BMW M1 Procar Championship
The BMW M1 Procar Championship, also called Procar series, was largely fought with BMW -M1 - Procars in the years 1979 and 1980 in the framework program of European Formula 1 races. The first race took place in the Dutch Zolder on May 12, 1979.
In the Procar Series, the five fastest Formula 1 driver from the training runs came with factory vehicles of the BMW M1 against more than 19 sports cars and private pilots to this type of vehicle. In addition to the team manager of Ferrari and Renault - even manufacturers of road vehicles - all gave Formula 1 racing teams, their drivers permission to participate in the Procar race.
The race distance was approximately one third of the Grand Prix distance of each Formula 1 race. The runs of the Procar series were wearing at the Formula 1 weekends ever on Saturday after the final training session of the Formula 1 With the race of the Procar Series, the viewers could get an idea of the driving skills of the best drivers on comparable vehicles.
The winner of a race won 20 championship points, the following rankings were 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point. The rider with the most points at the end of the season won the Procar Championship and received as a prize a road version of the BMW M1, his team a second. The second-placed driver and his team were each given a BMW 528i, the third-placed team and its ever a BMW 323i. After each run the Procar Series 1979 5.000 U.S. dollars was paid for the first place, for the second place and 3,000 for the third place $ 1,000. The first season in 1979, won the three -time Formula 1 world champion Niki Lauda, the second and final season in 1980 won Nelson Piquet.
On the occasion of the Grand Prix of Germany at Hockenheim it was 19-20. July 2008, a Procar Revival, which was attended by ten BMW M1 race car. Led by Jochen Neerpasch at the Andy Warhol Art Car co-driver Frank Stella graduated drivers like Christian Danner, Harald Grohs, Helmut Kelleners, Christian Klien, Jacques Laffite, Niki Lauda, Sepp Manhalter, Jörg Müller, Dieter Quester, Marc Surer and Prince Leopold of Bavaria two show races.
- 3.1 Race Results
- 3.2 Mastery Rating
Rolling stock
For the racing series, which was practically a one-make cup, incurred in the three Procar producers a total of 44 race cars ( other sources speak of 48 vehicles ), the specific for the Formula 1 driver vehicles were built exclusively at BMW Motorsport GmbH in Munich. The pre-assembled BMW M1 were thus either completed directly with the BMW Motorsport GmbH or from the racing car manufacturers Osella in Italy or Project Four in England, the selection and deployment of the parts were made by the Munich. Jochen Neerpasch, then managing director of BMW Motorsport GmbH, promised from this diversification healthy competition in an effort to achieve the best results. Private drivers were able to race-ready M1 Procar in version, which in 4.5 seconds from 0 to 100 km / h accelerated and just over 300 km / h was quick to buy for 150,000 DM. All race cars had 345 kW/470 hp at 9000 min -1 and were technically largely identical. Slight differences were only in the suspension tuning and in the position of the spoiler. To ensure that all Procars actually had the same power, one set at 8,500 rev min-1 was combined with an on-board independent speed measurement and storage system in order to detect anomalies accurately can.
In addition to the built-up by BMW, Osella Squadra Corse and Project Four vehicles more race cars were prepared and provided by leading racing teams. From the touring car racing team known as Tom Walkinshaw Racing, Eggenberger Motorsport, Ecurie Automobile Arvor and Schnitzer Motorsport, sports car teams such as Team Conrad and GS- tuning also participated in the Procar race.
Season 1979
The race calendar for the first season of the Procar Championship saw events from May to September before, being parallel to the Formula 1 race in Europe took place eight runs. A ninth race was at Donington Park as part of the Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy - a charity event for the Gunnar Nilsson Cancer Foundation - instead, what is it but gave no championship points.
The first five places in one of the M1 Procar BMW Motorsport were reserved for the five best Formula 1 driver of the Friday practice. As the season progresses, 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 citizens and Michael Bleekemolen also drove for the factory team, even though they were not a formula 1 racer at that time. After the first race a place for Hans -Georg citizens in one of the factory Procars was free since Niki Lauda from the second race a BMW M1 Project Four was driving. Head of this team was Ron Dennis, who was team boss of McLaren in 1984 when Niki Lauda won the world championship with this team.
Race Results
Mastery Rating
The table shows the top 10 of the standings after eight championship races. Niki Lauda won the first championship, where he played the first race with a factory - Procar. In the other seven races he drove a car of Project Four.
1980 season
In the second season of the Procar Championship race calendar has been modified and extended so that the races were not invariably held in conjunction with Formula 1 race. This allowed an earlier start of the championship season in April, as the first European Formula 1 Grand Prix in May 1980 took place in Zolder.
The race at Donington Park now belonged to the championship. There were added two races in Germany with the Avusrennen and the 200 miles of Nuremberg in the German Racing Championship. In the race calendar remained six Formula 1 Grand Prix -.
In the Procar races that have not been staged as part of a Grand Prix, there was no Formula 1 training runs, so that the courts had to be allocated differently in the race car of the BMW works team. It therefore five Formula 1 drivers were nominated directly for this race. These were Alan Jones, Jacques Laffite, Nelson Piquet, Didier Pironi and Carlos Reutemann. In addition, the Formula 1 driver Mario Andretti, Derek Daly, Jean -Pierre Jarier, Riccardo Patrese and Alain Prost qualified to the Grand Prix weekends. However, no longer automatically the first five places were for the Formula 1 driver in the 1980 season, unlike last year have reservations but the Formula 1 drivers had to qualify for the grid. The start numbers of the Grand Prix drivers were identical to their starting numbers in Formula 1
The vehicles of the work teams received 1980 new finishes. At the race in Monaco, the works cars were painted white with a diagonal red cross stripes, later the factory racing cars with a light green horizontal stripes.
Most teams from the previous year were back again in 1980, for example, Project Four, GS - Tuning, Eggenberger Motorsport, Cassani Racing and Schnitzer Motorsport. Newcomers were the teams of Arturo Merzario, Dieter Quester and Helmut Marko and the Swiss sports car racing team Sauber Motorsport.
Race Results
Mastery Rating
The table shows the top 10 of the standings after nine championship races. Nelson Piquet won the second and last championship, where he was victorious in the last three races of the championship.
After Procar era
Due to the Procar series despite sluggish demand for the road version of the Homologationsvoraussetzungen for the group 4 could be reached until April 1, 1981. But while the competition had not slept, and so it no longer came to the use of the BMW M1 in the racing category for which he had once been designed. In addition, BMW announced on April 24, 1980 announced that the company will engage as an engine supplier for Formula 1. For a further development of the BMW M1, therefore, no funds were made available. Therefore, BMW decided not least because of the Formula 1 activities, the Procar Series 1981 not to continue.
The BMW M1 was not only in the Procar races, but also from 1979 to 1986 in the 24 - hour race at Le Mans and in the national championships for use. Partial served for it in the Procar series crashed race cars as a base. An example of this is the BMW M1 with BOSS / adidas advertising. The vehicle was built with a new framework for DRM in 1981 by Obermaier Racing and used until 1986. The car drove in 1980, among others, Jürgen Casual in Hockenheim, at the Nürburgring and at the Salzburg Ring. 1983, Prince Leopold of Bavaria have the car down.