Quote:
Originally Posted by MiamiE93Vert
So do you attribute the poor showings to bad IMSA regulations, a poor driving team or poor manufacturer support? If the M6 is successful in other circuits it has to be one of these three choices.
|
The BoP hasn't helped, the early season tyre change to the WEC compound hurt them, they had some bad luck (double DNF thanks to a single badly driven Ferrari, for example)... but alongside that, the car has had a number of technical issues.. and yes, fundamentally it hasn't had the pace. I don't think any single one of these things explains the results (or lack of), but in combination, in such a small field, they add up and it sticks out like a sore thumb.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lan4
So noted, but the North American market is HUGE for BMW. Wins and podiums in Europe is for the most part meaningless in NA. They need to find a way to win in NA. Either new/different car, new or additional customer team, BOP adjustments or all of the above. For now they are getting embarrassed by the competition.
|
Well, clearly they need to win, that's the point of it. The fact is they don't have a car that can go toe to toe with the competition. The Ford GT was purpose built to go racing, the M6 was built off the 5-er architecture, and the 5-er is built to sell in 520d junior executive guise.
The perceived size of the North American market (i.e. smaller than China, or Germany+UK) might make it of interest, but so far BMW are clearly more interested in developing a car for customer racing programmes, than a headline factory effort... until next year in the WEC, when they'll finally build a car to the regs, rather than modifying the GT3 car.