BMW contested the BTCC since the 1970s and was a prolific winner, particularly during the early years of the championship’s 2-litre era. Its M3 model won the experimental 2-litre class in 1990 in the hands of Frank Sytner and the Prodrive team. In 1991, with the BTCC exclusively for 2-litre machinery, the M3 won the title outright with Will Hoy and privateer VLR team.
VLR became a factory BMW team for 1992, switching to the Munich marque’s 318 model.
Tim Harvey drove it to title success while, in 1993, it was the turn of BMW’s internationally-acclaimed Bavarian team Schnitzer to do the winning, with the spectacular German driver Jo Winkelhock. Ex-Formula 1 drivers David Brabham and Johnny Cecotto would drive the factory cars in 1995 before Winkelhock returned for the manufacturer’s swansong year in 1996.
Results Text
BTCC Debut: Silverstone, 1 April 1991
BTCC Last race: Brands Hatch, 22 September 1996
BTCC Titles: 1
BTCC Races: 118
BTCC Wins: 28
BTCC Podiums: 58
BTCC Poles: 23
BTCC Fastest Laps: 27
1991 Jonathan Palmer, Steve Soper, Tim Sugden, Christian Danner
1992 Tim Sugden, Alain Menu, Kris Nissen
1993 Joachim Winkelhock, Steve Soper
1994 Joachim Winkelhock, Steve Soper, Roberto Ravaglia
1995 David Brabham, Johnny Ceccoto
1996 Joachim Winkelhock, Roberto Ravaglia, Peter Kox