Bojan Vrbnjak
A new name, a new design and the first endurance test in the "Green Hell": the new BMW M Motorsport entry car made two important appearances this weekend. BMW M2 Racing presented its new design to fans at the DTM race in Hockenheim (Germany). At the same time, the first test race of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) 4-hour race on the Nordschleife (GER) took place on Saturday.
BMW M2 Racing is the official name of the vehicle, as it is based on the road-going version of the BMW M2. However, the BMW M2 Racing will be modified to meet the technological and financial requirements of an entry-level vehicle. As changes are still possible in the relatively early stage of development of the racing car, which will be used from 2026, the details of the technical specifications of the BMW M2 Racing vehicle will not be announced until next year. In the BMW M Motorsport design that was presented at Hockenheim, the vehicle will undergo further tests in the 2025 season. The design includes outlines of entire layouts or individual sections of famous racetracks around the world as 'easter eggs' to keep fans entertained and guessing.
The first endurance test took place in a camouflage cover. BMW drivers Max Hesse and Jens Klingmann completed the first laps of the NLS race on the Nordschleife. The BMW M2 Racing entered by the FK Performance Motorsport team completed four hours of racing without any technical problems. Björn Lellmann, Head of Customer Racing at BMW M Motorsport: "With the presentation of the new shape and name of our base car and the first endurance test on the Nordschleife, the development of the BMW M2 Racing entered the next phase. 2025 will be marked by numerous test drives to provide our customers with a perfectly prepared racing car from the 2026 season onwards.
The highest technological level, reliability and above all affordability are our goals for BMW M2 Racing. This is where we focus all our development steps. I am happy that we had a successful start this weekend in Hockenheim and at the Nürburgring.”
Jens Klingmann: "The aim of this test was to evaluate the vehicle for the first time. It was about gathering experience and data. We have achieved this. We are very satisfied with the 27 laps that we completed without any noteworthy problems. The first impression of the driving characteristics of the BMW M2 Racing vehicle is always positive. The mixed weather was a blessing for us as we were able to ride in both dry and wet conditions. This gave us a very good picture of the driving characteristics. It is now necessary to analyze the collected data and make further progress in the next tests."
