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Factory Racecar - The BMW 235iR

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PRI Pictorial

PRI Pictorial

FactoryRacecar

The BMW M235i Racing Shows its pace!

Released in 2014 in Europe the car is used in series and events such as the VLN Endurance Championship and the Nürburgring 24 Hours on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. The BMW M235i Racing is also successful on international stages for BMW Sports Trophy drivers. The motorsport genes are also easily recognisable in the production version of the BMW M235i Coupé, courtesy of the aerodynamically optimised body design. It is propelled by the most powerful petrol engine developed so far for a BMW M Performance Automobile: a sixcylinder in-line engine with M Performance TwinPower Turbo technology. With a capacity of 2,979ccm, the racing version is capable of generating 333hp. Motorsport-specific driving aids such as ABS, DSC and traction control provide the required support motorsport newcomers will benefit from. The car also comes with mechanical limited-slip differential, which is also available for the BMW M235i Coupé in the original BMW Parts range. The racing car is also fitted with features such as the FIA-certified safety cell and the modern safety tank. On top of this come components from the BMW M Performance Parts range, such as the rear and front spoilers, diffusor and carbon wing mirrors. for money and with the PWC race format you get lots of seat-time every weekend. I am hearing of lots of cars coming to North America and in more than one series too. I had the chance to crawl over the Classic BMW Motorsports cars at CTMP and they are indeed a work of art. When you read the reports on the cars in the following pages you will see that they are economical to run and easy to drive. Plus you have the track support from BMW as well., that almost makes it as good as being a factory team.” In addition to Turner Motorsport adding three cars Samantha Tan Racing is switching from Honda to the BMW M235iR and adding another for fellow Canadian Nick Wittmer. Samantha’s father Ken will be team principal with Benjamin Distaulo taking the team managers job. The Canadian Touring Car Championship may see up to four of the cars; series owner John Bondar told us, “I am excited to see these cars come to the CTCC. They are excellent value for a proven product. We have always had a healthy entry of BMWs, the M235iR brings in the next generation of BMW racecar and one that is truly focused towards the privateer racer. I can’t wait to see them running here in Canada.”

BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt says,“The basis our engineers had to start with when developing the racing version of the BMW M235i Coupé was exceptionally good. The production models from the BMW M Performance Automobiles range are already incredibly sporty. Because of this, we did not have to make many modifications in order to get the BMW M235i Coupé up and running as a racing car. BMW Motorsport can look back on a long tradition of allowing ambitious teams and drivers an affordable way into motor racing and of offering them an absolutely competitive car. While in 2016 the BMW M6 GT3 will be the top of the BMW model range in customer racing, the new BMW M235i Racing means we are excellently positioned in the field of production-based racing cars.” Our Editor Ian Rae, watched the debut of the M235i Racing in the 2016 PWC with interest and was not surprised when it was successful. Then towards the end of the year the cars started coming out of the woodwork. Turner Motorsport announced they would be running three cars in the PWC in 2017. Rae said, “Will Turner is a smart guy and he knows people will be lining up to get into one of the M235iR seats. the car is great value

SPECIFICATIONS DIMENSIONS Length: 4,454mm Max. width: 1,862mm (without mirrors) Height: 1,380mm Wheel base: 2,690mm Max. track width: 1,608mm

ENGINE / TRANSMISSION Straight six-cylinder petrol engine BMW M Performance TwinPower Turbo Capacity: 2,979ccm Output: 333bhp Torque: 450Nm Racing exhaust with racing catalytic converters Steering wheel with shift paddles BMW M Performance limited-slip differential TANK Motorsport safety tank

SUSPENSION / STEERING KW dampers H&R suspension springs Front: H&R anti-roll bar (2-way) Rear: H&R anti-roll bar

BRAKES Front: High-performance motorsport braking system with Performance Friction (PFC); 4-pot fixed caliper Rear: BMW M Performance 2-pot braking system

ABS / DSC / ASCBMW Motorsport specific racing application

TYRES / WHEELSBBS 18x10 inch alloy rims

SAFETY COMPONENTS Cage with DMSB certificate and FIA approval 6-point racing harness from Schroth Racing seat RECARO Pro Racer SPG

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