[Boltar]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

BMW M and BMW Motorsport have officially merged.

Mike Krack, former senior chief engineer of BMW (F1, DTM), engineer of Porsches LMP1 and engineer at SauberF1, will be responsible for BMWs Motorsport commitments. He will report directly to Markus Flasch.

News link (german):
https://www.motorsport-magazin.com/d...ch-mike-krack/

I think thats a good thing. It also fuels rumors of BMW joining the LMDH class. Krack is a real motorsport expert, unlike his predecessor.

This will also have an interesting impact on the M cars. In summer 2020, Flasch said that the M cars will move closer to the Motorsport cars, technically.

[BMWGirlFL]

Google Translation:

BMW Motorsport is merged with BMW M GmbH

Restructuring in Munich: BMW Motorsport will be merged with BMW M GmbH from April 1, 2021, as Motorsport-Magazin.com has learned. Mike Krack, who has been working for BMW again since 2014 after various positions, will take over the management of the motorsport department.

In his role, the previous BMW Head of Race and Test Engineering, Operations & Organization reports to BMW M GmbH Managing Director Markus Flasch, who took over as Head of Motorsport on a temporary basis after Jens Marquardt left in November 2020.

The merger is intended to create a foundation for the future of motorsport at BMW - and that is currently wide open. In addition to the exit from the DTM and the announced departure from Formula E, BMW also reduced its works involvement in the IMSA series: This year, two BMW M8 GTEs will only compete in the remaining three endurance races of the US racing series.

Germany's carmaker in motorsport: from Audi to Volkswagen
For some time now, the focus has been on the development of the new customer sports car BMW M4 GT3, which will replace the discontinued model BMW M6 GT3 from 2022. In its final year, the M6 ​​competes in the DTM thanks to customer outings by Walkenhorst Motorsport and ROWE Racing. For the M4 GT3, which is to be homologated in September, races outside of the competition are planned for 2021.

BMW is in a transition year in motorsport. Rumors of a future entry into the newly created hypercar class have been circulating in the scene for some time. Audi and Porsche will be involved in the LMDh (Le Mans Daytona hybrid) category from 2023, while Toyota, Glickenhaus, Peugeot (from 2022) and Ferrari (from 2023) have decided to develop an LMH (Le Mans Hypercar).

BMW M GmbH is a subsidiary of BMW founded in 1972 as BMW Motorsport GmbH. Racing visionary Jochen Neerpasch managed the fortunes from 1973 to 1979 as chairman of the management board. In 1992 the BMW Individual business group was integrated into BMW Motorsport GmbH and in 1993 the company was renamed BMW M GmbH.

[mkoesel]

Aha, the plot thickens.

BMW hypercar incoming? This might be what those cobbled up M8 powertrain mules are about. Now when do we get to see test mules for the actual car?

[nbennettksu]

I can't tell which is more shocking: the fact that this is just now happening, or the fact that I am today years old realizing they weren't already joined.

Regardless, this is a beautiful thing.

[ThugzZ BunnY]

did anyone know they were separate? lol

[tallshortguy]

Yeah they separated decades ago I believe. M focused on developing cars while motorsport took over running the actual race programs. Would love to see BMW get back to competing at the top of WEC again.

[XMetal]

Am I reading this right? It's a bit confusing in terms of wording:

1972: BMW M GmbH became BMW Motorsport GmbH
1993: BMW Motorsport GmbH renamed as BMW M GmbH
Today: BMW Motorsport program (not BMW Motorsport GmbH) is merged into BMW M GmbH?

[TheBingoBalls]

Originally Posted by ThugzZ BunnY

did anyone know they were separate? lol

To a degree but only because I frequent the BMW M and BMW Motorsport website just for news and info. But if I didn't, I would've assumed they were the same because doesn't M stand for "Motorsport"?

Silly Germans.

[BMWGirlFL]

Originally Posted by XMetal

Am I reading this right? It's a bit confusing in terms of wording:
1972: BMW M GmbH became BMW Motorsport GmbH
1993: BMW Motorsport GmbH renamed as BMW M GmbH
Today: BMW Motorsport program (not BMW Motorsport GmbH) is merged into BMW M GmbH?

1972: BMW Motorsport GmbH formed.
1993: BMW Motorsport GmbH name change to BMW M GmbH.
1995: BMW Motorsport LTD formed.

[schnell325]

2022: 50th anniversary

[KennyFSU]

I hope they call it BMW M&M.

[Greg-BimmerX7]

Originally Posted by TheBingoBalls

To a degree but only because I frequent the BMW M and BMW Motorsport website just for news and info. But if I didn't, I would've assumed they were the same because doesn't M stand for "Motorsport"?

Silly Germans.

I assumed the same thing lol

[antzcrashing]

Seems like a good thing, also when can we get the M4 GT3 grill for the G8X

[clutchdj]

I Wonder what they are going to do with front rear brake setup (Alcon?) since they def will not be running that measly floating rear caliper on the track.

[ASAP]

Super confusing on the timing.... I think we all know that the future of BMW M is electric... sounds like this is something that should have happened years ago... this is the last pure ICE M3.

[cbertels]

Originally Posted by nbennettksu

I can't tell which is more shocking: the fact that this is just now happening, or the fact that I am today years old realizing they weren't already joined.

Regardless, this is a beautiful thing.

Same here. Apparently M meant marketing all along until now.

[CanAutM3]

Back to the way it should. They should have never been separated to start with. This is good news!

[cfm56d7b]

Based on the earlier comment ...

"The merger is intended to create a foundation for the future of motorsport at BMW - and that is currently wide open. In addition to the exit from the DTM and the announced departure from Formula E, BMW also reduced its works involvement in the IMSA series: This year, two BMW M8 GTEs will only compete in the remaining three endurance races of the US racing series."

... Motorsport division departed several venues which means the organizational requirements are also smaller.

This makes sense: merge the organizations and reduce costs (which is what BMW is doing across other initiatives).

[MadBimmeRad]

Originally Posted by KennyFSU

I hope they call it BMW M&M.

[ptgltw]

Porsche allows their race program to lead the way for their street cars. Hopefully BMW follows suit.

If it’s the other way around, I’m just glad I bought my BMW Motorsposts car pre-merger

[RyanBMW]

BMW Motorsport Reports directly to Markus Flasch : shouldn't it be the other way around?

[Law]

If this is true and in fact, not an April Fools joke, then this is very good news and the hope is that we will see more synergy and transfer from motorsports and M Cars.


The BMW M GmbH we know of today (the one that builds M Cars) was founded as BMW Motorsport GmbH in 1972.

In 1993, BMW Motorsport GmbH was renamed and restructured as BMW M GmbH, taking on a new identity and focus on building products (i.e., M Cars) whereas the motorsports and factory racing functions were spun off into a new BMW Motorsport organization.

Of course, for a long time, the two organizations often still shared a lot of the same employees, facilities, R&D, etc.

Sometime within the last few years, the BMW Motorsport organization was further subdivided into BMW M Motorsport and BMW i Motorsport.
Time will tell if those subdivisions will remain functional and if they will adopt new names.
Personally, I have always found the name BMW M Motorsport to be an odd one and semantically redundant...BMW M[otorsport] Motorsport...but people also say 'ATM Machine' (A[utomated] T[eller] M[achine] Machine) on a daily basis so go figure.


As a bonus tip, for those who have just learned/realized that the original BMW Motorsport GmbH was rebranded to BMW M GmbH in 1993, there are subtle details throughout the years that you'll now notice.
Little things like how old M Cars in certain configurations had available "BMW Motorsport" branded goodies such as engraved door handles and other neat trim pieces.



The E34 M5 promotional dealer video, for example, advertises the M5 as a BMW Motorsport product developed by BMW Motorsport.

Bragging rights aside, this is a development worth paying close attention to as we approach the 50th anniversary of the founding of BMW M[otorsport] GmbH.
Markus Flasch has demonstrated a lot of ambition and seems to enjoy being in front of the camera and the front lines, but he's got big shoes to fill...this will be interesting there hasn't been a BMW Motorsport director that overseas M Cars AND motorsports since before the 1993 restructuring (after which there were two separate positions: a BMW M CEO and a BMW Motorsport Director).