[ixm3]

https://www.touringcartimes.com/2020...re-inevitable/


Schnitzer Motorsport: “A company closure is inevitable”
4 days ago
By TouringCarTimes

Legendary BMW team Schnitzer Motorsport is likely to close its doors at the
end of 2020 following last week’s announcement from the Bavarian
manufacturer to end its cooperation with the team.

It has been two tough years for Schnitzer Motorsport, with team boss Charly
Lamm passing away in January 2019.

“The payment of the company shares in 2020 to the widow v. Charly Lamm was
an enormous financial burden for the company,” said team manager Herbert
Schnitzer Jr to LSR-Freun.de.

“The unfavorable relationship between the expected income from 2021 –
compared to the running costs – is not economically justifiable.

“For these reasons, a company closure is inevitable. After more than 50
years of motorsport with BMW vehicles, this situation is very difficult for
all of us to deal with.”

The team has looked over options to find a cooperation with a new
manufacturer.

“We had a lot of discussions to find an alternative partner in the form of a
sponsor or investor,” said Schnitzer Jr.

“However, the market does not offer much in these Covid times. With paying
drivers and with the company’s own funds, races cannot be implemented at a
cost-effective rate due to our professional team structure and our
high-quality location.”

Schnitzer Motorsport has had a successful cooperation with BMW for more than
50 years, racking up a vast number of touring car and GT titles along the
way.

The team claimed the European Touring Car Cup titles in 1983, 1986 and 1988,
the World Touring Car Championship title in 1987, the British Touring Car
Championship title in 1993 and the DTM titles in 1989 and 2012.

Its most recent major success is the 2018 FIA GT World Cup win in Macau with
Augusto Farfus Jr.

“We are proud of the fact that we in Team Schnitzer have shaped
international motorsport together with BMW for so many years and look back
with pleasure on all the great successes that we celebrated together in the
various categories. We thank BMW Motorsport for this long, unique
partnership,” said Schnitzer Jr.

[yco]

after 50 years and success...

[Law]

This is very sad news...a true end of an era.
The BMW-Schnitzer partnership in motorsports spanned over half a century and pretty much all the glory that BMW fans celebrate from BMW and BMW M's racing pedigree is thanks to that cooperation.

BMW Team Schnitzer will be remembered as one of the great hall of famers that shaped international touring car racing.


Here's the official press release for those who are interested:

Originally Posted by BMW

Changes at BMW Motorsport: Farewell to BMW Teams RBM and Schnitzer, BMW Team RMG now involved in the GT3 development.

04.12.2020 Press Release

Munich. The international motorsport landscape is currently undergoing a raft of changes – and as a result, this also applies to the works-based BMW Motorsport team line-up. Therefore, the long collaboration with the iconic BMW Teams RBM and Schnitzer will not continue. BMW Team RMG will be working with BMW Motorsport to develop the new BMW M4 GT3 in the coming season.


After the premature end of the Class 1 DTM, the fields of activity for BMW’s works-based presence had to be adapted. BMW Team RMG, that previously was one of the works teams in the DTM and celebrated two driver’s titles with Marco Wittmann (GER), will serve as a development team for the new BMW M4 GT3 in the future.


In contrast, the collaboration with BMW Team RBM is ending, as there is no longer a classic works involvement in the new, customer racing-based DTM.


The BMW Motorsport family has enjoyed many fantastic successes with Bart Mampaey’s (BEL) team on the international motorsport stage over 25 years. Founded in 1995, the team became an official BMW works team in 2006 after being crowned European and World Touring Car Champions. Two more World Championship titles followed. With its outstanding performances, BMW Team RBM has made a major contribution to the fact that BMW became one of the most successful manufacturers in the World Touring Car Championship. Since the return to DTM in 2012, BMW Team RBM has been one of the BMW works teams in the series and claimed nine race victories.


The necessary realignment of the works-based team structure also means that the partnership with BMW Team Schnitzer will not be continued.


Since the 1960s, Schnitzer Motorsport has been one of the most influential and successful teams in the world of international GT and touring car racing – always with BMW race cars. BMW Team Schnitzer has forever earned an important place in BMW history, thanks to many prestigious national and international triumphs in renowned championships and at legendary endurance races, like those at the Nürburgring and at Le Mans. Through its passionate commitment and magnificent success, Schnitzer has also been instrumental in shaping the BMW brand in terms of sportiness and dynamics. The level of the team’s performance was demonstrated most recently at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, when it finished third under the leadership of Herbert Schnitzer jun.



Quotes:


Bart Mampaey (Team Principal BMW Team RBM): “It is a great shame, but we respect the fact that BMW Motorsport is unable to continue the collaboration with us as a works team. I would like to thank BMW for the fantastic partnership, which we have enjoyed for 25 long years. BMW has always been at our side, from the very beginning to the final curtain in the DTM, and our relationship will remain a strong one, even if we are no longer a works team. Times are changing and we are all facing a challenging future. At RBM, we will initially reduce our racing activities. However, that does not mean this is the end of our motorsport chapter. We want to continue in motor racing and see what options arise. I also think that we can apply the values and skills that we have at RBM in other industries outside motorsport. They always say: when one door closes, another one opens. So I am very excited to see what opportunities come our way in the future.”



Herbert Schnitzer jun. (Team Principal BMW Team Schnitzer): “We very much regret that, given the changes in motorsport, it is no longer possible to continue the cooperation with BMW Motorsport. However, we obviously understand and respect the decision. We are proud that we Schnitzers have, together with BMW, shaped international motorsport for so many decades. It is a pleasure to look back on all the big successes we have enjoyed together in such a wide range of categories. We are also very proud to be a part of motorsport history at BMW. We would like to thank BMW Motorsport for this long, unique partnership. BMW was our life and our passion.”



Stefan Reinhold (Team Principal BMW Team RMG): “We are very much looking forward to our new role as development team for the BMW M4 GT3, and thank BMW Motorsport for the faith it has placed in us. The BMW M4 GT3 is the new flagship of BMW Motorsport, and we will do our bit to make it another successful BMW. For us as racers and technicians, it is very exciting to be closely involved in the development of a race car. We will now apply all our know-how and skills to this project.”

[j0oftheworld]

Not interested in racing electric cars..

[chenry]

Originally Posted by Law

This is very sad news...a true end of an era.
The BMW-Schnitzer partnership in motorsports spanned over half a century and pretty much all the glory that BMW fans celebrate from BMW and BMW M's racing pedigree is thanks to that cooperation.

BMW Team Schnitzer will be remembered as one of the great hall of famers that shaped international touring car racing.

Well said and so true....

[///M Power-Belgium]

A sad day for motorsports .I had a BMW tuned and built by AC Schnitzer .
Damn .I'm lost in words...

[Maitre_Absolut]

you cant partner with a manufacturer who doesnt care about motorsports anymore. More interesting in hyping up the next collab drop!

///Marketing

[Law]

BMW has officially released media pertaining to this departure as a tribute to Schnitzer.

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