which was taken seriously by no one and folded after two seasons. On the 41st anniversary of the 1978 bmw m1, heres the. It was a backup race car that didnt make it to the.
The series pitted professional drivers from the formula one world championship, world sportscar championship, european touring car championship, and other international series against one another using identically modified bmw m1 sports cars. In the single make bmw m1 procar championship, driving for the british formula two team project four racing led by ron dennis when not in a factory entry, lauda won three races for p4 plus the series. Procar bmw m1 procar championship this is the name of the series as listed in the first line of the article. This support series for formula 1, called the procar bmw m1 championship, started at zolder, belgium, in may 1979, with both f1 and gt drivers. The 1980 bmw m1 procar championship was the second and final season of the bmw m1. Canepa put back as many procar parts while keeping it street legal.
The series ran as a support category to the european rounds of. The bmw m1 procar championship, sometimes known simply as procar, was a onemake auto racing series created by. Jun 14, 2015 view attachment 964 welcome to the bmw m1 procar championship 1980. Bmw m1 procar championship engine start, revs, overview. This particular m1 procar, number 31, served as a spare car during the bmw m1 procar championship. Digital 2 80s flashback wireless slot car set its a m1 procar versus zakspeed turbo showdown. Sep 25, 2016 restored 1979 bmw m1 procar is as good as new. The bmw m1 remains the only true supercar built by bmw and, thanks to the procar series that celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, it enjoys an aura quite like no other supercar. Former f1 support bmw m1 procar championship to star at. Here is what a fully restored bmw m1 procar looks like so great. The road car version was, therefore, particularly impressive, commanding a top speed of over 260 kmh, which enabled the car to enter the record books as germanys fastest sports car. Bmw m1 procar championship local business facebook. Jul 21, 2008 three consecutive victories in the final trio of races.
The mood is intense and the action awaits as two popular 80s race cars prepare for their head to head race to grab the checkered flag on over 26 feet of racetrack. Eventually project four built another ten m1 procars and ran the 1979 championship winning marlboro sponsored m1 for niki lauda. If neerpasch had not come up with the procar championship, the m1 would have been a complete disaster. Decades later, lauda won a bmw procar exhibition race event before the 2008 german grand prix. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. There were only 40 chassis produced for the bmw m1 procar championship racing series between 1979 and 1980, and youre looking at no. When trimmed down to a sporty 1020 kilogrammes, the bmw m1 procar. Bmw m1 procar race in the warmup program before formula 1. Historym1 chassis 4301016 was delivered by bauer to bmw on 29111978 as an m1 procar show car for walter wolf in dark blue colour walter wolfs colours see seperate articlein september of 1979 bmw motorsport sold the car to schnitzer motorsport for full m1 procar race preparation.
The bmw m1 qualified for group 4 competition status, and appeared then and subsequently in fullblown world championship level events, including the le mans 24 hours. Published on aug 16, 2015 this video features a very unique road legal bmw m1 procar championship edition. After two years the procar series was scrapped and this effectively ended the racing career of the m1. With gt homologation not reached yet, the m1s were forced to run in the prototype class against purposebuilt racers.
The bmw m1 procar championship, sometimes known simply as procar, was a onemake auto racing series created by jochen neerpasch, head of. The bmw m1 procar championship, sometimes known simply as procar, was a onemake auto racing series created by jochen neerpasch, head of bmw motorsport gmbh, the racing division of automobile manufacturer bmw. Financially the m1 was certainly not a success and the racing record, especially for a bmw, is not overly convincing either. James hunt driving in the bmw m1 procar championship at. Restored 1979 bmw m1 procar is as good as new carscoops. The m1 was the first massproduced midengine car made by bmw. In the process he relegated alan jones and hansjoachim stuck to second and third respectively.
A 1979 bmw m1 procar championship factory poster, german poster supplied by ron dennis of project 4md, depicting a cutaway technical colour illustration after n. Austrian niki lauda won the inaugural championship of the onemake racing series. For the later german touring car series, see adac procar series. Watch jackie stewart and exbeatle george harrison get. The bmw m1page contains all related products, articles, books, walkarounds and plastic scale modeling projects dedicated to this vehicle. Jones, who would later that year capture the world championship, was a true fan of the bmw m1. Also allowing procar disambiguation to be moved to procar.
The already wide and lowslung m1 was made almost four inches larger than factory via use of fibreglass fender flares and a large rear spoiler was implemented to aid in providing much needed high speed traction. Here is what a fully restored bmw m1 procar looks like so. Sixth of the previous years championship, you absolutely must do better, that s why you must imperatively finish fourth minimum to jump to the next race. It was also a piece of marketing and race development genius.
It was originally a spare race car for the procar championship, but it never saw action and was refitted to be a production car. The 31st of 40 bmw m1 procars has just popped up for sale in california, and we want it. Bmw m1 procar race at donnington, hans stuck, manfred winkelhock. The supercar raced in the shortlived bmw m1 procar championship, which was designed to pit drivers of various motorsport disciplines against one another. This vehicle, number 31 of 40 procar m1 chassis produced from 19791980, started its life as a spare car for the bmw m1 procar championship racing series. One of the original 40 procar m1 chassis one of a kind, roadgoing procar. After the completion of the bmw procar series in the autumn of 1980, various bmw m1 racing versions competed in le mans and various national championships including the german automobile racing championship and the american imsa gto championship between 1979 and 1986. Schafer of technical art, of the race version of the car driven by marc surer. Chassis 31 was never raced, but instead rebuilt as a road car and sold to its first. The competitive history of the bmw m1 is hardly a secret.
Oct 04, 2016 best of bergmonster, hillclimb monsters 2015, bmw m1 procar, bmw z4 gt3 and a lot more. Our cookies are friendly and dont collect personal information but helps to improve the user experience. Sep 26, 2016 the 31st of 40 bmw m1 procars has just popped up for sale in california, and we want it. Bmw i8 procar rendering begs for a onemake racing series. One special model built especially for the bmw m1 procar championship that pitted all sorts of drivers against one another driving the exact.
The 1979 bmw m1 procar was restored by renowned racer bruce canepa. How bmws m1 procar championship came to beand almost. Bmw produced 40 procars, which raced in a championship support series. Piquet drove this car in the m1 procar series in 1979. Eventually giugiarobaurbmw produced 457 m1s, including all the racing cars. Goodwood has revealed that the bmw m1 procar championship, which once ran as a support series to formula 1, will feature in demonstrations at the 2019 members meeting.
Jan 15, 2016 bmw i8 procar rendering begs for a onemake racing series. The m1 rallye used many parts developed for the defunct m1 procar series and carried over very similar specifications. The series ran for two years with none other than niki laura winning the initial championship title in 1979, followed by nelson piquet in the second and final season for procar, 1980. The series version generating 204 kw277 hp was propelled to a top speed of almost 265. Bmw classic brings unique race cars and bikes to historic grand. How a racing series made the bmw m1 procar truly unforgettable. Bob sparshott s bs fabrications company built the five bmw works team cars while ron denniss project four racing f2 team built a batch, as did the italian osella company. We are delighted to offer this rare and iconic bmw m1 procar for sale on behalf of its current owner. Bmw had been working on the m1 since 1978 with plans to enter the car in the world sportscar championship in 1979. All the winners from the 1979 bmw m1 procar season. The series ran as a support category to the european rounds of the 1979 formula one season. The bmw m1 procar championship, a onemake racing series with the legendary bmw m1, functioned. Sep 26, 2016 originally destined to serve as a replacement car in the bmw m1 procar championship racing series, this particular m1 was never actually raced on track.
The 1979 bmw m1 procar championship was the inaugural season of the bmw m1 procar championship. All procar championship bmw m1 cars were built to supposedly identical standards. We interviewed him at norisring, during an event held to mark the 40th anniversary of the bmw m1 procar championship, last year. Prepared at the factory as a racecar, 094 would never see the racetrack. Presented with a sound strategy, the board approved the m1 project but soon, like an amateur race driver taking to a wet circuit for the first time, neerpasch found himself struggling to keep the project on track. Automobilsport 02 bmw m1 procar season 1979 magazine. One of motorsports let alone its manufacturers most revered models, the procar championships of 1979 and 1980 remain the stuff of. The bmw m1 was designed for a life on the race track, as is made evident by its every nut and bolt. The series pitted professional drivers from the formula one world championship, world sportscar championship, european touring car. Bmw m1chassi numbers tnfs archive the autosport forums. The bmw m1 procar championship served as support races for various european rounds of the. Aug 09, 2017 ogle this oneoff roadlegal bmw m1 procar. Racing rivals bmw m1 procar perfect launch tutorial youtube.
The bmw m1 procar was the first racing car designed from scratch by bmw motorsport gmbh to compete in racing. At a nondescript bar in downtown munich, sometime in 1978, a handful of auto executives gathered at a corner table and spoke in hushed tones. You play as the talented driver nelson piquet of team bmw motorsport. In its racing version, the chassis of the bmw m1 also exhibited some. In light of the news, we profile one of their more famous production cars that became a race car the bmw m1 procar. The cars were entered from 1979 until the mideighties. Im looking for the chassisnumbers of the various bmw m1 types which appeared in the sportscarworld championship, le mans and imsa. James hunt driving in the bmw m1 procar championship at donington park get premium, high resolution news photos at getty images. Created by bmw motorsport gmbh head jochen neerpasch for an inaugural 1979 season, the bmw m1 procar championship was a onemake series for, surprisingly, bmw m1 procars.
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