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In the late 1990s, BMW M3s, prepared by Tom Milner's Prototype Technology Group (PTG), became a force in North America's International Motor Sports Association GT championship.
BMW's dominance continued until 2000 when teams such as Alex Job Racing started competing with Porsche's 911 Carrera RSR.
The advantage switched to Porsche. During the 1999 America Le Mans Series GT season, Porsches won six of eight rounds. PTG drivers Brian Cunningham and Johannes van Overbeek were victorious at Road Atlanta and their teammates Hans-Joachim Stuck and Boris Said captured the GT class win at Sears Point. The same pattern was repeated in 2000. Alex Job Racing and Dick Barbour Racing prepared Porsche GT3RS were in control. Earning the title in the GT category was the Barbour team, followed by the Alex Job squad. PTG scored a single victory at Laguna Seca with Hans Stuck and Boris Said. The pair finished third in the final standings. It was obvious that if BMW was going to beat Porsche, changes would have to be made. One such change was a new engine. For the 2001 season, BMW retired its S54B32 3.2-liter in-line six-cylinder and replaced it with a P60B40 4.0-litre V8 motor. The new BMW M3 GTR would be campaigned by Team Schnitzer / BMW Motorsport in the European and American Le Mans Series. Schnitzer is based in Germany and was founded by brothers Josef and Herbert Schnitzer. They have a successful history with BMW capturing many touring and sports car championships. In North America, PTG handled BMW's interests. PTG has been BMW's primary U.S. motorsports research and development team for the BMW M3 since 1995.
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| The basis for the GTR was the E46 model. This is a two-door coupe with a unibody construction. The car's length is 181.6 inches, with a width of 74.8 inches. The wheelbase is 107.5 inches, with a track of 63.3 inches on the front and 63.1 inches on the rear. The 51.9-inch high GTR weighs 2,240 pounds. From the outward appearance, the GTR version resembles last year's models powered by the six-cylinder engine. The apparent differences were when the GTRs were on track. The V8 has a much different exhaust note than the I6. The GTRs were famous for shooting flames out of the exhaust during de-acceleration. |
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The BMW uses a McPherson strut with coil springs on the front suspension and an adjustable roll-bar. The rear has an adjustable roll bar and a central link with coil springs. The car is fitted with Sachs shock absorbers and Eibach springs. The GTR uses Brembo ventilated brake rotors with six-piston calipers on the front and four-piston calipers on the rear. Wheels and tires on the PTG prepared cars are 11 X 18-inch BBS with Yokohama racing tires – front 290/650-18 and 290/680-18 on the rear. The Team Schnitzer / BMW Motorsport cars used Michelin tires. |
| The P60B40 is a 4.0-liter 90-degree V8 engine with a flat-plane crankshaft. The motor has a bore of 94.0 mm and a stroke of 72.0 mm. The engine design includes four valves per cylinder and double overhead camshafts. The induction system is from BMW Motorsport, and the ignition system uses Bosch spark plugs. This combination produces 444 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and 354 lb-ft of torque at 5,500 rpm. Transferring the power to the rear wheels is Hewland six-speed transmission. |
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The cars were controversial from the beginning, with Porsche being the first to raise concerns. The GTR model wasn't a production vehicle; it used a motor designed for racing. It was missing all the options in most production cars, such as air conditioning, a sound system, and rear seats. However, BMW got around this by producing 10 road-going versions for sale on two continents to satisfy American and European Le Mans Series rule makers. BMW set an outlandish retail price to discourage the general public from purchasing the GTRs. |
| Porsche started its 2001 campaign where it left off last year. At the season opener, on the roval at Texas Motor Speedway, the Grand Touring honours went to the No. 23 Alex Job Racing Porsche GT3RS, shared by Lucas Luhr and Sascha Maassen. The PTG BMW of Hans Stuck and Boris Said finished third. At Sebring, Luhr and Maassen were joined by Emmanuel Collard for the victory. Porsche swept the first eight positions at Donington Park, with Luhr and Maassen collecting another win. |
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The new BMW M3 GTR debuted with Team Schnitzer / BMW Motorsport at the 12-Hours of Sebring, which served as a point-scoring event for the American and European Le Mans Series. The No. 43 BMW was shared by Jorg Mueller and JJ Lehto, who qualified third in the GT category and finished in the same position, ninth overall. Their teammates, Dirk Muller and Fredrick Ekblom, failed to finish in a six-cylinder car. PTG drivers, using the same six-cylinder motor, finished fourth in class and the team also suffered a retirement. |
| By the event at Circuito del Jarama, the GTRs were competitive. Team Schnitzer / BMW Motorsport entered two cars. The No. 42 was piloted by J.J. Lehto and Jorg Muller, with Dirk Muller and Fredrik Ekblom handling the driving duties of the No. 43. Dirk Muller qualified on the GT pole. He set the fastest race lap and with his driving partner, Ekblom captured the victory. Lehto and Jorg Muller finished in the runner-up position. Randy Pobst and Emmanuel Collard were the top Porsche entry taking a third-place result for Alex Job Racing. |
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BMW's interests skipped the next three European rounds to focus on North America. At the Grand Prix of Sonoma, the BMW teams swept the first four places in the Grand Touring division. Winning was the No. 42 Team Schnitzer / BMW Motorsport of Jorg Muller and J.J. Lehto. Still on the West Coast, the next round at Portland International Raceway went to PTG drivers Boris Said and Hans Stuck. There was a glimmer of hope at Porsche as the No. 23 Alex Job Racing Porsche GT3RS, driven by Lucas Luhr and Sascha Maassen, finished second. |
| The next event was in Canada at Mosport International Raceway, where Lehto and Muller collected another victory. Once again, BMW teams swept the rostrum with the winner's teammates, Dirk Muller and Fredrik Ekblom, finishing in the runner-up position. Boris Said and Hans Stuck completed the podium. Next up was the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, where Muller and Lehto collected another victory. The runner-ups were Dirk Muller and Ekblom, with the No. 22 Alex Job Racing duo of Randy Pobst and Christian Menzel rounding out the top three finishers. |
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Returning to California, the penultimate race was held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. For the fifth time this season, the GT class honours went to Lehto and Muller in the No. 42 Team Schnitzer / BMW Motorsport BMW GTR. Their teammates, Muller and Ekblom, finished behind them, with the No. 23 Alex Job Racing pairing of Luhr and Maassen completing the class rostrum. The finale was held at Road Atlanta, with the PTG trio of Stuck, Said, and Bill Auberlen earning the victory and Muller and Muller finishing second. Luhr and Maassen were third. |
| Team Schnitzer / BMW Motorsport missed too many European Le Mans Series events to be a championship contender. However, that was not the case in the U.S. The team won the American Le Mans Series GT title with 194 points after collecting five victories during the 2001 season. Consistency contributed to Alex Job Racing finishing in the runner-up position —fourteen markers behind the winning team. Rounds three and four of the series were held in Europe, and the Prototype Technology Group did make the journey and finished third in the championship. |
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2001 would be the only American Le Mans Series season for the BMW GTR.
It became apparent that BMW had found a loophole in the Grand Touring rules.
For next year, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest made adjustments to the regulations.
The BMW GTR would be saddled with an additional 100 pounds of weight, and the air restrictors would be increased by 20%.
The other alternative was to manufacture more production vehicles and engines, which BMW rejected.
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| YEAR | ENTRANT | NO. | DRIVER | CLASS | LAPS | POS. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Team Schnitzer / BMW Motorsport |
42 | JJ Lehto Jorg Muller |
Grand Touring | 107 | 5 |
| 2001 | Prototype Technology Group |
6 | Hans Stuck Boris Said |
Grand Touring | 107 | 3 |
| 10 | Niclas Jonsson Bill Auberlen |
Grand Touring | 106 | 7 |
| YEAR | ENTRANT | NO. | DRIVER | CLASS | LAPS | POS. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Team Schnitzer / BMW Motorsport |
42 | JJ Lehto Jorg Muller |
Grand Touring | 324 | 3 |
| 43 | Dirk Muller Fredrik Ekblom |
Grand Touring | 168 | DNF | ||
| 2001 | Prototype Technology Group |
6 | Hans Stuck Boris Said Peter Cunningham |
Grand Touring | 318 | 4 |
| 10 | Bill Auberlen Joey Hand Niclas Jonsson |
Grand Touring | 57 | DNF |
| YEAR | ENTRANT | NO. | DRIVER | CLASS | LAPS | POS. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Team Schnitzer / BMW Motorsport |
42 | JJ Lehto Jorg Muller |
Grand Touring | 81 | DNF |
| 43 | Fredrik Ekblom Dirk Muller |
Grand Touring | 46 | DNF |
| YEAR | ENTRANT | NO. | DRIVER | CLASS | LAPS | POS. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Team Schnitzer / BMW Motorsport |
42 | JJ Lehto Jorg Muller |
Grand Touring | 102 | 2 |
| 43 | Fredrik Ekblom Dirk Muller |
Grand Touring | 102 | 1 |
| YEAR | ENTRANT | NO. | DRIVER | CLASS | LAPS | POS. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Team Schnitzer / BMW Motorsport |
42 | JJ Lehto Jorg Muller |
Grand Touring | 97 | 1 |
| 43 | Dirk Muller Fredrik Ekblom |
Grand Touring | 96 | 3 | ||
| 2001 | Prototype Technology Group |
6 | Hans Stuck Boris Said |
Grand Touring | 96 | 2 |
| 10 | Bill Auberlen Niclas Jonsson |
Grand Touring | 96 | 4 |
| YEAR | ENTRANT | NO. | DRIVER | CLASS | LAPS | POS. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Team Schnitzer / BMW Motorsport |
42 | JJ Lehto Jorg Muller |
Grand Touring | 120 | 3 |
| 43 | Dirk Muller Fredrik Ekblom |
Grand Touring | 120 | 4 | ||
| 2001 | Prototype Technology Group |
6 | Hans Stuck Boris Said |
Grand Touring | 121 | 1 |
| 10 | Bill Auberlen Niclas Jonsson |
Grand Touring | 102 | DNF |
| YEAR | ENTRANT | NO. | DRIVER | CLASS | LAPS | POS. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Team Schnitzer / BMW Motorsport |
42 | JJ Lehto Jorg Muller |
Grand Touring | 107 | 1 |
| 43 | Dirk Muller Fredrik Ekblom |
Grand Touring | 107 | 2 | ||
| 2001 | Prototype Technology Group |
6 | Hans Stuck Boris Said |
Grand Touring | 107 | 3 |
| 10 | Joe Foster Niclas Jonsson |
Grand Touring | 27 | DNF |
| YEAR | ENTRANT | NO. | DRIVER | CLASS | LAPS | POS. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Team Schnitzer / BMW Motorsport |
42 | JJ Lehto Jorg Muller |
Grand Touring | 107 | 1 |
| 43 | Dirk Muller Fredrik Ekblom |
Grand Touring | 107 | 2 | ||
| 2001 | Prototype Technology Group |
6 | Hans Stuck Boris Said |
Grand Touring | 100 | 6 |
| 10 | Peter Cunningham Niclas Jonsson |
Grand Touring | 106 | 4 |
| YEAR | ENTRANT | NO. | DRIVER | CLASS | LAPS | POS. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Team Schnitzer / BMW Motorsport |
42 | JJ Lehto Jorg Muller |
Grand Touring | 110 | 1 |
| 43 | Dirk Muller Fredrik Ekblom |
Grand Touring | 110 | 2 | ||
| 2001 | Prototype Technology Group |
6 | Hans Stuck Niclas Jonsson |
Grand Touring | 74 | DNF |
| 10 | Boris Said Bill Auberlen |
Grand Touring | 109 | 4 |
| YEAR | ENTRANT | NO. | DRIVER | CLASS | LAPS | POS. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Team Schnitzer / BMW Motorsport |
42 | JJ Lehto Karl Wendlinger Fredrik Ekblom |
Grand Touring | 355 | 4 |
| 43 | Dirk Muller Jorg Muller |
Grand Touring | 359 | 2 | ||
| 2001 | Prototype Technology Group |
6 | Hans Stuck Boris Said Bill Auberlen |
Grand Touring | 360 | 1 |
| 10 | David Murry Brian Cunningham Niclas Jonsson |
Grand Touring | 136 | DNF |
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