[Law]

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Schnitzer Motorsport and BMW: review of half a century of shared motorsport history.

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12.12.2020

Munich. Schnitzer is a name very closely linked with the history of the BMW brand in international motorsport. For more than half a century Schnitzer Motorsport and BMW were in action on racetracks of the world together and celebrated superb successes in a variety of categories. This collaboration also played a significant role in shaping the sports performance and momentum of the BMW brand. Now this long, successful shared journey is coming to an end. A review of victories, titles and triumphs from the 1960s to today.

• Original team Schnitzer’s history dates from the 1960s.
• Touring cars, Le Mans, DTM, and GT racing - the long list of BMW and Schnitzer Motorsport’s shared successes.
• Herbert Schnitzer junior: “We really enjoy looking back on everything we have achieved with BMW.”

The success story of the original racing team founded by Josef and Herbert Schnitzer Senior and managed by his half-brother Karl ‘Charly’ Lamm started in the mid 1960s. Lamm’s twin brother Dieter Lamm was also given an important role; he was responsible for the team’s technical processes and logistics until his death in 2014. In the beginning, Schnitzer Motorsport celebrated titles in the German Circuit Championship and the European Hill Climb Championship with BMW racing cars. In 1975, Jacques Laffite won the Formula 2 European Championship in a formula racing car with a BMW engine.



And so it went on: sports cars, touring cars, prototypes, GT racing – the list of triumphs that Schnitzer Motorsport and BMW have celebrated together in international racing is long and impressive. Schnitzer was European touring car champion three times in the 1980s. That was also when the streak of nine wins in the touring car races at the ‘Guia Circuit’ in Macau (MAC) started. Between 1989 and 2010, Schnitzer enjoyed victory at the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring five times and made a significant contribution to BMW being the record winner to date in this endurance classic. The same is true of the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps (BEL), which Schnitzer also won five times starting in 1985. On top of that were the titles with Roberto Ravaglia (ITA) in the World Touring Car Championship in 1987 and in the DTM in 1989, as well as with Joachim Winkelhock (GER / 1995) and Johnny Cecotto (ITA / 1998) in the German Super Touring Car Championship.





Hands down, the major highlights of the partnership also include the overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA) in 1999 with the legendary BMW V12 LMR. It was with that prototype that Schnitzer also won the 12-hour race at Sebring (USA) in the same year. The team claimed the title in the GT standings of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in 2001. Between 2005 and 2009, Schnitzer competed as a BMW works team in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) and celebrated a sensational 25 wins as well as a total of 57 podiums.



2012 saw Schnitzer return to the DTM as a works team with BMW – and together they celebrated a triumphant comeback year, with the driver’s title for Bruno Spengler (CAN), the team title for BMW Team Schnitzer and the manufacturer’s title for BMW. BMW Team Schnitzer was active in the DTM until 2016, with a successful record of 25 wins and 88 podiums.



In recent years, Schnitzer continued their activities in GT racing, contesting the International GT Challenge (IGTC) among other series. The win with Augusto Farfus (BRA) at the GT World Cup in Macau is unforgettable. It was Charly Lamm’s final race as team principal before he handed over management of the team to Herbert Schnitzer junior. Lamm passed away unexpectedly just a few weeks later.



In the 2020 season just finished, BMW Team Schnitzer returned to the podium of the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring under new management, finishing in third place with the BMW M6 GT3. As a result of the required realignment of the works-based team structure, the partnership with BMW Team Schnitzer will not continue.



“We are very proud of having played a significant role in shaping international motorsport with BMW for more than half a century and of the respect given to Schnitzer Motorsport throughout the world,” said Herbert Schnitzer junior. “We are also very proud of the successes and titles that we celebrated together over the decades, in touring car racing, in GT racing, at Le Mans, in Macau and at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. We would like to thank BMW for the partnership spanning decades, and for the trust that was always placed in us. We really enjoy looking back on everything we have achieved with BMW. I think that collaboration as long-lasting and as successful as ours was with BMW is unique in motorsport. BMW was our life and our passion.”



BMW Motorsport extends heartfelt gratitude to the Schnitzer family and the whole team for all the decades of successful collaboration.

[Law]

My personal thoughts -

As BMW M fans and BMW enthusiasts, we owe a lot of what we cherish and celebrate about BMW's pedigree and history to the BMW Schnitzer partnership.
A true bond and a dynasty of sorts that spanned over half a century, BMW Team Schnitzer truly made its mark not just in shaping BMW, but as one of the greatest teams in GT and Touring car racing.
Surely, the BMW & Schnitzer have their place together in the motorsport pantheon as legendary hall of famers.

It's truly saddening to hear about the termination of this partnership as the latest casualty of changing times.
But at least we still have memories and with a reach spanning multiple decades that has captivated and touched BMW fans worldwide - from the guy who put AC Schnitzer parts on his BMW, to the ones following the exciting races at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring be it on screen or in person, to the young adolescent watching his favorite BMW M3 take podium in the DTM - each BMW fan through the generations was part of this golden era of GT & touring car racing.

And with that, here is the Farewell video from BMW Motorsport themselves.

[BMWGirlFL]

Sad times.
https://lsr-freun.de/news/herbert-sc...t-duester-aus/

Herbert Schnitzer: "The future looks bleak"

Herbert Schnitzer confirmed to LSR-Freun.de, following the press release published by BMW :

“Due to different developments, BMW is forced to rebuild and adapt its factory-based motorsport structures. Therefore, BMW cannot continue to work with all teams as usual. So in 2020 - after more than 50 years - our factory-based collaboration with BMW will end. "

“But of course we understand this situation and respect it. We are proud 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 would like to thank BMW Motorsport for this long, unique partnership. "

“We had a lot of discussions to find an alternative partner in the form of a sponsor or investor. 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."

"The payment of the company shares in 2020 to the widow v. Charly Lamm was an enormous financial burden for the company. 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 us to deal with.

An official statement from Schnitzer Motorsport GmbH is planned for the end of 2020.

https://www.autosportwereld.be/2020/...r-25-jaar-rbm/

Bart Mampaey about 25 years of RBM

Bart, why did you make the decision to shrink your team and rearrange the activities?

Bart Mampaey: “Let me first state that it was certainly not an easy decision. Racing has always been important to me. It's my whole life, just like my team plays an incredibly important role in it. Over the past decade, we have devoted ourselves fully to DTM and BMW, but the championship structure now revolves around customer and private teams, without any factory support. This new situation made it impossible for BMW to continue working with us as a factory team in DTM. Obviously I could have considered other full-time racing options, but you can't help but notice that motorsport in general is going through tough times. We don't know when the Covid-19 crisis will end, and what motorsport will look like afterwards. As a team principal I am responsible for my personnel. I cannot keep a full team of 30 people working without being able to state with absolute certainty that we will have a program and that there will be enough work for everyone. These people are very important to me. They've actually grown into a family over the past 25 years, and I don't want them to live in uncertainty. Therefore, it was better to make the difficult decision to reshuffle the team, and to slow down our racing activities. In this way we can better examine what possibilities there are outside motorsport. My employees fully support me in this decision. I want to thank everyone one by one for the fantastic years, for their hard work and dedication, be it in ETCC, WTCC or DTM. They are the soul of RBM and have ensured that the team has become what it is today. Yes, it hurts to see these wonderful, talented and dedicated people leave RBM. In 2020, during a very tough last DTM year for BMW, they once again showed their best side by winning the DTM Pit Stop Award for RBM. I also want to thank BMW for our collaboration over the past 25 years. From the first start to the last DTM finish flag, the people from BMW were always by our side. And although we are no longer a factory team, we maintain good contact and a strong relationship."

If you go over those 25 years with your racing team, what are the highlights for you personally?

“There are not a few! RBM has won races all over the world, in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America. We became European champions, world champions and were successful in international racing for more than two decades. One of the first highlights, when the team only just existed, was the victory in the 24 hours of Spa-Francorchamps. My parents' team, Juma Racing, had won that race three times and had also finished second with BMW several times. I was delighted when I managed to win with my own team. And then of course there were the years in international touring car racing, first in the ETCC and from 2005 in the FIA ​​WTCC. It was a fantastic time, with many wins and titles with Andy Priaulx. Perhaps my favorite moment with RBM in motorsport is the race weekend in Macau 2005, when Andy won the World Championship for the first time. It was our first time on the tricky Macau street circuit, but we put in a flawless performance, crowned with a one-two - and the world title! - in the second race. That opened the door to a 15-year partnership with BMW Motorsport, as a factory team. We were also quite proud when we were chosen by BMW in 2012 to be one of the factory teams to ensure the comeback in DTM. That was the start of a new chapter in the history of RBM, and there too we experienced many intense and beautiful moments. The 2013 season, for example, when we could compete for the title with Augusto Farfus. From the more recent seasons I will remember Norisring 2017. There we managed to win on both Saturday and Sunday, less than a week after my father passed away. That was very special and emotional. Over the last few seasons we've formed quite a few DTM rookies. It was very satisfying to see how young guys like Tom Blomqvist, Joel Eriksson, Sheldon van der Linde, Philipp Eng or Jonathan Aberdein could develop their talents in our team and be by their side as they reach the top of a DTM podium. were allowed to enter. It was great that we could be part of that. I also cherish our trip to Japan, to finish the 'Dream Race' in Fuji together with DTM. I love the country. The fact that we were able to represent BMW Motorsport, and drive to P2 with Marco Wittmann and to P5 with Kamui Kobayashi, made me very happy. And seeing Alex Zanardi take the lead in the second race for a while, that was the icing on the cake. Obviously I've known Alex since our FIA WTCC years, but we had to wait until Fuji 2019 to be able to work on the same team. I want to take this opportunity to wish Alex all the best and a speedy recovery. ”

You were brought up with racing, you led your own racing team for 25 years. Will you miss motorsport if you don't work there as much in the future?

“Racing is in my blood. My parents ran their own racing team, and I've done the same for almost half of my life. Sure I'll miss it. During the last race in Hockenheim, all memories from the last 25 years came back. I will miss the guys on my team too, because as I said before, they are like family to me. But times are changing, and we face a difficult future. That is why we have to make the right decisions to ensure that RBM is fully prepared when new opportunities arise. This translates into scaling back our racing activities. That does not mean that the door will close permanently. We want to keep working in racing and see what options we have. At the moment, however, I am looking at all the possibilities where we can use our typical RBM expertise and talents. What makes us so unique is our technical and operational know-how, our pursuit of excellence, our focus on efficiency and close teamwork based on strong human relationships. These characteristics, this professional knowledge, should allow us to work in other fields besides motorsport. We have already presented the idea to a number of external partners, and they are all enthusiastic and firmly convinced that this could be an interesting step. So you see: if one door closes, another can open. I look to the future with great confidence and I am already looking forward to the new opportunities that will present themselves. ” is our technical and operational know-how, our pursuit of excellence, our focus on efficiency and close teamwork based on strong human relationships. These characteristics, this professional knowledge, should allow us to work in other fields besides motorsport. We have already presented the idea to a number of external partners, and they are all enthusiastic and firmly convinced that this could be an interesting step. So you see: if one door closes, another can open. I look to the future with great confidence and I am already looking forward to the new opportunities that will present themselves.”

[ShockArrival]

Sad indeed, but a great article on the history and achievements!

[Lady Jane]

The racing partnership might be over but for us mere mortals, AC Schnitzer will continue to thrive.

[psuibmw]

A lot of things are changing around us in the world nowadays, change is definite

[sharocks]

Just proves that BMW cannot do anything right.

The brand died right after the recession, I'm convinced.

[///Makis]

Originally Posted by sharocks

Just proves that BMW cannot do anything right.

The brand died right after the recession, I'm convinced.

Ouch lol


I mean they make really nice headlights as of lately they can at least that well.

[MadBimmeRad]

Makes me wonder who pissed off whom for this to happen.

To me, it's apparent from their respective comments, ACS were not the initiating party and were perhaps surprised by the decision.

I guess BMW designed the G8x grilles and that was the end of a beautiful thing.

Sad day in motoring history

[KennyFSU]

I guess ACS didn't like the new grills either.

[Haueter66]

Just an FYI, AC Schnitzer and the Schnitzer Motorsport team are completely independent of each other. They have been for a long time.

[Law]

Originally Posted by Haueter66

Just an FYI, AC Schnitzer and the Schnitzer Motorsport team are completely independent of each other. They have been for a long time.

That's correct. They are related in their origins, but are separate organizations.
The main point of clarification here is that the news pertains to the partnership between BMW Motorsport and Schnitzer Motorsport, where they were most widely known to the public as 'BMW Team Schnitzer'.

Here's a pretty good article for reading for those who are interested:
http://www.speedhunters.com/2009/09/...er_motorsport/

[///M TOWN]

Great read

Thanks for posting ‼️

[adc]

These things happen. Move on, nothing to mourn. Racing is marketing money made to look exciting.

In the US, BMW had an incredibly fruitful partnership with PTG - they won everything under the sun together. And just as quickly it ended, with BMW switching to Team Rahal Racing as a partner, now known as BMW Team RLL. I never read a reasonable explanation for this change.

In the case of Schnitzer, it seems to follow changing regulations in DTM. Can’t fight these. I personally thought that especially in later years the DTM was a dinosaur - silhouette racers with NA V8 engines that none of the manufacturers offer anymore to the public, and limited audience to the home country - not unlike a German NASCAR. IMO it’s time for that series to go, and for BMW to refocus that spending in other race series.

Just my opinion of course.

[Ikester19]

Great read. Does this mean ACS will or won't continue to develop performance parts for BMW?

[Law]

Originally Posted by Ikester19

Great read. Does this mean ACS will or won't continue to develop performance parts for BMW?

We don't foresee any effects on ACS as mentioned in the above comments.

This termination only pertains to the official relationship between BMW Motorsport and Schnitzer Motorsport.

ACS is a separate entity altogether despite having a shared history with Schnitzer.

[Flamingi]

From what I could read out of the article posted above, the widow of deceased Charly Lamm had to be paid for her company shares. That and not being able to find another sponsor after BMW decided to end the relationship will mean that the Schnitzer Racing team is likely history and will not race again. Truely saddening to hear that.

As always we don't know anything happening behind the scenes, so the true reason for the end will probably not be known to us in the near future.

[bmw1racer]

Those godawful grilles are making everyone jump ship.

[M5Rick]

This is the beginning of fall out with governments forcing in electric car legislation because of mistaken information on pollution from green parties. It's naturally having knock on effect on motor racing.

[Mako]

Originally Posted by M5theonlyone

This is the beginning of fall out with governments forcing in electric car legislation because of mistaken information on pollution from green parties. It's naturally having knock on effect on motor racing.

Imagine electric engine racing.

We will pause for an hour as we recharge the Batteries...

[Flamingi]

Originally Posted by Mako

Imagine electric engine racing.

We will pause for an hour as we recharge the Batteries...

Nothing to imagine, Formula E already exists (and actually for the better half of the last decade). It's one of the better racing series to watch tbh.

[M5Rick]

^ Converted milk float racing