40 years after the start of the Procar series initiated especially for it, the BMW M1 is once again captivating motorsport fans.
As part of the DTM races at the Norisring (July 5 to 7, 2019), 14 examples of the racing car, which was built according to the Group 4 regulations of the time and subsequently driven by Formula 1 drivers and international private drivers, will make a spectacular comeback on the track. For the Procar Revival on the Nuremberg street circuit, BMW Group Classic was also able to inspire well-known drivers to return to the cockpit of the BMW M1. Former Formula 1 drivers Jan Lammers from the Netherlands and Marc Surer from Switzerland are two motorsport legends who were crowd favorites at the original Procar races four decades ago.
1With historic motorsport as part of the DTM supporting program, BMW Group Classic is commemorating the in many respects extraordinary race track debut of the BMW M1. The mid-engine sports car, designed for both racing and road use, was presented in the fall of 1978. As delays in the production process prevented homologation on schedule, the then Managing Director of BMW Motorsport GmbH, Jochen Neerpasch, launched a completely new racing series together with Formula 1 managers Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone. The 19 races of the Procar Series held in 1979 and 1980 developed into an ideal stage for the BMW M1, which was later also successful in other international competitions.
The Procar races, which were held in the run-up to the European Grand Prix races, gave private drivers and talented youngsters the opportunity to compete with the top stars of motorsport in technically identical BMW M1s. Among the Formula 1 drivers, the five fastest drivers in Friday practice qualified for a race in the BMW M1. Prominent drivers such as Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet, Alan Jones, Jacques Laffite and Emerson Fittipaldi took great pleasure in racing around corners in the fast and handy mid-engined racer. In the competition with the 470 hp BMW M1s, driving ability alone decided the winner - a fact that ensured maximum excitement on every circuit and quickly helped the Procar Series to achieve great popularity.
The overall winner of the first Procar season was Niki Lauda. The following year, Nelson Piquet secured first place in the overall standings with three consecutive victories. The BMW M1 continued its motorsport career in the German Automobile Racing Championship and the American IMSA GTO Championship, among others. As a Group 5 racing car with turbocharging for its in-line six-cylinder engine, an output of up to 1000 hp and impressive spoilers, it was also one of the most spectacular and successful representatives of its time.
The most important chapter in the racing history of the BMW M1 to this day is the Procar series. In 2008, 30 years after the debut of the mid-engined sports car, a Procar Revival attracted fans of historic motorsport to the Hockenheimring. On the circuit, which hosted a Procar Series race in both 1979 and 1980, numerous drivers from the past took the opportunity to once again demonstrate their skills in handling the BMW M1. Another Procar revival took place two years ago before the race for the "Austrian Grand Prix" at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. The Austrian Formula 1 circuit is also one of the tracks on which races in the legendary Procar series have been held.
This is not the first time the Procar racers have visited the Norisring either. In the second season of the racing series at the time, one of the Procar races was held on the street circuit. At that time, the German Hans-Joachim Stuck won ahead of Jan Lammers and Marc Surer.
