Hot on the heels of the factory announcement of a pull-out from Formula E to consolidate the resources in the production car area BMW have announced today that they are no longer to support long-standing partner teams RBM and Schnitzer.
The only good news from today’s announcement is that 2020 DTM BMW Team RMG will support the works development of the forthcoming BMW M4 GT3.
In contrast, the works collaboration with BMW Team RBM, which dates back to 2006, in 2006 after being crowned European and World Touring Car Champions. Two more World Championship titles followed on from that, the team’s link with the BMW marque predating their work’s status by more than a decade.
Since the BMW marque’s return to DTM in 2012, BMW Team RBM has been one of the BMW works teams in the series and claimed nine race victories.
The BMW link with Team Schnitzer goes back even further, the team established in the 1960s and racing with success ever since in Touring cars and sportscars.
It’s list of title wins is astounding with Championship success in DRM, DTM, ETCC, WTCC, BTCC, STW, Italian, Asia Pacific and Japanese Touring Cars, and the GT class of the American Le Mans Series.
In addition they are four times Spa 24 Hours winners, five times Nürburgring 24 Hours winners, twice winners of the Macau Guia race, winners of the FIA GT World Cup in Macau and winners overall of the 199 Le Mans 24 Hours.
Few, if any, teams have the breadth and depth of Schnitzers success, all of the above achieved with BMW machinery.
Bart Mampaey (Team Principal BMW Team RBM): “It is a great shame, but we respect the fact that BMW Motorsport is unable to continue the collaboration with us as a works team. I would like to thank BMW for the fantastic partnership, which we have enjoyed for 25 long years. BMW has always been at our side, from the very beginning to the final curtain in the DTM, and our relationship will remain a strong one, even if we are no longer a works team. Times are changing and we are all facing a challenging future. At RBM, we will initially reduce our racing activities. However, that does not mean this is the end of our motorsport chapter. We want to continue in motor racing and see what options arise. I also think that we can apply the values and skills that we have at RBM in other industries outside motorsport. They always say: when one door closes, another one opens. So I am very excited to see what opportunities come our way in the future.”
Herbert Schnitzer jun. (Team Principal BMW Team Schnitzer): “We very much regret that, given the changes in motorsport, it is no longer possible to continue the cooperation with BMW Motorsport. However, we obviously understand and respect the decision. We are proud that we Schnitzers have, together with BMW, shaped international motorsport for so many decades. It is a pleasure to look back on all the big successes we have enjoyed together in such a wide range of categories. We are also very proud to be a part of motorsport history at BMW. We would like to thank BMW Motorsport for this long, unique partnership. BMW was our life and our passion.”
Stefan Reinhold (Team Principal BMW Team RMG): “We are very much looking forward to our new role as development team for the BMW M4 GT3, and thank BMW Motorsport for the faith it has placed in us. The BMW M4 GT3 is the new flagship of BMW Motorsport, and we will do our bit to make it another successful BMW. For us as racers and technicians, it is very exciting to be closely involved in the development of a race car. We will now apply all our know-how and skills to this project.”
