BMW in motorsport
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Throughout its history,
An outstanding role has been played by the 1,500 cc BMW M10 engine block. The four-cylinder started with modest 75 hp (56 kW) in 1961, became successful in touring cars, developed over 300 hp (224 kW) in 1970s Formula Two, and at the age of a quarter century, produced almost twentyfold its original power in the 1986 turbocharged BMW M12/13/1, producing an outstanding 1400 hp. This engine became wideley regarded as one of the most powerful, if not the most, powerful engine in the history of Formula 1 as well as being the most powerful engine ever built by BMW. As the base of the BMW S14 engine of the original BMW M3, it collected many more wins.
Other impressive displays of engineering involve the production of the BMW S70/2 engine, implemented in the McLaren F1, which set the world record for "world's fastest production car" on March 31, 1998. As well as achieving a Guinness Book of World Records record for longest continuous Drift (See Below "Guinness Book of World Records")
Motorcycling
Isle of Man TT
BMW enjoyed a dominant period in motorcycle racing prior to the
BMW officially resumed road racing in 2009, entering the
BMW have won 25 Isle of Man TT Sidecar Races and an additional 8 victories in the solo classes.[1] In total BMW have recorded 72 rostrum places at the Isle of Man TT, having notched up a total of 382 finishes.[1]
Dakar Rally
BMW motorcycles have won the Dakar Rally six times with four additional podiums.[4]
Year | Position | Rider | Motorcycle |
---|---|---|---|
1981 | Hubert Auriol | BMW R80 G/S
| |
1983 | Hubert Auriol | BMW R80 G/S | |
1984 | Gaston Rahier | BMW R80 G/S | |
Hubert Auriol | BMW R80 G/S | ||
1985 | Gaston Rahier | BMW R80 G/S | |
1987 | Gaston Rahier | BMW R80 G/S | |
1999 | Richard Sainct | BMW F650 RR | |
2000 | Richard Sainct | BMW F650 RR | |
Oscar Gallardo | BMW F650 RR | ||
Jimmy Lewis | BMW R900 RR |
Superbikes
- Superbike World Championship - 15 race wins since their reentry into the championship in 2009
- British Superbike Championship - 21 race wins since their reentry into the championship in 2010. Finishing second with Ryuichi Kiyonari at the 2014 British Superbike Championship.
- AMA Superbike Championship - 1976 champion with Reg Pridmore on a BMW R90S
- Australian Superbike Championship - 2 championships in 2011 and 2014
- Canadian Superbike Championship - 12 championships across Pro Superbike, Pro Rookie, AM Superbike classes
- FIM Endurance World Championship - 3 second places
Touring cars
In the 1930s, BMW drivers were successful with the
Since the pre-war BMW 328 model, BMW had a reputation for sporty production cars. The expensive V8-powered BMW 503 and BMW 507 of the 1950s could not add much to this reputation, unlike the small motorcycle-engine powered BMW 700 which e.g. was driven by Hans Stuck to German championships in hillclimbing.
Since the 1962 introduction of the
In the 1970s,
British Touring Car Championship (BTCC): BMW won the drivers' championship in 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2009, 2014, 2018, and 2019 and manufacturers' championship in 1991, 1993, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.
The DRM (
In the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft), the following BMW drivers have won the DTM drivers' championship:
- 1984: Volker Strycek, BMW 635CSi
- 1987: Eric van der Poele, BMW M3
- 1989: Roberto Ravaglia, BMW M3
- 2012: Bruno Spengler, BMW M3 DTM
- 2014 and 2016 Marco Wittmann, BMW M4 DTM
- 2022 Sheldon van der Linde, BMW M4 GT3
BMW would also win the Manufacturers Championship in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft from 1984 until 1990 seven times in a row, still an unbroken record in that racing series.[5]
European Touring Car Championship (ETCC): Since 1968, BMW won 24 drivers' championships[citation needed] along with several manufacturers' and teams' titles. BMW also won 5 drivers' championships with the BMW 320I at the European Super Touring Cup.
Japanese Touring Car Championship (JTCC): BMW (Schnitzer) flew from Europe to Japan to compete in the JTCC and won the championship in 1995.
BMW announced on 15 October 2010 that it will return to touring car racing during the 2012 season. Dr. Klaus Draeger, director of research and development of the BMW Group, who was in charge of the return to DTM racing (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters), commented that "The return of BMW to the DTM is a fundamental part of the restructuring of our motorsport activities. With its increased commitment to production car racing, BMW is returning to its roots. The race track is the perfect place to demonstrate the impressive sporting characteristics of our vehicles against our core competitors in a high-powered environment. The DTM is the ideal stage on which to do this."[6]
1987, 2005–2010: World Touring Car Championship
In
2006 saw the new
In 2010 BMW reduced their presence in the WTCC, entering only two cars under the BMW Team RBM banner, with works drivers Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus. With Chevrolet dominating most of the races, BMW struggled and finished only third in the manufacturers standings. In the drivers standings Priaulx finished the season 4th, with Farfus in 7th. Better luck was had in the Independents Trophy category though, with Sergio Hernández taking the championship behind the wheel of a BMW 320Si.
BMW withdrew from the WTCC at the end of the 2010 season leaving only independents to represent BMW in the championship.
Formula Two
1950–1984
BMW pilots used the sporty pre-war BMW 328 model as the basis for early post-war efforts in the
also used cars derived from the 328 or its two-litre six-cylinder engine. However, after the death of the initial F2 series in 1955 and its resurrection the following year, BMW's management decided not to participate in expensive open wheel racing.In 1967, the Formula 2 regulations were changed to allow 1600 cc motors, and BMW's new management was more open to the idea of open wheel racing. The BMW M10 block with a radial four-valve cylinder head designed by Ludwig Apfelbeck[7] was used for some time. In the 1968 season, the company joined with Lola, using their 100 chassis. BMW sponsored drivers Jo Siffert and Hubert Hahne. For 1969, the team switched to Lola 102s, and used a new development of BMW's 1600 cc engine, dubbed the M12. Siffert and Hahne remained; Gerhard Mitter and Dieter Quester shared a third car. Halfway through the season, BMW debuted their own chassis, the 269, at the Hockenheimring. However, Mitter was killed in the 269 during practise for the 1969 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring where F2 could race along F1 due to the length of that track. As technical failure was suspected, all BMW entries were retired.
For the 1970 F2 season, BMW debuted the 270 chassis, and campaigned with Jo Siffert, Hubert Hahne, Dieter Quester, and Jacky Ickx. However, in 1971, BMW's involvement was pulled back, with the team only supplying engines for Dieter Quester's Eifelland. With a change in the F2 engine regulations to 2000 cc production-based engines, BMW went on hiatus for the 1972 season.
When BMW's returned to F2 in 1973, the company again supplied only engines. Although officially backing the March team's effort for drivers Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Jean-Pierre Jarier, they also supplied engines for teams such as Beta Racing (with German Hans-Joachim Stuck) and Brian Lewis Racing. From 1973 to the end of Formula 2 in 1984, BMW supplied engines to the championship-winning drivers in 1973, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, and 1982.
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BMW 269 Formula 2.
-
Dieter Quester in a BMW 269 F2 car.
-
Dieter Quester racing a BMW 269 F2 car in 1970.
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Hubert Hahne racing a BMW 269 F2 car in 1970.
Formula One
BMW has a history of success in
- Driver championship: 1 (1983)
- Constructor championship: 0 (Runner-up 2002, 2003, 2007)
- Fastest laps: 33
- Grand Prix wins: 20
- Podium finishes: 76
- Pole positions: 33
BMW was an engine supplier to
1980–1987
In 1980, BMW announced their development of a turbocharged motor for the
In 1986, BMW started to supply engines for the new Benetton team, who earned the only win for a BMW engine at the hands of Gerhard Berger. However, the factory-backed effort at Brabham met with little success with the return of Patrese and Derek Warwick. At the end of the 1986 season, BMW announced it would drop out of Formula 1 at the end of the 1987 season.
BMW's M12/13 engine, however, continued to be used, because Megatron bought the rights to the engines for the Arrows team. The
The BMW M12/13
1997–2005: Return to Formula One via Le Mans
In 1997, BMW announced that it had formed a partnership with
Following the win, the second stage of BMW's partnership with Williams began, with BMW developing the powerful E41 V10 for Formula 1. The new Williams-BMW debuted in the 2000 season, driven by Ralf Schumacher and Jenson Button. In 2001, Schumacher took 3 wins and newcomer Juan Pablo Montoya took his first win. A lone win for Schumacher followed in 2002, but Williams-BMW returned to success in 2003, with two wins each for Schumacher and Montoya. Montoya was the lone winner in 2004.
In 2005, disputes led to a rapid decline in the partnership of BMW and Williams. Constant disagreements over the cause of technical failures in the car led BMW to discontinue development of the P84/5 V10 as the season progressed, leading to no victories for the team's new driver line-up of Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld. Consequently, the car finished a distant 5th in the constructors' championship.
2006–2009: BMW Sauber F1
Wanting a split from their failing relationship with Williams, BMW's executives decided that adding an F1 team to the company's motorsport division, thus removing the necessity for a partner, was the only viable solution. Enticed by Sauber's new multimillion-dollar research and development facility, which included an advanced wind tunnel setup, BMW choose to offer a buyout to Peter Sauber rather than scramble to build the facilities themselves. Sauber took the offer, and the buyout went through; the team began racing under the BMW-Sauber F1 name in 2006. The team being split between the Sauber facility at Hinwil, Switzerland and BMW in Munich.
The BMW Sauber F1.06 was relatively successful, earning the team fifth place in the constructors championship. BMW opted to retain BMW Williams driver
BMW's 2007 season improved on results from the previous year. While the car was still inferior to both the Ferrari and McLaren, it outclassed the rest of the field. BMW scored points in every race, ending the season second in the constructors championship (after McLaren's disqualification) with over 100 points. In 2008 BMW won their first race at the Canadian Grand Prix. The team also achieved several podium finishes like Heidfeld's at the first race of the season in Australia and a second place for Kubica in Monte Carlo.
In July 2009, BMW announced that it would withdraw from Formula One at the end of the 2009 season.[8] The team was sold back to the previous owner, Peter Sauber, who kept the BMW part of the name for the 2010 season due to issues with the Concorde Agreement. The team has since dropped BMW from their name starting in 2011.
Formula E
BMW will join Formula E as an official manufacturer for
DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters)
2012–
BMW returned to the
Team | No. | Drivers |
---|---|---|
BMW Team RMG[10] | 1 | Martin Tomczyk[11] |
2 | Joey Hand[12] | |
BMW Team Schnitzer[10] | 7 | Bruno Spengler[13] |
8 | Dirk Werner[14] | |
BMW Team RBM[10] | 15 | Andy Priaulx[15] |
16 | Augusto Farfus[15] |
Canadian driver
2013–2020
BMW clinched its second consecutive manufacturers' championship in 2013 at the season finale at the Hockenheimring, after a close fight with Audi all season. Drivers' honors went to Audi driver Mike Rockenfeller; teams' to Audi Sport Team Phoenix. BMW claimed a spectacular 1-2-3 podium sweep at the Red Bull Ring in Salzburg, Austria with Bruno Spengler leading home Marco Wittmann and Timo Glock. BMW also locked out the first two rows in qualifying for the finale at Hockenheim. BMW secured 51 total DTM victories with the BMW M3, and switched to the new M4 DTM for the 2014 season onwards.
Formula BMW
In the 1990s, the Formula BMW was introduced as feeder series, with small cars powered by BMW K motorcycle engines. Former drivers were e.g. Ralf Schumacher and Nico Rosberg. Formula BMW has since expanded to encompass four championships across three continents. The German series was followed by a south-east Asian championship in 2003, and series in the United Kingdom and the United States were launched the following year. The UK and German championships will be merged into a new pan-European series in 2008.
Le Mans
1939 saw the BMW 328 finish first in its class (fifth overall) in the 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans completing 236 laps.
After 33 years in 1972, a BMW entered the competition for the first time by Schnitzer Motorsport with the BMW 2800CS. In the following years, BMW became a common contender in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, represented by private teams racing BMW race cars in the competition from 1972 till 1989, and from 1993 till 2000 and by teams using BMW engines, most successful the McLaren F1 GTR who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995 with a BMW S70 6.1L V12 engine.
Also BMW Motorsport started with the BMW 3.0 CSL (1973), BMW 3.5 CSL (1976), BMW M1 (1980, 1981), McLaren F1 GTR (1996, 1997), BMW V12 LM (1998), BMW V12 LMR. The latter car, designed by Williams Grand Prix Engineering and entered by Schnitzer Motorsport, won the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans overall against factory competition from Audi, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and others.
American Le Mans Series – BMW has won three (2001, 2010, 2011) GT Team Championships and GT Automobile Manufacturer titles. Twice (2010, 2011) with Team RLL in the Crowne Plaza V8 powered M3 GT coupe and once (2001) with the BMW Motorsport team in the V8 powered M3 GTR.
Endurance racing
- 1000km Nürburgringtwice (1976 and 1981).
- A BMW works team E36 320d was the first diesel-powered overall winner ever at the 24 Hours Nürburgring.[16]
- 24 Hours of Daytona – BMW has won five times (1976, 2011, 2013, 2019, 2020)
- 12 Hours of Sebring – BMW won this event twice in 1975 and in 1999.[17]
- Spa 24 Hours – BMW won 25 times
- McLaren F1 GTR – Successful mid-1990s GT racing car with a BMW designed engine. It won the BPR Global GT Series in 1995 and 1996 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995.
Rally Dakar / WRC
- RAC Rally – The 328 sport carwon this event in 1939.
- Austrian Alpine Rally – The BMW 2002tii won by Achim Warmbold at the 1973 World Rally Championship. Being BMW's first maiden win at the World Rally Championship.[18]
- Tour de Corse – The BMW M3 E30 won this event in 1987 during the 1987 World Rally Championship won by Jean-Jacques Lenne.
- aswell.
- The Mini All4 Racing won this event prior between 2015 all the way back to the 2012 Dakar Rally four times in a row, being the most successful powered BMW Engine works team.
Rally Dakar Championships for BMW
Year | Driver | Co-driver |
---|---|---|
2012 | Stéphane Peterhansel | Jean-Paul Cottret |
2013 | Stéphane Peterhansel | Jean-Paul Cottret |
2014 | Nani Roma | Michel Périn |
2015 | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Matthieu Baumel
|
2020 | Carlos Sainz Sr. | Lucas Cruz |
2021 | Stéphane Peterhansel | Édouard Boulanger |
WRC victories by BMW
# Event Season Co-driver Car 1 Austrian Alpine Rally 1973 Achim Warmbold BMW 2002Tii 2 31ème Tour de Corse - Rallye de France 1987Jean-Jacques Lenne BMW M3
BMW Schnitzer Motorsports Team History
The team was founded in 1967 by the brothers Josef (August 7, 1939–August 31, 1978) and Herbert Schnitzer (b. June 5, 1941). Their stepfather Karl Lamm had a car repair shop and dealer business. The brothers started racing in 1962, and Josef Schnitzer won the 1966 German Championship in a BMW 2000ti. In 1968, both retired from active race driving to focus on the business and the race team.
In the 1970s, the Schnitzer's younger half-brothers Karl ("Charly") and Dieter Lamm joined the team, with Charly Lamm acting as team manager at the race tracks. In 1978, Josef Schnitzer died in an accident, and Herbert Schnitzer remained as the boss.
Apart from having the BMW dealership and Motorsport team based in Southern Germany's
Since the 1960s, the Schnitzer team was mainly active with BMW and BMW M cars in Touring car racing, namely in the European Touring Car Championship, the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft, the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft and the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC).
In 1977 and 1978 Schnitzer tried to take on the mighty
Joachim Winkelhock, Pierluigi Martini and Yannick Dalmas won the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans for Team BMW Motorsport in a BMW V12 LMR, operated by Schnitzer Motorsport.[20]
In the 2000s, they mainly competed as "BMW Team Germany" in the WTCC with drivers Jörg Müller, Dirk Müller, and Augusto Farfus from 2005 to 2009.
Schnitzer was also active in
In 2012, BMW Team Schnitzer, along with BMW Team RBM, and Reinhold Motorsport GmbH, each line up with two BMW M3 DTM cars in the DTM.[22]
In September 2018, Charly Lamm announced that he would step down from his role at Schnitzer at the end of the year.[23] He died unexpectedly on 24 January 2019.[24]
In early 2021 the organisation began the process of being
Achievements by the Schnitzer BMW Motorsports Team
- Championships
- 1978 Turbo)
- 1983 BMW 635 CSi)
- BMW 635 CSi)
- BMW M3)
- 1988 BMW M3)
- 1989 BMW M3)
- 1989-1991 BMW M3 Evolution)
- 1991 Nissan Mobil 500 Series (BMW M3 Evolution)
- BMW 318i)
- BMW 318i)
- 1995 BMW 318is) and 1995 Super Tourenwagen Cup(Joachim Winkelhock)
- 1998 BMW 320i
- 2001 American Le Mans Series GT (Jörg Müller, BMW M3GTR V8)
- 2012 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (Bruno Spengler) (BMW M3 DTM)
- Races
- 1976 1000km Nürburgring (Albrecht Krebs, Dieter Quester, BMW 3.5 CSL)
- 1985-1986 BMW 635 CSi)
- 1988 BMW M3)
- 1988-1991 BMW M3 Evolution)
- 1990 BMW M3 Evolution) [26]
- 1991 BMW M3 Evolution)
- 1992 BMW M3 Evolution)
- 1992 BMW M3 Evolution)
- 1994 BMW 318i)
- 1998 BMW 320d)
- 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans (BMW V12 LMR)
- 2004-2005 24 Hours Nürburgring (1–2 finishes two years in a row, BMW M3GTR V8)
- 2010 BMW M3 GT2)
- 2018 FIA GT World Cup (Augusto Farfus, BMW M6 GT3)
Guinness Book of World Records
On May 11, 2013, BMW placed itself in the
Other events
BMW had various touring and sportscar successes throughout the rest of the 1980s and 1990s following its exit from Formula One. In 1986, BMW North America also ran the BMW GTP in the IMSA GT Championship, with little success.
Since 1987, The Kumho BMW Championship has also existed, which is a BMW-exclusive motorsport championship. It is operated and run in the UK, with some races occasionally taking part in the Europe mainland. 2005 saw the BMW Challenge join as a class within the Kumho BMW Championship only to leave a year later to become a standalone UK Championship called The BMW Production Championship. In 2008, a split between the committee and the organising club (CTCRC) saw it lose its championship status and a breakaway PBMW Cup was formed.
Automatic Racing had entered a BMW M6 into the 2008 Rolex Sports Car Series season, driven by an all American team consisting of Jep Thorton, Tom Long, Joe Varde and David Russell. Turner Motorsport entered a BMW M6 for the 2010 season, followed by two BMW M3s from 2011-2013. They have racked up six Rolex GT wins and 24 top ten finishes in the GT class, including rare double class wins for the GT M3 and GS M3 at the Circuit of the Americas round in 2013.
Pictures
This section contains an unencyclopedic or excessive gallery of images. |
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The BMW 328, winner of Mille Miglia in 1938.
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Gerhard Mitter in a BMW F2 ('69)
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Chris Amon in a BMW 3.0 CSL ('73)
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Helmut Kelleners in a BMW 2002
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A BMW M3 Group A DTM ('87)
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The BMW M1.
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A 320i WTCC 2005
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The X-Raid BMW X3 at Paris-Dakar Rally
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The Z4 M Coupe
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BMW M3 GT2 car competing inALMS
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "TT Fact Zone - Isle of Man TT Official Website". www.iomtt.com. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- ^ RST Superbike Result iomtt.com
- ^ "New lap and race records for victorious Hickman in PokerStars Senior TT". Isle of Man TT. Duke Marketing Ltd. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ^ "Historic Book" (PDF). Dakar. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ http://touringcarracing.net/Pages/1990%20DTM.html
- ^ "BMW to return to DTM in 2012". bmwgroup.com.
- ^ "Vierventil-Technik". 02-club.de (in German). Retrieved 2009-02-02.
- ^ "BMW to quit F1 at end of season". BBC News. 29 July 2009. Archived from the original on 29 July 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
- ^ "BMW confirms Season 5 entry to Formula E – Formula E". www.fiaformulae.com. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- ^ Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ "BMW signs Martin Tomczyk as works driver". Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. ITR e.V. 23 November 2011. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
- ^ "ALMS Champion Joey Hand switches to BMW's DTM project". Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. ITR e.V. 15 December 2011. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ^ "Bruno Spengler to drive for BMW in the DTM from 2012". Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. ITR e.V. 26 October 2011. Archived from the original on 30 November 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
- ^ "Werner dernière recrue de BMW" [Werner newest member of BMW]. AUTOhebdo (in French). Groupe Hommell. 13 January 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- ^ a b "Launch of the BMW M3 DTM Concept Car". Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. ITR e.V. 15 July 2011. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
- ^ "BMW Diesel Wins 1998 24 Hours Nürburgring". thedieseldriver.com.
- ^ https://dynamic-media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-o/1c/d0/f1/83/20210403-104030-largejpg.jpg?w=2400&h=-1&s=1
- ^ http://www.juwra.com/austria_1973.html
- ^ Chong, Rod (2009-02-19). "Bigger Than Life: The Schnitzer Celica". Speedhunters.com. Archived from the original on 2011-01-19. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
- ^ Davey Euwema (20 November 2020). "BMW parts ways with Le Mans-winning Schnitzer squad". Motosport Week.
- ^ "WTCC: Full ILMC season for Andy Priaulx". TouringCarTimes. Archived from the original on 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
- ^ BMW Motorsport presents the teams for its DTM project. BMW Motorsport. 10 March 2011.
- ^ Tamara Aller (19 September 2018). "Schnitzer legend Charly Lamm steps back from team manager role". Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- ^ "BMW Motorsport mourns the loss of Charly Lamm". 25 January 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ Haidinger, Sven; Newbold, James (5 February 2021). "Top touring car and sportcar squad Schnitzer Motorsport set to be liquidated". Autosport. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ "Spa 24 Hours 1990 - Photo Gallery - Racing Sports Cars".