After a disappointing first race the BMW Rahal/Letterman cars look like they may have outgrown some of the initial teething issues; at least in qualifying. We are looking forward to this race and sure many of you are as well.
Official Release:
BMW RAHAL LETTERMAN RACING TEAM M3s WILL START ST. PETE RACE FROM THIRD AND FOURTH ON GT2 GRID
04/04/2009
With Dr. Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport and F1 Sauber director) in attendance to show support for the Rahal/Letterman ///M3 in the 57th annual 12 Hours of Sebring, the pressure was on. There was a huge problem though; the cars were not up to up what Sebring was dishing out. Sebring is notoriously hard on cars and this race was no different, with many cars not seeing the checkered flag.
Both BMW cars made it through testing and qualifying during the week. The No 90 car driven by Bill Auberlen even qualified 7th. Bill and his car however would not start the race on the grid as the ///M3 suffered from serious electrical issues during warm ups that would take the first hour of the race to fix.
The ///M3 (No. 92) driven by Dirk Müller had moved up to 5th place from his 12th position start in the first hour of the race. Several pits and cautions later with Milner at the helm the car was now only one lap down and in second place. Both the car and racers were in top form and gaining on Ferrari.
BMW RAHAL LETTERMAN RACING TEAM EXPERIENCES MIXED RESULTS IN 12 HOURS OF SEBRING QUALIFYING
03/19/2009
Sebring, Fla. – March 19, 2009… Bill Auberlen, driving the No. 90 BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team M3, qualified seventh for the 57th annual 12 Hours of Sebring. Auberlen’s lap of 2:04.566 minutes around the 3.7-mile Sebring International Raceway places him and co-driver Joey Hand in the top-half of the 15-car GT2 class field for the team’s debut race.
Dirk Müller, driving the No. 92 BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team M3, experienced mechanical problems immediately after leaving the pits and did not complete a qualifying lap. Müller, who will co-drive with Tommy Milner, will have to start from the rear of the field.
Yes we said “V”6. According to a roundtable discussion documented by Motor Trend the M Division is looking to downsize the current M3 drivetrain from a V8 to a Six cylinder and introducing either single or twin turbos. Normally a six cylinder would mean an inline six, the heart and soul of BMW’s drivetrain across all products. However because of packaging M is seriously looking at creating a V angled six cylinder.
Of course the M Division is just weeks away from debuting it’s first modern turbo-charged powerplants in the X5 M and X6 M. That turbo V8 will also be fitted to the next generation M5 and M6 due in about two years time.
According to BMW it’s new efficiency standards from both the US and the EU governments along with higher fuel prices are the driving factors behind this.
Official Release: BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team completed the third of three pre-race testing sessions this afternoon in preparation for this Saturday’s 57th annual 12 Hours of Sebring. Today’s one-and-one-half-hour session followed two yesterday with the two BMW M3s recording times in the upper half of the 13-car GT2 class field.
A total of 109 laps were completed over the two days with BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team personnel working together with BMW Motorsport engineers to continue chassis and tire development. On Monday, the team took full advantage of the first time both M3s tested together and tested Dunlop tires for future races.
While we missed official coverage of both the Detroit and LA Auto Shows due to schedule conflicts, we managed to make it to the Chicago Auto Show for the 6th year in a row. Billed as the nations largest show (and arguably the largest in the world when it come to square footage) Chicago had a slightly more upbeat if not quiet atmosphere than Detroit. Gone was some of the lavish lunches and parties and in their places were straight forward press conferences and with little in the way of press swag.
But with that said we did get a chance to talk with engineers, designers and other associated with the industry as well as of course poke, prod and play with every machine on the floor. Always well worth the visit. So with that, here’s our best and worst of the show:
Best new production car: The Z4 takes it from the R57 MINI convertible if only because it truly is a totally new car rather than version of another (the R56)
Best concept: Chevy Volt. I cannot believe how much I liked this car. Granted I’ll never own one and it’s clearly not built with an enthusiast in mind, but it’s such a forward thinking car and looks so much more interesting than the new Prius.
Most disappointing: 2010 Mazda 3. What a terrible redesign. As big fans of the previous 3, we were appalled what this car has turned into. Of course a close second was the MX5 (Miata) redesigned front end.
Manufacturer most obvious to go bankrupt: Chrysler. The lack of press interest in that part of the show floor was nothing less than erie.
And now for no good reason other than we’re tired of hearing about SAVs and the upcoming PAS, we present you the E46 M3 CSL.
For those that might not remember or know much about the E46 M3 CSL here’s a quick refresher from Wikipedia:
BMW made a limited run (less than 1,400 units) of the M3 CSL (E46) machines between June and December 2003. The CSL (Coupe Sport Lightweight) received an aggressive weight reduction campaign, more power (up to 360 hp), and sharper handling characteristics than the standard M3, courtesy of larger anti-roll bars, stiffer spring rates, and semi-slick racing compound tires (Michelin Pilot Sport Cups). From the exterior, the CSL is distinguished from its standard sibling with a different wheel design, larger integrated rear spoiler and a large air intake hole on the left side of the front bumper. Weight loss was achieved through use of a carbon-fiber roof, trunk lid made of sheet molding compound, lighter exhaust manifold, thinner rear glass, carbon fiber front bumper, rear diffuser, interior door panels and console, lightweight racing seats, removed sound insulation, and the removal of side air bags. The M3 CSL’s engine differs from the M3 with different camshafts, carbon-fiber intake manifold and alpha-N engine management. Several other features available in a regular M3 as standard such as air conditioning and radio were also deleted, although these options could be added at the request of the owner. SMG II sequential manual gearbox was made standard.
It is no surprise that ///M sales are up for the year even with the current economic climate compared to last year. Simply because the year prior there was no ///M3. With three variants; coupe, sedan, and convertible BMW tapped all the markets at the same time instead of releasing models in succession. Most of the other models in the lineup also continue to sell well. ///M models while pricey to most are some of the best cars from a driving and engineering standpoint so it is no wonder they consistently sell well.
Official Release:
BMW M GMBH ON STABLE GROWTH COURSE: Worldwide sales as of November 2008 more than 50 percent over last year’s comparative period.
Munich. In the second half of the business year 2008, BMW M GmbH continues to hold a stable growth course. The significant increase in sales as compared to last year have resulted in 22,340 vehicles being sold worldwide as of November 2008. This means that BMW M GmbH has exceeded the previous year’s equivalent figures (14,092 units) by over 50 per cent.
It is well known that Jeremy Clarkson is no fan of the Roundel. Maybe he has just been a closet fan and is now out of the closet. Finally in Top Gear’s 12th season he lets his true feelings out in a comparison of the E90 M3 versus the Lexus IS-F.
“The Lexus does a lot of things brilliantly. But the BMW… that does everything brilliantly. In the past you’d have to be a cock to buy one; now though, you’re a cock if you don’t. Cocks are now driving Audis and dorks are driving Lexus.”
Lap times:
M3= 1:25.3 which is faster than a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, Porsche 997 C2S, Porsche Cayman S, BMW M5, and Aston Martin DB9 to name just a few!
Official Release: BMW of North America, LLC and Rahal Letterman Racing have named Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand as the first two drivers of the new M3s for BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team in the 2009 American Le Mans Series. In choosing Auberlen and Hand, BMW of North America has picked two of the most successful BMW drivers in the world and two of the most familiar names to M3 racing fans here in North America.
Auberlen, 40, of Redondo Beach, CA first drove for BMW of North America in 1996 when he joined the previous M3 racing program, then in its second year of competition. Auberlen would go on to become the team’s most successful driver, winning driver titles in both 1997 and 2004. When he takes the green flag at Sebring International Raceway for the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 21, Auberlen will have the distinction of having raced every generation of BMW M3 campaigned by BMW of North America.
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Sections: //M3\\, Motorsport, Official News Apr 4th, 2009 2 Comments 
