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123-659: Minardi was an Italian automobile racing team and constructor founded in Faenza in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi . It competed in the Formula One World Championship from 1985 until 2005 with little success, nevertheless acquiring a loyal following of fans. In 2001, to save the team from folding, Minardi sold it to Australian businessman Paul Stoddart , who ran the team for five years before selling it on to Red Bull GmbH in 2005 who renamed it Scuderia Toro Rosso . Initially called "M" (short for Minardi) then

246-406: A transformative shift, echoing past pivots. The industry, much like the cars it champions , has had to navigate through a global pandemic and a persistent chip shortage, each threatening to derail production schedules . At the same time, a new course is being charted towards an electric future, a dramatic change in direction that is challenging the old guard of gasoline engines. There is also

369-631: A "manufacturer's" logo and "vehicle name", yet use components produced by another automobile manufacturer. There are also other stock car governing bodies, most notably the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). In the UK, British Stock car racing is also referred to as "Short Circuit Racing". UK Stock car racing started in the 1950s and grew rapidly through the 1960s and 1970s. Events take place on shale or tarmac tracks – usually around 1/4 mile long. There are around 35 tracks in

492-489: A 6th place in the 1995 Australian Grand Prix ; this result was followed by a long barren spell until Marc Gené finished 6th in the 1999 European Grand Prix . That same race, Luca Badoer had been running fourth until his gearbox failed with 13 laps to go, at which point the Italian burst into tears next to his stricken car. Other Minardi drivers also came close to scoring points, including Shinji Nakano who finished 7th at

615-541: A Guinness Book of World Records record for longest continuous Drift (See Below "Guinness Book of World Records") BMW enjoyed a dominant period in motorcycle racing prior to the Second World War with notable achievements such as Georg Meier's victory in the Senior Race at the 1939 Isle of Man TT . Post war BMW success mainly revolved around Sidecar racing , the marque becoming the premier machinery on

738-506: A Monaco license in 2005). Martini holds the record for more starts with the team with 103 Grands Prix, followed by Gianni Morbidelli and Marc Gené with 33 starts. Before Minardi's demise, the team was particularly well-liked within Formula One circles for its friendliness, accessibility, and lack of corporate culture. On the track, their cars were regarded by many as well-designed for their tiny budget, their low position recognised as

861-764: A buyout to Peter Sauber rather than scramble to build the facilities themselves. Sauber took the offer, and the buyout went through; the team began racing under the BMW-Sauber F1 name in 2006 . The team being split between the Sauber facility at Hinwil, Switzerland and BMW in Munich. The BMW Sauber F1.06 was relatively successful, earning the team fifth place in the constructors championship. BMW opted to retain BMW Williams driver Nick Heidfeld for 2006 alongside contracted Sauber driver Jacques Villeneuve . Villeneuve

984-612: A controlling interest in the CTE Racing-HVM Champ Car team and that the team would be renamed Minardi Team USA . In 2007, the team had reasonable success. Robert Doornbos took two wins and several podium places on his way to third in the series, winning Rookie of the Year honours. When the series folded before its planned 2008 season, Stoddart's involvement ceased, with the team entering the IndyCar Series under

1107-639: A customer Formula One Ferrari 312T with Giancarlo Martini , uncle of Pierluigi Martini. Martini Sr. qualified 15th for the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch but failed to start the race after an accident during the warm-up lap. The team then competed at the BRDC International Trophy in Silverstone where Martini finished 10th. In 1979, Minardi received financial backing from well known Italian motor racing patron Piero Mancini and set up

1230-671: A growing number of events for electric racing cars, such as the Formula E , the Eco Grand Prix or the Electric GT Championship . In single-seater ( open-wheel ) racing, the wheels are not covered, and the cars often have aerofoil wings front and rear to produce downforce and enhance adhesion to the track. The most popular varieties of open-wheel road racing are Formula One (F1), the IndyCar Series and Super Formula . In Europe and Asia, open-wheeled racing

1353-546: A high-powered environment. The DTM is the ideal stage on which to do this." In 1987 Roberto Ravaglia drove a Schnitzer E30 M3 to victory in the World Touring Car Championship, winning the title by a single point. 2005 saw Andy Priaulx take the drivers title, and BMW take the manufacturers title, this time not with an M3, but the E46 320i. Priaulx's car raced under the banner of BMW Team UK and

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1476-707: A lap at 388 km/h (241 mph). The series' biggest race is the Indianapolis 500 , which is commonly referred to as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" due to being the longest continuously run race in the series and having the largest crowd for a single-day sporting event (350,000+). The other major international single-seater racing series is Formula 2 (formerly known as Formula 3000 and GP2 Series ). Regional series include Super Formula and Formula V6 Asia (specifically in Asia), Formula Renault 3.5 (also known as

1599-405: A long time during the race until being passed by Tyrrell's Jonathan Palmer , took their only front-row start at 1990 USA Grand Prix (aided by special Pirelli tyres; several of their other drivers had surprise qualifying results that day), their only lap leading a race in the 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix , where he finished 5th, and scored their joint-best F1 result up to that point (the other being at

1722-578: A longstanding involvement in motorsport. Giancarlo Minardi's grandfather had a Fiat dealership in Faenza since 1927, while his father, Giovanni Minardi, competed in his own cars in the late 1940s. The first Minardi car ever was the GM75 built by Giovanni Minardi: it had a 6 cylinder engine designed by Oberdan Golfieri and built by Antonio Lotti. Rino Ferniani drove it at the Circuito del Garda , retiring when he

1845-482: A much easier time following and passing than in open-wheel racing . It often features full-contact racing with subtle bumping and nudging due to the small speed differentials and large grids. The major touring car championships conducted worldwide are the Supercars Championship (Australia), British Touring Car Championship , Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), World Touring Car Championship and

1968-496: A number, from 2001, all of Minardi chassis were called "PS", the PS being the initials of team owner, Paul Stoddart. During its time in F1, the team scored a total of 38 championship points; 16 of these were earned by the team's first driver, Pierluigi Martini . Martini also recorded the team's only front row start, qualifying 2nd at the 1990 United States Grand Prix , and he led a lap during

2091-473: A partnership with Williams Grand Prix Engineering in order to provide V10 engines in 2000. The initial development of this partnership was BMW's sports car effort. Chassis built by Williams powered by a BMW M70 V12 engines were entered by long-time partner team Schnitzer Motorsport . The rather unsuccessful 1998 model was improved, and the efforts culminated in BMW's victory at the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans with

2214-528: A prescribed route occurred at 4:30 A.M. on August 30, 1867, between Ashton-under-Lyne and Old Trafford , England, a distance of 8 mi (13 km). It was won by the carriage of Isaac Watt Boulton . Internal combustion auto racing events began soon after the construction of the first successful gasoline -fueled automobiles. The first organized contest was on April 28, 1887, by the chief editor of Paris publication Le Vélocipède , Monsieur Fossier. It ran 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Neuilly Bridge to

2337-635: A result of a lack of funds (and engine power) rather than a poor car. They also resisted employing pay-drivers more than most other financially constrained teams. Former Minardi drivers include double World Champion Fernando Alonso , Grand Prix winners Alessandro Nannini , Giancarlo Fisichella , Jarno Trulli and Mark Webber ; CART IndyCar World Series double champion Alessandro Zanardi and race winners Justin Wilson and Christian Fittipaldi; and 24 Hours of Le Mans overall winners Michele Alboreto , Pierluigi Martini , and Marc Gené. The Minardi family has

2460-625: A sale was the ability of a buyer to move the team forward and leave the team based in Faenza . The drinks manufacturer Red Bull GmbH , which already owned another Formula One team, Red Bull Racing , decided to set up a second team to promote drivers who had risen through its young driver programme, Red Bull Driver Search . Ending several weeks of speculation on 10 September 2005 Red Bull announced it would take control of Minardi in November and run it as their "rookie team" from 2006. Minardi fans worldwide immediately started an online petition to save

2583-535: A season. Before the 2005 Australian Grand Prix , Stoddart initially threatened to withdraw his cars if they were made to comply with the revised regulations for 2005, claiming Minardi could not afford to do so. Once again Stoddart ended up withdrawing his threat. Stoddart also repeatedly called for the resignation of the FIA's President, Max Mosley , particularly in the aftermath of the 2005 United States Grand Prix where

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2706-426: A small, low-cost machine on small tracks. Many of the current top drivers began their careers in karts. Formula Ford represents the most popular first open-wheel category for up-and-coming drivers stepping up from karts. The series is still the preferred option, as it has introduced an aero package and slicks, allowing the junior drivers to gain experience in a race car with dynamics closer to F1. The Star Mazda Series

2829-823: Is NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). NASCAR's premier series is the NASCAR Cup Series , its most famous races being the Daytona 500 , the Southern 500 , the Coca-Cola 600 , and the Brickyard 400 . NASCAR also runs several feeder series, including the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series (a pickup truck racing series). The series conduct races across the entire continental United States . NASCAR also sanctions series outside of

2952-719: Is a worldwide series that runs only street circuit and race tracks . These cars are heavily based on technology and their aerodynamics. The speed record was set in 2005 by Juan Pablo Montoya hitting 373 km/h (232 mph). Some of the most prominent races are the Monaco Grand Prix, the Italian Grand Prix , and the British Grand Prix . The season ends with the crowning of the World Championship for drivers and constructors. In

3075-650: Is another entry-level series. Indy Lights represent the last step on the Road to Indy , being less powerful and lighter than an IndyCar racer. Students at colleges and universities can also take part in single-seater racing through the Formula SAE competition, which involves designing and building a single-seater car in a multidisciplinary team and racing it at the competition. This also develops other soft skills, such as teamwork, while promoting motorsport and engineering. The world's first all-female Formula racing team

3198-615: Is commonly referred to as 'Formula', with appropriate hierarchical suffixes. In North America, the 'Formula' terminology is not followed (with the exception of F1). The sport is usually arranged to follow an international format (such as F1), a regional format (such as the Formula 3 Euro Series), and/or a domestic, or country-specific, format (such as the German Formula 3 championship, or the British Formula Ford). F1

3321-923: Is the FIA World Endurance Championship . The main series for GT car racing is the GT World Challenge Europe , divided into two separate championships: the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup . This series has formed after the folding of the various FIA GT championships. The prevailing classes of GT cars are GT3 , GT4 and GT2 class cars. GT2 cars have powerful engines, often exceeding 600 horsepower. However, they have less downforce than GT3 cars and also have less driver aids. GT3 cars are far and away

3444-522: Is undergoing a period of transition, but is still the longest-running road racing series in the U.S. The National Auto Sport Association also provides a venue for amateurs to compete in home-built factory-derived vehicles on various local circuits. In sports car racing, production-derived versions of two-seat sports cars , also known as grand tourers (GTs), and purpose-built sports prototype cars compete within their respective classes on closed circuits. The premier championship series of sports car racing

3567-487: The 1982 season . The M12/13 engine won at the 1982 Canadian Grand Prix at the hands of Nelson Piquet ; Riccardo Patrese was the team's other driver. The following season, BMW supplied engines to the ATS team; the factory-backed Brabham took four victories on its way to Piquet's championship win. Two more victories came in 1984, and BMW added Arrows to its list of teams who received its engines. In 1985, Piquet's Brabham, who

3690-450: The 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix , the only time a Minardi led a lap. The team never achieved a podium finish, only managing three 4th-place finishes: Martini twice in 1991 and Christian Fittipaldi in 1993. In the 21 seasons, Minardi entered 37 drivers. Thirteen had Italian nationality (nine of whom raced during the time the team was owned by Giancarlo Minardi), the others came with 13 different nationalities (discounting Doornbos racing under

3813-555: The 1993 European Grand Prix and 1993 San Marino Grand Prix . As the number of small teams shrank, Minardi slipped from the mid-field towards the back of the grid. Money woes hit and in 1994 Minardi merged with BMS Scuderia Italia in an effort to survive. Giancarlo Minardi retained 14.5% with the remaining 85.5% distributed between the Scuderia Italia investors (Emilio Gnutti, Giuseppe Lucchini and Vittorio Palazzani) and Defendente Marniga. In 1994, Martini finished 5th at both

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3936-544: The 1994 Spanish Grand Prix and 1994 French Grand Prix , while Michele Alboreto scored his last point in Formula 1 with a 6th place in the 1994 Monaco Grand Prix . Acknowledging that the team was struggling, Bernie Ecclestone spoke to Flavio Briatore , who agreed to buy a share in the team in 1995. In 1996, Italian businessman Gabriele Rumi, former owner of the Fondmetal team switched his sponsorship support from Tyrrell to Minardi. He gradually increased his interest in

4059-560: The 1998 Canadian Grand Prix and Esteban Tuero , who finished 8th at the 1998 San Marino Grand Prix . Minardi was known for not using pay drivers, but for the 2000 season, the team signed Argentinian Gastón Mazzacane , who only acquired the seat thanks to backing from the short-lived pay television channel Pan-American Sports Network. The team, now near collapse, was purchased by Australian businessman Paul Stoddart in early 2001, merging it with his European Racing Formula 3000 team. That season saw Fernando Alonso make his F1 debut for

4182-402: The 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix . The race was stopped just after 75% distance, after treacherous weather and a sequence of accidents, including a spin into the grass for lead Minardi driver Jos Verstappen . Stoddart later claimed that Verstappen had enough fuel on board to last until just after the time the red flag was eventually waved, due to the large number of safety car laps. Assuming Stoddart

4305-523: The 2005 German Grand Prix , Friesacher was replaced by Dutch Jordan test driver Robert Doornbos , creating the first all-Dutch driver line-up in Formula One since Carel Godin de Beaufort and Ben Pon drove together for the Ecurie Maarsbergen team at the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort . In 2005, Paul Stoddart stated that he would sell Minardi if he could find the right buyer. Stoddart claimed that he had 41 approaches. His criterion for

4428-499: The 2008 Italian Grand Prix . The team was further renamed Scuderia AlphaTauri in 2020 to promote the clothing brand of Red Bull. The team won as AlphaTauri at Monza in 2020 , with Pierre Gasly . The team was further renamed again as Visa Cash App RB in 2024. Giancarlo Minardi and Paul Stoddart have both made use of the Minardi name in new motorsport ventures. On 1 January 2006, Giancarlo Minardi re-acquired certain rights to use

4551-733: The 24 Hours of Le Mans , begun in 1923. It is run by the Automobile Club of the West (ACO). Team Ferrari won the race in 2023. With auto construction and racing dominated by France, the French automobile club ACF staged a number of major international races, usually from or to Paris, connecting with another major city, in France or elsewhere in Europe. Aspendale Racecourse , in Australia,

4674-634: The 24 Hours of Le Mans , the Rolex 24 at Daytona , 24 Hours of Spa -Franchorchamps, the 12 Hours of Sebring , the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen , and the 1,000-mile (1,600 km) Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta . There is also the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring on the famed Nordschleife track and the Dubai 24 Hour , which is aimed at GT3 and below cars with a mixture of professional and pro-am drivers. Production-car racing, otherwise known as "showroom stock" in

4797-632: The BMW V12 LMR . Additional success came in the 2000 ALMS series before the cars were retired from racing. Following the win, the second stage of BMW's partnership with Williams began, with BMW developing the powerful E41 V10 for Formula 1. The new Williams-BMW debuted in the 2000 season, driven by Ralf Schumacher and Jenson Button . In 2001, Schumacher took 3 wins and newcomer Juan Pablo Montoya took his first win. A lone win for Schumacher followed in 2002, but Williams-BMW returned to success in 2003, with two wins each for Schumacher and Montoya. Montoya

4920-427: The British Grand Prix the same year). In 1991, Minardi became the first team in modern times to make use of customer engines from Ferrari and in 1992 they used Lamborghini V12s . In 1993, Minardi enjoyed a good campaign, collecting seven points thanks to Christian Fittipaldi 's fourth place in the 1993 South African Grand Prix and fifth place in the 1993 Monaco Grand Prix and Fabrizio Barbazza sixth places in

5043-572: The Canadian Grand Prix with Robert Kubica driving. Achievements include: BMW was an engine supplier to Williams , Benetton , Brabham , and Arrows . Notable drivers who have started their Formula One careers with BMW include Jenson Button , Juan Pablo Montoya , Robert Kubica , and Sebastian Vettel . In 1980, BMW announced their development of a turbocharged motor for the Brabham F1 team. The BMW M12 engine first raced in

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5166-534: The Canadian Grand Prix . The team also achieved several podium finishes like Heidfeld's at the first race of the season in Australia and a second place for Kubica in Monte Carlo . In July 2009, BMW announced that it would withdraw from Formula One at the end of the 2009 season. The team was sold back to the previous owner, Peter Sauber, who kept the BMW part of the name for the 2010 season due to issues with

5289-542: The Concorde Agreement . The team has since dropped BMW from their name starting in 2011. BMW joined Formula E as an official manufacturer from season 5 . The German performance car giant has built a brand new powertrain to be used by the Andretti team in the 2018/19 season. The team's drivers for the season were António Félix da Costa and Alexander Sims . After securing 7 victories in Formula E, BMW left

5412-471: The Faenza outfit, becoming co-owner and chairman. In 1997, Minardi teamed up with engine manufacturer Brian Hart . For the 2000 season the team were forced to use 1998-spec Ford Zetec-R V10 engines, which were rebadged as Fondmetal engines in deference to his financial input. However, Rumi's poor health forced him to withdraw his backing at the end of the season. Points were rare during this time; Pedro Lamy scored his one and only point in Formula 1 with

5535-469: The German Grand Prix despite stopping with engine problems. Martini's best position was 8th in the 1985 Australian Grand Prix , behind Huub Rothengatter in an Osella . Nonetheless, the team expanded to two cars for the 1986 season. In 1988, Minardi switched to Cosworth engines, and in 1989 it became top entrant for Pirelli 's return to Formula One. The team was moderately successful in

5658-829: The Red Bull Ring in Salzburg, Austria with Bruno Spengler leading home Marco Wittmann and Timo Glock . BMW also locked out the first two rows in qualifying for the finale at Hockenheim. BMW secured 51 total DTM victories with the BMW M3 , and switched to the new M4 DTM for the 2014 season onwards. In the 1990s, the Formula BMW was introduced as feeder series, with small cars powered by BMW K motorcycle engines. Former drivers were e.g. Ralf Schumacher and Nico Rosberg . Formula BMW has since expanded to encompass four championships across three continents. The German series

5781-593: The Snaefell Mountain Course , the smaller Clypse Course and from 1949 until the mid 1970s the Sidecar World Championship . BMW-powered sidecars have won numerous World Championships, notable competitors being Rolf Steinhausen , Klaus Enders and Max Deubel . The pre-war dominance enjoyed in motorcycle road racing faded post-war, the main road racing campaign centered on Production Bike Racing with Helmut Dähne campaigning

5904-515: The Superbike , Superstock and Senior TTs . Dunlop took victory in the three main solo races, securing BMW's first win in the Senior TT since that of Georg Meier in 1939. Dunlop again took victory in the 2016 Superbike TT during the process of which he also set a new outright lap record for the Snaefell Mountain Course at 130.306 mph. Peter Hickman claimed the pole and victory at

6027-532: The United States Grand Prix , finishing 8th (albeit last). Baumgartner was also the first Hungarian to score a point in a World Championship F1 race. In 2005, Minardi's drivers were Christijan Albers and Patrick Friesacher . They amassed a total of seven points following the debacle of the 2005 United States Grand Prix , in which they finished fifth and sixth (of six runners) respectively. After losing financial backing from his sponsors before

6150-553: The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starting in 2014. These races are often conducted over long distances, at least 1,000 km (621 mi), and cars are driven by teams of two or more drivers, switching every few hours. Due to the performance difference between production-based sports cars and purpose-built sports prototypes, one race usually involves several racing classes, each fighting for its own championship. Famous sports car races include

6273-653: The World Touring Car Cup . The European Touring Car Cup is a one-day event open to Super 2000 specification touring cars from Europe's many national championships. While Super GT traces its lineage to the now-defunct JGTC , the cars are much more similar to GT3 race cars than proper touring cars, and also have much more aggressive aerodynamics. The Sports Car Club of America 's SPEED World Challenge Touring Car and GT championships are dominant in North America. America's historic Trans-Am Series

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6396-420: The 1,500 cc BMW M10 engine block. The four-cylinder started with modest 75 hp (56 kW) in 1961, became successful in touring cars, developed over 300 hp (224 kW) in 1970s Formula Two , and at the age of a quarter century, produced almost twentyfold its original power in the 1986 turbocharged BMW M12 /13/1, producing an outstanding 1400 hp. This engine became widely regarded as one of

6519-454: The 1930s, BMW drivers were successful with the BMW 328 two-litre sports car, winning many races including the prestigious Mille Miglia  – a class win in 1938 and an outright win (with a streamlined body on a shortened course) in 1940 with Huschke von Hanstein . A Frazer Nash BMW 328 driven by A.F.P. Fane and came in fifth overall (first in its class) in the 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans . In fact,

6642-476: The 1962 introduction of the BMW New Class in 1961, BMW has become one of the most successful marques in touring car racing . The original 1500 cc 4-cylinder BMW M10 engine block was modified to a four-valve design which won championships in Formula 2 . Equipped with a turbocharger, the version BMW M12 /13 even won the 1983 Formula One championship. In the 1970s, BMW M GmbH was formed to support

6765-472: The 1980s and 1990s all over the United States. In North America, stock car racing is the most popular form of auto racing. Primarily raced on oval tracks , stock cars vaguely resemble production cars, but are in fact purpose-built racing machines that are built to tight specifications and, together with touring cars, also called Silhouette racing cars . The largest stock car racing governing body

6888-467: The 1987 season. BMW's M12/13 engine, however, continued to be used, because Megatron bought the rights to the engines for the Arrows team. The Ligier team was also supplied with the engine for the 1987 season. Following the 1988 season, turbocharged motors were banned, and Arrows ended its use of the former BMW engine. The BMW M12/13 turbocharged straight-4 engine was famous during its life for being

7011-497: The 2012 teams championship title. All three of these titled were clinched by BMW at the last race of the season at Hockenheim. BMW clinched its second consecutive manufacturers' championship in 2013 at the season finale at the Hockenheimring , after a close fight with Audi all season. Drivers' honors went to Audi driver Mike Rockenfeller ; teams' to Audi Sport Team Phoenix. BMW claimed a spectacular 1-2-3 podium sweep at

7134-520: The 2018 Senior TT, setting record average speeds of 135.452 mph and 131.700 mph respectively. BMW have won 25 Isle of Man TT Sidecar Races and an additional 8 victories in the solo classes. In total BMW have recorded 72 rostrum places at the Isle of Man TT , having notched up a total of 382 finishes. BMW motorcycles have won the Dakar Rally six times with four additional podiums. In

7257-462: The 24 hours of Le Mans (held annually since 1923) and in the (European) Le Mans series , Asian Le Mans Series and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship . These cars are referred to as LMP (Le Mans prototype) cars with LMH and LMDh cars being run mainly by manufacturers and the slightly less powerful LMP2 cars run by privateer teams. All three Le Mans Series run GT cars in addition to Le Mans Prototypes; these cars have different restrictions than

7380-499: The 269, at the Hockenheimring . However, Mitter was killed in the 269 during practise for the 1969 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring where F2 could race along F1 due to the length of that track. As technical failure was suspected, all BMW entries were retired. For the 1970 F2 season, BMW debuted the 270 chassis, and campaigned with Jo Siffert, Hubert Hahne, Dieter Quester, and Jacky Ickx . However, in 1971, BMW's involvement

7503-457: The 328 or its two-litre six-cylinder engine. However, after the death of the initial F2 series in 1955 and its resurrection the following year, BMW's management decided not to participate in expensive open wheel racing. In 1967, the Formula 2 regulations were changed to allow 1600 cc motors, and BMW's new management was more open to the idea of open wheel racing. The BMW M10 block with a radial four-valve cylinder head designed by Ludwig Apfelbeck

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7626-416: The BMW 328 proved unbeatable in international sports car races in the two-liter class. Since the pre-war BMW 328 model, BMW had a reputation for sporty production cars. The expensive V8-powered BMW 503 and BMW 507 of the 1950s could not add much to this reputation, unlike the small motorcycle-engine powered BMW 700 which e.g. was driven by Hans Stuck to German championships in hillclimbing . Since

7749-544: The BMW Group, who was in charge of the return to DTM racing ( Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters ), commented that "The return of BMW to the DTM is a fundamental part of the restructuring of our motorsport activities. With its increased commitment to production car racing, BMW is returning to its roots. The race track is the perfect place to demonstrate the impressive sporting characteristics of our vehicles against our core competitors in

7872-410: The Bois de Boulogne. On July 22, 1894, the Parisian magazine Le Petit Journal organized what is considered to be the world's first motoring competition, from Paris to Rouen. One hundred and two competitors paid a 10- franc entrance fee. The first American automobile race is generally considered to be the Thanksgiving Day Chicago Times-Herald race of November 28, 1895. Press coverage of

7995-409: The FIA GT cars. Another prototype and GT racing championship exists in the United States; the Grand-Am , which began in 2000, sanctions its own endurance series, the Rolex Sports Car Series , which consists of slower and lower-cost Daytona Prototype race cars compared to LMP and FIA GT cars. The Rolex Sports Car Series and American Le Mans Series announced a merger between the two series forming

8118-451: The HVM name. Stoddart retains the right to use the Minardi name for a British-registered company. ( key ) Automobile racing Auto racing (also known as car racing , motor racing , or automobile racing ) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non-racing disciplines. Auto racing has existed since

8241-415: The JTCC and won the championship in 1995. SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge Touring Car Series(WC): BMW won the manufacturer's championship in 2001 and Bill Auberlen, driving a Turner Motorsport BMW 325i, won the 2003 and 2004 Driver's Championships. BMW announced on 15 October 2010 that it will return to touring car racing during the 2012 season. Dr. Klaus Draeger, director of research and development of

8364-469: The M283, was entered without success in two rounds of the Formula 3000 championship which had replaced Formula Two in 1985. During 1984, Minardi took the decision to enter Formula One the following year. Caliri designed the M184, the team's prototype Formula One car (intended as a dual purpose design for the new Formula 3000 ) around Alfa Romeo's V8 turbocharged engine but when engineer Carlo Chiti left Alfa Romeo to found Motori Moderni , Minardi became

8487-516: The Manufacturers Championship in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft from 1984 until 1990 seven times in a row, still an unbroken record in that racing series. European Touring Car Championship (ETCC): Since 1968, BMW won 24 drivers' championships along with several manufacturers' and teams' titles. BMW also won 5 drivers' championships with the BMW 320I at the European Super Touring Cup . Japanese Touring Car Championship (JTCC): BMW ( Schnitzer ) flew from Europe to Japan to compete in

8610-423: The Minardi name in racing. He also announced that he was licensing the Minardi name to established team GP Racing in the junior Euro Formula 3000 series, to be entitled 'Minardi Team by GP Racing'. The team raced with moderate success, scoring a podium in each leg of the Spa round in June 2006. For 2007, Minardi Team by GP Racing combined forces with GP2 team Piquet Sports, to form Minardi Piquet Sports . For 2008

8733-433: The Minardi racing team as a Formula Two constructor. The team first competed under the Minardi name in the 1980 European Formula Two championship. Rather than using a customer chassis, the team commissioned a BMW-powered design from Giacomo Caliri 's FLY studios — previously responsible for the Fittipaldi Automotive team's F5A Formula One car. The first Minardi's driver was Miguel Ángel Guerra , who achieved 9th place in

8856-567: The Minardi team name and the team's 20-year heritage in F1 after the news broke. The petition was not successful and the team was renamed Scuderia Toro Rosso for the 2006 season. The greatly increased funding from Red Bull, including the use of the Red Bull chassis, customer Ferrari engines and Red Bull Technology transmissions, gradually led to improved results, culminating in Toro Rosso's only pole position and win by Sebastian Vettel at

8979-708: The UK and upwards of 7000 active drivers. The sport is split into three basic divisions – distinguished by the rules regarding car contact during racing. The most famous championship are the BriSCA F1 Stock Cars . Full-contact formulas include Bangers , Bombers, and Rookie Bangers – and racing features Demolition Derbies, Figure of Eight, and Oval Racing. Semi Contact Formulas include BriSCA F1, F2, and Superstox – where bumpers are used tactically. Non-contact formulas include National Hot Rods, Stock Rods, and Lightning Rods. BMW in motorsport#Formula Two An outstanding role has been played by

9102-604: The UK, the major club series are the Monoposto Racing Club , BRSCC F3 (formerly ClubF3, formerly ARP F3), Formula Vee and Club Formula Ford. Each series caters to a section of the market, with some primarily providing low-cost racing, while others aim for an authentic experience using the same regulations as the professional series (BRSCC F3). The SCCA is also responsible for sanctioning single-seater racing in much of North America. There are other categories of single-seater racing, including kart racing , which employs

9225-500: The US, is an economical and rules-restricted version of touring-car racing, mainly used to restrict costs. Numerous production racing categories are based on particular makes of cars. Most series, with a few exceptions, follow the Group N regulation. There are several different series that are run all over the world, most notably, Japan's Super Taikyu and IMSA 's Firehawk Series, which ran in

9348-551: The United States, including the NASCAR Canada Series , NASCAR Mexico Series , NASCAR Whelen Euro Series , and NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race . NASCAR also governs several smaller regional series, such as the Whelen Modified Tour . Modified cars are best described as open-wheel cars. Modified cars have no parts related to the stock vehicle for which they are named after. A number of modified cars display

9471-438: The United States, the most popular series is the IndyCar Series . The cars have traditionally been similar to, though less technologically sophisticated than, F1 cars , with more restrictions on technology aimed at controlling costs. While these cars are not as technologically advanced, they are faster, in part due to their lower downforce compared to F1 cars, and also because they compete on oval race tracks, being able to average

9594-589: The WTCC, entering only two cars under the BMW Team RBM banner, with works drivers Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus. With Chevrolet dominating most of the races, BMW struggled and finished only third in the manufacturers standings. In the drivers standings Priaulx finished the season 4th, with Farfus in 7th. Better luck was had in the Independents Trophy category though, with Sergio Hernández taking

9717-681: The World Series by Renault, succession series of World Series by Nissan ), Formula Three , Formula Palmer Audi and Formula Atlantic . In 2009, the FIA Formula Two Championship brought about the revival of the F2 series. Domestic, or country-specific, series include Formula Three and Formula Renault, with the leading introductory series being Formula Ford . Single-seater racing is not limited merely to professional teams and drivers. There exist many amateur racing clubs. In

9840-405: The ban on traction control, but later changed his mind. Midway through the 2004 season, the other teams voted to change the unpopular single lap qualifying system back to the old 1 hour format, but Stoddart voted against because it would also mean the 107% rule being reintroduced; this meant the change never occurred, as a unanimous vote was required to change something so significant in the middle of

9963-575: The championship behind the wheel of a BMW 320Si. BMW withdrew from the WTCC at the end of the 2010 season leaving only independents to represent BMW in the championship. BMW pilots used the sporty pre-war BMW 328 model as the basis for early post-war efforts in the Formula Two series, a stepping stone to Formula One ; the 328 occasionally participated in F1 races. BMW ran its own team, but other smaller teams such as Veritas , AFM , Jicey and even East Germany -based EMW also used cars derived from

10086-400: The constructors' championship. Wanting a split from their failing relationship with Williams, BMW's executives decided that adding an F1 team to the company's motorsport division, thus removing the necessity for a partner, was the only viable solution. Enticed by Sauber's new multimillion-dollar research and development facility, which included an advanced wind tunnel setup, BMW choose to offer

10209-419: The drivers' championship in 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2009, 2014, 2018, and 2019 and manufacturers' championship in 1991, 1993, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. The DRM ( Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft ) was won by Harald Ertl in a BMW 320i Turbo in 1978. In the DTM ( Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft ), the following BMW drivers have won the DTM drivers' championship: BMW would also win

10332-551: The end of Formula 2 in 1984, BMW supplied engines to the championship-winning drivers in 1973, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, and 1982. BMW has a history of success in Formula One . BMW powered cars have won 20 races. In 2006 BMW took over the Sauber team and became Formula One constructors. In 2007 and 2008 the team enjoyed some success. The most recent win is a lone constructor team's victory by BMW Sauber F1 Team , on 8 June 2008, at

10455-482: The event first aroused significant American interest in the automobile. The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily , Italy near the island's capital of Palermo . Founded in 1906 , it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973. The oldest surviving sports car racing event is

10578-472: The first Formula 1 engine capable of 1,000 hp (746 kW) in racing trim, although it was capable of nearly 1,400 hp (1,044 kW) for qualifying with modification of its boost. This engine had a bore and stroke of 89.2 mm (3.5 in) x 60.0 mm (2.4 in), giving a displacement of 1,499.79 cc. Maximum crankshaft speed was 11,200 rpm. Peak power b.m.e.p. was in the region of 1,000 lbs/sq.in. In 1997, BMW announced that it had formed

10701-407: The following season. In 1974, Lamberto Leoni lost the championship due to a controversial black flag. In 1975, the team was renamed “Scuderia Everest” for sponsorship reasons. The promising Elio De Angelis raced for the team in 1977 and 1978 while Clay Regazzoni raced in 1978 and 1979. He ran with March chassis and BMW engines in Formula Two from 1975 to 1979. In 1976, the team briefly ran

10824-529: The grid for BMW as follows: Canadian driver Bruno Spengler recorded the first DTM win for BMW in 20 years at the second race of the 2012 season, held at the Lausitzring circuit in Germany. Spengler then went on to claim the 2012 drivers championship. BMW claimed the 2012 manufacturers championship with 346 points, 11 points ahead of Audi and 17 points ahead of Mercedes-Benz. BMW Team Schnitzer earned

10947-470: The independent (and, on the whole, financially weaker) teams in Formula One would get cheaper engine deals than at present. In return, the team principals who would benefit from this would support the works teams when it came to opposing new rule changes enforced by the FIA , such as the proposed ban on traction control. Before the start of the 2004 season, however, Stoddart threatened to withdraw his support against

11070-554: The invention of the automobile. Races of various types were organized, with the first recorded as early as 1867. Many of the earliest events were effectively reliability trials , aimed at proving these new machines were a practical mode of transport, but soon became an important way for automobile makers to demonstrate their machines. By the 1930s, specialist racing cars had developed. There are now numerous different categories, each with different rules and regulations. The first prearranged match race of two self-powered road vehicles over

11193-783: The last step up to premier GT-class racing. Other major GT championships include the GT World Challenge America , GT World Challenge Asia , Super GT , and the International GT Open . There are minor regional and national GT series using mainly GT4 and GT3 cars featuring both amateur and professional drivers. Sports prototypes, unlike GT cars, do not rely on road-legal cars as a base. They are closed-wheel and often closed-cockpit purpose-built race cars intended mainly for endurance racing. They have much lower weight, more horsepower and more downforce compared to GT cars, making them much faster. They are raced in

11316-530: The majority of teams withdrew from the race due to safety concerns about their Michelin tyres. While Minardi had run Bridgestone tyres, Stoddart had offered to compromise with the Michelin teams but Mosley had rejected it. In 2004, Minardi was represented by two rookies, Italian Gianmaria "Gimmi" Bruni and Hungarian Zsolt Baumgartner . During the year, they celebrated their 20th season in F1. Baumgartner scored Minardi's first point in more than 2 years at

11439-555: The manufacturers trophy, and again BMW Team UK/RBM driver Andy Priaulx won the drivers championship. BMW Team Germany returned with both Dirk and Jörg Müller. BMW Team Italy/Spain retained Alessandro Zanardi, but now had Marcel Costa driving the second car, later to be substituted for Duncan Huisman . Priaulx again won the title in 2007, but BMW were beaten by SEAT in the following two seasons, despite adding Augusto Farfus to their roster. In 2010 BMW reduced their presence in

11562-550: The marque with BMW's best post-war finish until the second decade of the 21st Century being a 3rd-placed position in the 1974 Production 1000cc TT. BMW officially resumed road racing in 2009, entering the World Superbike Championship with its BMW S1000RR . This resumption also saw its official re-introduction at the Isle of Man TT. The 2014 Isle of Man TT saw Michael Dunlop campaigning BMW machinery in

11685-452: The midfield through the late 1980s and early 1990s, giving a succession of Italian drivers their first chance at the top level, including Alessandro Nannini , Pierluigi Martini and Gianni Morbidelli . Martini in particular was synonymous with Minardi, eventually having three spells with the team. He drove for them on their debut in 1985, scored their first point in the 1988 United States Grand Prix , although he had been running 5th for quite

11808-442: The most popular class of GT cars, with premier racing series such as the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA both using GT3 as their top class of GT car. GT3 cars have more significant aero than a GT2 car, but also have less horsepower, typically falling in between 500 and 550 horsepower. GT4 class cars have very little aerodynamics and less horsepower than GT3 machinery, typically around 450 horsepower. GT4 typically serves as

11931-627: The most powerful, if not the most, powerful engine in the history of Formula 1 as well as being the most powerful engine ever built by BMW. As the base of the BMW S14 engine of the original BMW M3 , it collected many more wins. Other impressive displays of engineering involve the production of the BMW S70/2 engine, implemented in the McLaren F1, which set the world record for "world's fastest production car" on March 31, 1998. As well as achieving

12054-464: The oldest car racing series still active in the world. The first TC competition took place in 1931 with 12 races, each in a different province. Future Formula One star Juan Manuel Fangio (Chevrolet) won the 1940 and 1941 editions of the TC. It was during this time that the series' Chevrolet-Ford rivalry began, with Ford acquiring most of its historical victories. Over the last few years, auto racing has seen

12177-511: The oldest existing purpose-built and still in use automobile race course in the United States is the 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana . It is the largest capacity sports venue of any variety worldwide, with a top capacity of some 257,000+ seated spectators. NASCAR was founded by Bill France Sr. on February 21, 1948, with the help of several other drivers. The first NASCAR " Strictly Stock " race ever

12300-413: The only customer for his new V6 engine design. The engine was not ready for the start of the 1985 season, so the team converted their M185 chassis to accept a Cosworth DFV engine for the first two races. The single car team was unsuccessful in its first year, scoring no points. The new engine was underpowered and driver Pierluigi Martini finished only two races, although he was also classified 11th at

12423-784: The racing efforts. This led to the development of the BMW M1 and in the 1980s to the BMW M3 . Having won more road races than any other BMW model in history, the E30 M3 is the world's most successful BMW road race car. Its success was emulated during the Supertouring era in the 1990s, when the 318i and 320i won several touring car national championships, including the BTCC , French Supertouring Championship , Super Tourenwagen Cup , Italian Superturismo and Australian Super Touring Championship . British Touring Car Championship (BTCC): BMW won

12546-569: The reduction of the schedule from 56 to 34 races a year, established 1972 as the beginning of NASCAR's "modern era". The IMSA GT Series evolved into the American Le Mans Series , which ran its first season in 1998. The European races eventually became the closely related European Le Mans Series , both of which mix prototypes and GTs. Turismo Carretera (TC) is a popular touring car racing series in Argentina, and one of

12669-400: The season due to mounting debts and several mounting court cases against them. From 2003 until their final season in 2005, Minardi used Ford Cosworth/Cosworth branded engines due to Asiatech folding at the end of the previous season. The Cosworth engines though not very reliable did help Minardi to some decent points scoring positions now and again. Another memorable episode happened during

12792-403: The season the team used Asiatech branded engines (formerly Peugeot), the rest of the season did not yield any further points for the team. The team finished above the newly debuted Toyota factory team who arguably had a much more sizable budget for the debut campaign than Minardi's budgets over several seasons combined. Minardi also finished ahead of the Arrows team who went bankrupt halfway through

12915-502: The sport as a team after the 2020–21 season . BMW continued to supply their powertrain to Andretti for another season before Formula E Gen3 emerged. A BMW i8 was used as the safety car of Formula E for the first seven seasons. BMW returned to the DTM for the 2012 season with the M3 DTM, which is based (visually at least) on the contemporary BMW E92 M3 Coupe. Three teams lined up on

13038-711: The sport, former Formula 2 champion Jonathan Palmer reopened the F2 category again; most drivers have graduated from the Formula Palmer Audi series. The category is officially registered as the FIA Formula Two championship. Most rounds have two races and are support races to the FIA World Touring Car Championship . Touring car racing is a style of road racing that is run with production-derived four-seat race cars. The lesser use of aerodynamics means following cars have

13161-578: The standings with 10 points. In 1981, Caliri and Marmiroli designed the Minardi M281 driven by Michele Alboreto , Johnny Cecotto , Miguel Ángel Guerra, Roberto Farneti and Enzo Coloni : Alboreto won the Misano race and finished 8th with 13 points, Cecotto gained 3 points and moved to March in summer. A Ferrari Dino 206 engine was used in 1981, but the team changed to a BMW four-cylinder unit in 1982. The new design continued Minardi's naming logic and

13284-457: The team at the age of 19; though he (and the team) failed to score any points that year, his performance was impressive enough that the reborn Renault F1 team signed him for 2002. He was replaced by Mark Webber , another future race winner, and heavy attrition at his debut race in Melbourne saw him finish in the points in 5th, with teammate Alex Yoong just outside the points in 7th. During

13407-420: The team was known simply as Piquet Sports. In 2006, Paul Stoddart declared his intention to enter a new team called 'European Minardi F1 Team Ltd' into Formula One beginning in 2008 . His application was unsuccessful, with the 12th place on the grid being awarded to Prodrive . Instead, Stoddart turned his attentions to the U.S.-based Champ Car series. On 18 December 2006, it was confirmed that he had purchased

13530-406: Was being truthful, Verstappen may well have won this race had he not spun. During its final years, the Minardi team was almost as famous for its politics as for its racing. Stoddart was described as the Formula One teams' unofficial shop steward. During his time as team principal, Stoddart campaigned for reduced costs in the sport. He appealed to the competing car manufacturers for an agreement where

13653-576: Was called the Minardi M282 . The drivers were Alessandro Nannini and Paolo Barilla . Barilla didn't score any points, Nannini got 10th place with 8 points. The 1983 season saw several drivers racing with the Minardi M283 : Alessandro Nannini (11 points), Pierluigi Martini (6 points), Paolo Barilla (0 points), Enzo Coloni (1 race), Emilio De Villota (2 races), Oscar Larrauri (1 race) and Aldo Bertuzzi (1 race). The last season in Formula 2

13776-415: Was created in 2006. The group was an assemblage of drivers from different racing disciplines and formed for an MTV reality pilot, which was shot at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca . In December 2005, the FIA gave approval to Superleague Formula racing, which debuted in 2008, whereby the racing teams are owned and run by prominent sports clubs such as A.C. Milan and Liverpool F.C. After 25 years away from

13899-476: Was followed by a south-east Asian championship in 2003, and series in the United Kingdom and the United States were launched the following year. The UK and German championships will be merged into a new pan-European series in 2008. 1939 saw the BMW 328 finish first in its class (fifth overall) in the 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans completing 236 laps. After 33 years in 1972, a BMW entered the competition for

14022-744: Was held on June 19, 1949, at Daytona Beach, Florida , U.S.. From 1962, sports cars temporarily took a back seat to GT cars , with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) replacing the World Championship for Sports Cars with the International Championship for GT Manufacturers. From 1962 through 2003, NASCAR's premier series was called the Winston Cup Series, sponsored by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company cigarette brand Winston . The changes that resulted from RJR's involvement, as well as

14145-455: Was in 1984. Nannini (finished 10th with 9 points) was the first driver, the others were Roberto Del Castello (14th, 1 point), Pierre Chauvet (1 race) and Lamberto Leoni (3 races). The team's most notable result remains the 1981 win at the Misano round by Michele Alboreto. Minardi left the lower division at the end of 1984, although in 1986 a modified version of their final Formula Two car,

14268-510: Was later replaced by Polish driver Robert Kubica after disagreements between Villeneuve and the team. BMW's 2007 season improved on results from the previous year. While the car was still inferior to both the Ferrari and McLaren, it outclassed the rest of the field. BMW scored points in every race, ending the season second in the constructors championship (after McLaren's disqualification) with over 100 points. In 2008 BMW won their first race at

14391-532: Was leading the race. After his father’s death, Giancarlo took over the racing part of the family business. He took the reins of the Scuderia del Passatore in the early 1970s. He decided to start competing with a Brabham BT28 chassis and an Alfa Romeo engine in Formula Italia rather than Formula 3 , like it was decided before. In 1972, the team finished runner-up with Giancarlo Martini, but he won in

14514-408: Was now teamed with Marc Surer , managed only one win. In 1986, BMW started to supply engines for the new Benetton team, who earned the only win for a BMW engine at the hands of Gerhard Berger . However, the factory-backed effort at Brabham met with little success with the return of Patrese and Derek Warwick . At the end of the 1986 season, BMW announced it would drop out of Formula 1 at the end of

14637-579: Was pulled back, with the team only supplying engines for Dieter Quester's Eifelland . With a change in the F2 engine regulations to 2000 cc production-based engines, BMW went on hiatus for the 1972 season. When BMW's returned to F2 in 1973, the company again supplied only engines. Although officially backing the March team's effort for drivers Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Jean-Pierre Jarier , they also supplied engines for teams such as Beta Racing (with German Hans-Joachim Stuck ) and Brian Lewis Racing. From 1973 to

14760-539: Was run by RBM. Schnitzer Motorsport ran the BMW Team Germany entries, also E46 320i's, driven by Dirk Müller and Jörg Müller . Previous WTCC winner Roberto Ravaglia also ran two cars for the BMW Team Italy/Spain, with Alessandro Zanardi and Antonio García as the drivers. BMW also took the top four places in the independent category. 2006 saw the new E90 320si, again it saw BMW take

14883-463: Was the lone winner in 2004. In 2005, disputes led to a rapid decline in the partnership of BMW and Williams. Constant disagreements over the cause of technical failures in the car led BMW to discontinue development of the P84/5 V10 as the season progressed, leading to no victories for the team's new driver line-up of Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld . Consequently, the car finished a distant 5th in

15006-578: Was the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit , opening in January 1906. The pear-shaped track was close to a mile in length, with slightly banked curves and a gravel surface of crushed cement. Brooklands , in Surrey, England, was the first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing venue, opening in June 1907. It featured a 4.43 km (2.75 mi) concrete track with high-speed banked corners. One of

15129-459: Was used for some time. In the 1968 season, the company joined with Lola , using their 100 chassis. BMW sponsored drivers Jo Siffert and Hubert Hahne . For 1969, the team switched to Lola 102s, and used a new development of BMW's 1600 cc engine, dubbed the M12. Siffert and Hahne remained; Gerhard Mitter and Dieter Quester shared a third car. Halfway through the season, BMW debuted their own chassis,

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