Team BMW Rahal Letterman Racing will begin the next ALMS race at Laguna Seca Mazda from row three. Auberlan/Milner in the fifth spot with Müller/Hand in sixth. This six hour race around the famed track including the infamous “cork screw” will only be live via streaming on the American Lemans website from 5:30 until completion, highlights will air on CBS 5/29 at 1:30-3:00.
The racer’s speak for themselves about their qualifying efforts in the following videos, release after the jump.
We’ll have much more on BMW’s new acoustic center and it’s work on dynamic sound design in a piece next week (along with a thorough walk through of the entire Energy and Environmental Test Centre or ETC). However until then here’s the official release giving you background on BMW’s new sound design initiative.
Official Release: In order to be able to drive comfortably and efficiently at the same time, the developers look for solutions in acoustic lightweight construction with acoustically effective components for increasing comfort and also yielding benefits in weight and installation space through intelligent material concepts. In this way, the customer gains a functional advantage with lower weight and more pleasure for lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The minimisation of background noises normally requires the use of heavy insulating and dampening materials. This minimises surface vibrations. Nowadays engine parts are becoming lighter and lighter through new materials, while efficiency requirements rise, which means that crankcases, for example, are being made out of aluminium and there is a lack of material insulating against disturbing combustion noises. Intelligent measures are in demand for maintaining driving comfort. Acoustic engineers achieve this through systematic reinforcement of the crankcase, among other things. The procedure known as “ribbing” systematically minimises disturbing emanations and the crankcase remains, all in all, very lightweight. In addition, the engine is partially encompassed by an acoustic capsule. These absorber or insulation components require little installation space, are lightweight and at the same time quite effectively reduce noise emanation. Absorption and insulation directly at the engine has additional benefits to efficiency: if disturbances are reduced directly at the source, no costly, difficult insulation of the passenger compartment is necessary. This helps reduce material, weight, and fuel consumption.
As we have been reporting, the new X3 will soon make its debut. In June the vehicle that so many are awaiting will be revealed (my wife being one of them). With the X3 BMWNA will usher in a new age of build to order vehicles for the US market. This concept is not all that different than what has been occurring in Germany for many years, you are not tied to packaging and the color palette may widen a bit. Since the X3 will be built in South Carolina it affords the car less transit time to dealers and makes the wait less than a built to order car would be from Europe. Remember the big push to get Lemon Ice as a priority one, or how about Phoenix Yellow on the E92 ///M3- those would not have been needed if the full German catalog was open to us in the States. That is what the rumor mill is saying will happen, the US will be unleashed on the BMW options like never before.
What BMW is hoping to capitalize on is that since each vehicle is specific to each buyer, there will be less need to discount vehicles that have been sitting on lots. Will US buyers that are notoriously impatient when it comes to purchasing vehicles actually buy into this? That is left to be seen but the customization and right to build what you want is a tempting offer. The above images are official teasers from the Dutch BMW site, it is worth noting that these official images show that the rear light cluster is more 3 Series refresh than one would have imagined, We have heard that the front lights are what really set this new model apart from the rest of the lineup as they are not in typical BMW asymmetrical design.
The team of BMW Rahal Letterman Racing is getting geared up for their next race, and they have made some changes in preparation for this weekends 6 hour race at Mazada Laguna Seca. This race will usher in the E85 era for the ///M3 GT cars, as the team has made the switch and may benefit from the rules allowances (maybe they will be allowed less ballast?). On Saturday the team will try to reach the top of the podium as their German counterparts did at the 24 hours of the ‘Ring.
The biggest thing to note about this race is that for those that wish to watch some of it live, you must head to your computer at 5:30 and point your browser to americanlemans.com. Sure you are going to miss the first 3 hours of the race but it sure beats the week delay and 90 minutes of air time CBS is going to give you on 5/29 at 1:30. That is the one big consolation of ALMS- it is not NASCAR and beer money is not flowing freely.
Last week the BMW Group launched the 2011 North American model lineup with a grand evaluation experience. The list of vehicles launched is quite lengthy, so much so I hope I do not leave anyone out. Introduced as New for 2011 was the 535i/550i, Aplina B7, Active Hybrid 7, Z4sDrive35is, 335is, the ///M3 Competition Package, Rolls Royce Ghost (not for track- too expensive to wreck I would imagine) and MINI Countryman (for show only as it was an early prototype). Vehicles that were given the Life Cycle Impulse treatment or power train changes were the 1,3, X5 and MINIs. The evil brothers, the X5 ///M and X6 ///M, made their home on the track as well. Some vehicles were not invited to the festivities- the X3 and 6 Series were left off the list as both are being sent out to pasture for 2011 with their life cycles ending (crickets in the background).
While the list of vehicles is a bit overwhelming, and I still can’t get my head around all the cars I have to finish reviewing, it was a launch event for the ages. Don’t you worry about those reviews, they are coming soon- I have extensive notes written in codes that only make sense to me and voice memos. The event included track drives, street drives and model specific classes. The event really got me to thinking about who else would launch so many vehicles to the press at a single event that just happened to be at a racetrack? Who else but BMW would give journalists cars, a track and say go drive the way these cars were intended to be driven? I have been scratching my head on that one for the last few days. I have concluded that no other manufacturer would even care to or consider launching so many true passenger cars at a race track. That is what makes the BMW Group different and the underlying reason why we are so loyal- they (BMW) care about driving cars in an age when the majority of people are being driven by their cars.
This event not only launched a vast number of vehicles for a wide range of consumers but cemented the notion that the BMW Group is committed to cars with sporting intentions, and to enthusiasts like you and I. By offering up all of these cars to be driven on the track BMW/MINI essentially announced that they had nothing to hide, that even an executive sedan that cradles you in the lap of luxury can still hold its own on the track. This all keeps them honest and shows that the brand still is true to its values. Professional drivers and staff members from the BMW Performance Center were on hand to take you on a hot lap or provide you with some gentle advice (or some tough love) on how to improve your driving. I know I sound like I have drank one too many glasses of BMW flavored Kool-Aid (a mix of apple juice and sparkling water for those interested), but I am being honest here; shooting from the hip.
One of our favorite public sources Scott26 has dropped the bomb that BMW may be considering a lighter and faster E92 M3 to coincide with the M3 GT2 race car. As you read on BF the car and the team has found some recent success and it would seem BMW is ready to capitalize on it. The info (posted on M3post.com) looks relatively sound based on our sources and would make sense. Now the question, will they bring it to the US? Here’s an excerpt:
Plans are in the running for another ltd edition to eclipse the current and sold out GTS , success in this race is one factor , but also continuing success in the ALMS and the Jeff Koons liviered M3 that will race this years 24hr Le Mans.
Already in planning in the design stages the conventional M3 body style remains although the rear arches are more massaged and wider leading into the side sills , The wheels use a Y-shape design in 5 spokes said to be much lighter than the competition spec wheels. At the front the usual M3 aerodynamics stay but a double lip spoiler protrudes from the front a few inches. The rear retains the carbon fibre adjustible spoiler from the GTS. This is where it gets interesting in eclipsing the GTS in weight reduction. The roof remains carbon Fibre , but the bonnet and rear deck lid now join them , The lightweight glass as found on the GTS remains. Power details are not known but the engineers have been working on getting more power from the V8 which will be matched to a DCT transmission. The car could also use the incoming M5′s KERS regenerative braking and boost function.
Imagine racing 24 hours with a team made of some of your best friends. Then imagine doing with it with a car worth no more than $500. Finally throw in another 60 teams (a few hundred people total) that are as crazy as you are, all doing the same thing. That’s the formula that makes the 24 Hours of LeMans part insanity and part genius. And that’s exactly what we got involved in when we entered our second LeMons race at Gingerman earlier this spring.
Unlike our previous experience at Nelson Ledges, Gingerman isn’t in the middle of “Deliverance” country and has noise restrictions placed on it by the local municipality. What that meant is racing couldn’t go 24 hours straight and had to be broken into two segments on Saturday and Sunday. What that meant for us was that we could (A) enjoy a few beers and (B) actually fix our beloved crap-can mid-race without losing any places.
Just a few weeks after he panned the X1 Clarkson is back with a glowing review of the 535i. Let’s get right to the money quote:
Perhaps the most impressive part of this new car is the ride-and-handling compromise. It’s very difficult to make a big, heavy car such as this handle well and ride over bumps comfortably. In the same way as it’s very difficult to do a Fosbury flop. But if you practise enough …
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Sections: ALMS, Motorsport, Official News, Video May 22nd, 2010 No Comments 
