A longer version of the Spa round table discussion with Jen Marquardt, BMW’s Motorsport Chief was promised some days ago. Here it (finally!) is with more on GT3, GTLM, LMP1, DTM (and the coming Class One Regs), Formula One and, at some length, Formula E. It’s interesting stuff!

GG

Jens, where are BMW right now on the potential for an LMP1 entry?

“The regulations in LMP1 are new for 2017 and still it is very much ‘hybrid’.“It’s a World Championship and you have key players there that are competing on a super high level. We have said since 2009 that what we do in racing has to reflect what we do in production, that’s why we turned to production like racing more or less with either production based cars like the Z4GT3 or the M235i Racing or ‘lookalikes’ like the M4 in DTM.

“The other thing that would be important for us would be showcasing new technology and, at the moment we see hybrid as a stepping stone to EV (Electric Vehicle). That is the future for BMW, clearly showcased in the i3 and i8 so the current rules set-up does not fulfil our required criteria.

“With all of that said we are really very happy with where we are with all of our programmes. We’re really busy with them and with developing our new GT3 car (M6 GT3) and a version raceable in IMSA GTLM alongside it.”

The Z4 GTLM is obviously based on the GT3 car but is a serious evolution of that, are you looking at a less serious step? (Gary Watkins – Autosport)

“The Z4 GTE is a completely different car to the GT3 and that was a painful exercise to go through. That was the reason that BMW was fully in favour of convergence of the rules, and I am still really disappointed that it fell through. For me that was a huge mistake.

“We are working intensively on the IMSA car but it is still not a done thing. There is dialogue with IMSA, ACO and with all of the other competitors but it is work in progress.

“As long as we can have something there that means we do not have to develop a complete new car we’ll be there.”

Are you involved in the various Technical Working Groups? Could Convergence re-emerge?

“We have always attend involved with the FIA, the ACO and everybody.

“I don’t know how things will go, obviously we have a set of regulations for the next three years but I think we will see a lot happening within those three years.

‘My approach has always been that GT is a customer racing platform and therefore I always try to look at it from a customer’s point of view. How can a customer draw maximum benefit from what I do as a manufacturer and that’s why I said, if I develop one base intensively and I have a customer version and a Pro version out of that base the customer will draw maximum benefit.

‘If I have to do two separate developments I have to compromise a lot more and it will always result in more cost, which will, of course, impact on the customer.

‘I would hope that we, by the next set of regulations that we will have learned from what I still see, very definitely, as a mistake. Honestly speaking it wasn’t far off from agreement. It was more about philosophy in respect to how you separate programmes than engineering reality.’

What about Garage 56? Does that interest you?

“That would be something that would allow us to demonstrate new technologies. It could allow showcasing of what would be important to us. We’re discussing everything.

‘And not just with the ACO because if I understand it correctly in the last discussions I had with IMSA they are thinking of adopting something similar for the future.”

Would BMW going in and doing a good job with a new technology potentially be part of a strategy to persuade a change in future LMP1 regulations?

“You know BMW well enough to understand that if BMW did do something like this it would be obviously more than a PR sort of thing.”

But it has the potential as a lever to influence future regulations?

“That’s exactly the point. Should you do something that afterwards you would not be able to use at all in any other application it would be difficult (to justify.) My understanding is that the next LMP1 regulations will be updated from 2017 through to 2019, and then 2020 or 2021 could be another evolution of that and that, obviously you would have to see as a bigger picture.”

Internationalisation of DTM rules is perhaps going in the right direction for you though?

“As you know Class One regulations are valid from 2017 onwards. The finalisation is still to be done, on engine and powertrain we are pretty much done. On the car side it is getting very close and that is the base.

People from the Japanese manufacturers have been at some of the races in Europe, we’re following on that path and once the regulations are clear we can then look at the sporting side of things and start that discussion.

Thoughts about joined events are still discussed but obviously that is something that the promoters have to be involved with because they have to set it up.”

Will we see BMWs racing in Japan? (GW)

“It’s not Japan only, it is Asia, that was always a goal for us. There are still more discussions to be done but that is still clearly a goal.”

Is DTM America still realistic? (GW)

“With an American manufacturer it is very realistic. We have to convince one of them! IMSA is still working hard on them and obviously our BMW North America people are in conversation with them. The potential is always there but even if you had all three German manufacturers and some of the Japanese factories, without an American manufacturer in and Americas-based Championship I would see difficulty.

Does BMW need another international programme given that DTM is very Germany focused, TUSCC is an American Championship and GT3 is customer racing?

“It’s not so much about needing it but more about developing a car that is raceable in lets say three different Championships all over the world, rather than having eight cars in one Championship, having four, five or six in more than one each to give you more reach. That’s what you try to achieve with any kind of programme, reach to the fans, to the people, market your brand, showcase your abilities as well as your products.

“We are a global automotive player and obviously therefore our global make up in motorsport programmes is important.”

The M6 GT3 programme is clearly an important part of your motorsport footprint from next year – How would you characterise the development progress?

“Development-wise we are on track, definitely. We have split performance testing and endurance testing. We have done both types quite intensively and are on schedule.

“I’m definitely looking forward to the coming weeks where we get more and more done in that respect because customer interest is really high. Obviously teams are now making plans for next year and this event (Spa 24 Hours) is a good event for us to showcase the product, talk to our current and potential future teams about the progress that we are making and I’m really happy that we have in the M6 a worthy successor to the Z4.

“It’s good to have an ‘M’ car again, it is important for us to have a car that can showcase ‘M’ as a brand, because it is the most powerful letter in the world!

“With the M235 and next year the M6, and with some space in between I think we are well set for the future of customer racing.”

Next year we will have a new Audi with a year under its wheels plus your new car, a new Porsche and a new Mercedes Benz in GT3. It’s going to be interesting isn’t it?

“Yes, it’s very tense and high-level in several Championship. It’s highly competitive and we are happy to face that competition. It is though, as you said earlier, customer racing. It is not an option for us to enter a factory ‘prototype’ against our customers or potential customers. This is customer racing and nothing but!”

What about Macau (The FIA GT World Cup) What do BMW intend to do about that event? (GW)

“Macau is, for sure, another iconic event. We have had good experiences there in the WTCC in the past. As far as I understand it there is also room for customer teams there, we would support teams that want to run there”

But the way the event is set up the entries have to be supported by a manufacturer, with fees payable to the FIA for that entry?

“We haven’t made a final decision on that yet.”

We’ve seen the new Mercedes out on track, Audi has had a race programme this year for their new car. When are you expecting to have your new car compete for the first time? (Marcel ten Caat, Autosport.nl)

“In the hands of customers, 2016.”

Could that be Dubai, or Daytona (Rene de Boer)

“That’s obviously what I think customers would like to run and that’s what we are clearly aiming at, and with our development programme designed to help us to hand over a car to the customers that is already developed and that not necessarily has raced in the hands of a works effort from our side.”

If discussions about the GTLM car are still going on, obviously the deadline is the same, Daytona. Do you feel that is doable?

It’s tight!”

Has there been a discussion about coming back into Formula One?

“We discuss internally always everything. You have to monitor everything but again coming back to the discussion over LMP1 around what it is important for us to showcase and what financial and capacity wise is needed and currently we can’t find a case for it regarding either what it is important for us to showcase, and the effort you would have to make.

Formula E

I’m surprised I haven’t been asked a question about the very first EV Championship, Formula E, because we have had discussions about that. Obviously we have some involvement supplying the i3 and i8 as support cars and we have been following it closely.

(Messrs Watkins and Goodwin made it clear they were both about to do so!)

“I think there have been a lot of good things. There have been some things that clearly need to be improved.

“For us, the main issue to be addressed in Formula E is the change of car that you have to do at the 20 minute pit stop because if you take part in discussions about electric mobility reach is always the number one worry that people have and for us it’s a wrong message that at 20 minutes you have to change your car because the battery is dead and you have to jump into another car with a new charged battery.

“People should not be standing there thinking, “OK if I buy an i3 it that after 20 minutes also going to be empty and I might be stranded on the highway? No, those cars really have good reach and they have no problem in that respect.

“That’s why I always emphasise with the FIA that from our point of view that should be our number one target to get readjusted that you either control that you are able to quickly recharge and go out again or that you have a battery or a system that can run for 40 minutes.

“That would be a condition for us to take a step towards potential direct involvement. At the moment it is around year five of their roadmap. Whether it stays that way we will see.

“The other major plus about Formula E and the concept they have, running in cities, really close to the people they attract a completely different audience. they attract people that we, as a leading electromobility premium manufacturer, are definitely interested in.

“It’s much more important to focus on the reach issue than to think about pure performance of the car. Going a second or two faster per lap will not make a difference to those that are watching it, they, in any case don’t have a reference point because they aren’t petrolheads! Concentrate on reach and on sensible set-up costs to racing in the cities.

“Putting resource into the performance or the aero rather than that is completely the wrong approach.”

Is there an opportunity to have involvement on track with perhaps an ‘i’ Procar one make effort supporting Formula E?

“If the question is around there not being enough action on track that’s one thing but I think if we take our motorsport / petrolhead approach to Formula E I think.

“I think interaction with the people is the key.

“Speak to diehard motorsport fans, or to my engineers about Fan Boost they’ll tell you you’re crazy but why do we have to have our narrow approach for something that is trying to attract new and different people?

“There’s plenty of research around, every OEM surely has it – that says that there are plenty of young people that are not interested in doing a driver’s licence at the moment, people that don’t really think that ownership of a car is important.

“When I was 18 the day I turned 18 the biggest thing for me was the little Polo that my Grandparents had bought for me sitting in front of the garage and I was able to jump in and drive off with my friends. To a lot of young people that isn’t important any more.

“They need access to mobility, car sharing programmes (including BMW’s ‘Drive Now scheme) they take the tram, the train, the bus, they just want to get from A to B and they don’t really mind how they do it.

“We need to get those people attracted to cars and I’m not sure we are doing it well enough.

“In my opinion we need to open our view and really on all sides think about how we can attract them. Isn’t Formula E with music and interaction a possible answer? What is the entertainment package that you have to provide?

“Our marketing people tell me that a lot of families attend the events so it is children that need to be entertained, with proper messages and I’m not sure that just cars running on the track for the whole day, is going to do the job!

“It is about the show. It is so good that it is in the city, that you don’t need to get people to drive for 50 or 60 km to get them to an event. It’s right there, easy access and then you need to show them something that they can interact with, that there is something for the kids, for women, for everyone to do and get involved in.”