BMW has a rich history in the world of motorsport. From the earliest formation of Europe’s sports-car racing events, like the prestigious Mille Miglia endurance race that the BMW 328 won in 1940, to the latest global touring championships such as the BTCC, BMW’s presence is not only widespread but also leading.
Over the years, BMW's involvement in motorsport has varied dramatically, from entering entire BMW teams and models to simply providing the engines; And this involvement is seen in a wide spectrum of racing formats including Formula One, Formula Two, Touring cars, and endurance racing.
In 2025, BMW is competing in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA), and the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters), to name but a few. Take a ready and discover more about the colourful and often successful history of BMW Motorsport.
First taste of success.
BMW’s love for motorsport (and winning) started over 90 years ago and hasn’t stopped to this very day. The first taste of success was way back in 1929, when Willy Wagner at the wheel of a BMW 3/15 PS together with his co-driver won the International Alpine Rally and in doing so became the first BMW automobile to win a race against international competition. This was followed soon after in 1936 when Ernst Henne (pictured above) succeeded in gaining his first victory in the sports-car class driving the brand-new BMW 328 at the Nürburgring.
The birth of M.
In 1972, BMW Motorsport GmbH was formed. From then on, all of BMW’s motor-sport activities would be developed under the now well-established brand of BMW M. This new venture started with just 35 employees, but it wasn't long until the popularity of its creations, like the M1 in 1978 – the first ever M-badged car – would result in a expanding and thriving part of BMW. In time, BMW M expanded its offerings to include M Sport trim lines and M Performance models, bringing a taste of their racing heritage to a wider range of BMW vehicles.
The world of touring cars.
By definition, touring cars are production saloon models that have been modified for racing, unlike sports-car racing where models like formula 1 cars are designed with single seater chassis. Although they are essentially road cars, they all adhere to specific racing regulations to ensure a relative level playing field. BMW currently competes in the BTCC and DTM.
BTCC.
The British Touring Car Championship is a source of much pride for Team BMW, having won a total of 10 Constructor’s Titles, with eight of the last nine titles going to BMW. Team BMW has also won the Driver’s Championship in this same period with five separate drivers: Gordon Shedden, Ashley Sutton, Colin Turkington, Tom Ingram, and Jake Hill. The most recent BMW model to compete in the BTCC for Team BMW is the BMW 330e M Sport.
DTM.
When it comes to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), BMW has an impressive story to tell. They have won the DTM championship six times since its inception in 1984, with titles in 1987, 1989, 2012, 2014, and 2016. The Touring cars that BMW has won with over the years has evolved with the times, starting with the BMW 635 CSi and M3 models, ubtil eventually moving onto the more recent GT3 cars.
The grandest stage.
Often seen as the pinnacle of motorsport racing, Formula 1 has been a racing format with a wide variety of success stories for BMW, and although not currently involved in F1, there is a rich history of impressive wins. Their major impact began in the 1980s as an engine supplier for the Brabham team, owned by Bernie Ecclestone. In 1983, the BMW M12/13 turbocharged engine powered Nelson Piquet to win the Drivers' Championship, making it the first turbocharged engine to achieve this feat. During this period (1982-1988), BMW also supplied engines to other teams like ATS, Arrows, and Benetton, achieving a total of 9 Grand Prix wins, 14 pole positions, and 13 fastest laps.
BMW returned to Formula 1 in 2000 as the engine supplier for the Williams team, which achieved 10 Grand Prix wins between 2001 and 2004. In 2005, BMW became a full constructor under the name BMW Sauber for the 2006 season. Robert Kubica secured BMW Sauber's first and only Grand Prix win at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix.
Going the distance.
Under the umbrella of sports-car racing is the very high-profile form of racing known as endurance racing. This consists of highly-sort-after events, like the Triple Crown of the 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, and 24 Hours of Le Mans, which BMW won in 1999 with the BMW V12 LMR (Drivers: Joachim Winkelhock, Pierluigi Martini and Yannick Dalmas). Other major endurance events include the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Currently, in the FIA World Endurance Championship, Team BMW along with BMW M Motorsport compete with the BMW M Hybrid V8, a prototype racing car. BMW is also competing in the GT (Grand Touring) racing series with the recently unveiled BMW M4 GT3 EVO (pictured).
