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Thread: It's Official - BMW Returning to ALMS!!

  1. #101
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    Quote Originally Posted by BAR M3 View Post
    I am hoping there is a high likelihood they will at least run it for test purposes at the Petit this year! That car is an absolute beautiful work of art!

    +1

  2. #102
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    Quote Originally Posted by dhabes View Post
    Just making sure that you realized that the car likely won't hit the track until 2009.
    The article mentioned running a single car during the last part of the season and then a two car team for '09. Basically, GT2 is where its at in ALMS. None of the other classes offer much entertainment, other than the Audi/Porsche cross-class rivalry.
    TANSTAAFL!!!

  3. #103
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bane2871 View Post
    The article mentioned running a single car during the last part of the season and then a two car team for '09. Basically, GT2 is where its at in ALMS. None of the other classes offer much entertainment, other than the Audi/Porsche cross-class rivalry.

    The ALMS release is the only release that mentions this. And I believe they have even edited the original release on their website to remove this part. There is a pretty long discussion about this on the ALMS site and one of the big discussions is about how the original ALMS release said that and now it doesn't.
    David
    1988 Zinnoberot E30 M3

  4. #104
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    Quote Originally Posted by JETninja View Post
    So all the years of ALMS series running (and every event televised mostly on Speed but also some events on CBS & NBC) and one of the prime events is held in your state at Road Atlanta every year (prime cause of its length in hours and the winners in each class get spots on the Leman's Grid) and you have to ask how to watch it? LOL!

    Jack Bauer would shoot you on site!

    Go to www.americanlemans.com for event info, tele guides, live timing & scoring, Radio Lemans, etc.....
    I was thinking the same thing.
    David
    1988 Zinnoberot E30 M3

  5. #105
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    Quote Originally Posted by B.Watts View Post
    You do see the pictures posted all over this thread...right?
    In my haste I only took a glance at it. Obviously it is a unibody car. Either way, its great to see them back

  6. #106
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    Quote Originally Posted by M3Bill View Post
    Wasn't it nice of me to let them use my car for a photoshoot?


    Bill is now to the Ga. Forum on this subject what SB is to OT on any subject.




  7. #107
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    PDWebb is offline ///More please BMW CCA Member
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    Good to see, will give us reason to have a car corral again.

  8. #108
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    ACO Rules for GT Cars means they have to have a very solid basis in the real world, especially in GT2, for chassis and engine. (GT1 is a bit more relaxed, but tube frame cars are not allowed!). And anyways, a proper race car these days does not use tube frames, look at the Prototype classes, and even F1. Only tubes you'll see on those are the springs and halfshafts!

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  9. #109
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    Can't wait to see this thing in action. I hope it does well against the opposition, its going to be tough to beat that Risi F400. Sebring is around the corner!
    I miss her, back in a BMW for the time being

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    Maybe it's just me...

    ...but that big wing and that body kit just scream rice to me. Too much imho.

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  13. #113
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    Hot Damn!! Can't wait to see and hear them at Mid-Ohio, Road Atlanta and Laguna dropping into the corkscrew!! It is soooo good to see BIMMERS BACK!
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  14. #114
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    i'll take 2.

    thx.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ZUUD BYE View Post
    Hot Damn!! Can't wait to see and hear them at Mid-Ohio, Road Atlanta and Laguna dropping into the corkscrew!! It is soooo good to see BIMMERS BACK!
    The crappy part is that it wont be until 09.... =(

  16. #116
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doctor Wha View Post


    Bill is now to the Ga. Forum on this subject what SB is to OT on any subject.



    Take it back.



    "My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute." - Ayn Rand

  17. #117
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    Thats Just Sick !!! Now I Want one !!!

  18. #118
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    i hope we will see tom m driving it in 2009.

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  19. #119
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    I so want one. I can't wait to see BMW back in ALMS. And I am definitely making it back for the Petit LeMans.
    2007 BMW 335i: stock for the foreseeable future.
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  20. #120
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    Damn!!! I have to have it!!!

    Now, where did I leave Bill's wallet?

  21. #121
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    I have a question thats been bugging me for some time. Having been a fan of PTG for years, I have wondered if there was some sort of falling out between the team and BMW motorsports. Did BMW decide that 10 years with one team is long enough and a change was necessary? Maybe some conflict of personalities?? I realize that a major reason BMW pulled out for the 07 reason was due to the fact the M3 was not being offered that year. I am sure the Rahal team will do a great job,,,but I would love to have seen PTG take back over the reigns.

  22. #122
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    Quote Originally Posted by Boozie D. Clown View Post
    Damn!!! I have to have it!!!

    Now, where did I leave Bill's wallet?

  23. #123
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    Quote Originally Posted by jknopp44 View Post
    I have a question thats been bugging me for some time. Having been a fan of PTG for years, I have wondered if there was some sort of falling out between the team and BMW motorsports. Did BMW decide that 10 years with one team is long enough and a change was necessary? Maybe some conflict of personalities?? I realize that a major reason BMW pulled out for the 07 reason was due to the fact the M3 was not being offered that year. I am sure the Rahal team will do a great job,,,but I would love to have seen PTG take back over the reigns.
    The contract BMW NA had with PTG expired at the end of 2006 and they elected not to renew it. The E46 M3 had gone out of production and BMW was not interested in putting a V8 in it and continuing. The V8 was legal BTW. Then you could just add about all of what you've stated above. Tom Milner is a great guy and I'd also love to see PTG back with BMW again, but I don't think there's any chance of it at all.

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  24. #124
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    My next club race car...























    Launch Video

    BMW RETURNS TO ALMS WITH THE LATEST GENERATION BMW M3
    02/06/2008

    BMW RETURNS TO ALMS WITH THE LATEST GENERATION BMW M3
    BMW of North America to partner with Rahal Letterman Racing for 2009 season

    Chicago, IL/Woodcliff Lake, NJ - February 6, 2008... BMW presented the racing version of the new BMW M3 at the Chicago Auto Show. Powered by a 485 bhp eight cylinder engine, this impressive race car has been designed to compete in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) beginning in 2009. The car is based on the fourth generation of the BMW M3, the high-performance sports car produced by BMW M GmbH.

    BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen says: "With the sporting genes of the production BMW M3 being clearly evident, developing a racing version of the car was the next logical step. The fact that the road-going vehicle is fitted with a V8 engine as standard provided us with an ideal base. However, the BMW M3 is more than a race car, it has achieved legendary status amongst race fans across the globe. I am convinced that this unique story of the BMW M3 racing cars will now be expanded upon by the addition of further chapters."

    BMW's 2009 entry into the American Le Mans Series will be driven by a partnership between BMW of North America, LLC and Rahal Letterman Racing, co-owned by US motorsport legend Bobby Rahal.

    "We are very pleased to be returning to the American Le Mans Series with our latest generation BMW M3," states Tom Purves, Chairman and CEO, BMW of North America. "Sports car racing has been part of BMW of North America's history practically from day one. Just two weeks after the company was incorporated in March 1975, a BMW CSL won the Twelve Hours of Sebring. We are confident that the fourth generation M3 will continue the legacy of its two predecessors which combined to win six manufacturer's championships over nine seasons in US sports car racing. As it has been in the past we believe the ALMS is the ideal venue to showcase the potential of the newest BMW M3."

    Echoing that sentiment Bobby Rahal adds, "BMW has an illustrious racing heritage. Rahal Letterman Racing is eagerly anticipating, not only becoming part of that heritage, but helping to enhance it. Our dedication to this project will be without equal and we look forward to racing at the front of the grid with BMW in the years to come."

    Martin Birkmann, Motorsports Manager, BMW of North America, adds: "We are very excited to announce our return to the American Le Mans Series with the 4th generation M3 at the same time as the road car hits the BMW showrooms. We are also excited about our partnership with Rahal Letterman Racing. The ALMS offers racing where we can compete against the finest and most renowned automotive brands from Europe and the US. Motorsport is deeply ingrained in the BMW DNA and we are pleased to partner with an organization which shares that same heritage. Rahal Letterman Racing is the perfect partner to be behind the wheel of our new BMW M3 racing effort."

    The BMW M3 Race Version: Sportiness personified.

    In the course of developing the race version of the BMW M3, BMW's engineers were faced with an ambitious task: to improve upon the sportiness of an already sporting car. A better base would, though, be difficult to find. In standard form the vehicle delivers powerful dynamics and sporting aesthetics. Thanks to an eight cylinder engine producing 414 bhp, BMW's customers are provided with a unique driving experience.

    Those engine blocks, cast in BMW's light alloy foundry in Landshut - the very source of BMW's Formula One castings - selected for race duty need to withstand even more power: the BMW P65 race engine delivers 485 bhp.

    In order to enable the BMW M3 to make full use of this performance on the race circuit, the experts in Munich have not concentrated solely on the engine, but have race-tuned the chassis as well. The race version of the BMW M3 is wider and significantly lighter than its production equivalent, enabling it to perfectly transmit the power of its V8 to the track. Widespread use of carbon-reinforced plastic (CRP) provides proof of substantial weight reduction. As with the production version, the race car's roof is manufactured from this high-tech material.

    The race version of the BMW M3 is clearly aimed at the top echelon of motorsport. As such, it is no surprise to discover that in the course of its development, begun in mid-2007, numerous Formula One techniques were applied. These include computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel analyses, both of which have ensured the best possible aerodynamic package for the BMW M3.

    Intelligent control systems have been incorporated throughout the BMW M3. The POWER400 control unit actuates all the accessories fitted to the car, such as lights, wipers, etc., via two bus systems. Traditional relays and fuses are thus eliminated, ensuring considerable weight saving, improved reliability and ease of application. The functions of the BMW P65 engine are managed by an ECU 408 electronic control unit, developed in-house by BMW Motorsport. The software and applications, too, have been developed by the experts in Munich.

    An intensive test program, during which the performance of the race car will be honed by BMW Motorsport, looms for the BMW M3 over the coming months. Development drivers will be BMW works drivers Andy Priaulx (GBR), Jörg Müller (GER) and Augusto Farfus (BRA), currently racing in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). The aim is, after all, for the BMW M3 to be an immediate front-runner upon its comeback to the American Le Mans Series.

    [snip!]

    Technical Specifications BMW M3 Race Version.
    Weight: 2,535 lbs./1150 kg

    Tank capacity: 29 gallons/110 Liters

    Chassis/body: Unitary construction steel body with welded safety cell made of extremely rigid precision steel tubing; safety fuel tank in CRP sandwich tray; pneumatic four-stamp jack system

    Aerodynamics: Front fenders, rear apron, hood, roof, trunk lid, rear wing, front wings, and flared rear wheel arches in CRP

    Transmission: Carbon fiber clutch with hydraulic central slave cylinder;
    6-speed sequential racing transmission with straight-cut, unsynchronized gears;
    additional oil/air cooler; quick shift system with ignition cut-out controlled by shifting force; mechanical limited slip differential with additional oil/air cooler

    Front axle: Based on production version, with increased wheel caster angle, enlarged track width and enhanced wheel camber; five-way adjustable shock absorbers; tubular stabilizer bar

    Rear axle: Based on production version, with enlarged track width and enhanced wheel camber; five-way adjustable shock absorbers, tubular stabilizer bar

    Front brake system: Six-piston aluminum brake calipers, inner-vented grey-cast iron brake disks 15.0 in./380mm in diameter

    Rear brake system: Four-piston aluminum brake calipers, grey-cast iron brake disk, 13.1 in./332mm in diameter

    Steering: Rack and pinion steering with electro-hydraulic power

    Wheels: Aluminum wheels, 18 inches


    BMW P65 Engine.

    Type: Eight cylinder, V-configuration

    Capacity: 3999 cc

    Bore x stroke: 92 x 75.2 mm/3.62 x 2.96 in.

    Max. output: approx. 485 bhp

    Max. torque: approx. 368 lb-ft/500 Nm

    Cylinder block: Aluminum cylinder block construction with bed plate lower section

    Crankshaft: Steel crankshaft

    Pistons: Forged skirt pistons

    Conrods: High-performance steel

    Cylinder head: Aluminum DOHC (Double Over Head
    Camshaft); four valves per cylinder

    Valve train: Four overhead chain-driven camshafts, valve actuation via rocker arms

    Intake system: Eight throttle valves, made of CRP with load-charge optimized ram tubes

    Exhaust system: Headers, mufflers

    Fuel system: Single cylinder multi-point injection

    Lubrication: Dry sump lubrication

    Cooling: Water/air cooler and oil/water heat exchanger


    Electrics/Electronics.

    Engine management: BMW Motorsport ECU 408 with two high-performance micro-processors; Individual cylinder injection and ignition;
    BMW Motorsport Lambda Controller
    Pit speed limiter, Quick Shift function;
    Engine data memory system

    Energy management: Electric energy management and monitoring with BMW Motorsport POWER400 control unit,
    networking of all sensors and actuators through bus system

    Wiring harness: Weight optimized

    Ignition coil: Eight high-performance pencil coils with integrated ignition drivers

    Spark plugs: High-performance spark plugs

    Cockpit: Free programmable LCD Display with integrated shift indicators

    Steering wheel: Quick release multi-function steering wheel w/ integrated display unit

    More here:
    Wow!
    Last edited by Flying Arrow; 02-07-2008 at 09:49 PM. Reason: Pic added
    Mark, Toronto #313 E36 S54 M3 - C Mod

  25. #125
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    omg

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