View Full Version : BMW returns to ALMS circuit with E92 M3
cobradav
02-07-2008, 09:43 AM
Here is link to announcement:
http://www.americanlemans.com/News/Article.aspx?ID=3921
NICE!!! I was waiting for this announcement. Thanks CD for the link. They are BACK!!!
The 2008 season opens with the 56th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida on Saturday, March 15. The race will start at 10 a.m. ET and will be broadcast live by SPEED, which will begin its coverage at 9:30 a.m. MotorsTV, Fox Latin America, 7TV in Russia and Greenlight Television will provide international coverage as well. American Le Mans Radio and IMSA's Live Timing & Scoring will be available at americanlemans.com.
AusBmw
02-07-2008, 10:24 AM
:bravo: :bmw: :bow:
Hopefully they kick some ass and take names latter :grin:
2008 ALMS Circuit Schedule
March 12-15
10:05AM EDT
Duration: 12:00 56th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida
Sebring, FL, US
The 10th season of the American Le Mans Series appropriately begins with where it all started in the first place - Sebring. North America's oldest and premier sports car event brings out only the best teams in endurance racing. They all will test their mettle on the historic 3.7-mile, 17-turn circuit that sits on the site of a former World War II air base.
Mar 15, 9:30AM EDT Live Coverage
April 4-5
12:30PM EDT
Duration: 2:45 Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, FL, US
For the second year in a row, the American Le Mans Series will hit the streets of St. Petersburg in the first of four races on a temporary street circuit. The exotic sports cars of the American Le Mans Series raced into dusk in 2007 with Audi taking top honors on the Tampa Bay waterfront.
Apr 5, 1:30PM EDT Tape Delayed
April 18-19
4PM PDT
Duration: 2:00 Grand Prix of Long Beach
Long Beach, CA, US
In 2007, the American Le Mans Series took Long Beach and Southern California by storm. The Series’ stars and cars will return for the second straight year at the historic street circuit just south of Los Angeles in one of the most anticipated races of the season.
Apr 20, 12:30PM PDT Tape Delayed
April 25-26
5PM CDT
Duration: 2:45 Lone Star Grand Prix presented by MSR Houston
Houston, TX, US
A run of three races in fourth weeks comes to an end as the American Le Mans Series returns to JAGFlo Speedway at Reliant Park for the Lone Star Grand Prix presented by MSR Houston. The American Le Mans Series has raced into darkness the past two reasons deep in the heart of Texas as part of the Grand Prix of Houston weekend.
May 2, 4PM CDT Tape Delayed
May 16-18
1PM MDT
Duration: 3:00 Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix presented by Grand & Little Hotels
Tooele, UT, US
The fantastic Miller Motorsports Park once again will play host to the American Le Mans Series for the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix presented by Grand & Little Hotels. For the first time, the electrifying cars of America’s premier endurance racing series will use the 3.06, 15-turn perimeter circuit, which promises to be one of the fastest ever in Series history.
May 18, 3PM MDT Live Coverage
July 11-12
3:05PM EDT
Duration: 2:45 American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix
Lakeville, CT, US
As has been tradition, the American Le Mans Series returns from its Le Mans break with the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at scenic Lime Rock Park. The four classes of sports cars will turn in blazing speeds around the 1.54-mile, eight-turn circuit. Fans routinely turn out in massive numbers with the 2007 crowd being one of the largest in track history.
Jul 12, TBA
July 17-19
3:30PM EDT
Duration: 2:45 Acura Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio
Lexington, OH, US
One of the classic sports car venues in North America, Mid-Ohio marks the running of the second annual Acura Sports Car Challenge. A strong contingent of Acura teams, racing in American Honda’s backyard, will look to make their mark on a circuit where Porsche has dominated the past two years.
Jul 20, 2PM EDT Tape Delayed
August 7-9
3PM CDT
Duration: 4:00 Generac 500 at Road America
Elkhart Lake, WI, US
For a sports car racer, it doesn’t get much better than historic Road America. A favorite among the entire American Le Mans Series paddock, the 4-mile Wisconsin circuit will again feature the four-hour Generac 500. Running into the darkness, the Road America crowds have responded to the action of the American Le Mans Series and 2008 promises to be no different.
Aug 10, 2PM CDT Tape Delayed
August 22-24
3:05PM EDT
Duration: 2:45 Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport
Bowmanville, ON, CA
The American Le Mans Series’ annual trek North of the Border sees a return to Mosport International Raceway, one of four venues to hold a race in all 10 years of the Series. Mosport always provides fantastic crowds and racing, as evidenced by 2007’s thrilling finish between Porsche and Audi.
Aug 24, 3PM EDT Live Coverage
August 29-30
2:35PM EDT
Duration: 2:45 Detroit Sports Car Challenge presented by Bosch
Detroit, MI, US
The 2007 Detroit Sports Car Challenge presented by Bosch brought together the American Le Mans Series and the Motor City, a match that proved to be perfect in the backyard of GM, Audi, Dodge and other Series marques. The four classes and multiple manufacturers in the Series put on a world-class show in the 2007 event with Porsche scoring a come-from-behind win over Audi in the closing moments.
Aug 30, 2:30PM EDT Live Coverage
October 1-4
11:15AM EDT
Duration: 10:00 Petit Le Mans
Braselton, GA, US
The cornerstone event of American Le Mans Series will hold its 11th running at Road Atlanta with one of the most important sports car races in the world. Along with being one of the crown jewels of endurance racing, Petit Le Mans also awards class winners automatic invitations to the 24 Hours of Le Mans the following year. The 2007 race saw a record crowd and the closest finish in its history race with Audi taking a 0.923-second victory.
Oct 4, 11AM EDT Live Coverage
October 16-18
2:30PM PDT
Duration: 4:00 Monterey Sports Car Championships
Monterey, CA, US
Since 2004, the close of the American Le Mans Series season has meant Racing into Darkness at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The Monterey Sports Car Championships attracts the best sports car teams in the world to historic 2.238-mile Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, site of the famed Corkscrew turn.
Oct 19, 2PM PDT Tape Delayed
Thanks, will lock this in...
So.. Take a real good look at the Big Boy!!
[attachment=1:1nbamuxp]M3 AMLS 03.jpg[/attachment:1nbamuxp]
[attachment=0:1nbamuxp]M3 AMLS 04.jpg[/attachment:1nbamuxp]
Did you know..?
This new E92 M3 will be Powered by a 485 bhp eight cylinder engine!!! Whoopee!
Here's some more...
"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."
and more.............
The American Le Mans Series is going to get a dose of Bavarian brilliance in 2009, as Bobby Rahal and David Letterman are teaming up to bring the fourth-generation M3 to the racing series. To properly battle the best competition in ALMS, BMW bumps the power quotient of its high-revving 4.0L V8 from 414 to 485 ponies, but brute force is just one facet of the M3's attack plan. The already outstanding chassis of the M3 has been further enhanced for the track, and weight has been reduced to make the deadly M even more nimble. The car weighs 2,535 pounds and carries 15-inch front and 13.1-inch rear brakes. That would be one butt-load of go and stop for the weight.
BMW also employed its extensive F1 knowledge into the M-racer, including computational fluid dynamics and wind tunnel analyses to make the carbon fiber-winged M3 slip freely through the air. BMW Motorsport is still tweaking the M3 racer in advance of the 2009 season, and the car will be taken through its paces by Andy Priaulx, Jorg Muller and Augusto Farfus of FIA World Touring Car Championship fame. Since the previous two generations of M3 hold six manufacturers championships in nine years of US sports car racing, we're guessing this baddest M3 ever will continue to be a handful for the competition. If it drives as well as it looks, Mr. Rahal should be a happy man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knVcB-Ge ... racing-m3/ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knVcB-GeINU&eurl=http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/06/chicago-2008-bmw-back-in-alms-with-rahal-letterman-racing-m3/)[attachment=0:t94ixyxr]BMW M3 int 430.jpg[/attachment:t94ixyxr]